Animal Crackers (musical)

Infobox Musical
name = Animal Crackers
subtitle =


caption =
music = Bert Kalmar
Harry Ruby
lyrics = Bert Kalmar
Harry Ruby
book = George S. Kaufman
Morrie Ryskind
basis =
productions = 1928 Broadway
1982 Washington, D.C.
1992 Connecticut
1993 New Jersey
1999 West End
awards =

Animal Crackers is a musical with music and lyrics by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby and a book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. The musical starred the Marx Brothers.

Productions and background

"Animal Crackers" opened on Broadway on October 23 1928 at the original 44th Street Theatre, and ran for 191 performances and then toured. The 44th Street Theater was demolished in 1945. The production was staged by Oscar Eagle and starred the four Marx Brothers and Margaret Dumont and was their second Broadway hit.

The musical was filmed in 1930 with the principal leads repeating their roles from the stage production.

The musical was revived in 1982 at the Arena Stage, Washington, D.C., directed by Douglas C. Wager and choreographed by Baayork Lee.

It was also revived in 1992 by Goodspeed Musicals, Connecticut and in 1993 at the Paper Mill Playhouse, New Jersey.

It was produced in the West End at the Lyric Theatre, opening on March 16 1999, and closing on May 15 1999 after touring in the UK. Starring were Ben Keaton (Spalding), Toby Sedgwick (Professor), Joseph Alessi (Emmanuel Ravelli), and Jean Challis (Mrs Rittenhouse). [ [http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/theatre/show-587664-details/Animal+Crackers/showReview.do This Is London, 3/16/99] ]

After "The Cocoanuts" ran for almost three years at the Lyric Theatre, the "anarchic" "Animal Crackers" became the third and last Broadway show for the Marx Brothers ("I'll Say She Is" was the first). It would be their last stage show, after which they focused on film. Vaudeville's heyday was finishing, as talking movies were beginning to become popular. While the Marx Brothers performed in "Animal Crackers" in the evenings, they were busy during the day filming "The Cocoanuts" at Paramount's studios in Astoria, Queens.

ong list

[ [http://www.marx-brothers.org/whyaduck/info/broadway/anim-45.htm Original program] ] [ [http://www.flyrope.com/sections/shows/score.php?var=100000539 Flyrope.com] ] ;Act I
*Opening:Hives and Dancers:The Maids --The Sixteen Markert Dancers:The Guests -- Ensemble
*"News" -- Wally Winston and the Sixteen Markert Dancers
*"Hooray for Captain Spaulding" -- Hives, Jamison, Mrs. Rittenhouse, Capt. Spalding and Ensemble
*"Who's Been Listening to My Heart" -- Mary and John
*"The Long Island Low-Down" -- Wally Winston and Grace
*"Go Places and Do Things" -- Ensemble
*Dance
*"Watching the Clouds Roll By" -- Mary and John
*Piano speciality -- Chico Marx;Act II
*"When Things Are Bright and Rosy" -- Wally Winston and Arabella
*Reprise -- Mary and John
*"Cool Off" -- Grace and Ensemble
*The Royal Filipino Band
*Harp speciality -- Harpo Marx
*"Musketeers" -- The Marx Brothers
*Finale -- Company
*"Three Little Words" † ‡
*"Oh by Jingo" (by Lew Brown and Albert von Tilzer)†
*"Show Me a Rose" ‡
*"The Social Ladder" †
*"I Wanna Be Loved by You" ††
*"Nevertheless (I'm in Love with You)" ††

† added for Goodspeed production
‡ added for Arena Stage and Paper Mill productions
†† added for Paper Mill production

References

* [http://www.marx-brothers.org/whyaduck/info/broadway/anim-index.htm Information about the background of "Animal Crackers"]
* [http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?html_title=&tols_title=ANIMAL%20CRACKERS%20(PLAY)&pdate=19281024&byline=&id=1077011429138 "New York Times" review, October 24, 1928]
* [http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9C01EEDB1138F932A05756C0A964948260 "New York Times" review, May 31, 1982]
* [http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9E0CE7DE1F3BF935A35751C1A964958260 "New York Times" review, December 6, 1992]
* [http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?_r=1&res=9F0CE6DE1331F937A25752C1A965958260&oref=slogin "New York Times" review, November 14, 1993]

External links

*
* [http://www.flyrope.com/sections/productions/index.php?var=200014568 FlyRope production information]