Say, Darling

Infobox Musical
name= Say, Darling
subtitle=


caption=Poster
music=Jule Styne
lyrics=Betty Comden
Adolph Green
book=Abe Burrows
Marian Bissell
Richard Bissell
basis=Richard Bissell's autobiographical book "Say, Darling"
productions= 1958 Broadway
awards=

"Say, Darling" is a three-act comic play by Abe Burrows and Marian and Richard Bissell about the creation of a Broadway musical. Although the play featured nine original songs with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Jule Styne, all of the songs were presented as either rehearsal or audition material and not as the thoughts or feelings of the characters. The original 1957 Broadway production featured only two pianos, but RCA Victor released a fully-orchestrated original cast recording of the score, leading many to conclude that "Say, Darling" was actually a musical.

In a case of art imitating life not once, but twice, the show is an adaptation of Richard Bissell's semi-autobiographical novel of the same name which chronicled his experience adapting his novel "7½ Cents" for "The Pajama Game", making it in essence a play of a book about a musical adaptation of a book.

It focuses on Jack Jordan, who is brought to Broadway to help develop his best-seller into a musical for leading lady Irene Lovelle. His journey provides him - and the audience - with an education about what goes on behind-the scenes on the Great White Way, from auditions to rehearsals to rewrites in hotel rooms to feuds among cast members, all under the watchful eye of veteran stage producer/director Richard Hackett (loosely based on George Abbott) and a very young fledgling co-producer, Ted Snow, whose financial acumen greatly outweighs his show business savvy. Because of their similar physical appearance, actor Robert Morse (who played Snow) was widely thought to be imitating producer Harold Prince, who had co-produced "The Pajama Game".

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Morse was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play and won the Theatre World Award for his performance.

The play was given a New York City revival in 1996 under the direction of Robert Armin. [ [http://www.blairstowntheaterfestival.com/press/index.htm blairstowntheaterfestival.com, biography of Robert Armin] ]

An original cast recording was released by RCA Victor with orchestrations and musical direction by Sid Ramin. The 2008 CD release on DRG Records was re-edited from the first-generation master recording and interpolated five dialogue lead-ins that were not included on the 1958 LP release. The "long-lost" Robert Morse dialogue was not included. [ [http://www.amazon.com/Say-Darling-Reissue-1958-Album/forum/FxTBA90KONZ6LW/Tx3I3ZVV0D96YEQ/1/ref=cm_cd_dp_tft_tp?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=music&asin=B00133KEJU&store=music amazon.com, Say, Darling - CD Reissue of 1958 Cast Album] ]

ongs

;Act I
* Try to Love Me
* It's Doom
* The Husking Bee ;Act II
* It's the Second Time You Meet That Matters
* Chief of Love
* Let the Lower Lights Be Burning (by Philip P. Bliss)
* Say, Darling
* The Carnival Song ;Act III
* Try to Love Me
* Dance Only with Me
* Something's Always Happening on the River

References

External links

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