- Johnny Johnson (musical)
Infobox Musical
name= Johnny Johnson
subtitle=
caption= 1956 Studio Cast Recording
music=Kurt Weill
lyrics=Paul Green
book=Paul Green
basis=Jaroslav Hasek 's novel
"The Good Soldier Švejk "
productions=1936 Broadway
1971 Broadway revival
awards="Johnny Johnson" is a musical with a book and lyrics by Paul Green and music by
Kurt Weill .Based on
Jaroslav Hasek 's satiricnovel "The Good Soldier Švejk ", it focuses on a naive and idealistic young man who, despite his pacifist views, leaves his sweetheart Minny Belle Tompkins to fight inEurope inWorld War I . He manages to bring the skirmish to a temporary halt by incapacitating a meeting of the generals withlaughing gas , but once they recover he finds himself committed to an asylum for ten years. He returns home to discover Minny Belle has married a capitalist, and he settles down as a toymaker who will create anything except tin soldiers, his personal gesture of peace in an increasingly warlike society.Its title was inspired by the fact the name appeared on
United States casualty rolls more often than any other [http://www.iht.com/articles/1996/01/17/weill.t.php] .Weill was asked to develop the project by the socially-conscious Group Theatre, but much of his music was scrapped when original director
Harold Clurman was replaced byLee Strasberg , who opted to emphasize text over tunes.The Broadway production opened on
November 19 1936 at the 44th Street Theatre, where it ran for 68 performances. The cast included Russell Collins as Johnny andPhoebe Brand as Minny Belle, withLuther Adler ,Morris Carnovsky ,Lee J. Cobb ,Curt Conway ,John Garfield ,Elia Kazan ,Robert Lewis , andSanford Meisner in supporting roles.After ten previews, a revival directed by
José Quintero andchoreographed by Bertram Ross opened onApril 11 1971 at the Edison Theatre, where it closed after one performance. The cast included Ralph Williams as Johnny and Alice Cannon as Minny Belle.A 1956 studio cast recording featuring
Lotte Lenya ,Burgess Meredith ,Jane Connell ,Evelyn Lear , and Thomas Stewart was released onCD byPolydor Records .1971 revival song list
Act 1
* Over in Europe
* Democracy's Call
* Up Chuckamauga Hill
* Johnny's Melody
* Aggie's Song
* Oh Heart of Love
* Farewell, Goodbye
* The Sergeant's Chant
* Valentine's Tango
* You're in the Army Now (Interlude)
* Johnny's Oath
* Song of the Goddess
* Song of the Wounded Frenchmen
* Tea Song
* Cowboy Song
* Johnny's Dream
* Song of the Guns
* Music of the Stricken RedeemerAct 2
* Mon Ami My Friend
* Allied High Command
* The Laughing Generals
* The Battle
* Prayer: In Times of War and Tumults
* No Man's Land
* Song of the Goddess (Reprise)
* The Psychiatry Song
* Hymn to Peace
* Johnny Johnson's Song
* How Sweetly Friendship Binds
* Oh Heart of Love (Reprise)
* Johnny's MelodyExternal links
* [http://www.ibdb.com/show.asp?ID=4921 Internet Broadway Database listing]
* [http://www.nodanw.com/shows_j/johnnyjohnson.html Guide to Musical Theatre]
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