- Lady in the Dark
Infobox Musical
name= Lady in the Dark
subtitle=
caption=
music=Kurt Weill
lyrics=Ira Gershwin
book=Moss Hart
basis=
productions=1941 Broadway
1944 Film
awards="Lady in the Dark" is a Broadway musical written by
Kurt Weill (music),Ira Gershwin (lyrics), andMoss Hart (book and direction). It was produced by Sam Harris. The protagonist, Liza Elliott, is the unhappy female editor of a fashion magazine, "Allure", who is undergoingpsychoanalysis , said to be based on Hart's own experiences with psychoanalystGregory Zilboorg . Except for the final song, all the music in the play is heard in three extended dream sequences: the Glamour Dream, the Wedding Dream, and the Circus Dream which, to some extent, become three small operas integrated into a straight play. The final song, "My Ship," functions as a leitmotif for Liza's insecurity: as each dream commences, a snippet of the tune is heard, as it is a haunting melody which Liza recognizes but cannot name, or sing with words, until her anxiety is resolved.The musical opened at the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon) on
January 23 ,1941 and closed onMay 30 ,1942 after 467 performances. The original production starredGertrude Lawrence ,Danny Kaye ,Bert Lytell , andVictor Mature .Kaye's performance as a gay fashion photographer, and particularly his consistently showstopping performance of the
patter song "Tschaikovsky and Other Russians " in which he dashes through the names of 50 Russian composers in 39 seconds, made him a star. The1944 film version starredGinger Rogers andRay Milland , and cut all but four and a half songs from the score ("Suddenly It's Spring", "The Saga of Jenny", and "My Ship" remained, and part of "This Is New" is played by a nightclub band in the background). Kaye's role went to Hollywood's "Mad Russian", the slightly tallerMischa Auer .ongs
;Act I
* Oh Fabulous One in Your Ivory Tower - Liza Elliott's Serenaders
* The World's Inamorata - Liza Elliott and Miss Foster
* One Life to Live - Liza Elliott and Russell Paxton
* Girl of the Moment - Ensemble
* It Looks Like Liza - Entire Company
* This Is New - Randy Curtis and Liza Elliott
* The Princess of Pure Delight - Liza Elliott and Children
* This Woman at the Altar - Entire Company;Act II
* The Greatest Show on Earth - Randy Curtis and Ensemble
* The Best Years of His Life - Charley Johnson and Randy Curtis
* Tschaikowsky - Randy Curtis and Ensemble
* The Saga of Jenny - Liza Elliott, Jury and Ensemble
* My Ship - Liza ElliottExternal links
* [http://www.ibdb.com/Show.asp?id=5214 Lady in the Dark on Internet Broadway Database]
* [http://www.nodanw.com/shows_l/lady_in_the_dark.htm plot description]
* [http://www.moviediva.com/MD_root/reviewpages/MDLadyinDark.htm Detailed review of the film]
* [http://uarts.info/wiki/index.php?title=Berlin_to_Broadway#Lady_in_the_Dark UArts Lady in the Dark Summary]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037000 "Lady in the Dark" (1944) at Internet Movie Database]
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