One Touch of Venus

For the film adaptation, see One Touch of Venus (film).

One Touch of Venus
Sheet Music Cover
Music	Kurt Weill
Lyrics	Ogden Nash
Book	Ogden Nash S. J. Perelman
Basis	Thomas Anstey Guthrie's novella The Tinted Venus
Productions	1943 Broadway 1948 Film 1992 Barbican Centre 1995 BBC Radio 1997 Light Opera Works 2000] Royal Opera House 2001 The King's Head Theatre

One Touch of Venus is a musical with music written by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ogden Nash, and book by S. J. Perelman and Nash, based on the novella The Tinted Venus by Thomas Anstey Guthrie, and very loosely spoofing the Pygmalion myth. The show satirizes contemporary American suburban values, artistic fads and romantic and sexual mores. Weill had been in America for ten years by the time he wrote this musical, and his music, though retaining his early haunting power, had evolved into a very different Broadway style.^[1]

Original production

The original Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre on October 7, 1943 and closed on February 10, 1945 after 567 performances. It was directed by Elia Kazan and featured choreography by Agnes de Mille. It starred Mary Martin, Kenny Baker and Paula Laurence. Marlene Dietrich reportedly backed out of the title role during rehearsals, calling it "too sexy and profane", which gave Martin the opportunity to establish herself as a Broadway star.^[2]

Film version

The musical was made into a 1948 film, directed by William A. Seiter and starring Ava Gardner and Robert Walker. The movie version omits much of the Broadway score and received poor reviews.

As a child, Philip Margo fell in love with the film when shown on New York's television show Picture For a Sunday Afternoon and eventually wrote a 1988 made for TV movie based on The Tinted Venus called The Goddess of Love with Vanna White as Venus.^[3]

Other productions

In 1987, the piece played at the Goodspeed Opera House.^[2] Ian Marshall Fisher's Discovering Lost Musicals Charitable Trust has presented the work twice, first in 1992 at the Barbican Centre, and then in 2000 the Royal Opera House's Linbury Studio Theatre. Louise Gold played the title role on both occasions. Both productions also found Myra Sands playing Mrs Kramer; while Dick Vosburgh put in an appearance in the 2000 production.^[4]

Its premiered in Germany on June 17, 1994, at the Meininger Theater in Meiningen, Thuringia.

In 1995, BBC Radio broadcast the piece with Paige O'Hara in the title role. Other cast members included Kim Criswell, Peter Gale, Myra Sands (as Mrs. Kramer) and Dick Vosburgh.

In 1996, New York City Center's Encores! series presented the piece, directed by Leonard Foglia with Melissa Errico in the title role. In 1997, Light Opera Works in Illinois produced the work.^[5]

In 2001, London's first major theatrical run opened at The King's Head Theatre in Islington. With a new adaptation by director Tim Childs it starred Peter Land as Whitelaw Savory, Michael Gyngell, and newcomer Kim Medcalf as Venus. It opened to glowing reviews but failed to transfer to the West End, probably because Childs, with an eye to opening the same production on Broadway, workshopped it with Land reprising his role and Sara Ramírez as Venus in New York two weeks after September 11, 2001. Not surprisingly, New York Producers did not want to commit to producing the piece at that time.^[1]

Opera North produced the piece in 2004 at the Grand Theatre, Leeds, directed by Tim Albery.^[6]

42nd Street Moon produced the musical in 2007 at Eureka Theatre in San Francisco, directed by Greg MacKellan,^[7] with musical direction & accompaniment by Dave Dobrusky, choreography by Tom Segal, lighting by Ellen Brooks, scenic decoration by Mike Figueira, and costume design by Louise Jarmilowicz. The cast included: Nina Josephs as Venus, Anil Margsahayam as Rodney Hatch, Peter Budinger as Whitelaw Savory, Amy Louise Cole as Molly Grant, Tom Orr as Julius E. "Taxi" Black, Juliet Heller as Gloria Kramer, Chris Macomber as Mrs. Florabelle Kramer, Tyler Kent as Stanley/Zuvetli/Dr. Rook, Jarrod Quon as Sam and Elise Youssef as Rose.

Metal Monkey Theatre Company produced a revival of the musical for the 2009 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Scotland, directed by Michael Hall,^[8] with musical direction & accompaniment by Duncan White. The cast included: Chrissy Quinn as Venus, Michael Trakas as Rodney Hatch, John Kirkman as Whitelaw Savory, Emily Grogan as Molly Grant, Alex Murphy as Julius E. "Taxi" Black, Jo Britton as Gloria Kramer, Morven Rae Mrs. Florabelle Kramer, David Sanders as Stanley/Dr. Rook, Simon Motz as Zuvetli, Christopher Rorke as Sam, Sarah Block as Mrs Moats and Claire Kennard as Rose. They performed the show at Augustine's (Venue 152) in August 2009^[9] and received a 5 Star review from www.musicaltalk.co.uk ^[10]

2010 – Shaw Festival Theatre – Niagara on the Lake – Ontario – Canada – Royal George Theatre – May 16 to October 10^[11]

Synopsis

A long-lost, priceless statue of the goddess Venus is found and placed on display in an art museum in New York. A slow but good-hearted window dresser, Eddie Hatch, kisses the statue when intoxicated. The sculpture comes to life, and the two fall in love, although Eddie is already engaged. Farcical complications ensue, and Eddie takes "Venus" to the model-display house in the store, where the store's boss finds her. He, too, falls in love with her and makes her Glamour Girl Number One. Eddie and Venus dance in Central Park, but Eddie is arrested for stealing the statue.

Venus then goes to the boss to convince him to drop charges against Eddie. Unfortunately, she must return back to her marble state, so Venus goes back to her pedestal and Eddie is released.

While Eddie is sadly preparing for another unveiling of a now-marble Venus, a new employee asks him a question where the model-display house is. She tells him her name is Venus Jones, and she is an exact double of the sculpture Venus. Surprised, Eddie takes her to see the model home himself.

Musical numbers

Act I Overture – Orchestra "New Art Is True Art" – Whitelaw Savory and Chorus "One Touch of Venus" – Molly Grant and Girls "How Much I Love You" – Rodney Hatch "I'm A Stranger Here Myself" – Venus "Forty Minutes for Lunch" – (ballet) "West Wind" – Savory and Chorus "Way Out West in Jersey" – Mrs. Kramer, Gloria Kramer, and Rodney "That's How I Am Sick of Love" – Rodney "Foolish Heart" – Venus The Trouble With Women – Rodney, Savory, Taxi Black, and Stanley "Speak Low" – Venus and Rodney "Artist's Ball" – Orchestra "Doctor Crippen" – Savory and Dancers

Act II Entr'acte – Orchestra "Very, Very, Very" – Molly "Speak Low" (Reprise) – Rodney and Venus "Catch Hatch" – Savory, Molly, Stanley, Taxi Black, Mrs. Kramer, 3 Anatolians, and Chorus "That's Him" – Venus "Wooden Wedding" – Rodney "Venus in Ozone Heights" – (ballet) "Speak Low" (Reprise) – Rodney

Principal roles

• Whitelaw Savory, a wealthy art collector (baritone)
• Molly Grant, Mr. Savory's secretary (mezzo-soprano)
• Rodney Hatch, a barber (tenor)
• Venus (mezzo-soprano)
• Gloria Kramer, Rodney's fiancée (mezzo-soprano)
• Mrs. Kramer, Gloria's mother (mezzo-soprano)
• Taxi Black and Stanley, two thugs
• Police Lieutenant
• Dr. Rook, a psychiatrist
• Zuvetli, a 'thoroughly unreconstructed' Anatolian

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Review of the 2001 London production
2. ^ ^{a b} Review of 1987 production, The New York Times
3. ^ "Who Are The Tokens?"
4. ^ Information about the 2000 production
5. ^ review of the 1996 Encores! production, The New York Times
6. ^ Opera Today article reviewing Opera North's 2004 production
7. ^ Review of the 42nd Street Moon 2007 production
8. ^ Website www.onetouchofvenus.co.uk
9. ^ Edinburgh Fringe Ticket Site
10. ^ http://www.musicaltalk.co.uk/episodes_0148.html
11. ^ http://www.shawfest.com/Home/Playbill/One-Touch-of-Venus/Story

References

• Information from the NODA website, including a detailed synopsis
• Information from the Musical Heaven website

External links

• Internet Broadway Database page for One Touch of Venus
• Information about the 1943 original cast album
• Ovrtur.com listing