Of V We Sing
Of V We Sing is a Broadway musical revue with lyrics by Alfred Hayes and a book by Mel Tolkin, Sam Locke, and Al Geto.[1][2] It premiered at the Elysee Theatre on February 11, 1942, and ran for 76 performances before closing on April 25 that year.[1][2] The show marked the Broadway debuts of both Betty Garrett and Phil Leeds.[3][4]
Production[edit]
The show was originally put on by the American Youth Theatre under the name V For Victory in September 1941 at the Malin Studio Theater.[5] By October, it was running under the name Of V We Sing.[1][6][7]
The Broadway production was directed by Perry Bruskin and produced by Alexander H. Cohen.[8]
A condensed version of the show, with a cast of ten people, played at the La Conga Club in New York City for two weeks in September 1942.[9][10][11] Four members of the original cast performed in this version: Eleanor Bagley, Lee Barrie, Connie Baxter, and Adele Jerome. New cast members were Kay Dowd, Ty Kearney, Ray Long, Marty Ritt, and Shelley Winters.[10]
Synopsis[edit]
The show consisted of two acts of songs and sketches.[1] Some of the show's content addressed World War II, while other parts touched on topics closer to home, like unions, Mother's Day, and the Brooklyn Dodgers.[12]
Act I[edit]
- "You Can't Fool the People"
- "News Story"
- "NBC Goes to Broadcast"
- "Sisters Under the Skin"
- "Rhumba"
- "One Way Passage"
- "Red, White and Blues"
- "Mother Love"
- "Brooklyn Cantata"
- "Take a Poem"
- "Victory Conga"
Act II[edit]
- "Priorities"
- "News Story (Again)"
- "Ivan the Terrible"
- "Queen Esther"
- "Hy'a Joe"
- "Gertie, the Stool Pigeon's Daughter"
- "You've Got to Appease with a Strip Tease"
- "Belinda Blue"
- "We Have a Date"
- "Juke Box"
- "Prologue to Finale"
- "Of V We Sing"
Broadway cast[edit]
- Eleanor Bagley
- Lee Barrie
- Connie Baxter
- Perry Bruskin
- Curt Conway
- Lou Cooper
- Diane Davis
- John Fleming
- Ann Garlan
- Betty Garrett
- Adele Jerome
- Phil Leeds
- Byron Milligan
- Daniel Nagrin
- Susanne Remos
- Robert Sharron
- Letty Stever
- Mary Titus
- John Wynn
- Buddy Yarus[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e Dietz, Dan (2 February 2015). The Complete Book of 1940s Broadway Musicals. pp. 99–100. ISBN 978-1-4422-4528-0. OCLC 903014625.
- ^ a b "Of V We Sing (Broadway, Elysee Theatre, 1942)". Playbill. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
- ^ Pesselnick, Jill (1998-08-21). "Phil Leeds". Variety. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
- ^ Carbone, Nick (2011-02-13). "Betty Garrett, Laverne and Shirley Actress and Broadway Star, Dies at 91". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
- ^ "Of V We Sing' Ends Its Run Saturday; Topical Revue Is Closing at the Concert Theatre -- Gertrude Lawrence Year in Part; Pal Joey' in New Home; Begins in Brooklyn Tonight -- Sponsorship of 'Broken Journey' Is Arranged". The New York Times. 1942-04-21. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
- ^ L.C. (1941-10-26). "Of V We Sing' Offered; Musical Revue Is Presented by the American Youth Theatre". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
- ^ "'Of V We Sing' Makes Brooklyn Youngsters Pros on Wednesday". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 8 February 1942. p. 36. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
- ^ McLaughlin, Robert L. (2021). Broadway Goes to War: American Theater During World War II. ISBN 978-0-8131-8094-6. OCLC 1190853602.
- ^ "N.Y. Clubs Buy Lots of Talent For New Season". Billboard. 12 September 1942. p. 11.
- ^ a b Denis, Paul (19 September 1942). "LaConga, New York". Billboard. p. 12.
- ^ "Better Comedy Floorshow Units Get Plenty of Bookings as the Quickies Drop Out; Philly Boom". Billboard. 31 October 1942. p. 11.
- ^ Jones, John Bush (2003). Our Musicals, Ourselves: A Social History of the American Musical Theater. Hanover: Brandeis University Press, published by University Press of New England. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-61128-223-8. OCLC 654535012.