I've brought this show up before on ATC. It opened off-Broadway in Oct., 1963, was well-received by critics, had a 9-month run of 318 perfs, and got a cast recording. The Burns-Mantle 63-64 volume characterized it as the second best musical of the season after Hello, Dolly!. The male lead was David Cryer and the cast included Barbara Williams, Ralston Hill, and Gail Johnston. Joseph Hardy directed. The off-Broadway production was actually taped for cable TV. The cast recording got its first CD release in '95 on the obscure AEI label and its second release on the not-so-obscure Kritzerland label.
Why this show remains so forgotten is a mystery to me. I did mention it to Mel Miller of Musicals Tonight! a few times over the years, but he didn't know much about it. The score is excellent. The show is certainly worthy of an Off-Center Encores production. I really hope York Theatre would consider doing a Mufti version of it some day. |
