Funny Face (musical): Difference between revisions

*Funny Face*
Funny Face
Music	George Gershwin
Lyrics	Ira Gershwin
Book	Paul Gerard Smith ; Fred Thompson
Productions	Alvin Theatre (1927); 244 performances

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Funny Face is a 1927 musical composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and book by Fred Thompson and Paul Gerard Smith. When it opened on Broadway on November 22, 1927, as the first show performed in the newly built Alvin Theatre, it starred Fred Astaire and his sister Adele Astaire. It was in this show that Astaire first danced in evening clothes and a top hat.^[1]

Originally called Smarty, it first opened in Philadelphia on October 11, 1927, to poor reviews. This led to major rewrites and caused critic-humorist Robert Benchley, who had contributed to the script, to walk out.^[2] The rewrites and changes continued as the musical moved from Philadelphia to Washington D.C. (October 31); to Atlantic City (November 7); to Wilmington (November 14);^[3] before reaching Broadway and the Alvin Theatre on November 22, now renamed Funny Face. It became a major Broadway hit, and after 244 performances, the whole company transferred it to London, where Fred and Adele Astaire had had a successful run of Lady, Be Good! just before starting the rehearsals of Smarty in Philadelphia.^[4]^[5]

The London production opened at Princes Theatre on November 8, 1928,^[6] and ran there until January 29, 1929. After a short tour of the UK provinces, the musical re-opened at the Winter Garden Theatre in London on March 11, 1929, where it ran until June 1929,^[7] chalking up a total of 263 performances.^[6] Leslie Henson shared top billing with Fred and Adele Astaire.^[7]

Plot

Setting: The house of Jimmy Reeve; the house of Peter Thurston; Lake Wapatog, New Jersey and Atlantic City, New Jersey

Jimmy Reeve is the legal guardian of three pretty sisters, Dora, June and Frankie, whose prize belongings he keeps in his safe. June's pearl necklace is locked in there, and so is Frankie's diary, after having been confiscated by Jimmy. However, the diary contains very incriminating things, so Frankie convinces the aviator Peter Thurston to steal it from the safe. But somehow he manages to steal the pearls instead, setting off a merry chase that takes the cast to the Atlantic City pier. And to make matters even more complicated, two bumbling burglars, Herbert and Dugsie, also try to break into the safe and are swept along in the chase. At one point, they have a falling out, but Herbert is unable to shoot Dugsie as he has forgotten to get a shooting license.^[1]^[3]

Original Broadway production

The show opened at the Alvin Theatre on November 22, 1927, and ran for 244 performances. It was directed by Edgar MacGregor, with choreography by Bobby Connolly.^[8]

Main cast^[8]

Fred Astaire as Jimmy Reeve
Adele Astaire as Frankie
Gertrude McDonald as June
Betty Compton as Dora
Allen Kearns as Peter Thurston
William Kent as Dugsie Gibbs
Victor Moore as Herbert

Songs

Act 1

"Birthday Party" – Dora, June and Guests
"Once" – Dugsie Gibbs, Dora and Ensemble
"Funny Face" – Frankie and Jimmy Reeve
"High Hat" – Jimmy Reeve and Boys
"'S Wonderful" – Frankie and Peter Thurston
"Let's Kiss and Make Up" – Frankie, Jimmy Reeve and Ensemble
"Come Along, Let's Gamble" – Entire Company

Act 2

"In the Swim" – Girls
"He Loves and She Loves" – Frankie and Peter Thurston
"Tell the Doc" – Dugsie Gibbs and Girls
"My One and Only (What Am I Going To Do?)" – Jimmy Reeve, June, Dora and Girls
"Sing a Little Song" – Pianists, Ritz Quartette, and Boys
"My One and Only (What Am I Going to Do?)" (Reprise) – Dora, June and Chorus
"The Babbitt and the Bromide" – Frankie and Jimmy Reeve

Adaptions and inspirations

The plot of 1936 British film She Knew What She Wanted is loosely based on the musical, but doesn't contain any of the music.
The 1957 film musical Funny Face, which also starred Fred Astaire, featured just four songs from the stage musical, and the plot was totally different.
The 1983 Broadway musical My One and Only was claimed to be a revival of the original musical, but contained only some of the songs and had a very different plot.^[1]

References

Website with extensive description of the show, with reprints from The Oxford Companion to American Theatre and various books Archived 2014-07-25 at the Wayback Machine

^ ^a ^b ^c The Oxford Companion to American Theatre: Funny Face (1927) Archived 2014-07-25 at the Wayback Machine Linked 2013-05-18
^ Jablonski, Edward. Gershwin. Doubleday (1988), p. 144.
^ ^a ^b Howard Pollack: George Gershwin: His Life and Work, pages 406–09 Archived 2014-07-25 at the Wayback Machine. Linked 2013-05-18.
^ Philip Furia: Ira Gershwin: The Art of the Lyricist, pages 63–65 Archived 2014-07-25 at the Wayback Machine. Linked 2013-05-18.
^ Talkin' Broadway Regional News & Reviews: San Francisco - "Woman in Black" and "Funny Face" - 5/22/00
^ ^a ^b Green, Stanley (1976). Encyclopaedia of the Musical. London: Cassell. ISBN 0-304-29930-8.
^ ^a ^b Theatre Programme: "Funny Face" Winter Gardens Theatre, London, dated "June 17" and "last weeks".
^ ^a ^b IBDB: Funny Face, Alvin Theatre 1927-1928 Linked 2013-05-18

External links

[Oxford-1] The Oxford Companion to American Theatre: Funny Face (1927) Archived 2014-07-25 at the Wayback Machine Linked 2013-05-18

[2] Jablonski, Edward. Gershwin. Doubleday (1988), p. 144.

[Pollack-3] Howard Pollack: George Gershwin: His Life and Work, pages 406–09 Archived 2014-07-25 at the Wayback Machine. Linked 2013-05-18.

[4] Philip Furia: Ira Gershwin: The Art of the Lyricist, pages 63–65 Archived 2014-07-25 at the Wayback Machine. Linked 2013-05-18.

[5] Talkin' Broadway Regional News & Reviews: San Francisco - "Woman in Black" and "Funny Face" - 5/22/00

[:0-6] Green, Stanley (1976). Encyclopaedia of the Musical. London: Cassell. ISBN 0-304-29930-8.

[:1-7] Theatre Programme: "Funny Face" Winter Gardens Theatre, London, dated "June 17" and "last weeks".

[IBDB-8] IBDB: Funny Face, Alvin Theatre 1927-1928 Linked 2013-05-18

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@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 }}
-'''''Funny Face''''' is a 1927 [[musical theater|musical]] composed by [[George Gershwin]], with lyrics by [[Ira Gershwin]], and book by [[Fred Thompson (writer)|Fred Thompson]] and [[Paul Gerard Smith]]. When it opened on Broadway on November 22, 1927, as the first show performed in the newly built [[Alvin Theatre]], it starred [[Fred Astaire]] and his sister [[Adele Astaire]]. It was in this show that Fred Astaire first danced in evening clothes and a top hat.<ref name=Oxford>[http://occultamerica.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2008-10-13 The Oxford Companion to American Theatre: ''Funny Face'' (1927)] Linked 2013-05-18</ref>
+'''''Funny Face''''' is a 1927 [[musical theater|musical]] composed by [[George Gershwin]], with lyrics by [[Ira Gershwin]], and book by [[Fred Thompson (writer)|Fred Thompson]] and [[Paul Gerard Smith]]. When it opened on Broadway on November 22, 1927, as the first show performed in the newly built [[Alvin Theatre]], it starred [[Fred Astaire]] and his sister [[Adele Astaire]]. It was in this show that Astaire first danced in evening clothes and a top hat.<ref name=Oxford>[http://occultamerica.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2008-10-13 The Oxford Companion to American Theatre: ''Funny Face'' (1927)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725132823/http://occultamerica.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2008-10-13 |date=2014-07-25 }} Linked 2013-05-18</ref>
-Originally called ''Smarty'', it first opened in Philadelphia on October 11, 1927 to poor reviews. This led to major rewrites and caused critic-humorist [[Robert Benchley]], who had contributed to the script, to walk out.<ref>Jablonski, Edward. [https://books.google.com/books?id=wCPPPHM44sIC&pg=PA144 ''Gershwin'']. Doubleday (1988), p. 144</ref> The rewrites and changes continued as the musical moved from Philadelphia to Washington D.C. (October 31); to Atlantic City (November 7); to Wilmington (November 14);<ref name=Pollack>[http://occultamerica.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2008-10-13 Howard Pollack: ''George Gershwin: His Life and Work'', pages 406-9] Linked 2013-05-18</ref> before reaching Broadway and the Alvin Theatre on November 22, now renamed ''Funny Face''. It became a major Broadway hit, and after 244 performances, the whole company transferred it to London, where Fred and Adele Astaire had had a successful run of ''[[Lady, Be Good (musical)|Lady, Be Good!]]'' just before starting the rehearsals of ''Smarty'' in Philadelphia.<ref>[http://occultamerica.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2008-10-13 Philip Furia: ''Ira Gershwin: The Art of the Lyricist'', pages 63-65] Linked 2013-05-18</ref><ref>[http://www.talkinbroadway.com/regional/sanfran/s56.html Talkin' Broadway Regional News & Reviews: San Francisco - "Woman in Black" and "Funny Face" - 5/22/00]</ref>
+Originally called ''Smarty'', it first opened in Philadelphia on October 11, 1927, to poor reviews. This led to major rewrites and caused critic-humorist [[Robert Benchley]], who had contributed to the script, to walk out.<ref>Jablonski, Edward. [https://books.google.com/books?id=wCPPPHM44sIC&pg=PA144 ''Gershwin'']. Doubleday (1988), p. 144.</ref> The rewrites and changes continued as the musical moved from Philadelphia to Washington D.C. (October 31); to Atlantic City (November 7); to Wilmington (November 14);<ref name=Pollack>[http://occultamerica.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2008-10-13 Howard Pollack: ''George Gershwin: His Life and Work'', pages 406–09] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725132823/http://occultamerica.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2008-10-13 |date=2014-07-25 }}. Linked 2013-05-18.</ref> before reaching Broadway and the Alvin Theatre on November 22, now renamed ''Funny Face''. It became a major Broadway hit, and after 244 performances, the whole company transferred it to London, where Fred and Adele Astaire had had a successful run of ''[[Lady, Be Good (musical)|Lady, Be Good!]]'' just before starting the rehearsals of ''Smarty'' in Philadelphia.<ref>[http://occultamerica.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2008-10-13 Philip Furia: ''Ira Gershwin: The Art of the Lyricist'', pages 63–65] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725132823/http://occultamerica.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2008-10-13 |date=2014-07-25 }}. Linked 2013-05-18.</ref><ref>[http://www.talkinbroadway.com/regional/sanfran/s56.html Talkin' Broadway Regional News & Reviews: San Francisco - "Woman in Black" and "Funny Face" - 5/22/00]</ref>
+The London production opened at [[Shaftesbury Theatre|Princes Theatre]] on November 8, 1928,<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Green|first=Stanley|title=Encyclopaedia of the Musical|publisher=Cassell|year=1976|isbn=0-304-29930-8|location=London|pages=}}</ref> and ran there until January 29, 1929. After a short tour of the UK provinces, the musical re-opened at the [[Winter Garden Theatre (London) Ltd v Millennium Productions Ltd|Winter Garden Theatre]] in London on March 11, 1929, where it ran until June 1929,<ref name=":1">Theatre Programme:  "Funny Face" Winter Gardens Theatre, London, dated "June 17" and "last weeks".</ref> chalking up a total of 263 performances.<ref name=":0" /> [[Leslie Henson]] shared top billing with Fred and Adele Astaire.<ref name=":1" />
 ==Plot==
+'''Setting:''' The house of Jimmy Reeve; the house of Peter Thurston; Lake Wapatog, New Jersey and [[Atlantic City, New Jersey]]
 Jimmy Reeve is the legal guardian of three pretty sisters, Dora, June and Frankie, whose prize belongings he keeps in his safe. June's pearl necklace is locked in there, and so is Frankie's diary, after having been confiscated by Jimmy. However, the diary contains very incriminating things, so Frankie convinces the aviator Peter Thurston to steal it from the safe.  But somehow he manages to steal the pearls instead, setting off a merry chase that takes the cast to the Atlantic City pier.  And to make matters even more complicated, two bumbling burglars, Herbert and Dugsie, also try to break into the safe and are swept along in the chase. At one point, they have a falling out, but Herbert is unable to shoot Dugsie as he has forgotten to get a shooting license.<ref name=Oxford/><ref name=Pollack/>
@@ Line 38: / Line 42: @@
 {{col-begin}}
 {{col-2}}
 ;Act 1
-* "Birthday Party" - Dora, June and Guests
+* "Birthday Party" – Dora, June and Guests
-* "Once" - Dugsie Gibbs, Dora and Ensemble
+* "Once" – Dugsie Gibbs, Dora and Ensemble
-* "[[Funny Face (1927 song)|Funny Face]]" - Frankie and Jimmy Reeve
+* "[[Funny Face (1927 song)|Funny Face]]" – Frankie and Jimmy Reeve
-* "High Hat" - Jimmy Reeve and Boys
+* "High Hat" – Jimmy Reeve and Boys
-* "[['S Wonderful]]" - Frankie and Peter Thurston
+* "[['S Wonderful]]" – Frankie and Peter Thurston
-* "[[Let's Kiss and Make Up]]" - Frankie, Jimmy Reeve and Ensemble
+* "Let's Kiss and Make Up" – Frankie, Jimmy Reeve and Ensemble
-* "Come Along, Let's Gamble" - Entire Company
+* "Come Along, Let's Gamble" – Entire Company
 {{col-break}}
 ;Act 2
-* "In the Swim" - Girls
+* "In the Swim" – Girls
-* "[[He Loves and She Loves]]" - Frankie and Peter Thurston
+* "[[He Loves and She Loves]]" – Frankie and Peter Thurston
-* "Tell the Doc" - Dugsie Gibbs and Girls
+* "Tell the Doc" – Dugsie Gibbs and Girls
-* "[[My One and Only (song)|My One and Only (What Am I Going To Do?)]]" - Jimmy Reeve, June, Dora and Girls
+* "[[My One and Only (1927 song)|My One and Only (What Am I Going To Do?)]]" – Jimmy Reeve, June, Dora and Girls
-* "Sing a Little Song" - Pianists, Ritz Quartette, and Boys
+* "Sing a Little Song" – Pianists, Ritz Quartette, and Boys
-* "My One and Only (What Am I Going to Do?)" (Reprise) - Dora, June and Chorus
+* "My One and Only (What Am I Going to Do?)" (Reprise) – Dora, June and Chorus
-* "The Babbitt and the Bromide" - Frankie and Jimmy Reeve
+* "The Babbitt and the Bromide" – Frankie and Jimmy Reeve
 {{col-end}}
@@ Line 63: / Line 67: @@
 ==References==
-*[http://occultamerica.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2008-10-13 Website with extensive description of the show, with reprints from The Oxford Companion to American Theatre and various books]
+*[http://occultamerica.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2008-10-13 Website with extensive description of the show, with reprints from ''The Oxford Companion to American Theatre'' and various books] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725132823/http://occultamerica.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2008-10-13 |date=2014-07-25 }}
-{{reflist}}
+{{Reflist|30em}}
 ==External links==
-*{{ibdb show|id=3749|title=Funny Face}}
+* {{IBDB show}}
+* {{Playbill production}}
 *[http://www.talkinbroadway.com/regional/sanfran/s56.html Review of a 2000 revival]
 *[https://web.archive.org/web/20100527053002/http://img3.photographersdirect.com/img/262/wm/pd528579.jpg Poster for the show with the original title, ''Smarty'']
@@ Line 73: / Line 78: @@
 {{Gershwins}}
+{{Authority control}}
 [[Category:1927 musicals]]
-[[Category:Musicals by George Gershwin]]
+[[Category:Musicals by George and Ira Gershwin]]
 [[Category:Broadway musicals]]
 [[Category:Musicals set in the Roaring Twenties]]
+[[Category:Musicals by Fred Thompson (writer)]]
+[[Category:Musicals set in New Jersey]]
+[[Category:Musicals set in Atlantic City, New Jersey]]

v t e George and Ira Gershwin musicals, operas and films
Together	A Dangerous Maid Primrose Lady, Be Good! Tell Me More Tip-Toes Oh, Kay! Strike Up the Band Funny Face Rosalie Treasure Girl Show Girl Girl Crazy Delicious (film) Of Thee I Sing Pardon My English Let 'Em Eat Cake Porgy and Bess Shall We Dance (film) A Damsel in Distress (film) The Goldwyn Follies (film) The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (film)
George	La La Lucille Morris Gest Midnight Whirl George White's Scandals (1920–1924, including Blue Monday) Our Nell The Rainbow Sweet Little Devil Song of the Flame
Ira	Two Little Girls in Blue Be Yourself That's a Good Girl Life Begins at 8:40 Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 Lady in the Dark The North Star (film) Cover Girl (film) The Firebrand of Florence Where Do We Go from Here? (film) Park Avenue The Barkleys of Broadway (film) A Star Is Born (film) The Country Girl (film)
repurposed	Rhapsody in Blue (film) An American in Paris (film) My One and Only (musical) Crazy for You Nice Work If You Can Get It An American in Paris (musical) A Damsel in Distress (musical)