Le monde des musicals

Musical (1930)

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Musique: George Gershwin •
Paroles: Ira Gershwin •
Livret: Guy Bolton • John McGowan •
Production à la création:

"Girl Crazy" was written during the Depression, partly in an attempt to lighten the spirits of its audiences. Although the plot is frothy, the musical score is exquisite and features such enduring and beloved standards as "Embraceable You" and "I've Got Rhythm."

According to his father, Danny Churchill Jr. too focused on girls and parties. Thus, Danny’s father ships him off to a mostly male town in Arizona with the goal of getting Danny’s attention focused on more serious matters. However, soon after arriving, Danny falls in love with the local postmistress, Molly Gray. He wins Molly’s affections – but can he beat off a New York rival?

Banished to Custerville, Arizona, a quiet little town that has seen too few women for fifty years, New York socialite Danny Churchill, who has traveled all the way west in a taxicab, brings on a whole contingent of Broadway chorus girls and turns the humdrum farm where he is staying into a bustling dude ranch and gambling emporium. In the process, he falls for the local postmistress, Molly Gray, who at first dismisses his advances but eventually succumbs to his charming, sophisticated ways.

The lively secondary characters include Gieber Goldfarb, the taxi driver who, once in Arizona, decides to settle down and run for the office of sheriff, unaware of the fact that the position, the most unstable in town, needs to be filled every other week. Tess Harding, a former girlfriend of Danny, arrives on the scene to try and reclaim her beau; Slick Fothergill, a notorious gambler, shows up with Kate, his wife, who soon becomes the leading entertainer at Danny's place; Sam Mason, once a rival of Danny for Tess's hand, joins the crowd.

In the original 1930 cast were Ginger Rogers as Molly, Allen Kearns as Danny, Willie Howard as Goldfarb, and Ethel Merman making her Broadway debut as Kate and electrifying audiences with her brash stage presence and clarion-clear vocals.

In their first duet together, Danny and Molly share Could You Use Me? a song in which Danny tries to woo Molly, who shows no interest in him, at least at this point. However, after he describes to her the life he envisions for the two of them in New York, she warms up to the idea and readily reveals she is no longer insensitive (Embraceable You).

At the dude ranch, Kate entertains gamblers and guests, with her raunchy description of the love affair between Sam and Delilah, in which George and Ira Gershwin poked fun at the syrupy <Frankie and Johnny ballads of yore.

When she catches Slick in an apparent dalliance with two girls, Kate is wrathful, but after Slick assures her that no one can compete for her place in his heart, she seems more than eager to forgive and forget (I Got Rhythm).

Meanwhile, the budding relationship between Danny and Molly has soured: intent on avenging himself, Sam, Danny’s unlucky rival for Tess’s favors, now actively courts Molly, and after he wins $6,000 at the card table, he proposes to take her to San Luz, another sleepy little town across the Mexican border. When she accepts, Danny believes his chances with her have faded and he gallantly sets her free, much to her dismay and chagrin (But Not for Me).

In San Luz, Kate catches Slick with yet another señorita (Treat Me Rough), and she mournfully bemoans her husband’s infidelities (Boy! What Love Has Done to Me). But all’s well that eventually ends well: Kate and Slick make up, as do Danny and Molly, just in time for a rousing Finale.

Ce musical servira d'inspiration pour "Crazy for You", spectacle comprenant les plus grandes chansons des frères Gershwin et qui sera créé avec grand succès à Broadway en 1992.

The musical opened at the Alvin Theatre on October 14, 1930 and closed on June 6, 1931 after 272 performances. It was directed by Alexander Leftwich, with choreography by George Hale and sets by Donald Oenslager. This musical made a star of Ginger Rogers, who, with Allen Kearns, sang "Could You Use Me?" and "Embraceable You" and, with Willie Howard, "But Not for Me". Ethel Merman, in her Broadway debut sang "I Got Rhythm", "Sam and Delilah", and "Boy! What Love Has Done To Me!" and "became an overnight sensation...that launched her fifty year career." Also of note is the opening night pit orchestra, which was composed of many well-known jazz musicians, including Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Glenn Miller and Jimmy Dorsey.

"The score was one of the Gershwins' best" according to theatre writer Ken Bloom.

In 1992 it was produced with a new title as the stage musical Crazy for You. The show was heavily revised, with a completely new plot, and songs from other Gershwin shows added.

"Musicals Tonight!", New York City, presented a staged concert in September 2001.

An abridged version of Girl Crazy was presented at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC October 2–5, 2008 as part of their Broadway: Three Generations production. Max von Essen played Danny, Jenn Colella played Molly, and Randy Graff played Kate, directed by Lonny Price.

The New York City Center Encores! staged concert was held in November 2009. Directed by Jerry Zaks, it starred Ana Gasteyer, Marc Kudisch, Becki Newton, and Wayne Knight.

Acte I
Bidin' My Time
The Lonesome Cowboy
Could You Use Me
Bronco Busters
Barbary Coast
Embraceable You
Goldfarb, That's I'm!
Embraceable You (Reprise)
Sam and Delilah
I Got Rhythm

Acte II
Land of the Gay Caballero
But Not For Me
Treat Me Rough
Boy! What Love Has Done To Me!
(When It's) Cactus Time in Arizona

Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant Girl Crazy

Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant Girl Crazy

Film adaptations: The 1932 RKO Radio Pictures production was very unlike the stage play except for its score. The film was tailored for the comic talents of Wheeler & Woolsey, a then-popular comedy team. In 1943, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced a lavish version starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. In 1965, MGM once again made the musical into a film, for Connie Francis. Unlike the previous two versions, the title was changed to When the Boys Meet the Girls. It co-starred Herman's Hermits, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, Louis Armstrong, and Liberace. A number of Gershwin songs were retained, including "Embraceable You", "Bidin' My Time", "But Not for Me", "Treat Me Rough", and "I Got Rhythm".

Two roles (June and Chesty) were eliminated during rehearsals. They were to have performed the song "Are You Dancing?".
The song "Embraceable You" needed to be restaged and Fred Astaire was brought in to do so. It was the first time that he and Ginger Rogers met.