Fanny

Fanny (1954), a musical play by S. N. Behrman, Joshua Logan (book), Harold Rome (music, lyrics). [ Majestic Theatre, 888 perf.] César (Ezio Pinza), owner of a small Marseilles café, hopes his son Marius (William Tabbert) will marry their young neighbor Fanny (Florence Henderson) and take over the business. Instead, Marius runs off to sea, leaving Fanny pregnant but unwed. Frightened, she marries a benevolent old sail maker, Panisse (Walter Slezak). Years pass and Marius returns, hoping to marry Fanny. But César, not wanting his friend Panisse to be hurt, chases Marius away. On his deathbed, Panisse urges Fanny to marry Marius after all, so that Fanny and Marius's young son can have a proper home. Notable songs: Fanny; Love Is a Very Light Thing; Restless Heart; Welcome Home. Based on Marcel Pagnol's film trilogy, Marius, Fanny, and César, this Joshua Logan–David Merrick production was a major hit in a season of superior musicals, thanks largely to Rome's fine score and the performances of Pinza and Slezak.

Fanny, name by which Klopstock referred in his odes to Marie Sophie Schmidt, with whom he was in love.