Fiorello! (1959), a musical by Jerome Weidman, George Abbott (book), Jerry Bock (music), Sheldon
Fiorello!
| American Theater Guide: Fiorello! |
| Wikipedia: Fiorello! |
| Fiorello! | |
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| Original Logo | |
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| Music | Jerry Bock |
| Lyrics | Sheldon Harnick |
| Book | Jerome Weidman George Abbott |
| Basis | Life of New York City mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia |
| Productions | 1959 Broadway 1994 Broadway concert |
| Awards | Tony Award for Best Musical (1960) Pulitzer Prize for Drama (1960) |
Fiorello! is a Pulitzer Prize-winning musical about New York City mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, a reform Republican who took on Tammany Hall. The book is by Jerome Weidman and George Abbott, with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and music by Jerry Bock. It is one of only seven musicals to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
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Productions
Fiorello! opened on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre on November 23, 1959, moved to The Broadway Theatre on May 9, 1961, and closed after 795 performances. It was directed by Geoge Abbott with choreography by Peter Gennaro. Tom Bosley originated the title role in the original Broadway cast, opposite Howard Da Silva as the Republican machine boss Ben Marino. [1]
A concert production of Fiorello! was performed at the first Encores! at the New York City Center concert series in February 1994.[2]
Plot summary
The story follows the life of Fiorello H. La Guardia during World War I and ten years later. As Mayor of New York City La Guardia reforms city politics by helping end Tammany Hall's vaunted political machine.
Background and analysis
The musical contains several songs built around a group of machine politicians: "Politics and Poker", in which Republican machine politicians try to pick a congressional candidate in a district they consider hopeless, while playing a game of poker; "The Bum Won", in which these same politicians commiserate with one another after LaGuardia has won the election without their support; and "Little Tin Box", in which they imagine a series of Tammany politicians attempting to explain to a judge that their wealth came from their scrupulous habits of saving ("I can see Your Honor doesn't pull his punches/ And it looks a trifle fishy, I'll admit,/ But for one whole week I went without my lunches/ And it mounted up, Your Honor, bit by bit./ Up Your Honor, bit by bit.")
In "I Love a Cop", woman factory worker describes her hapless situation of having fallen in love with a policeman who was called out against a strike by her union; "The Name's La Guardia" has LaGuardia campaigning in English, Italian and Yiddish. There is also a ragtime number, "Gentleman Jimmy" about bon vivant mayor James J. "Jimmy" Walker, and "Marie's Law", in which Marie proposes a "law" about how husbands should treat their wives. ("Every girl shall have a honeymoon, which will last at least a year,/ During which aforesaid honeymoon, every care shall disappear…".)
Besides the inevitable invention of some peripheral characters, the musical plays a bit fast and loose with some basic facts of LaGuardia's life. In fact, LaGuardia's first wife, Thea (played by Ellen Hanley in the original Broadway production), died after only three years of marriage, but the fictional Thea lives another eight years, so that her death can be one more calamity during LaGuardia's unsuccessful 1929 mayoral campaign; also, the script downplays LaGuardia's generally successful congressional career to make him seem more of an outsider and increase the triumph of his eventual mayoral victory in 1933.
Songs
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An additional song, "Where Do I Go from Here?" (originally written for Marie to sing in Act I) was cut out of town; it can be heard on the Liz Callaway album Lost In Boston (Varese Sarabande VSD-5475). "Till Tomorrow" and "Unfair" were written "on spec" before Bock and Harnick were hired for the show. "Little Tin Box" was added on the road in Philadelphia.[1]
Critical response
In his review for the New York Times, Brooks Atkinson wrote: "...It is exciting; it is enjoyable and it is decent ... Jerry Bock has set ... a bouncy score ... [A]s the writer of lyrics, Sheldon Harnick is in an unfailingly humorous frame of mind ... [U]nder Mr. Abbott's invincible stage direction, the whole show comes alive with gusto ... [T]he cast could not be more winning or in better voice."[3]
Louis Calta wrote: " 'Fiorello!' is the town's latest stage hit ... the attraction earned flowery praise from all of the New York drama critics."[4]
Original Cast Album
- Fiorello!, was originally released on Capitol Records, later on Broadway Angel (CD #ZDM 7243 5 65023 2 1).
Awards and nominations
- Tony Award
- Best Musical (winner) (tie with The Sound of Music)
- Best Featured Actor in a Musical
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- Tom Bosley (winner)
- Howard Da Silva (nominee)
- Best Scenic Design (Musical) (William and Jean Ekhart) (nominee)
- Best Choreography (nominee)
- Best Direction of a Musical (winner)
- Best Conductor and Musical Director (Hal Hastings)(nominee)
- Pulitzer Prize for Drama (winner)
References
- ^ a b Frank Kelly, Unofficial Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick Appreciation Page, accessed 7 March 2007.
- ^ Holden, Stephen."Review/Theater; La Guardia Administration In a Dramatic Comeback", New York Tmes, February 11, 1994
- ^ Atkinson, Brooks. New York Times, "Little Flower Blooms Again", November 24, 1959, p. 45
- ^ Calta, Louis. New York Times, "Fiorello! Gets Landslide Vote", November 25, 1959, p. 19
External links
- Fiorello! at the Internet Broadway Database
- Fiorello! at Music Theatre International
- Tony Awards listing for 1960, Musical
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
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Copyrights:
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 | American Theater Guide. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Fiorello!". Read more |
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Mentioned in
- Fiorilli (family name)
- Zanella (family name)
- Fiorello La Guardia: The Crusader (1954 History Film)
- Abbott, George (American theatrical producer and playwright)
- beaut
- Fiorelli (family name)
- Tom Bosley (Actor)
- Prince, Harold Smith (American stage director)
- Fiorello La Guardia (literature)
- Fiorella (family name)
- Perini (family name)
- Jerome Weidman (literature)
- Visit with: Sheldon Harnick - A Musical Life in Concert (1991 Music Film)
- pap
