''The Straw Hat Revue'' is a musical comedy revue with sketches mostly by

Max Liebman Max Liebman (August 2, 1902 – July 21, 1981) was a Broadway theater and TV producer-director sometimes called the "Ziegfeld of TV", who helped establish early television's comedy vocabulary with ''Your Show of Shows''. He additionally helped bring ...

and Samuel Locke, and music and lyrics by Sylvia Fine and James Shelton. It was produced on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in 1939.

Production

''The Straw Hat Revue'' started life as a 1939 summer theatre revue at

Camp Tamiment Tamiment, first known as Camp Tamiment, was an American resort located in the Pocono Mountains of Pike County, Pennsylvania, which existed from 1921 through 2005. Originally established by the Rand School of Social Science in New York City as a ...

, Bushkill, PA. It was discovered by the

producer, Harry Kaufman, and reorganized into a Broadway show produced by Mr. Kaufman and Messrs. Shubert (Lee and J.J.). ''The Straw Hat Revue'' premiered on Broadway at the Ambassador Theatre on September 29, 1939, and closed on December 2, 1939, after 75 performances.''The Straw Hat Revue''
Internet Broadway Database, accessed August 9, 2020 It was conceived and staged by Max Liebman with choreography by Jerome Andrews, and settings by Edward Gilbert. The orchestra was under the direction of Edward A. Hunt. The cast included

Imogene Coca Imogene Coca (born Emogeane Coca; November 18, 1908 – June 2, 2001) was an American comic actress best known for her role opposite Sid Caesar on ''Your Show of Shows''. Starting out in vaudeville as a child acrobat, she studied ballet and wishe ...

, Danny Kaye,

Alfred Drake Alfred Drake (October 7, 1914 – July 25, 1992) was an American actor and singer. Biography Born as Alfred Capurro in New York City, the son of parents emigrated from Recco, Genoa, Drake began his Broadway career while still a student at Broo ...

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

, Mata & Hari, and James Shelton

Songs

;Act I * “Crashing Thru” (by Sylvia Fine) – Entire Company * “Four Young People” (by James Shelton) – Alfred Drake, Dorothy Bird, Jerome Andrews, Albia Kavan * “Anatole of Paris” (by Sylvia Fine) – Danny Kaye and Models * “Tramping on Life” (by Max Liebman and James Shelton; special music by Glenn Bacon) – Robert Burton, Imogene Coca, James Shelton * “The Swingaroo Trio” (by Sylvia Fine) – Imogene Coca, Robert Burton, Danny Kaye * “The Great Chandelier” (by Sylvia Fine) – Robert Burton, Herbert Shepard, James Shelton, Danny Kaye, Imogene Coca, Lee Brody, Boys and Girls ;Act II * “Crazy Cactus” (by Sylvia Fine) – Alfred Drake * “Our Town” (by James Shelton) – James Shelton and several others * “Soused American Way” – Alfred Drake * “Finale” (lyrics by Sylvia Fine) – Entire Company

Reception

Brooks Atkinson Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theatre critic. He worked for '' The New York Times'' from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the ''Times'' called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of hi ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' said, “. . . a cheerful lark very much worth holding over into the felt hat season. . . . Put it down as the first pleasant surprise of the season. . . . written, acted and staged with skill and relish.” The New York Times, Saturday, September 30, 1939, p. 10

References

Sources

* Mantle, Burns (ed.), “The Best Plays of 1939-40”, Dodd, Mead and Company, New York, 1940, p. 400

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Straw Hat Revue, The The Straw Hat Revue Broadway musicals Revues