''Face the Music'' is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

, the first collaboration between Moss Hart (book) and Irving Berlin (music and lyrics). ''Face the Music'' opened on Broadway in 1932, and has had several subsequent regional and New York stagings. The popular song " Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee" was introduced in the musical by

J. Harold Murray J. Harold Murray (born Harry Rulten, February 17, 1891 – December 11, 1940) was an American baritone singer and actor. For more than a decade, during the Roaring Twenties and the Depression Thirties, he contributed to the development of musi ...

History

The musical was written as a political satire, specifically spoofing political and police corruption that the

Seabury Commission The Hofstadter Committee, also known as the Seabury investigations, was a joint legislative committee formed by the New York State Legislature on behalf of Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt to probe into corruption in New York City, especially the mag ...

was investigating. It also satirized show business, showing the far-fetched economies, such as seeing 4 films with a room and bath for 10¢. The musical did not ignore the Depression but rather found humor in it. There were many titles considered, among them ''Nickels and Dimes'', but Berlin came up with the final title. Brown, pp. 77- 79

Synopsis

Producer Hal Reisman desperately seeks backers for his Broadway show. Because of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, once-rich investors are "Lunching at the Automat". Kit Baker, a former musical-comedy star and her boyfriend Pat Mason are now out of work and poor ("Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee"). In his search, Reisman meets crooked policemen who need to get rid of their illegal money before they are found out. The corrupt police chief Martin van Buren Meshbesher and his eccentric wife Myrtle become investors in the show, expecting it to be a failure. In the show-within-the-show, Rodney St. Clair sings "My Beautiful Rhinestone Girl". However, when risqué material is added the show is raided and the government tries to close it. The flop becomes a hit because of the publicity.

Musical numbers

*Lunching at the Automat – Ensemble * Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee – Pat Mason, Jr. and Kit Baker *Torch Song – Streetwalker *You Must Be Born with It – Pickles and Joe *On a Roof in Manhattan – Pat Mason, Jr. and Kit Baker *My Beautiful Rhinestone Girl – Rodney St. Clair *Soft Lights and Sweet Music – Pat Mason, Jr. and Kit Baker * I Say It's Spinach (And the Hell with It) – Pat Mason, Jr. and Kit Baker *A Toast to Prohibition (Drinking Song) – Rodney St. Clair and Boys *Dear Old Crinoline Days (later reprised in the show as "The Nudist Colony" in an attempt to get the show more publicity) – Kit Baker *I Don't Want to Be Married – Pickles and Joe *Manhattan Madness – Pat Mason, Jr. *Investigation ;Added songs These songs were added in the touring version of the show that was slightly revised, and were restored in the 2007

Encores! Encores! is a Tony-honored concert series dedicated to performing rarely heard American musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, Encores! has revived shows by Irving Berlin, Rodgers & ...

production. *Two Cheers Instead of Three- Uncle Sam and Ensemble *The Police Of New York- Policemen *If You Believe- Myrtle Meshbesher and Ensemble *How Can I Change My Luck?- Hal Reisman

Cast

Productions

''Face the Music'' opened in Philadelphia on February 3, 1932, for 2 weeks in its pre-Broadway tryout. The musical premiered 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 ...

at the

New Amsterdam Theatre The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater on 214 West 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the New Amsterdam was built fro ...

on February 17, 1932, and closed on July 9, 1932, after 165 performances. Staging was by

Hassard Short Hubert Edward Hassard Short (15 October 1877 – 9 October 1956), usually known as Hassard Short, was an actor, stage director, set designer and lighting designer in musical theatre Kenrick, JohnWho's Who in Musicals: Short, HassardMusicals101 ...

, direction by

George S. Kaufman George Simon Kaufman (November 16, 1889June 2, 1961) was an American playwright, theater director and producer, humorist, and drama critic. In addition to comedies and political satire, he wrote several musicals for the Marx Brothers and other ...

and choreography by

Albertina Rasch Albertina Rasch (January 19, 1891 – October 2, 1967) was a naturalized American dancer, company director, and choreographer. Early life Rasch was born in 1891 (although she would later shave five years off her age), in Vienna (in what was ...

. It had a return engagement from January 31, 1933, to February 25, 1933, for 31 performances at the

44th Street Theatre The 44th Street Theatre was a Broadway theatre located at 216 West 44th Street in New York City from 1912 to 1945. It opened and operated for three years as the Weber and Fields' Music Hall. Its rooftop theatre, the Nora Bayes Theatre, present ...

(demolished in 1945). The cast featured

Mary Boland Mary Boland (born Marie Anne Boland; January 28, 1882 – June 23, 1965) was an American stage and film actress. Early years Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Boland was the daughter of repertory actor William Augustus Boland, and his wife M ...

(Mrs. Meshbesher),

(Pat Mason, Jr.), Margot Adams (Miss Eisenheimer), Charles Lawrence (Martin van Buren Meshbesher), Robert Emmett Keane (Hal Reisman), Katherine Carrington (Kit Baker), Thomas Arace (Detective), and The Albertina Rasch Dancers. The 42nd St. Moon (San Francisco) production ran from March 26 - April 13, 1997. The Musicals Tonight! (New York City) production ran in June 2002.

(New York City) presented a staged concert from March 29 to April 1, 2007. Directed by

John Rando John Rando is an American stage director who won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for ''Urinetown the Musical'' in 2002. He received his 2nd nomination in the same category in 2015 for the 2014 Broadway revival of '' On the Town''. ...

with choreography by

Randy Skinner Randy Skinner is an American dancer, director and choreographer, primarily for the stage. He has been nominated four times for Tony Awards, three times for Drama Desk Awards, and four times for Outer Critics Circle Awards for choreography. Early ...

, the cast featured

Judy Kaye Judy Kaye (born October 11, 1948) is an American singer and actress. She has appeared in stage musicals, plays, and operas. Kaye has been in long runs on Broadway in the musicals ''The Phantom of the Opera'', ''Ragtime'', '' Mamma Mia!'', and ...

(Mrs. Myrtle Meshbesher),

Lee Wilkof Lee Wilkof (born June 25, 1951) is an American actor and veteran of the Broadway stage. He originated the roles of Samuel Byck in ''Assassins'' and Seymour in ''Little Shop of Horrors, ''later earning a Tony Award nomination for the 2000 revival ...

(Martin van Buren Meshbesher),

Walter Bobbie Walter Bobbie (born November 18, 1945) is an American theatre director, choreographer, and occasional actor and dancer. Bobbie has directed both musicals and plays on Broadway and Off-Broadway, and was the Artistic Director of the New York City ...

(Hal Reisman), Eddie Korbich as (Joe Malarky),

Jeffry Denman Jeffry Denman is an American actor, director, choreographer and author. Early life Denman was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, and graduated from the University of Buffalo as a Musical Theatre Dance major. Career He made his Broadway debut in ...

(Pat Mason), and

Meredith Patterson Meredith Ann Patterson (born November 24, 1975) is an American musical theatre and television actress. She is best known for her Broadway performances such as Peggy Sawyer in 2001 Revival of "42nd Street", '' The Boy Friend'' and '' White Chris ...

(Kit Baker).Sommer, Elys
"A CurtainUp Review:Encores! 'Face the Music'"
curtainup.com, March 31, 2007 'Face the Music' was scheduled for a UK Professional Stage Premiere at the Rose and Crown Theatre from 9 June to 3 July 2015. Directed by Brendan Matthew, choreography by Sally Brooks and musical direction by Aaron Clingham.

Response

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 ...

, reviewing the original 1932 production for ''

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 ...

'', called the musical a "bountiful merry-go-round" of songs and "gibes", writing that it is "bold satire", but has familiar musical comedy numbers, such as the "stunning mirror dance... expressionistic Times Square ballet...and "Dear Old Crinoline Days which is guffawing burlesque." An unnamed reviewer, quoted in the Brown biography ''Moss Hart'', wrote "It's a worthy successor to ''Of Thee I Sing'' utit doesn't entirely measure up to it. It resorts to slapstick instead of satire. It becomes merely burlesque. All of which doesn't mean that ''Face the Music'' isn't a howl. It most emphatically is." The reviewer for "theatermania.com", in reviewing the "Musicals Tonight!" 2002 production, noted that "1932 audiences didn’t go to musicals for ingenious statire; they wanted sumptuous productions, brilliant choreography, delightful performers, and great songs." The score "boasts two classics ("Soft Lights and Sweet Music" and "Let’s Have Another Cup of Coffee") and much more that's lilting, clever, or otherwise intriguing. One real discovery is "Torch Song," a wicked send-up of Helen Morgan weepers..."Investigation," a 12-minute opera-comique finale that reprises and restates old themes, introduces new ones, wraps up the plot, and brings in a Threepenny Opera-style deus ex machina to usher in the happy ending.Miller, Mar
"Review:''Face the Music''"
theatermania.com, June 14, 2002 According to the ''Curtain Up'' reviewer, commenting on the 2007 Encores! concert, this musical had an "influence on backstage musicals like The Producers, The Drowsy Chaperone and Curtains."

Notes

References

*Botto, Louis
''Playbill: At This Theatre''
(Applause Books, 2002) () *Brown, Jared (2006). ''Moss Hart: A Prince of the Theatre''. Back Stage Books. .

External links

*
''Face the Music'' background, musical numbers at The Rodgers and Hammerstein site
{{Irving Berlin Musicals by Irving Berlin 1932 musicals Broadway musicals