''Irma la douce'' (, "Irma the Sweet") is a 1956 French musical with music by

Marguerite Monnot Marguerite Monnot (28 May 1903 – 12 October 1961) was a French songwriter and composer best known for having written many of the songs performed by Édith Piaf ("Milord", " Hymne à l'amour") and for the music in the stage musical '' Irma La ...

and lyrics and book by

Alexandre Breffort Alexandre Breffort (1901–1971) was a French screenwriter. Selected filmography * '' Follow That Man'' (1953) 1901 births 1971 deaths French male screenwriters 20th-century French screenwriters 20th-century French male writers { ...

. The musical premiered in Paris in 1956, and was subsequently produced in the West End in 1958 and on Broadway, by David Merrick, in 1960. The English lyrics and book (1958) are by Julian More,

David Heneker David William Heneker (31 March 1906 – 30 January 2001) was a writer and composer of British popular music and musicals, best known for creating the music and lyrics for ''Half a Sixpence''. Life and career Heneker was born in Southsea, Engl ...

, and

Monty Norman Monty Norman (''né'' Noserovitch; 4 April 1928 – 11 July 2022) was a British composer, musician and singer. A contributor to West End musicals in the 1950s and 1960s, he is best known for composing the " James Bond Theme", first heard in t ...

Productions

The musical premiered in Paris at the

Théâtre Gramont The théâtre Gramont was a theatre venue located at 30 rue de Gramont in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris. René Dupuy was the managing director from 1954 to 1973. The place was transformed into a movie theatre (Le Gramont) in April 1974 then chan ...

in Paris on November 12, 1956, where it ran for four years. It was produced in the West End at the Lyric Theatre, opening on July 17, 1958, running for 1,512 performances, for three years."Sweet Irma in a Wicked World"
''Life Magazine'', November 14, 1960. The West End production was directed by

Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Sha ...

with choreography by John Heawood, and starred

Keith Michell Keith Joseph Michell (1 December 1926 – 20 November 2015) was an Australian actor who worked primarily in the United Kingdom, and was best known for his television and film portrayals of King Henry VIII. He appeared extensively in Shakespeare ...

as Nestor, a student, Elizabeth Seal as Irma, and

Clive Revill Clive Revill is a New Zealand actor, best known for his performances in musical theatre and the London stage. A veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he has also starred in numerous films and television programmes, often in character parts. ...

as the barman/narrator. ''Irma La Douce'' opened on Broadway at the Plymouth Theatre (now the

Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, formerly the Plymouth Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 236 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1917, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was ...

) on September 29, 1960, moved to the

Alvin Theatre The Neil Simon Theatre, originally the Alvin Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 250 West 52nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was built for ...

on October 30, 1961, and closed on December 31, 1961, after 524 performances. The production was directed by Peter Brook with choreography by

Onna White Onna White (March 24, 1922 – April 8, 2005) was a Canadian choreographer and dancer, nominated for eight Tony Awards. Early life and career Born in Inverness, Nova Scotia, White began taking dance lessons at the age of twelve, and eventual ...

. Repeating their roles from the London production were Michell, Seal, and Revill.

Stuart Damon Stuart Damon (born Stuart Michael Zonis; February 5, 1937 June 29, 2021) was an American actor and singer. He was best known for his 30-year portrayal of Dr. Alan Quartermaine on the American soap opera ''General Hospital'', for which he won an ...

and

Fred Gwynne Frederick Hubbard Gwynne (July 10, 1926 – July 2, 1993) was an American actor, artist and author widely known for his roles in the 1960s television sitcoms ''Car 54, Where Are You?'' as Francis Muldoon and as Herman Munster in ''The Munsters'' ...

also were featured. A Mexican version was produced in 1962, starring Mexican cinema superstar

Silvia Pinal Silvia Pinal Hidalgo (born 12 September 1931) is a Mexican actress. She began her career in the theater, venturing into cinema in 1949. Her film work and popularity in her native country led her to work in Europe (Spain and Italy). Pinal achiev ...

and actor

Julio Alemán Julio Méndez Alemán (November 29, 1933 – April 11, 2012) was a Mexican actor.Teatro de los Insurgentes Teatro de los Insurgentes ( en, Theater of the Insurgents) is a theater located on Mexico City's Avenida de los Insurgentes. It was built by José María Dávila in 1953 as part of President Miguel Alemán's program of urban renewal. Dávila c ...

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

. The story was adapted for a non-musical film of the same title in 1963, directed by

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Hol ...

starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. San Francisco's

42nd Street Moon 42nd Street Moon is a professional theatre company in San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern Californi ...

presented a staged concert from September 25 to October 12, 2008. Alison Ewing starred as Irma with Kyle Payne in the dual role of Nestor-Le-Fripé/Oscar and Bill Fahrner as Bob-Le-Hotu, the narrator. Greg MacKellan directed, and Linda Posner choreographed." 'Irma La Douce' listing
www.42ndstmoon.org, accessed February 3, 2010

Plot

Irma La Douce is a successful prostitute, living in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. A poor law student, Nestor le Fripé, falls in love with her and is jealous of her clients. In order to keep her for himself, he assumes the disguise of a rich older man, "Oscar", and takes many jobs. Finally no longer able to sustain his exhausting life, he "kills" Oscar, is convicted of murder, and is transported to the Devil's Island

penal colony A penal colony or exile colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general population by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory. Although the term can be used to refer to ...

. He escapes and returns to Paris, and proves that he is innocent. He and Irma reunite.

Songs (English version)

;Act I *"Valse Milieu"—Bob-Le-Hotu *"Sons of France"—The Mecs, Polyte-Le-Mou and Police Inspector *"The Bridge of Caulaincourt"—Irma-La-Douce and Nestor-Le-Fripe *"Our Language of Love"—Irma-La-Douce and Nestor-Le-Fripe *"She's Got The Lot"—Police Inspector and Irma's Admirers *"Our Language of Love (Reprise)"—Irma-La-Douce *"Dis-Donc"—Irma-La-Douce *"Le Grisbi is le Root of le Evil in Man"—Bob-Le-Hotu, Nestor-Le-Fripe and the Mecs *"Wreck of a Mec"—Nestor-Le-Fripe *"That's a Crime"—Bob-Le-Hotu, Nestor-Le-Fripe and the Mecs ;Act II *"The Bridge of Caulaincourt (Reprise)"—Irma-La-Douce and Nestor-Le-Fripe *"From a Prison Cell"—Nestor-Le-Fripe and the Mecs *"Irma-la-Douce"—Irma-La-Douce *"There Is Only One Paris for That"—Nestor-Le-Fripe, the Mecs and Prisoners *"The Freedom of the Seas"—Nestor-Le-Fripe and the Mecs *"There Is Only One Paris for That (Reprise)"—Nestor-Le-Fripe and the Mecs *"Our Language of Love (Reprise)"—Irma-La-Douce *"But"—Nestor-Le-Fripe, Police Inspector, A Tax Inspector, M. Bougne and Polyte-Le-Mou *"Christmas Child"—The Company

Response

'' Life Magazine'' called the musical "a French fairy tale for wicked grown-ups who want to believe in love" and praised Seal. "Elizabeth Seal is an ideal Irma, tender, breezy, and totally implausible as a bad girl...the season's new favorite." "Another asset is Clive Revill...who provides the right clowning touch."

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

References

External links

Internet Broadway Database
{{Authority control Broadway musicals 1960 musicals West End musicals Original musicals French musicals Tony Award-winning musicals