''New Girl in Town'' 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 ...

with a book by

George Abbott George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887 – January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. Early years Abbott was born in Forestville, New Y ...

and music and lyrics by

Bob Merrill Henry Robert Merrill Levan (May 17, 1921 – February 17, 1998) was an American songwriter, theatrical composer, lyricist, and screenwriter. He was one of the most successful songwriters of the 1950s on the US and UK single charts. He wrote ...

based on

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of realism, earli ...

's 1921 play ''

Anna Christie ''Anna Christie'' is a play in four acts by Eugene O'Neill. It made its Broadway debut at the Vanderbilt Theatre on November 2, 1921. O'Neill received the 1922 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for this work. According to historian Paul Avrich, the ...

'', about a prostitute who tries to live down her past. ''New Girl'', unlike O'Neill's play, focuses on the jealousy of the character Marthy and on love's ability to conquer all. The musical ends far more hopefully than the play.

Background

The

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 ...

production opened on May 4, 1957 at the

46th Street Theatre The Richard Rodgers Theatre (formerly Chanin's 46th Street Theatre and the 46th Street Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 226 West 46th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1925, it was designed by He ...

, where it ran for 431 performances. The show was written as a star vehicle for

Gwen Verdon Gwyneth Evelyn "Gwen" Verdon (January 13, 1925October 18, 2000) was an American actress and dancer. She won four Tony Awards for her musical comedy performances, and served as an uncredited choreographer's assistant and specialty dance coach for t ...

, who had just had a hit with ''

Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., dur ...

'' and won raves for her portrayal of Anna, a role that showed off her acting, singing and dancing abilities to maximum effect. Composer Bob Merrill was at the beginning of a string of 1960s successes. ''New Girl in Town,'' produced by Frederick Brisson, Robert E. Griffith and

Hal Prince Harold Smith Prince (born Harold Smith; January 30, 1928 – July 31, 2019), commonly known as Hal Prince, was an American theatre director and producer known for his work in musical theatre. One of the foremost figures in 20th century America ...

, was well received by both critics and audiences. Verdon and co-star

Thelma Ritter Thelma Ritter (February 14, 1902 – February 5, 1969) was an American actress, best known for her comedic roles as working-class characters and her strong New York accent. She won the 1958 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, and received ...

shared the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

for Best Actress in a Musical, and the show received three other Tony nominations, including the Best Musical and best choreography for

Bob Fosse Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American actor, choreographer, dancer, and film and stage director. He directed and choreographed musical works on stage and screen, including the stage musicals ''The Pajam ...

. Verdon, somewhat unusually, had three standbys: one each for acting, singing and dancing.

Synopsis

Anna, a former streetwalker recovering from tuberculosis, returns home to live with her aging father, ex-sailor Chris Christopherson, in turn-of-the-20th century New York City after plying her trade in St. Paul, Minnesota for 15 years. Unaware of her sordid past, and remembering Anna as an innocent young girl, Chris joyfully welcomes his daughter home ("Anna Lilla"). Anna initially is welcomed by Chris's friends and seems to be finding happiness. She becomes romantically involved with a sailor, Mat Burke, but hides the relationship from her father. Chris is furious when Marthy, his jealous

common-law wife Common-law marriage, also known as non-ceremonial marriage, marriage, informal marriage, or marriage by habit and repute, is a legal framework where a couple may be considered married without having formally registered their relation as a civil ...

, drunkenly reveals the truth about Anna's past. Anna's sailor leaves on the next ship, and her hopes of leading a normal life seem dashed, but Anna picks up the pieces of her life, becoming a farmer in Staten Island. When Mat finally returns to port, Chris tries to keep the two lovers apart, but their reunification is inevitable – time heals all wounds, and the lovers kiss and make up.

Production notes

Choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who c ...

was eager to showcase the talents of star

, for whom the show had been fashioned, but the material didn't lend itself to big song-and-dance routines. During rehearsals he devised a second act dream sequence that depicted life in a

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub p ...

through seductive and suggestive movement, and during its tryout run in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

, local police closed the show. Fosse restaged the number at director Abbott's request, but restored the original version soon after the New York City opening.Information from PBS.org
an

retrieved April 2007 For Merrill, at the time best known for the 1952 novelty tune "

(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window? "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?" is a popular novelty song. It was written by Bob Merrill and first registered on September 25, 1952, as "The Doggie in the Window". On January 27, 1953, its sheet music was published in New York as "(H ...

" popularized by

Patti Page Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), known professionally as Patti Page, was an American singer and actress. Primarily known for pop and country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female ar ...

, this was a first attempt at a musical score. Only six songs were related directly to plot or character; the remainder were filler closely resembling typical musical comedy numbers, although ''New Girl'' is not a musical comedy in what was then the traditional sense. The

production opened on May 4, 1957 at the

, where it ran for 431 performances. The cast included

as Anna, Cameron Prud'homme as Chris,

as Marthy, and

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Alabama for four terms. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best remembered for his staunch segregationist a ...

as Mat.

Song list

;Act I * Roll Yer Socks Up - Chorus * Anna Lilla - Chris * Sunshine Girl - Oscar, Pete, Bartender * On the Farm - Anna * Flings - Marthy, Lily, Pearl * It's Good to Be Alive - Anna * Look at 'Er - Mat * It's Good to Be Alive (Reprise) - Mat * Yer My Friend, Aintcha? - Marthy, Chris * Did You Close Your Eyes? - Anna, Mat * At the Check Apron Ball - Chorus * There Ain't No Flies on Me - Anna and Company ;Act II * Ven I Valse - Anna, Chris, Chorus * Sunshine Girl (Reprise) - Chorus * If That Was Love - Anna * Chess and Checkers - Marthy, Chorus * Look at 'Er (Reprise) - Mat A "Cathouse Ballet" was cut when the show tried out in Boston, possibly because it made Anna's former life as a prostitute appear far more appealing than her present circumstances. The producers went so far as to burn the scenery, in the alley behind the theatre, to prevent the sequence from being restored. An original cast recording was released by

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

, and both

Carol Burnett Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and writer. Her groundbreaking comedy variety show ''The Carol Burnett Show'', which originally aired on CBS was one of the first of its kind to be hosted ...

and

Martha Raye Martha Raye (born Margy Reed; August 27, 1916 – October 19, 1994), nicknamed The Big Mouth, was an American comic actress and singer who performed in movies, and later on television. She also acted in plays, including Broadway. She was honored ...

recorded "Flings."

Principal characters

*Anna — Chris's long lost daughter *Chris Christopherson — Anna's father; an old whiskey-drinking Swedish sailor *Marthy — Chris's common-law wife; a jealous drunk *Mat Burke — A simple-minded sailor

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

Notes

References

*Green, Stanley. ''Broadway Musicals: Show by Show'', 5th ed. (Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Corporation, 1996), p. 173.
That's Dancin': Fosse on Broadway
retrieved April 2007
''New Girl in Town''
at the MTI website, retrieved April 2007

retrieved May 2007
Information from the Stage Agent website
retrieved May 2007

External links

*
''New Girl in Town'' at the Musical Heaven website
retrieved April 2007 {{Anna Christie 1957 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals based on plays Musicals choreographed by Bob Fosse Plays set in New York City Tony Award-winning musicals Adaptations of works by Eugene O'Neill