''Pal Joey'' is a 1940 musical with a book by John O'Hara and music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. The musical is based on a character and situations O'Hara created in a series of short stories published in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', which he later published in novel form. The title character, Joey Evans, is a manipulative small-time nightclub performer whose ambitions lead him into an affair with the wealthy, middle-aged and married Vera Simpson. It includes two songs that have become standards: "

I Could Write a Book "I Could Write a Book" is a show tune from the 1940 Rodgers and Hart musical '' Pal Joey'', where it was introduced by Gene Kelly and Leila Ernst. It is considered a standard. Critical reception An uncredited critic reviewing "New Plays in Manh ...

" and "

Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered "Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)" is a show tune and popular song from the 1940 Rodgers and Hart musical '' Pal Joey''. It is part of the Great American Songbook. The song was introduced by Vivienne Segal on December 25, 1940, in the Bro ...

". The original 1940

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 was directed 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 Yo ...

and starred

Vivienne Segal Vivienne Sonia Segal (April 19, 1897 – December 29, 1992) was an American actress and singer. Early years Segal was born on April 19, 1897, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the elder daughter of Jewish parents Bernhard Segal, a physician, ...

and Gene Kelly. Though it received mixed reviews, the show ran for 10 months, the third-longest run of any Rodgers and Hart musical. There have been several revivals since, including a 2008–09 Broadway run, and a 1957 film adaptation starring Frank Sinatra,

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer and producer. She achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars, appearing in 61 films over 37 years. The press coined th ...

and

Kim Novak Marilyn Pauline "Kim" Novak (born February 13, 1933) is an American retired film and television actress and painter. Novak began her career in 1954 after signing with Columbia Pictures and quickly became one of Hollywood's top box office stars, ...

Background

Author John O'Hara offered his stories of ''Pal Joey'' to Rodgers and Hart for adaptation as a new musical.Kantor and Maslon, p.180 Title character Joey Evans, an unsympathetic but charming

antihero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions ...

, was a striking departure from the usual musical comedy formula.Rodgers, Richard. "'Pal Joey': History of a 'Heel'", ''New York Times'', December 30, 1951, pp.X1,X3. Joey was amoral, but he was not presented as a villain, nor did his character change for the better.Hischak, 564 Richard Rodgers said: "Joey was not disreputable because he was mean, but because he had too much imagination to behave himself, and because he was a little weak." Rodgers and Hart maintained a cynical, dark tone throughout the work and employed two distinct musical styles in the show: the deliberately tacky nightclub numbers contrasted with the more elegant songs the characters sang to express their emotions, though these expressions were more ironic than sincere. Hart's lyrics frankly described Joey and Vera's affair; "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" included (among others) the lyrics, "Horizontally speaking, he's at his very best" and "Vexed again, Perplexed again, Thank God I can be oversexed again", while "In Our Little Den (of Iniquity)" included, "We're very proper folks you know, We've separate bedrooms ''comme il faut''. There's one for play and one for show".Kantor and Maslon, p.181 As they cast the musical, Rodgers, Hart and O'Hara knew that they wanted Joey to be primarily a dancer, not a singer, and the actor who played Joey would have to be likeable in spite of Joey's unpleasant character.Nolan, 138 They chose Gene Kelly, who was at the time playing a dancing role, Harry the Hoofer, in the play ''

The Time of Your Life ''The Time of Your Life'' is a 1939 five-act play by American playwright William Saroyan. The play is the first drama to win both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. The play opened on Broadway in 1939. Cha ...

''. Kelly had made his Broadway debut in 1938 in the chorus of Cole Porter's ''

Leave It to Me! ''Leave It to Me!'' is a 1938 musical produced by Vinton Freedley with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The book was a collaborative effort by Samuel and Bella Spewack, who also directed the Broadway production. The musical was based on the pla ...

''; ''Pal Joey'' would be his first lead role. Rodgers and Hart wanted

, who had previously starred in their 1938 musical ''

I Married an Angel ''I Married An Angel'' is a 1938 musical comedy by Rodgers and Hart. It was adapted from a play by Hungarian playwright János Vaszary, entitled ''Angyalt Vettem Felesegul''. The book was by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, with music by Rodge ...

'', to play the older woman with whom Joey has an affair; though O'Hara had initially considered other actresses, he was won over when he met Segal. Segal, who would be 43 when the show opened on Broadway, appreciated the opportunity to play a worldly, mature character, unlike the ingenues she had played for most of her career. Using Segal's initials, O'Hara gave her character the name "Vera Simpson". O'Hara was not present during the out-of-town tryouts, and director

took over the rewriting. When the show opened in New York, the critics were divided. Richard Watts ('' New York Herald Tribune'') called it "brilliant", but other critics and members of the theatre-going public disliked the subject matter. Nonetheless, it became the longest running Rodgers–Hart show up to that time.

Synopsis

''Based on original 1940 book'' ;Act I In

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in the late 1930s, singer/dancer Joey Evans, a charming "heel" with big plans, schemes to get his own nightclub. He auditions for an emcee job at a second-rate nightclub ("You Mustn't Kick It Around"). Joey gets the job and begins rehearsals with the chorus girls and club singer Gladys Bumps. Joey meets young and naïve Linda English outside a pet shop, and he impresses her with grandiose lies about his career. Linda innocently falls for Joey's line ("

"). As the chorus girls are doing a song-and-dance number at the club that night ("Chicago"), Linda arrives with a date. Wealthy married socialite Vera Simpson arrives at the club and shows a definite interest in Joey. Joey plays hard-to-get and insults Vera, who walks out. Mike, the club owner, fires Joey, but Joey, believing Vera will be back, strikes a deal: if Vera doesn't come back within the next few days, Joey will leave without pay. The chorus girls continue with the show ("That Terrific Rainbow"); Linda, having witnessed Joey's caddish behavior, has left the club. Vera doesn't return, so Joey is fired. When Linda refuses to answer his calls, Joey calls Vera ("What is a Man"). After Joey's last night as emcee, Vera picks him up from the club and they start an affair ("Happy Hunting Horn"). Vera is glowing in the romance and sets Joey up with an apartment and expensive clothes ("

"). While shopping for clothes for Joey, he and Vera run into Linda, leaving Vera jealous and Linda distraught. Vera gives Joey his own nightclub, "Chez Joey", and Joey looks forward to rising to the top ("Pal Joey"/"Joey Looks to the Future" ballet). ;Act II The chorus girls and singers from the old club have relocated to "Chez Joey", where they rehearse for the opening performance ("The Flower Garden of My Heart"). Melba, an ambitious reporter, interviews Joey, recalling her interviews with various celebrities, including Gypsy Rose Lee ("Zip"), especially notable given original star

June Havoc June Havoc (born Ellen Evangeline Hovick; November 8, 1912 – March 28, 2010) was a Canadian American actress, dancer, stage director and memoirist. Havoc was a child vaudeville performer under the tutelage of her mother Rose Thompson Hovick, ...

was Lee's sister n the 2008 revival, Gladys plays a "reporter" in a skit during the floor show at Chez Joey, performing "Zip" as a striptease Ludlow Lowell, Gladys' old flame, introduces himself as an agent with papers that Joey unthinkingly signs as the rehearsal continues ("Plant You Now, Dig You Later"). In Joey's apartment the next morning, Joey and Vera reflect on the pleasures of their affair ("In Our Little Den"). Linda overhears Gladys and Lowell plotting to use the papers Joey signed to blackmail Vera. [In the 2008 revival, Joey fires Gladys, and to get back at him, she conspires with Mike, the club manager, to blackmail Vera. Mike is forced into the scheme because Gladys threatens to have him fired because he is gay.] Linda calls Vera, who initially distrusts Linda; Vera confronts Joey, asking what his relationship is with Linda, and Joey responds defensively ("Do It the Hard Way"). Linda comes to the apartment to convince Vera, and Vera, seeing Linda's sincerity, now believes her. Vera and Linda agree that Joey is not worth the trouble ("Take Him"). Vera calls her friend the police commissioner, who arrests Gladys and Lowell. Vera throws Joey out and closes "Chez Joey" ("Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" reprise). Joey, now penniless, runs into Linda again outside the pet shop, and she invites him to dinner with her family. He joins for a meal and then they part as friends, with him claiming to have been cast in a nonexistent show in New York. In the 1952 revival, he was shown to have a change of heart, turning just before the curtain falls to follow her.

Principal roles and notable performers

Musical numbers

;Act I * "You Mustn't Kick It Around" – Joey Evans, Gladys Bumps, Agnes, The Kid, Chorus Girls and Waiters * "

" – Joey and Linda English * "Chicago" – Dancer and Chorus Girls * "That Terrific Rainbow" – Gladys, Victor and Girls * "What is a Man?" – Vera Simpson * "Happy Hunting Horn" – Joey, Terry, Chorus Girls and Boy Friends * "

" – Vera Simpson * "Pal Joey (What Do I Care For A Dame?)" – Joey ;Act II * "The Flower Garden of My Heart" – Gladys, The Tenor, Specialty Dancer and Ensemble * "Zip" † – Melba Snyder * "Plant You Now, Dig You Later" – Ludlow Lowell, Gladys and Ensemble * "In Our Little Den (of Iniquity)" – Vera and Joey * "Do It The Hard Way" – Ludlow, Gladys, Dancer and Ensemble * "I Still Believe In You" † – Linda * "Take Him" – Vera, Linda and Joey * "Bewitched, Bothered, Bewildered" (Reprise) – Vera * "I Still Believe In You" (Reprise) † – Linda * "I'm Talkin' to My Pal" † – Joey * "I Could Write A Book" (Reprise) – Joey † 2008 revival: "Zip" is sung by Gladys; cut songs restored; Linda's reprise added

Productions

Original Broadway production

''Pal Joey'' premiered on

on December 25, 1940, at the

Ethel Barrymore Theatre The Ethel Barrymore Theatre is a Broadway theater at 241 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1928, it was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in the Elizabethan, Mediterranean, and Adam styles ...

and ran for 374 performances. Directed by

with choreography by

Robert Alton Robert Alton (2 January 1902 – 12 June 1957) was an American dancer and choreographer, a major figure in dance choreography of Broadway and Hollywood musicals from the 1930s through to the early 1950s. He is principally remembered today as the ...

, the opening-night cast included Gene Kelly as Joey,

as Vera, and

as Gladys.

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Johnson was described as the embodiment o ...

and

Stanley Donen Stanley Donen ( ; April 13, 1924 – February 21, 2019) was an American film director and choreographer whose most celebrated works are '' On the Town,'' (1949) and ''Singin' in the Rain'' (1952), both of which he co-directed with Gene Kell ...

were also in the cast.

1952 Broadway revival

''Pal Joey'' achieved wider acclaim in the decades after its initial production. Throughout much of the 1940s, the songs from ''Pal Joey'' were banned from radio play by ASCAP, preventing them from becoming popular standards; the ban was lifted in the late 1940s. In 1950, the song "

" became popular and was recorded by various bands and pop singers, including

Mel Torme Mel, Mels or MEL may refer to: Biology * Mouse erythroleukemia cell line (MEL) * National Herbarium of Victoria, a herbarium with the Index Herbariorum code MEL People * Mel (given name), the abbreviated version of several given names (including ...

, Doris Day, and

Gordon Jenkins Gordon Hill Jenkins (May 12, 1910 – May 1, 1984) was an American arranger, composer, and pianist who was influential in popular music in the 1940s and 1950s. Jenkins worked with The Andrews Sisters, Johnny Cash, The Weavers, Frank Sinatra, Lo ...

and

The Harmonicats Jerry Murad's Harmonicats were an American harmonica-based group. Background The band was founded in 1947. Originally they were named The Harmonica Madcaps and the group consisted of Jerry Murad ( chromatic lead harmonica), Bob Hadamik (bass har ...

. Prompted by the song's success,

Goddard Lieberson Goddard Lieberson (April 5, 1911 – May 29, 1977) was the president of Columbia Records from 1956 to 1971, and again from 1973 to 1975. He became president of the Recording Industry Association of America in 1964. He was also a composer, and ...

, the producer of Columbia Records, decided to produce a studio cast

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

of ''Pal Joey'' featuring

Harold Lang Harold Lang (December 21, 1920 – July 26, 1985) was an American dancer, singer and actor. Life and career Lang began his professional career as a ballet dancer, making his professional debut with the San Francisco Ballet in 1938 and then goi ...

as Joey and Vivienne Segal reprising her role as Vera. Because of the popularity of that recording, composer-producer Jule Styne produced the 1952 revival, in which Lang and Segal starred.Lorenz Hart.com, Pal Joey
/ref> The 1952 revival met with greater success than the original production. It opened on January 3, 1952, and closed on April 18, 1953, after 540 performances. Lang and Segal starred, with

Helen Gallagher Helen Gallagher (born July 19, 1926) is an American actress, dancer, and singer. She is the recipient of three Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and a Drama Desk Award. Early years Born in Brooklyn, she was raised in Scarsdale, New York, and the ...

as Gladys (for which Ms. Gallagher won the Tony Award for best featured actress that year), future Broadway star

Elaine Stritch Elaine Stritch (February 2, 1925 – July 17, 2014) was an American actress, best known for her work on Broadway and later, television. She made her professional stage debut in 1944 and appeared in numerous stage plays, musicals, feature films a ...

as Melba, Jack Waldron as Mike Spears, and

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 ...

as the

understudy In theater, an understudy, referred to in opera as cover or covering, is a performer who learns the lines and blocking or choreography of a regular actor, actress, or other performer in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to a ...

for Joey. Dances and musical numbers were again staged by

, and the production was directed by David Alexander. This production had the longest run of any revival of a musical in the history of the Broadway theatre at the time. It won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical and became the first musical ever to receive eleven Donaldson Awards. Elaine Stritch was signed as an understudy to

Ethel Merman Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann, January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American actress and singer, known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and for leading roles in musical theatre.Obituary '' Variety'', February 22, 1984. ...

in ''

Call Me Madam ''Call Me Madam'' is a musical written by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. The musical is a satire on politics and foreign policy that spoofs postwar America's penchant for lending billions of dollars to ...

'' at the time; she describes the difficulties of holding both jobs after the previews unexpectedly moved to New Haven in a monologue framed by "Zip" in her one-woman show '' Elaine Stritch at Liberty''.

London

There have been two productions in London's West End. The first was in March 1954 at the Princes Theatre, starring

Carol Bruce Carol Bruce (born Shirley Levy; November 15, 1919 – October 9, 2007) was an American band singer, Broadway star, and film and television actress. Early years Bruce was born Shirley Levy in a Jewish family, in Manhattan, to Beatrice and Har ...

and Sally Bazely. The second was at the

Noël Coward Theatre The Noël Coward Theatre, formerly known as the Albery Theatre, is a West End theatre in St. Martin's Lane in the City of Westminster, London. It opened on 12 March 1903 as the New Theatre and was built by Sir Charles Wyndham behind Wyndham's ...

, from September 1980 until September 1981, starring

Siân Phillips Dame Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips (born 14 May 1933), known professionally as Siân Phillips ( ), is a Welsh actress. She has performed the title roles in Ibsen's ''Hedda Gabler'' and George Bernard Shaw's '' Saint Joan''. Early life Phi ...

, Danielle Carson, and Denis Lawson.

1963 City Center revival

Mounted at

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama,. The name "City Center for Music and Drama Inc." is the organizational parent of the New York City Ballet and, until 2011, the New York City Opera. and t ...

, the production starred

as Joey Evans,

Viveca Lindfors Elsa Viveca Torstensdotter Lindfors (December 29, 1920 – October 25, 1995) was a Swedish stage, film, and television actress. She won an Emmy Award and a Silver Bear for Best Actress. Biography Lindfors was born in Uppsala, Sweden, the d ...

as Vera Simpson,

Rita Gardner Rita Gardner ( Schier; October 23, 1934 – September 24, 2022) was an American actress and singer. Career Gardner made her stage debut Off-Broadway in Jerry Herman's musical review ''Nightcap'' (1958) before her breakout turn as Luisa in the ...

as Linda English, Elaine Dunn as Gladys Bumps,

Kay Medford Margaret Kathleen Regan (September 14, 1919 – April 10, 1980), better known as Kay Medford, was an American actress. For her performance as Rose Brice in the musical '' Funny Girl'' and the film adaptation of the same name, she was nominated ...

as Melba Snyder, and Jack Durant as Ludlow Lowell. While only running for 15 performances from May 29, 1963 - Jun 09, 1963, Fosse was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance. The production was directed by Gus Schirmer Jr., used sets by Howard Bay, and costumes by Frank Thompson.

1976 Broadway revival

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

, a revival on Broadway opened on June 27, 1976, at the Circle in the Square Theatre and closed on August 29, 1976. The show was directed by Theodore Mann; choreography by Margo Sappington; musical direction/additional dance arrangements by Scott Oakley; scenery John J. Moore; costumes Arthur Boccia; lighting Ron Wallace; principal orchestrator Michael Gibson (musician), Michael Gibson; production stage manager Randall Brooks; stage manager James Bernardi; and press by Merle Debusky and Susan L. Shulman. The opening-night cast featured Christopher Chadman (Joey); Harold Gary (Mike); Terri Treas (Kid); Janie Sell (Gladys); Gail Benedict (Gail); Murphy Cross (Murphy); Rosamond Lynn (Rosamond); Marilu Henner (Marilu); Deborah Geffner (Debbie); Boni Enton (Linda); David Hodo (Gent); Austin Colyer (Ernest); Denny Martin Flinn (Waldo the Waiter); Michael Leeds (Victor); Kenn Scalice (Delivery Boy); Adam Petroski (Louis); Joe Sirola (Ludlow Lowell); Ralph Farnworth (O'Brien); Dixie Carter (Melba); and Joan Copeland (Vera). It ran for 73 performances.

Other productions, 1970s to 2000s

A 1978 revival titled 'Pal Joey '78' starring Clifton Davis as Joey, Lena Horne as Vera, and Josephine Premice as Melba was scrapped due to low ticket sales and critical pans during its tryout tour. The Huntington Theatre in Boston presented a revised version, adapted by Richard Greenberg and director David Warren, from September to October 1992. The cast featured Donna Murphy as Vera. A staged concert in the

''Encores!'' series in May 1995 starred Peter Gallagher and Patti LuPone. In 2002, there was a Prince Music Theater production in Philadelphia which starred Christine Andreas. The following year Andreas won the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theater, Barrymore Award for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance as Vera Simpson.

2008 Broadway revival

Producer Marc E. Platt, along with Richard Greenberg (who had written the 1992 Boston adaptation) and director Joe Mantello planned a revival for fall 2007, which was postponed. The Roundabout Theatre Company and Platt presented a limited engagement, with previews beginning on November 14, 2008, officially opening on December 18, 2008, and closing on March 1, 2009. The original book by John O'Hara had undergone substantial "adaptation" by Greenberg, eliminating characters and reassigning songs.Haimes, Tod
"Haimes blog,"
''Roundabout Theatre'', November 14, 2008 This new production also included a song for Joey that was cut prior to the 1940 Broadway premiere, "I'm Talking to My Pal", and also interpolated two Rodgers & Hart songs, which were sung by Joey and Linda: "Are You My Love?" (from the 1936 film ''Dancing Pirate'') and "I Still Believe in You" (from the 1930 musical ''Simple Simon (musical), Simple Simon''). Mantello directed, with choreography by Graciela Daniele. The production starred Stockard Channing as Vera, Martha Plimpton as Gladys, Matthew Risch as Joey, Jenny Fellner as Linda, and Robert Clohessy as Mike. The set designer was Scott Pask, with costumes by William Ivey Long and lighting by Paul Gallo.Jones, Kenneth
"Hoff Is Broadway's New Pal Joey, With Stockard Channing and Martha Plimpton, at Studio 54"
, playbill.com, June 19, 2008 Advance publicity for the show included a full page spread in the November issue of ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'', featuring Christian Hoff in costume as Joey. Hoff began previews as Joey, but when he was forced to leave the production on November 22, 2008, due to an injury, his understudy, Matthew Risch, took over the part. Risch had previously appeared on Broadway in featured roles in ''Chicago (musical), Chicago'' and ''Legally Blonde (musical), Legally Blonde''.

Critical response

Original and subsequent productions

In 1940 ''New York Times'' review, Brooks Atkinson wrote

If it is possible to make an entertaining musical comedy out of an odious story, ''Pal Joey'' is it. John O'Hara has written a joyless book about a sulky assignation. Under
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 Yo ...
's direction some of the best workmen on Broadway have fitted it out with smart embellishments. ''Pal Joey'' offers everything but a good time, whether Joey is a punk or a heel is something worth more careful thinking than time permits. Although ''Pal Joey'' is expertly done, can you draw sweet water from a foul well?

When he reviewed the 1952 revival, Atkinson called the production "brilliant", writing:

There is no sign of age in the brisk performance that
Robert Alton Robert Alton (2 January 1902 – 12 June 1957) was an American dancer and choreographer, a major figure in dance choreography of Broadway and Hollywood musicals from the 1930s through to the early 1950s. He is principally remembered today as the ...
has expertly staged; and the acting is sharp and original... Miss Segal presides over the sordid affairs of an astringent tale with humor, reserve, and charm. It would be hard to improve upon
Harold Lang Harold Lang (December 21, 1920 – July 26, 1985) was an American dancer, singer and actor. Life and career Lang began his professional career as a ballet dancer, making his professional debut with the San Francisco Ballet in 1938 and then goi ...
's performance as the heel.

In reviewing the 1995 ''Encores!'' concert, Vincent Canby noted:

Here was a show in which cynicism, sophistication, bogus sentimentality and high spirits were as much the content as the form of an otherwise traditional Broadway musical. The first production [1940] shocked a lot of critics and many theatergoers. There was no question about the quality of the Richard Rodgers score and Lorenz Hart lyrics. The disturbance was caused by John O'Hara's corrosive book: the sordid adventures of a Chicago nightclub singer and M.C. named Joey Evans. It wasn't until the 1952 revival that Joey was recognized as literature's latest darling, the antihero. In 1995, ''Pal Joey'' is a treasure.

2008 production

''The New York Times'' panned the 2008 production, describing it as "in mourning for its own lifelessness", having "no detectable pulse". Todd Haimes, the Artistic Director of the Roundabout Theatre, commented on the "new book by Richard Greenberg that, in my opinion, does a stunning job of enhancing O'Hara's original by more fully integrating the songs with the book and giving even more of a full life to each of his characters." ''The Times'' quoted Haimes as saying that he thought

the Greenberg adaptation transformed the original "flawed book" by enriching the dialogue and sharpening the characters of not only Joey but the women in his life, like the damaged society wife Vera Simpson... and the wronged chanteuse Gladys Bumps.... In other words, there would be a stronger story that might match the well-known songs.

According to ''New York (magazine), New York'',

Greenberg ... simplified the story and removed much of the old script's gangster gothic.... He made it smarter and sexier, and bleak. Where the movie ended with Novak and Sinatra walking off into the California sunshine, this ends with Joey alone on a dark street corner, wondering—like so many right now — what the hell to do."

''Variety (magazine), Variety'' wrote:

The Rodgers and Hart songs...are certainly easy on the ear, but what makes the Roundabout revival of their 1940 show so compelling is Richard Greenberg's trenchant adaptation of the original book by John O'Hara. Erasing the sanitizing stamp of musical-theater coyness, Greenberg brings a fascinating melancholy grubbiness to this cynical story of sordid emotional transactions and opportunistic behavior in late-1930s Chicago. It's a dark show for desperate times...The major discovery is [Martha] Plimpton's heretofore-hidden musicality ... even half-talking her songs, [Stockard Channing] puts across the rueful resignation of "What Is a Man?" with elegance... and pours enough bruising self-deprecation into "
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered "Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)" is a show tune and popular song from the 1940 Rodgers and Hart musical '' Pal Joey''. It is part of the Great American Songbook. The song was introduced by Vivienne Segal on December 25, 1940, in the Bro ...
" to make it work.

The ''New York Post'' ("a flawed revival") gave the production 2½ stars. The Associated Press wrote:

Richard Greenberg ... has given John O'Hara's original book ... a new sheen without changing the general outline of the story: punkish song-and-dance man scores big, gets his comeuppance but soldiers on. Greenberg's rewrite is crisp and to the point. There is a hard-boiled briskness to his work, a film-noir sensibility in its punchy dialogue that ricochets lickety-split across the stage. Channing gets across this number ["Bewitched"], one of the most famous in the Rodgers and Hart canon, in what can be described as her best Rex Harrison ''My Fair Lady'' manner. It's half-sung, half-spoken but acted to the fullest, a consummate bit of musical-theater performing.... Plimpton is quite a revelation in the role.

''Variety'', praising the production and specifically Risch, wrote a follow up response to the mixed reviews stating

it's bizarre to see Mantello's staging pejoratively described as "ruthless", "joyless" and "unhappy"—as if such qualities don't compute in musical theater. One of the controversies of this "Joey" is that its leading man, newcomer Matthew Risch, the understudy who replaced Christian Hoff in the eleventh hour, fails to deliver the requisite dollop of charm to his catting around. Reviewers have compared him with actors they never saw in the role, namely Gene Kelly, or men who have never essayed Joey onstage, including Hugh Jackman, Harry Connick Jr. and, yes, Frank Sinatra, who insisted, among other woeful ideas, that he sing "The Lady Is a Tramp" in the misconceived (and far happier) 1957 film version. A big, toothy movie star might have assured theatergoers that this cad really wasn't what he is—a cad. Risch, to his credit, offers a tough, uncompromising portrait that allows only two brief moments of moral conscience—both of which lead Joey to shield his girlfriend Jenny from, well, Joey.Hofler, Robert
/ref>

adding

Coincidence or not, Risch's Joey is a younger brother of Erwin Schrott's Don Giovanni, seen at the Met Opera earlier this season. When these guys smile, it's the devil's work at play with any woman's affections. If the show offers a pessimistic view of female sexuality, then so be it. Joey and Giovanni, not the women, are the ones going straight to hell.

and "In the end, Mantello and Risch's Joey is an easy antihero to understand, if not love."

Legacy

Looking retrospectively, musical theatre historian Ethan Mordden pronounced ''Pal Joeys book is a "breakthrough in character writing". He stated that "the two leads and Linda are extremely well-drawn", and that though "''Pal Joey'' is tough, its script true to its characters". He also believed that the show "finds Rodgers and Hart at their best". Historians Everett and Laird wrote that ''Pal Joey'' is the "most important work produced by Rodgers and Hart", and is the "most integrated of their musicals".

Awards and nominations

1952 Broadway revival

1963 City Center revival

1977 Broadway revival

1980 London revival

2002 Philadelphia production

2008 Broadway revival

Recordings

The 1950 studio cast recording starring Vivienne Segal and

was released by Columbia on February 12, 1951. A partial cast recording of the 1952 Broadway revival was released in January 1952 by Capitol Records. It featured Helen Gallagher, Elaine Stritch and others from the revival cast, but starred non-cast members Jane Froman and Dick Beavers as Vera and Joey, in place of Segal and Lang. A 1980 London Revival Cast recording was released on the TER Label/JAY Records, starring Denis Lawson and

. A cast recording of the 1995 concert, starring Patti LuPone and Peter Gallagher, was released October 12, 1995 by DRG (ASIN: B000000PL1).
amazon.com listing

Notes

References

*Bloom, Ken and Vlastnik, Frank (2004). Broadway Musicals: The 101 Greatest Shows of all Time. New York:Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. *Hischak, Thomas (2008). The Oxford Companion to the American Musical. New York: Oxford University Press. *Kantor, Michael and Maslon, Laurence (2004). Broadway: The American Musical. New York:Bullfinch Press. *Nolan, Frederick (2002). The Sound of Their Music: The Story of Rodgers & Hammerstein. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, New York.

External links

*
''Pal Joey''
at The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pal Joey (Musical) 1940 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals based on short fiction Musicals by Rodgers and Hart West End musicals Tony Award-winning musicals