''Plain and Fancy'' is a musical comedy with a book by

Joseph Stein Joseph Stein (May 30, 1912 – October 24, 2010) was an American playwright best known for writing the books for such musicals as ''Fiddler on the Roof'' and '' Zorba''. Biography Born in New York City to Jewish parents, Charles and Emma ( ...

and

Will Glickman Will Glickman (March 7, 1910 – March 11, 1983) was an American playwright who frequently collaborated with Joseph Stein. Glickman made his Broadway debut in 1948 with sketches he and Stein wrote for the revue '' Lend an Ear''. The two went on ...

, lyrics by Arnold Horwitt, and music by

Albert Hague Albert Hague (born Albert Marcuse, October 13, 1920 – November 12, 2001) was a German–born American songwriter and actor. Early life Hague was born to a Jewish family in Berlin, Germany. His father, Harry Marcuse, was a psychiatrist a ...

. One of the first depictions of an Amish community in American pop culture, it includes a traditional barn raising and an old-fashioned country wedding. The musical ran 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 1955–56, and has been produced yearly at the Round Barn Theatre in

Nappanee, Indiana Nappanee is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, Elkhart and Kosciusko County, Indiana, Kosciusko counties in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 6,648 as of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. Census and had grown to 6,913 by the 2 ...

since 1986.

Productions

The show opened pre-Broadway at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut on December 11, 1954, and at the Shubert Theater in Philadelphia on January 5, 1955. The Broadway production, produced by

Richard Kollmar Richard Tompkins Kollmar (December 31, 1910 – January 7, 1971), also known professionally as Dick Kollmar, was an American stage, radio, film and television actor, television personality and Broadway producer. Kollmar was the husband of jo ...

, directed by

Morton DaCosta Morton DaCosta (March 7, 1914 – January 26, 1989) was an American theatre and film director, film producer, writer, and actor. Career Born Morton Tecosky in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, DaCosta began his career as an actor in the Broadway produ ...

and choreographed by Helen Tamiris, opened on January 27, 1955 at the

Mark Hellinger Theater The Mark Hellinger Theatre (formerly the 51st Street Theatre and the Hollywood Theatre) is a church building at 237 West 51st Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, which formerly served as a cinema and a Broadway thea ...

. It transferred to the

Winter Garden Theatre The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 1634 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It opened in 1911 under designs by architect William Albert Swasey. The Winter Garden's current design dates to 1922, when ...

on February 28, 1955, where it remained until November 7, 1955 before returning to the Mark Hellinger on November 9, 1955, closing on March 3, 1956 after a total of 461 performances. The cast included

Richard Derr Richard Derr (June 15, 1917 – May 8, 1992) was an American actor who worked on stage, screen, and television, performing in both starring and supporting roles. Early years Born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Derr graduated from Norristown High ...

as Dan,

Shirl Conway Shirl Conway (born Shirley Elizabeth Crosman, June 13, 1916 – May 7, 2007) was an American television and Broadway actress. Early years A great-niece of actress Henrietta Crosman, Conway graduated from the University of Michigan in 1938 with a ...

as Ruth, Will B. Able as Jacob, Gloria Marlowe as Katie, Douglas Fletcher Rodgers as Ezra,

Barbara Cook Barbara Cook (October 25, 1927 – August 8, 2017) was an American actress and singer who first came to prominence in the 1950s as the lead in the original Broadway musicals '' Plain and Fancy'' (1955), ''Candide'' (1956) and ''The Music Man'' ( ...

as Hilda, David Daniels as Peter and the 12-year-old Scott Walker (billed as "Scotty Engel") as a young miller.

Bea Arthur Beatrice Arthur (born Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009) was an American actress and comedian. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, Arthur began her career on stage in 1947, attracting critical acclaim before achieving ...

understudied Conway and

Carol Lawrence Carol Lawrence (born Carolina Maria Laraia; September 5, 1932) is an American actress, appearing in musical theatre and on television. She is known for creating the role of Maria on Broadway in the musical '' West Side Story'' (1957), receivin ...

was among the chorus members. Lawrence recorded her version of the song "This Is All Very New to Me" from the 1960 album ''Tonight at 8:30''. An American national tour ran in 1955 starring Alexis Smith and Craig Stevens. The West End production opened on January 25, 1956 at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

, where it ran for 315 performances. The cast included Jack Drummond, Joan Hovis,

Malcolm Keen Malcolm Keen (8 August 1887 – 30 January 1970) was an English actor of stage, film and television. He was sometimes credited as Malcolm Keane.Michael Craze Michael Craze (29 November 1942 – 8 December 1998) was a British actor noted for his role of Ben Jackson, a companion of the Doctor, in the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He played the part from 1966 ...

and Virginia Somers. Since 1986, the Round Barn Theatre at Amish Acres in

has staged ''Plain and Fancy'' every year as part of its repertory program. It has been performed by the company more than 3,500 times. Richard Pletcher, founder and producer, dedicated the theatre's stage to Joseph Stein in 1996 following its production of ''

The Baker's Wife ''The Baker's Wife'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and the book by Joseph Stein, based on the 1938 French film of the same name by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono. The musical premiered in the West End in 1989 for a shor ...

''. In 2006, the York Theatre Company in New York City worked with librettist Joseph Stein to reduce the show to a 13-character musical, and this new version was produced as part of the company's Mufti Theatre concert series directed by David Glenn Armstrong. It starred

Cady Huffman Cady Huffman is an American actress. Early life Huffman was born in Santa Barbara, California, to Lorayne, a pre-school assistant director turned realtor, and Clifford Huffman, an attorney. She is the younger sister of actor Linus Huffman and a ...

Charlotte Rae Charlotte Rae Lubotsky (April 22, 1926 – August 5, 2018) was an American character actress and singer whose career spanned six decades. Rae was known for her portrayal of Edna Garrett in the sitcoms ''Diff'rent Strokes'' and its spin-off, '' ...

, Nancy Anderson, Jack Noseworthy, Erick Devine, Jordan Leeds and Sara Delaney.

Plot synopsis

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

sophisticates Dan King and Ruth Winters travel to Bird-in-Hand in the

Amish The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churc ...

country of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to sell a piece of property to Jacob Yoder, who intends to present it to his daughter Katie and her intended Ezra as a wedding gift. While there, they become involved with the local villagers, including Hilda Miller, who mistakes Dan's kindness for romantic overtures, and Ezra's banished brother Peter, who returns to claim the hand of his childhood sweetheart, Katie.

Song list

;Act I * You Can't Miss It * It Wonders Me * Plenty of Pennsylvania * Young and Foolish * Why Not Katie? * Young and Foolish (Reprise) * It's a Helluva Way to Run a Love Affair * This Is All Very New to Me * Plain We Live * The Shunning ;Act II * How Do You Raise a Barn? * Follow Your Heart * City Mouse, Country Mouse * I'll Show Him! * Carnival Ballet * On the Midway * Take Your Time and Take Your Pick * Plenty of Pennsylvania (Reprise)

Recording

Original cast recordings of both the BroadwayRuhlmann, William
"Original Broadway Cast Recording"
allmusic.com, accessed August 13, 2015 and London productions were released.

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

References

External links

Internet Broadway Database listing
{{Authority control 1955 musicals Amish in popular culture Broadway musicals