''Sunny'' is a musical with music by

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in ove ...

and a libretto by Oscar Hammerstein II and

Otto Harbach Otto Abels Harbach, born Otto Abels Hauerbach (August 18, 1873 – January 24, 1963) was an American lyricist and librettist of nearly 50 musical comedies and operettas. Harbach collaborated as lyricist or librettist with many of the leading B ...

. The plot involves Sunny, the star of a circus act, who falls for a rich playboy but comes in conflict with his snooty family. This show was the follow-up to the 1920 hit musical ''

Sally Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military * Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, the Allied reporting na ...

'', both starring

Marilyn Miller Marilyn Miller (born Mary Ellen Reynolds; September 1, 1898 – April 7, 1936) was one of the most popular Broadway musical stars of the 1920s and early 1930s. She was an accomplished tap dancer, singer and actress, and the combination of these ...

in the title roles, and it was Kern's first musical together with Hammerstein. ''Sunny'' also became a hit, with its original

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 in 1925 running for 517 performances. The London production starred Binnie Hale.

Productions

The musical premiered on

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 September 22, 1925. The musical was produced by Charles Dillingham and directed 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. ...

, with scenic and costume design by James Reynolds. The cast included

as Sunny, Jack Donahue as Jim Deering,

Clifton Webb Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck (November 19, 1889 – October 13, 1966), known professionally as Clifton Webb, was an American actor, singer, and dancer. He worked extensively and was known for his stage appearances in the plays of Noël Coward, i ...

as Harold Harcourt Wendell-Wendell, Mary Hay as "Weenie" Winters,

Joseph Cawthorn Joseph Bridger Cawthorn (March 29, 1868 – January 21, 1949) was an American stage and film comic actor. Biography Born on March 29, 1868, in New York City to a minstrel-show family, Cawthorn started out in show business as a child, debu ...

, Paul Frawley as Tom Warren,

Cliff Edwards Clifton Avon "Cliff" Edwards (June 14, 1895 – July 17, 1971), nicknamed "Ukulele Ike", was an American singer, musician and actor. He enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop standar ...

, Pert KeMoss & Fontana,

Esther Howard Esther Howard (April 4, 1892 – March 8, 1965) was an American stage and film character actress who played a wide range of supporting roles, from man-hungry spinsters to amoral criminals, appearing in 108 films in her 23-year screen career ...

as Sue Warren, Dorothy Francis, and the George Olsen Orchestra." ''Sunny'' Broadway"
Playbill (vault), retrieved May 8, 2019 Dances for Marilyn Miller were staged by

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

. The musical closed on December 11, 1926 after 517 performances. The musical was produced in London at the London Hippodrome starting in October 1926.''Sunny''
guidetomusicaltheatre.com, retrieved May 8, 2019 The musical starred Binnie Hale as Sunny and

Jack Buchanan Walter John Buchanan (2 April 1891 – 20 October 1957) was a Scottish theatre and film actor, singer, dancer, producer and director. He was known for three decades as the embodiment of the debonair man-about-town in the tradition of George G ...

as Jim Deming. Buchanan was also the choreographer, with direction by Charles Mast. The musical comedy opened at the Empire Theatre, Sydney, Australia, in March 1927. It was produced by Ernest C. Rolls and starred the British performers Fred Bluett, Wyn Richmond and

Queenie Ashton Ethel Muriel Ashton (11 November 190321 October 1999), known professionally as Queenie Ashton, was a character actress, born in England, who had a long career in Australia as a theatre performer and radio personality, best known for her radio ...

and American

Beatrice Kay Beatrice Kay (April 21, 1907– November 8, 1986) was an American singer, vaudevillian, music hall performer, and stage and film actress. Background Born in New York City as Hannah Beatrice Kuper, Kay performed as Honey Kuper and Honey Day fo ...

Musical Numbers

Judy Garland in Till the Clouds Roll By 4

Judy Garland in Till the Clouds Roll By 2

''Note: The song list below is from the most common version of the show currently performed and excludes all specialties, cut numbers, and those added for other major productions.'' ;Act I * "Opening Act I", "Ballyhoo", and "Here We Are Together Again" - Ballyhoo and Ensemble * "Sunny" - Tom and Boys * "Entrance of Sunny" - Ensemble * " Who?" - Tom and Sunny * "So's Your Old Man" - Harold and the Eight Girls * "Let's Say Good Night Till It's Morning" - Jim and Weenie * "Pas de Equestrienne" - Sunny * "D'Ye Love Me?" - Sunny * "The Wedding Knell" - Sunny and Boys * "Two Little Bluebirds" - Harold and Weenie * "Finale Act One" - Company ;Act II * "Opening Act Two" - Ensemble * "When We Get Our Divorce" - Jim and Sunny * "Sunshine" - Marcia * "Who? (reprise)" - Tom and Sunny * "Who? Dance" - Sunny, Jim, Harold, Weenie and Ensemble * "Remember Me" - Tom and Sunny * "The Chase" - Orchestra * "The Hunt Dance" - Sunny * "Finale Ultimo" - Sunny and Company

Films

The musical was adapted for a 1930

film version A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

directed by William A. Seiter and featuring additional music by Kern. In 1941, a second

was produced, directed by

Herbert Wilcox Herbert Sydney Wilcox CBE (19 April 1890 – 15 May 1977) was a British film producer and director. He was one of the most successful British filmmakers from the 1920s to the 1950s. He is best known for the films he made with his third wif ...

. The first film starred Marilyn Miller, the second one (with a highly revised plot) starred

Anna Neagle Dame Florence Marjorie Wilcox (''née'' Robertson; 20 October 1904 – 3 June 1986), known professionally as Anna Neagle, was an English stage and film actress, singer, and dancer. She was a successful box-office draw in the British cinema ...

, with Ray Bolger in his first film role after playing the Scarecrow in '' The Wizard of Oz'' (1939).

Recreation of scenes in film

In '' Sally of the Scandals'' (1928), the main character is in a musical production that was filmed using the chorus and sets from a production of ''Sunny'' at the Mayan Theater in Los Angeles. In the film ''

Till the Clouds Roll By ''Till The Clouds Roll By'' is a 1946 American Technicolor musical film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. A fictionalized biopic of composer Jerome Kern, portrayed by Robert Walker, Kern was originally involved with the production, but died before ...

'' (1946), a fictionalized biography of composer

, two songs from the show are performed by

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

, representing a performance from "Sunny". They are "Sunny" and "Who?"

References

External links

* {{musical-theat-stub 1925 musicals Musicals by Jerome Kern Musicals set in the Roaring Twenties Original musicals Broadway musicals Musicals by Oscar Hammerstein II Musicals by Otto Harbach