''Woman of the Year'' 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 Peter Stone and score by John Kander and Fred Ebb. Based on the Ring Lardner Jr.- Michael Kanin

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, f ...

for the 1942

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two cons ...

film '' Woman of the Year'', the musical changes the newspaper reporters of the original to television personality Tess Harding and

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and g ...

Sam Craig, who experience difficulty merging their careers with their marriage. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1981 and starred

Lauren Bacall Lauren Bacall (; born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress. She was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary ...

Plot

Just before Tess Harding, a nationally known television news personality, comes on stage to receive an award as "Woman of the Year", she reminisces about an on-air

editorial An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK) is an article written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper, magazine, or any other written document, often unsigned. Australian and major United States newspapers, such ...

that she gave denigrating newspaper

comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics ter ...

s. The article offended the

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of imag ...

ists who frequent the Ink Pot saloon and inspired syndicated cartoonist Sam Craig to publish a

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, ...

depicting her as a snob in his strip ''Katz''. Tess is annoyed, but when the handsome and charming Sam shows up at her office, she apologizes and invites him to dinner. At the Ink Pot, she charms Sam and his colleagues by revealing her knowledge about comic art. Tess and Sam begin a romance, move in together, and finally marry, but their busy careers leave little time for them to spend together, and their big egos pose problems in their marriage. In one of his comics, Katz quips that marriage is a breeze - it's the living together that's so damned hard. Tess is offended, an argument ensues, and Sam announces he no longer can deal with the couple's fraying love life. The time moves forward to the present, and it's time for Tess to accept her award, just as she has lost the man she loves. Several weeks later, Tess is conflicted about her role as a powerful newswoman versus her role as a wife. She seeks advice from Russian

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

dancer Alexi Petrikov, whom she helped to defect. He tells her that he is returning to Russia, because the wife he left behind is more important than his career. Tess travels to visit first husband Larry Donovan and his wife Jan to discover why their marriage is a success. She decides to concentrate on her marriage and announces that she is resigning from her show. But Sam tells her that he wants her to keep her career; he just wants to be involved in the decisions in their relationship. They decide to work things out.

Songs

;Act I * "Woman of the Year" – Tess and Women * "The Poker Game" – Sam and Cartoonists * "See You in the Funny Papers" – Sam * "When You're Right, You're Right!" – Tess and Gerald * "Shut Up, Gerald" – Tess, Sam and Gerald * "So What Else Is New?" – Sam and Katz * "One of the Boys" – Tess, Cartoonists, Maury and Men * "Table Talk" – Tess and Sam * "The Two of Us" – Tess and Sam * "It Isn't Working" – Cartoonists, Chip, Helga, Gerald and New Yorkers * "I Told You So" – Gerald and Helga * "Woman of the Year (Reprise)" – Tess ;Act II * "So What Else Is New? (Reprise)" – Sam and Katz * "I Wrote the Book" – Tess and Cleaning Women * "Happy in the Morning" – Alexi, Tess and Dancers * "Sometimes a Day Goes By" – Sam * "The Grass Is Always Greener" – Tess and Jan * "We're Gonna Work It Out" – Tess and Sam

Original Broadway cast

*Tess Harding, a famous TV news personality -

*Sam Craig, a handsome cartoonist - Harry Guardino *Alexi Petrikov, a Russian ballet dancer - Eivind Harum *Gerald, Tess's secretary - Roderick Cook *Helga, Tess's maid -

Grace Keagy Grace Keagy (née Stambaugh; December 16, 1921 – October 4, 2009) was an American actress, best known for her work on the stage in character roles. She is best known for her Drama Desk Award-nominated performance as "Rosa" in the original ...

*Larry Donovan, Tess's first husband - Jamie Ross *Jan Donovan, a housewife, Larry's second wife -

Marilyn Cooper Marilyn Cooper (December 14, 1934 – April 22, 2009) was an American actress known primarily for her work on the Broadway stage. Life and career Born in New York City, Cooper made her Broadway debut in 1956 in the chorus of '' Mr. Wonderfu ...

*Chip Salisbury, a perky newsman - Daren Kelly *Abbott Canfield, a cartoonist - Larry Raiken *Maury - Rex Everhart *Ellis McMaster - Rex Hays *Pinky Peters - Gerry Vichi

Productions

The Broadway production opened on March 29, 1981, at the

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia * Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, M ...

, where it ran for 770 performances and eleven previews. Directed by Robert Moore, the cast included

, Harry Guardino,

, and Roderick Cook. Raquel Welch filled in for Bacall during her two-week vacation and later replaced her in the run.

Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer, and businesswoman. Her career spanned almost 70 years. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for her portra ...

replaced Welch in February 1983. Barbara Eden played Tess in the 1984 national tour.Frank, Leah
"'Woman Of The Year': Charm And Pizzaz; Westbury Music Fair"
''The New York Times'', April 22, 1984 Sets were designed by

Tony Walton Anthony John Walton (24 October 1934 – 2 March 2022) was a British set and costume designer. He won three Tony Awards for his work on '' Pippin'' (1973), '' House of Blue Leaves'' (1986), and ''Guys and Dolls'' (1992). For his work in movies ...

and costumes were by Theoni V. Aldredge, and choreography was by Tony Charmoli.

Michael Sporn Michael Sporn (April 23, 1946 – January 19, 2014) was an American animator who founded his New York City-based company, Michael Sporn Animation in 1980, and produced and directed numerous animated TV specials and short spots. Sporn was nominat ...

created an

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

cat that danced and sang with Guardino.

Porchlight Music Theatre Porchlight Music Theatre is a professional theatre company in Chicago, Illinois that has won numerous Joseph Jefferson Awards in its 25-year history. The company has come to embody the slogan "american musicals. chicago style." About Its ini ...

presented this show as a part of their "Porchlight Revisits" season in which they produce three forgotten musicals per year. This production was in Chicago, Illinois, in November 2017. It was directed by Artistic Director, Michael Weber, choreographed by Florence Walker Harris, and music directed by David Fiorello.

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

References

"Woman of the Year"
''The Guide to Musical Theatre''.
Cast and other information
''Stage Agent''. *T. E. Kalem

review of ''Woman of the Year'', ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'' magazine, April 13, 1981

External links

* {{Navboxes , title = Awards for ''Woman of the Year'' , list = {{TonyAward MusicalBook 1976-2000 {{TonyAward MusicalScore 1976-2000 1981 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals based on films Musicals by Kander and Ebb Musicals by Peter Stone Tony Award-winning musicals