''The Ziegfeld Follies of 1936'' is a musical

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...

with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, music by

Vernon Duke Vernon Duke ( 16 January 1969) was a Russian-born American composer/songwriter who also wrote under his birth name, Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for " Taking a Chance on Love," with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche (1940), "I Can' ...

and sketches by Gershwin and David Freedman. The

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Ai ...

were a series of revues presented from 1907 through 1931, 1934, 1936, 1943, and 1957.

Productions and background

;Original 1936 The musical premiered 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 ...

at 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 January 30, 1936 and closed on May 9, 1936 after 115 performances. Produced by

Billie Burke Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke (August 7, 1884 – May 14, 1970) was an American actress who was famous on Broadway and radio, and in silent and sound films. She is best known to modern audiences as Glinda the Good Witch of the North ...

Ziegfeld and

Lee Shubert Lee Shubert (born Levi Schubart; March 25, 1871– December 25, 1953) was a Lithuanian-born American theatre owner/operator and producer and the eldest of seven siblings of the theatrical Shubert family. Biography Born to a Jewish family, the so ...

and J. J. Shubert, it was directed by

John Murray Anderson John Murray Anderson (September 20, 1886 – January 30, 1954) was a Canadian theatre director and producer, songwriter, actor, screenwriter, dancer and lighting designer, who made his career in the United States, primarily in New York City and ...

and Edward Clarke Lilley, choreographed 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 ...

, sketches directed by Edward D. Dowling, and ballets directed by George Balanchine. Scenic design and costumes were by

Vincente Minnelli Vincente Minnelli (born Lester Anthony Minnelli; February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986) was an American stage director and film director. He directed the classic movie musicals '' Meet Me in St. Louis'' (1944), '' An American in Paris'' (1951), ' ...

, with additional costumes by Raoul Pène Du Bois, and original orchestrations were by Robert Russell Bennett,

Conrad Salinger Conrad Salinger (August 30, 1901, Brookline, Massachusetts – June 17, 1962, Pacific Palisades, California) was an American arranger, orchestrator and composer, who studied classical composition at the Paris Conservatoire. He is credited wit ...

, Hans Spialek and Don Walker. The cast starred Fanny Brice,

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

Eve Arden Eve Arden (born Eunice Mary Quedens, April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an American film, radio, stage and television actress. She performed in leading and supporting roles for nearly six decades. Beginning her film career in 1929 ...

Josephine Baker Josephine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald; naturalised French Joséphine Baker; 3 June 1906 – 12 April 1975) was an American-born French dancer, singer and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in her adopted Fran ...

Judy Canova Judy Canova (November 20, 1913 – August 5, 1983),Although one source gives her birth date as November 20, 1916, (DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland ...

Gertrude Niesen Gertrude Niesen (July 8, 1911 – March 27, 1975) was an American torch singer, actress, comedian, and songwriter who achieved popular success in musicals and films in the 1930s and 1940s. Early years Niesen was born aboard ship as her Swe ...

June Preisser June Preisser (June 26, 1918 – September 19, 1984) was an American actress, popular in musical films during the late 1930s and through the 1940s, many of which capitalized on her skills as an acrobat. Life and career Born June 26, 1918 in ...

, and the

Nicholas Brothers The Nicholas Brothers were an entertainment act composed of biological brothers, Fayard (1914–2006) and Harold (1921–2000), who excelled in a variety of dance techniques, primarily between the 1930s and 1950s. Best known for their ...

. The musical had a return engagement on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 14, 1936, and closed on December 19, 1936 after 112 performances. Brice reprised her role, with the additional cast of Bobby Clark, Gypsy Rose Lee,

Cass Daley Cass Daley (born Catherine Dailey; July 17, 1915 – March 22, 1975) was an American actress, comedian and singer. The daughter of an Irish streetcar conductor, Daley started to perform at night clubs and on the radio as a band vocalist in ...

, and Jane Pickens. Fanny Brice was the star of the ''Follies'' and dominated the show, so much so that when she became ill in May 1936, the production closed. ;1999 Encores! ''The Follies'' were presented as a staged concert in 1999 as part of

City Center A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

's '' Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert'' with musical director Rob Fisher and the Coffee Club Orchestra. The revival was directed by Mark Waldrop who also adapted the book, choreographed by

Thommie Walsh Thomas Joseph "Thommie" Walsh III (March 15, 1950 – June 16, 2007) was an American dancer, choreographer, director, and author. Biography Thommie Walsh was born in Auburn, New York, and began to study dance at age five at the Irma Baker Schoo ...

, the ballet sequence choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. The scenic consultant was

John Lee Beatty John Lee Beatty is an American scenic designer who has created set designs for more than 115 Broadway shows and has designed for other productions. He won two Tony Awards, for ''Talley's Folly'' (1980) and ''The Nance'' (2013), was nominated for ...

; costume coordinator,

Gregg Barnes Gregg Barnes is an American costume designer for stage and film. Barnes is a two-time winner of the Tony Award for Best Costume Design in a Musical for his work on the Broadway productions of ''The Drowsy Chaperone'' (2006) and ''Follies'' (2011 ...

; lighting by

Peter Kaczorowski Peter Kaczorowski (born 1956) is an American theatrical lighting designer. Kaczorowski was born in Buffalo, New York. He is credited with lighting designs for Broadway and off-Broadway shows, as well extensive work in opera. He has been nominated ...

, sound by Scott Lehrer and projections by Eyewash, Inc. It starred:

Christine Ebersole Christine Ebersole (born February 21, 1953) is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in film, television, and on stage. She starred in the Broadway musicals '' 42nd Street'' and ''Grey Gardens'', winning two Tony Awards. She has co- ...

Ruthie Henshall Valentine Ruth Henshall (born 7 March 1967), known professionally as Ruthie Henshall, is an English actress, singer and dancer, known for her work in musical theatre. She began her professional stage career in 1986, before making her West End d ...

Peter Scolari Peter Thomas Scolari (September 12, 1955 – October 22, 2021) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Michael Harris on ''Newhart'' (1984–1990), Henry Desmond on ''Bosom Buddies'' (1980–1982) and Wayne Szalinski on ''Hone ...

Howard McGillin Howard McGillin (born November 5, 1953, in Los Angeles, California) is an American actor. He is known for his role of John Jasper in ''The Mystery of Edwin Drood'' and for portraying the role The Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''The Phantom of ...

, Stephanie Pope,

Mary Testa Mary Testa (born June 4, 1955) is an American stage and film actress. She is a three-time Tony Award nominee, for performances in revivals of Leonard Bernstein's '' On the Town'' (1998), '' 42nd Street'' (2001) and'' Oklahoma'' (2019). Early life ...

Karen Ziemba Karen Ziemba (born November 12, 1957) is an American actress, singer and dancer, best known for her work in musical theatre. In 2000, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in ''Contact''. Biography Ziem ...

, Bob Walton,

Jim Walton James Carr Walton (born June 7, 1948) is an American businessman, currently the heir to the fortune of Walmart, the world's largest retailer. As of October 2022, Walton was the seventeenth-richest person in the world, with a net worth of US$61 b ...

, Stanley Bojarski

Kevin Chamberlin Kevin Chamberlin (born November 25, 1963) is an American actor. He is known for his theatre roles such as Horton in ''Seussical'' and Uncle Fester in ''The Addams Family''. For his theatre work, he received three Tony Award and three Drama Desk ...

, Jock Soto,

Jenifer Ringer Jenifer Ellen Ringer (born ) is an American ballet dancer and educator. She joined the New York City Ballet in 1990, became a principal dancer in 2000, and retired from performing in 2014. She then became the director of the Colburn School's pro ...

, and Jonathan Sharp.

Decca Broadway Decca Broadway is an American record label specializing in musical theater recordings founded in 1999 by Decca Records and is a unit of Universal Music Group. Decca Broadway issued both new original cast albums as well as reissues of classic mus ...

released a CD of this production in 2001, including a 34-page booklet with photos of the 1936 cast, lyrics, and a description of the process in reconstructing the original score.

Sketches

In the opening number Brice mocks her famous song ("My Man") in "He Hasn't a Thing Except Me", standing against a lamp-post. In "The Sweepstakes Taker" Brice portrays a Jewish Bronx housewife who wins the Irish sweepstakes. In "Fancy Free' she becomes the affected and bored British "Zuleika" as she exchanges witty remarks with her husband Sir Robert, and, leaving behind elegance, burps in his face and utters a trade-mark "Denk you." As Baby Snooks, Brice stars with popular stars of the day (such as Clark Gable).

Songs

Gershwin and Duke wrote 28 songs and special material, but almost half were cut. The only song to become popular was " I Can't Get Started (With You)", helped by an early recording by

Bunny Berigan Roland Bernard "Bunny" Berigan (November 2, 1908 – June 2, 1942) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader who rose to fame during the swing era. His career and influence were shortened by alcoholism, and ended with his early demise at the ...

. The song was sung by

. The Berigan recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.''I Can't Get Started (with You)'' information
jazzstandards.com, accessed August 6, 2009 ;Act 1 *Time Marches On *He Hasn't a Thing Except Me *(My) Red Letter Day *(Island in the) West Indies *Words Without Music (Staged by George Balanchine) *The Economic Situation (Aren't You Wonderful) *Fancy! Fancy! *Night Flight (Staged by George Balanchine) *Maharanee (At the Night Races in Paris) *The Gazooka ;Act 2 *(That) Moment of Moments *Sentimental Weather *5 A.M. (Staged by George Balanchine) *I Can't Get Started (with You) *Modernistic Moe *Dancing to Our Score

Notes

References

*Grossman, Barbara W. ''Funny Woman:The Life and Times of Fanny Brice'' (1992), Indiana University Press,

External links

Internet Broadway Database entry, 1st editionInternet Broadway Database entry, 2nd edition

New York City Center webpage for ''Encores!'' previous seasons
{{Ziegfeld Follies 1936 musicals Revues Broadway musicals Ziegfeld Follies