''13 Daughters'' was a short-lived

Broadway musical Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

with book, music and lyrics by Eaton Magoon, Jr, starring

Don Ameche Don Ameche (; born Dominic Felix Amici; May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993) was an American actor, comedian and vaudevillian. After playing in college shows, stock, and vaudeville, he became a major radio star in the early 1930s, which l ...

. It played for 28 performances in 1961. The story was influenced by the life of Magoon's great-grandparents Chun Afong and his wife

Julia Fayerweather Afong Julia Hope Kamakia Paaikamokalani o Kinau Beckley Fayerweather Afong (February 1, 1840 – February 14, 1919) was a Hawaiian high chiefess who married Chinese millionaire merchant Chun Afong with whom she had sixteen children. She was of British, ...

and their twelve daughters.

Plot

Set in 19th century

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...

, the plot involves a Chinese merchant, Chun, and Hawaiian princess, Emmaloa, who wed and have 13 daughters. A prophecy predicts the daughters will not be married until the couple's 13 calabash trees bloom. Tradition dictates the oldest daughter must be the first to marry, but she is more interested in missionary work and no tree has yet blossomed. Soon the daughters' luck will change, however, despite the prophecy.Broadwayworld.com
accessed November 17, 2015

Productions

After a month-long tryout in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and one preview on Broadway, ''13 Daughters'' opened on March 2, 1961, at the 54th Street Theatre in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, and closed on March 25, 1961, after 28 performances. The large cast included

as Chun, Monica Boyar as Emmaloa,

Sylvia Syms Sylvia May Laura Syms (born 6 January 1934) is an English actress, best known for her roles in the films '' Woman in a Dressing Gown'' (1957), '' Ice Cold in Alex'' (1958), '' No Trees in the Street'' (1959), '' Victim'' (1961), and '' The T ...

, Richard Tone, Stanley Grover, George Lipton, Gina Viglione, John Battles, Isabelle Farrell, Diana Corto, Ed Kenney and many others. Billy Matthews directed and Rod Alexander was the choreographer. The show was nominated for two

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

s, for Pembroke Davenport as Conductor and Musical Director, and George Jenkins as Scenic Designer (Musical). A cast album of a follow-up production in Honolulu was recorded on Mahalo Records Prior to the opening, Gloria Gabriel, who portrayed one of the daughters, appeared on an episode of '' To Tell The Truth'' as an imposter, where Don Ameche was a panelist, noting that she had not yet met Ameche. There was a performance in New Zealand in April 1968 by the Hamilton Operatic Society followed two decades later by a revival concert production in 1987 at McKinley High School Auditorium, Honolulu. In 1989 a fully staged production was mounted with Joe Layton as director/choreographer, at the

Hawaii Theatre The Hawaii Theatre is a historic 1922 theatre in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii, located at 1130 Bethel Street, between Hotel and Pauahi Streets, on the edge of Chinatown. It is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places. History ...

, Honolulu. Arrangements for the Honolulu revival were commissioned from Derek Williams who was also musical director, arranger/orchestrator for the 1981 world premiere and 1985 revival production of Magoon's later work, ''Aloha, a Musical of the Islands''.Day, Paul. (19 October 1981). 'Hamilton Says Aloha To Musical'. ''

The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspaper ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Broadway production photos

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web site
Al Hirschfeld drawing
for ''

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''
Eaton Magoon, Jr. on IMDB

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Broadway musicals Theatre in Hawaii 1961 musicals