''Baby It's You!'' is a

jukebox musical A jukebox musical is a stage musical or musical film in which a majority of the songs are well-known, pre-existing popular music songs, rather than original music composed for the musical. Some jukebox musicals use a wide variety of songs, while ...

written by

Floyd Mutrux Floyd Mutrux (born June 25, 1941) is an American stage and film director, writer, producer, and screenwriter. Career He began his work in Hollywood as an uncredited writer for ''Two-Lane Blacktop'' (1971). His career continued with '' The C ...

and

Colin Escott Colin Escott (born 31 August 1949) is a British music historian and author specializing in early U.S. rock and roll and country music. His works include a biography of Hank Williams, histories of Sun Records and The Grand Ole Opry, liner notes ...

, featuring pop and rock hits of the 1960s, with a special emphasis on songs by

the Shirelles The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey, in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McF ...

and other acts signed to

Scepter Records Scepter Records was an American record company founded in 1959 by Florence Greenberg. History Florence Greenberg founded Scepter Records from the $4,000 she received after she sold Tiara Records and the Shirelles to Decca Records. When the S ...

. The show "tells the story of

Florence Greenberg Florence Greenberg (September 16, 1913 – November 2, 1995) was an American record label owner, music executive, and record producer. She was the founder and owner of Tiara Records, Scepter Records, Hob Records, and Wand Records. She is best k ...

and Scepter Records, the label Greenberg started when she signed the Shirelles." After several tryouts and premieres, the show debuted 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 Stre ...

in April 2011, directed by Sheldon Epps.

Background

Greenberg and the Shirelles

The Shirelles The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey, in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McF ...

were an American

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring two or more women in music, female singers who generally vocal harmony, harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female p ...

in the early 1960s, and the first to have a number one single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The members of the quartet were

Shirley Owens Shirley Alston Reeves (born June 10, 1941), born Shirley Owens, is an American soul singer who was the main lead singer of the hit girl group the Shirelles. The Shirelles In addition to Owens, The Shirelles consisted of fellow Passaic Hig ...

(the main lead singer),

Doris Coley Doris Coley (August 2, 1941 – February 4, 2000) was an American musician, who was best known as a member (and occasional lead singer) of the Shirelles. Doris was the lead singer on their biggest hit, " Dedicated to the One I Love". She init ...

, Beverly Lee, and Addie "Micki" Harris.

(September 16, 1913 – November 2, 1995) originally created Tiara Records. The first song recorded and released on the label was "I Met Him On a Sunday", by the Shirelles. Just as the record started to break locally, Greenberg sold the company with the Shirelles' contract to

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

for US$4000. With that money, she started a new label in 1959, called

, which became one of the leading record labels in the 60s.

Mutrux and Escott's collaborations

Mutrux and Escott had collaborated on the book for the

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), many of the extant or closed Broadway venues use or used the spelling ''Theatr ...

Million Dollar Quartet "Million Dollar Quartet" is a recording of an impromptu jam session involving Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash made on December 4, 1956 at the Sun Studio, Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. An article about th ...

'', which was nominated for a

Tony Award for Best Musical The Tony Award for Best Musical is given annually to the best new Broadway musical, as determined by Tony Award voters. The award is one of the ceremony's longest-standing awards, having been presented each year since 1949. The award goes to the ...

and Best Book of a Musical. Mutrux, who knew about Florence Greenberg, conceived ''Baby It's You! The Musical'', which is part of Mutrux's planned "American Pop Anthology" series, focusing on American music from the 1950s to the 1980s. ''Million Dollar Quartet'' was also part of this series.

Involvement of Epps

Epps is director of the

Pasadena Playhouse Pasadena Playhouse is a Tony Award-winning historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engag ...

. In late 2009, one of the shows scheduled to play there suddenly closed: :". . . I'd heard several good things about a smaller workshop production of this show that was at the Coast Playhouse in West Hollywood. I did a little reading about the subject matter — about the Shirelles and Florence Greenberg and all of that — and went over to see it. I was very taken with it and very taken with the idea of developing it for a larger venue, so we were able to make an arrangement to make it the last show of our season." This is not the first jukebox musical Epps had worked on: he directed ''Play On!'', with

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

songs, and ''

Blues in the Night "Blues in the Night" is a popular blues song which has become a pop standard and is generally considered to be part of the Great American Songbook. The music was written by Harold Arlen, the lyrics by Johnny Mercer, for a 1941 film begun wi ...

''.

Synopsis

is an average

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

housewife A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which may include Parenting, caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; Sew ...

. A talent show is held at her daughter's school, and a group of African-American girls are preparing to perform. Florence's daughter is surprised at their talent, quickly notifying her mother, and Florence decides to make the group

recording artist A musician is someone who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate a person who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters, ...

s. To accommodate them, she founds

. After the success of

, the new name of the group, Florence and Scepter Records go on to "discover recording artists like

the Kingsmen The Kingsmen are a 1960s American rock band from Portland, Oregon. They are best known for their 1963 recording of R&B singer Richard Berry's "Louie Louie", which held the No. 2 spot on the ''Billboard'' charts for six weeks and has bec ...

the Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American soul group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of the brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...

and

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick ( ; born Marie Dionne Warrick; December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. During her career, Warwick has won many awards, including six Grammy Awards. She has been inducted into the Hollywood Wa ...

Musical numbers

;Act I * Mr. Lee – Company * Book of Love – Company * Rockin' Robin – Company *Dance With Me – Company * Mama Said – Florence *

Yakety Yak "Yakety Yak" is a song written, produced, and arranged by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for the Coasters and released on Atco Records in 1958, spending seven weeks as #1 on List of number-one rhythm and blues hits (United States), the R&B chart ...

– Bernie * Get a Job – Stanley * The Stroll – Orchestra *I Met Him on a Sunday – Shirley, Beverly, Doris and Micki * Dedicated to the One I Love – Florence, Stan, Shirley, Beverly, Doris and Micki * 16 Candles – Florence * Tonight's the Night – Luther, Shirley, Beverly, Doris and Micki *Dedicated to the One I Love (Reprise) – Florence and Stanley *

Since I Don't Have You "Since I Don't Have You" is a song written and composed by Jackie Taylor, James Beaumont, Janet Vogel, Joseph Rock, Joe Verscharen, Lennie Martin, and Wally Lester. It was first a 1958 hit single for the doo-wop group the Skyliners on the US '' ...

–

Chuck Jackson Charles Benjamin Jackson (July 22, 1937 – February 16, 2023) was an American R&B singer who was one of the first artists to record material by Burt Bacharach and Hal David successfully. He performed with moderate success starting in 1961. Hi ...

* Big John (Ain't You Gonna Marry Me) – Shirley, Beverly, Doris and Micki *

He's So Fine "He's So Fine" is a song written by Ronnie Mack. It was recorded by the Chiffons who topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for four weeks in the spring of 1963. One of the most instantly recognizable golden oldies with its ''doo-lang doo-lang do ...

– Shirley, Beverly, Doris and Micki *

Soldier Boy Soldier Boy is the name of three superhero characters in the comic book series ''Herogasm'' and '' The Boys'', created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. The first character introduced (but the third Soldier Boy in the timeline, with his two ...

– Florence, Luther, Shirley, Beverly, Doris and Micki *Dedicated to the One I Love (Reprise) – Shirley, Beverly, Doris, Micki, and Company ;Act II * Shout –

Ron Isley Ronald Isley ( ; born May 21, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Isley is the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers. Early life Born in 1941 to Sallye Bernice (née Bell) and O ...

, Shirley, Beverly, Doris and Micki *

Twist And Shout "Twist and Shout" is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns (later credited as "Bert Russell"). It was originally recorded by The Top Notes, but it did not become a hit in the record charts until it was reworked by the Isley Broth ...

– Ron Isley, Shirley, Beverly, Doris and Micki *Mama Said (Reprise) – Shirley, Beverly, Doris, Micki, Luther and Florence *Mr. Bassman –

Johnny Cymbal Johnny Cymbal (born John Hendry Blair; February 3, 1945 – March 16, 1993) was an American songwriter, singer and record producer who had numerous hit records, including his signature song, "Mr. Bass Man". Overview During a 33-year career, Cym ...

and Bass Men *

Duke of Earl "Duke of Earl" is a 1962 US number-one song, originally recorded by Gene Chandler. It is the best known of Chandler's songs, and he subsequently dubbed himself "The Duke of Earl". The song was written by Chandler, Bernice Williams, and Earl Edw ...

–

Gene Chandler Gene Chandler (born Eugene Drake Dixon; July 6, 1937) is an American singer, songwriter, music producer, and record-label executive. Chandler is nicknamed "the Duke of Earl" or, simply, "the Duke." He is best known for his most successful song ...

, Shirley, Micki, Beverly and Doris * Foolish Little Girl – Shirley, Beverly, Doris and Micki *

It's My Party "It's My Party" is a song recorded by American singer Lesley Gore on her debut studio album '' I'll Cry If I Want To'' (1963). It was released as a single on April 5, 1963, by Mercury Records. The song was written by Herb Wiener, John Gluck Jr. ...

–

Lesley Gore Lesley Gore (born Lesley Sue Goldstein, May 2, 1946 – February 16, 2015) was an American singer and songwriter. At the age of 16, she recorded her first hit song " It's My Party", a US number one in 1963. She follow ...

Our Day Will Come "Our Day Will Come" is a popular song composed by Mort Garson with lyrics by Bob Hilliard. It was recorded by American R&B group Ruby & the Romantics in early December 1962, reaching #1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Ruby & the Romantics' ori ...

– Ruby & the Romantics * The Dark End of the Street – Luther, Florence, Chuck Jackson and Shirley * Rhythm of the Rain – Stanley, Mary Jane and Florence * You're So Fine – Chuck Jackson, Shirley, Beverly, Doris and Micki * Hey Paula – Chuck Jackson, Shirley, Beverly, Doris and Micki *

Louie Louie "Louie Louie" is a rhythm and blues song written and composed by American musician Richard Berry in 1955, recorded in 1956, and released in 1957. It is best known for the 1963 hit version by the Kingsmen and has become a Standard (music), stand ...

– Kingsmen, Chuck Jackson, Shirley, Beverly, Doris and Micki * You Really Got a Hold on Me – Chuck Jackson, Beverly, Shirley, Micki, Doris, Mary Jane and Florence *

Baby It's You "Baby It's You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach (music), Luther Dixon (credited as Barney Williams), and Mack David (lyrics). It was recorded by the Shirelles and the Beatles and was a hit for both. The highest-charting version of "Baby It ...

– Shirley, Beverly, Doris, Micki, Florence and Luther * Any Day Now – Chuck Jackson *A Thing of the Past – Beverly, Micki and Shirley * Don't Make Me Over –

and Florence * Walk On By – Dionne Warwick, Florence and Luther *Baby It's You (Reprise) – Shirley, Beverly, Doris and Micki *Tonight's the Night (Reprise) – Shirley, Beverly, Doris and Micki *Dedicated to the One I Love (Reprise) – Shirley, Beverly, Doris, Micki and Florence *

I Say a Little Prayer "I Say a Little Prayer" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for Dionne Warwick, originally peaking at number four on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop singles chart in December 1967. On the R&B Singles chart it peaked at number ...

– Company

Original Broadway cast

±Denotes that character is a member of the Shirelles.

Productions

California (2009)

The show premiered at the Coast Playhouse in Los Angeles on July 18, 2009, playing until August 30, 2009, choreographed by Birgitte Mutrux, directed by Floyd Mutrux, and starring Meeghan Holaway. Other cast members included

Erica Ash Erica Chantal Ash (September 19, 1977 – July 28, 2024) was an American actress, comedian, singer, and model. She was a cast member on the sketch comedy programs ''MADtv'' and ''The Big Gay Sketch Show'', and she later starred in the Starz sit ...

and Barry Pearl. Another production with the same cast played at the

from November 13, 2009, to December 13, 2009.

Broadway (2011)

The show opened on Broadway at the

Broadhurst Theatre The Broadhurst Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 235 West 44th Street (Manhattan), 44th Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1917, the thea ...

, starring

Beth Leavel Beth Leavel (born November 1, 1955) is an American stage and screen actress and singer. She is best known for her performances in Broadway musicals such as ''The Drowsy Chaperone'', '' Baby It's You!'' and '' The Prom'', receiving Tony Award no ...

as Florence, directed by Sheldon Epps, and with musical supervision and arrangements by Rahn Coleman. ''Baby It's You!'' began previews on March 26, 2011, and officially opened on April 27, with choreography by Brigitte Mutrux, orchestrations by

Don Sebesky Donald John Sebesky (December 10, 1937 – April 29, 2023) was an American composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz trombonist. He was a multi-instrumentalist and could play a number of other instruments: keyboards, electric piano, organ, accord ...

, scenic design by Anna Louizos, costume design by Lizz Wolf, lighting design by

Howell Binkley Howell Bagby Binkley (July 25, 1956 – August 14, 2020) was an American lighting designer in modern dance and musical theatre. He received the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in a Musical for ''Jersey Boys'' in 2006, and again in 2016 for ' ...

, and projection design by Jason H. Thompson. Joining Leavel as the Shirelles were Christina Sajous,

, Kyra DaCosta, and Crystal Starr Knighton. The production closed on September 4, 2011.

Response

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

s Clark Collis gave the musical a "B−" rating, calling it "a night out that is easy on the ear ... 'Baby It's You' gives Leavel, a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a 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 ...

-winner for ''

The Drowsy Chaperone ''The Drowsy Chaperone'' is a Canadian musical with music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, and a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar. The story concerns a middle-aged, asocial musical theater fan who, feeling "blue", decides to pl ...

'', a platform for both her vocal and her dramatic talents ... e quartet playing the Shirelles are given little to do but capably sing and dance their way through the group's repertoire while breaking a succession of costume change land speed records. But there is never any doubt that the main attractions here ARE the hits — this is a jukebox musical so unashamed about its nature that it starts with the projected image of an actual jukebox."

Charles Isherwood Charles Splaine Isherwood Jr. (born October 1964) is an American theater critic. Career A graduate of Stanford University, Isherwood wrote for '' Backstage West'' in Los Angeles. In 1993, he joined the staff of '' Variety'', where he was promote ...

in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' called the production "dismal" and criticized the " vitations to sing along" and the "inducements to wallow in visions of happy yesterdays". Steven Suskin in ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' unfavorably compared the show to ''

Jersey Boys ''Jersey Boys'' is a jukebox musical with a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is presented in a documentary-style format that dramatizes the formation, success and breakup of the 1960s rock 'n' roll group The Four Seasons. The mus ...

'': "Imagine he latterwithout the carefully integrated character development of

Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer and occasional actor, best known as the frontman (lead singer) of The Four Seasons (band), the Four Seasons. He is known for ...

and

Bob Gaudio Robert John Gaudio (born November 17, 1942) is an American songwriter, singer, musician, and record producer, and the keyboardist and backing vocalist of the pop/rock band the Four Seasons. Gaudio wrote or co-wrote the vast majority of the ban ...

, and with a tunestack only one quarter as imperishable. You needn't imagine it; just wander to the Broadhurst for ''Baby It's You!''" He further stated that Leavel did a capable job filling a poorly scripted role. In the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'', Chris Jones wrote, "The Shirelles, one of the greatest girl groups of all time, get a show of such total ineptitude and cynical profiteering that your mouth pretty much dangles open in disbelief for the duration of the entire tawdry proceedings." Linda Winer (''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...

'') said of the show: " 's just another jukebox musical."

Awards and nominations

Recordings

An original Broadway

cast recording A cast recording is a recording of a stage Musical theatre, musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording or OCR, as the name implies, features the ...

was released by

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

on June 14, 2011. The album, recorded from April 17 to 25, 2011, is produced by

Richard Perry Richard Van Perry (June 18, 1942 – December 24, 2024) was an American record producer. He began his musical career as a performer while attending Poly Prep, his high school in Brooklyn. After graduating from college he rose through the late ...

and associate-produced by Rahn Coleman.

2011 lawsuit

On April 27, 2011, the date the production opened on Broadway, it was announced that a

personality rights Personality rights, sometimes referred to as the right of publicity, are rights for an individual to control the commercial use of their identity, such as name, image, likeness, or other unequivocal identifiers. They are generally considered as p ...

lawsuit against the play's producers had been filed with the

Supreme Court of the State of New York The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

. The suit alleged unauthorized and uncompensated use of the names, likenesses, and biographical information of Beverly Lee (a surviving member of The Shirelles who owns the trademark to the group's name); late Shirelles members Doris Coley Jackson and Addie Harris Jackson; Dionne Warwick; and Chuck Jackson. The suit sought damages on the plaintiffs' behalf. (The other surviving member of the original Shirelles, Shirley Alston Reeves, was not named as a plaintiff.) On December 15, 2011, a federal judge asserted that the suit be discontinued after both sides agreed to settle.

References

External links

Official website of ''Baby It's You!''Internet Broadway Database listing
{{Authority control Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures 2009 musicals Jukebox musicals Broadway musicals Musicals by Floyd Mutrux Musicals set in New Jersey