''Dear World'' is a musical with a book by

Jerome Lawrence Jerome Lawrence (born Jerome Lawrence Schwartz; July 14, 1915 – February 29, 2004) was an American playwright and author. After graduating from the Ohio State University in 1937 and the University of California, Los Angeles in 1939, Lawrence pa ...

and

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

and music and lyrics by

Jerry Herman Gerald Sheldon Herman (July 10, 1931December 26, 2019) was an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway theatre. One of the most commercially successful Broadway songwriters of his time, Herman was the composer and lyrici ...

. With its opening, Herman became the first composer-lyricist in history to have three productions running simultaneously on Broadway. It starred

Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal ...

, who won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical in 1969 for her performance as the Countess Aurelia. It is not to be confused with Dear World, the popular photo series where people write meaningful messages on their skin. Based on

Jean Giraudoux Hippolyte Jean Giraudoux (; 29 October 1882 – 31 January 1944) was a French novelist, essayist, diplomat and playwright. He is considered among the most important French dramatists of the period between World War I and World War II. His work ...

's play ''

The Madwoman of Chaillot ''The Madwoman of Chaillot'' (french: La Folle de Chaillot) is a play, a poetic satire, by French dramatist Jean Giraudoux, written in 1943 and first performed in 1945, after his death. The play is in two acts. The story concerns an eccentric wom ...

'' as adapted by Maurice Valency, it focuses on the Countesses Aurelia, Constance and Gabrielle, who deviously scheme to stop businessmen from drilling for oil in the Parisian neighbourhood of Chaillot. The forces of idealism, love and poetry win over those of greed, materialism and science.

Productions and background

The musical had a notably troubled preview period that included multiple changes to the script and score. Lucia Victor, Gower Champion's assistant and a director of several revivals, including '' Hello, Dolly!'',Zolotow, Sam. "Peter Glenville Taking Over Angela Lansbury's 'Dear World''", 'The New York Times'' October 24, 1968, p. 54 was hired as director, but resigned shortly thereafter, due to "artistic differences" with the musical's star, Angela Lansbury, and the authors, according to ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''.Zolotow.Sa
"GLENVILLE YIELDS 'DEAR WORLD' POST; Interim Director Going to a Previous Assignment"
''The New York Times'' (abstract), November 19, 1968 Peter Glenville was then hired, but resigned following negative reviews during tryouts in Boston, Massachusetts. Producer Alexander H. Cohen stated (in an article in ''The New York Times'' of November 19, 1968) that "there was no friction between Mr. Glenville and Miss Lansbury, the composer, the authors or the producer... an advance arrangement had been made with Mr. Glenville to direct the show through last week only." The show's final director, Joe Layton, was then hired, also replacing the choreographer Donald Saddler. The musical opened on Broadway at the

Mark Hellinger Theatre The Mark Hellinger Theatre (formerly the 51st Street Theatre and the Hollywood Theatre) is a church building at 237 West 51st Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, which formerly served as a cinema and a Broadway theat ...

on February 6, 1969 and closed on May 31, 1969 after 132 performances and 45 previews. The show was directed and choreographed by Joe Layton, scenic design was by Oliver Smith, costume design was by Freddy Wittop and lighting design was by Jean Rosenthal.

Subsequent productions

Originally conceived as a chamber musical, ''Dear World'' fell victim to a massive production that effectively overwhelmed the simplicity of the original tale. After the Broadway closing, Herman, Lawrence, and Lee rewrote the show, "putting back the intimacy that had been undermined on Broadway." A revised version was produced at Goodspeed Musicals (Connecticut) in November–December 2000, with

Sally Ann Howes Sally Ann Howes (20 July 1930 – 19 December 2021) was an English actress and singer. Her career on screen, stage and television spanned six decades. She is best known for the role of Truly Scrumptious in the 1968 musical film '' Chitty Chitt ...

as Aurelia. This version had a revised book by David Thompson plus three songs written after the musical closed. A concert version was staged by 42nd Street Moon in San Francisco, September 6–24, 2000. This production used the revision by Herman, Lawrence and Lee. A further revised version was produced at the Sundance Theatre (Utah) from June to August 2002 with

Maureen McGovern Maureen Therese McGovern (born July 27, 1949) is an American singer and Broadway actress, well known for her renditions of the songs " The Morning After" from the 1972 film '' The Poseidon Adventure''; " We May Never Love Like This Again" from ' ...

playing Aurelia. Thompson had revised his previous revision of the book. The Canadian premiere of this revised version was presented by the Toronto Civic Light Opera Company in May 2012. Directed by Joe Cascone, the production starred Barbara Boddy as Aurelia, David Haines as the Sewer Man and featured Elizabeth Rose Morriss and Daniel Cornthwaite as the young lovers. The musical had its UK premiere at London's Charing Cross Theatre from February 4 through March 16, 2013. The production was directed and choreographed by

Gillian Lynne Dame Gillian Barbara Lynne (née Pyrke; 20 February 1926 – 1 July 2018) was an English ballerina, dancer, choreographer, actress, and theatre-television director, noted for her theatre choreography associated with two of the longest-runni ...

and starred

Betty Buckley Betty Lynn Buckley (born July 3, 1947) is an American actress and singer. Buckley is the winner of a Tony Award, and was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and an Olivier Award. In 2012, she was inducted into the American ...

as Aurelia, Paul Nicholas as Sewerman and Stuart Matthew Price as Julian. Set design by Matt Kinley, costumes by Ann Hould-Ward, lighting by Mike Robertson, musical direction by Ian Townsend, sound by Mike Walker, and orchestrations by Sarah Travis. The York Theatre Company (New York City) presented the musical from February 25 to March 5, 2017, starring

Tyne Daly Ellen Tyne Daly (; born February 21, 1946) is an American actress. She has won six Emmy Awards for her television work, a Tony Award and is a 2011 American Theatre Hall of Fame inductee. Daly began her career on stage in summer stock in New York ...

as Aurelia. Daly previously starred in a concert version of ''Dear World'' at the Valley Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles on September 30, 2016. The concert featured Steven Weber as the Sewerman and Vicki Lewis and Bets Malone as Aurelia's friends.

Plot

A corporation has discovered oil under the streets of Paris, directly under a bistro. The Countess Aurelia (known as ''The Madwoman of Chaillot'') lives in the bistro's basement, driven mad because of a lost lover and reminiscing about her past. When the corporation decides to blow up the bistro to get the oil, a young executive, Julian, helps to foil the plan because he has fallen in love with Nina, the bistro's waitress. Aurelia lures the corporation executives to the underground in the sewer system.

Songs (original score order)

;Act I * 1. Overture - Orchestra * 2. Opening Scene - Orchestra * 3. "Through the Bottom of the Glass" - Countess Aurelia * 4. "Rain Reprise: Bottom of the Glass" - Countess * 5. Riverbank - Orchestra * 6. "Just a Little Bit More" - President, Prospector, Lawyer * 7. "Reprise: Just a Little Bit More" - President, Prospector, Lawyer * 8. "More" Playoff/Scene Change - Orchestra * 9. Chimes•Concertina Underscore #1 - Orchestra *10. Drowned Man - Orchestra *11. Chimes•Concertina Underscore #2 - Orchestra *12. "Each Tomorrow Morning" - Countess *13. "First Reprise: Each Tomorrow Morning" - Countess & Chorus *14. Chimes•Concertina Underscore #3 - Orchestra *15. "I Don't Want to Know" - Countess *16. "Second Reprise: Each Tomorrow Morning" - Countess, Julian *17. "I've Never Said I Love You" - Nina *18. Flea Market - Orchestra *19. Sewerman Scherzo - Orchestra *20. "Pretty Garbage" - Sewerman, Countess, Gabrielle, Constance *21. "Ugly Garbage" - Sewerman, Constance, Gabrielle *22. "Ugly Garbage Dance" - Sewerman & Company *23. "One Person" - Countess & Chorus ;Entr'Acte *24. Entr'Acte - Orchestra ;Act II *25. "The Spring of Next Year" - President, Prospector, Lawyer *26. Stoned Music - Orchestra *27. "Memory" - Constance *28. "Pearls" - Countess and Gabrielle *29. "Dickie" - Gabrielle & Countess *30. "Voices" - Constance *31. "Thoughts" - Countess *32. "Tea Party Trio" - Countess, Constance, Gabrielle *33. Ber-Ber Underscoring - Orchestra *34. "And I Was Beautiful" - Countess *35. "Beautiful" Playoff/Scene Change - Orchestra *36. "Dear World" - Julian & Company *37. Descent - "Reprise: The Spring of Next Year" - President, Prospector, Lawyer & Pimps *38. "Kiss Her Now" - Countess *39. Finale Ultimo - Countess & Company *40. Bows - Countess & Full Company *41. Exit Music - Orchestra

Songs (as revised)

;Act I *"A Sensible Woman" – Aurelia † *"The Spring of Next Year"—The Chairman of The Board, The Prospector and The Corporation *"Each Tomorrow Morning"—Countess Aurelia and All *"I Don't Want to Know"—Countess Aurelia *"Just A Little Bit More"—The Chairman and the Corporation *"I've Never Said I Love You"—Nina * "Just a Little Bit More" (reprise) – The Chairman of the Board and the Corporation † *"Garbage"—The Sewer Man, Countess Aurelia, Gabrielle, Constance and All *"Dear World"—Countess Aurelia, Julian and All ;Act II *"Kiss Her Now"—Countess Aurelia *"Memories"—Constance *"Pearls"—Countess Aurelia and Gabrielle *"Dickie"—Gabrielle *"Voices"—Constance *"Thoughts"—Countess Aurelia *"And I Was Beautiful"—Countess Aurelia *"Have a Little Pity on the Rich"—The Sewer Man † *"Each Tomorrow Morning" (Reprise) Julian *"One Person"—Countess Aurelia and All *"Finale"—Company † Added in the Goodspeed (2000) and Sundance (2002) versions

Characters and original Broadway cast

*Countess Aurelia (''The Madwoman of Chaillot'') –

*Gabrielle (''The Madwoman of Montmartre'') – Jane Connell *Constance (''The Madwoman of the Flea Market'') –

Carmen Mathews Carmen Sylvia Mathews (May 8, 1911 – August 31, 1995) was an American actress and environmentalist. Biography Mathews was born in Philadelphia. She studied first at Bennett Junior College and then in London at the Royal Academy of Dram ...

*The Sewerman – Milo O'Shea *Julian – Kurt Peterson *The Chairman – William Larsen *Nina – Pamela Hall

Awards and nominations

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 ...

*Best Actress in a Musical – Angela Lansbury (winner) *Best Scenic Design – Oliver Smith (nominee)

Critical response

The show received mostly negative reviews, with critics seemingly "personally offended" by selling tickets to the troubled show. "All the critics came down hard on the book and especially on Herman's score. ''Time'' magazine incomprehensibly called the songs 'a total zero'...Martin Gottfried, noting that the plot line had been cut to ribbons, found 'the story impossible to follow'".Citron, Stephen
"Chapter:'Dear World'"
''Jerry Herman: Poet of the Showtune'' (2004), (books.google.com), pp.180–181, Yale University Press, Walter Kerr wrote that the musical "is in the main quite charming...the actress ansbury..is endearing throughout the evening and at her commanding best here." Her song "I Don't Want to Know" is "a song surprised by its own unexpected passion. The effect doesn't always work out for composer Jerry Herman...'Dear World' is attractive when it is staying close to its addled Good People...it is in trouble whenever it turns to the Bad People...Oliver Smith's settings are perfect."

Clive Barnes Clive Alexander Barnes (13 May 1927 – 19 November 2008) was an English writer and critic. From 1965 to 1977, he was the dance and theater critic for ''The New York Times'', and, from 1978 until his death, '' The New York Post.'' Barnes had si ...

in ''The New York Times'' gave Lansbury a positive review: "The minor miracle is Miss Lansbury...no connoisseur of musical comedy can afford to miss Miss Lansbury's performance. It is lovely."Barnes, Clive. "Theatre: 'The Madwoman of Chaillot' Set to Music", ''The New York Times'' February 7, 1969, p. 33 According to Steven Citron (p. 181), "

ally Ann An ally is a member of an alliance. Ally may also refer to: Place names * Ally, Cantal, a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France * Ally, County Tyrone, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Ally, Haute-Loire, a commune ...

Howes and the majority of critics now believe that with a rewritten libretto it could be turned into a successful musical." In the Valerie Harper sitcom, Rhoda, in the background at the entrance door of her second apartment after the separation from Joe, there is a poster of Dear World.

References

External links

Internet Broadway Database listing
{{Authority control 1969 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals based on plays Musicals by Jerry Herman Paris in fiction Tony Award-winning musicals