''Portofino'' 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 Character (arts), charac ...

with a book by Richard Ney (who also served as producer), lyrics by Ney and

Sheldon Harnick Sheldon Mayer Harnick (April 30, 1924 – June 23, 2023) was an American lyricist and songwriter best known for his collaborations with composer Jerry Bock on musicals such as '' Fiorello!'', '' She Loves Me'', and ''Fiddler on the Roof''. Ear ...

, and music by

Louis Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paolino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer ...

and

Will Irwin William Henry Irwin (September 14, 1873 – February 24, 1948) was an American author, writer, and journalist who was associated with the muckrakers. Early life Irwin was born in 1873 in Oneida, New York. In his early childhood, the Irwin fa ...

.''Portofino''
Internet Broadway Database, accessed September 25, 2018 In his book on Broadway, ''The Season'', William Goldman described its growing pains similarly to Buttrio Square and Breakfast at Tiffany's. Set in a

piazza A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Rela ...

in the Italian resort town of

Portofino Portofino (; ) is a ''comune'' located in the Metropolitan City of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town is clustered around its small harbour, and is known for the colourfully painted buildings that line the shore. Since the late 19th centur ...

, the plot involves auto-racing

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

Nicky; his

Texan Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous state in the South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and has an international border wit ...

rival Kitty; his granddaughter Angela, a practicing

witch Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...

; the local padre; and his look-alike Guido, an emissary from the devil. When critics crucified the show during its

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

tryout, Ney, the producer, left it to the cast to decide if they should continue to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, they voted to continue. The

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 ...

production, directed by Karl Genus and

choreographed Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer creates choreographies thr ...

by Charles Weidman and Ray Harrison with lighting by Lee Watson, opened on February 21, 1958, at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

, where it ran for three performances. The cast included

Georges Guétary Georges Guétary (), born Lambros Vorloou ( ; 8 February 1915 – 13 September 1997) was a French singer, dancer, cabaret performer and film actor, best known for his role in the 1951 musical ''An American in Paris''. Early life and career ...

as Nicky,

Helen Gallagher Helen Gallagher (July 19, 1926 – November 24, 2024) was an American actress, dancer, and singer. She received three Daytime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, a Donaldson Award, and a Drama Desk Award. Gallagher's work on the New York stages spa ...

as Kitty, Jan Chaney as Angela, and Robert Strauss as both the padre and Guido. Its overall reception was poor.

Songs

;Act I * Come Along * No Wedding Bells for Me * Come Along (Reprise) * Red-Collar Job * Here I Come * New Dreams for Old * A Dream for Angela * Isn't It Wonderful? * Dance of the Whirling Wimpus * Under a Spell ;Act II * Under a Spell (Reprise) * That's Love * Too Little Time for Love * Guido's Tango * It Might Be Love * Here I Come (Reprise) * Bacchanale * Morning Prayer * Kitty Car Ballet * The Grand Prix of Portofino * Portofino * I'm in League with the Devil * Why Not for Marriage * Portofino (Reprise)

References

Sources

''Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops'' by

Ken Mandelbaum Ken Mandelbaum is an American columnist, critic, and author whose primary field of expertise is musical theatre. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Mandelbaum was introduced to Broadway musical theatre by his parents and grandparents at an e ...

, published by

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan in New York City. It is headquartered in the Equitable Building (New York City), Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishe ...

(1991) ()

External links

* {{ibdb show, id=7192, title=Portofino
Cast album
1958 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals by Sheldon Harnick Musicals set in Italy