''Redhead'' is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact def ...

with music composed by Albert Hague and lyrics by

Dorothy Fields Dorothy Fields (July 15, 1904 – March 28, 1974) was an American librettist and lyricist. She wrote over 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films. Her best-known pieces include " The Way You Look Tonight" (1936), "A Fine Romance" (1936), " ...

, who with her brother,

Herbert Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert, ...

, along with

Sidney Sheldon Sidney Sheldon (February 11, 1917 – January 30, 2007) was an American writer. He was prominent in the 1930s, first working on Broadway plays, and then in motion pictures, notably writing the successful comedy '' The Bachelor and the Bobby-Sox ...

and David Shaw wrote the book/libretto. Set in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in the 1880s, around the time of

Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in the autumn of 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer ...

, the musical is a

murder mystery Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

in the setting of a

wax museum A wax museum or waxworks usually consists of a collection of wax sculptures representing famous people from history and contemporary personalities exhibited in lifelike poses, wearing real clothes. Some wax museums have a special section dubb ...

Productions and background

Herbert and Dorothy Fields wrote the musical, then titled ''The Works'' for

Beatrice Lillie Beatrice Gladys Lillie, Lady Peel (29 May 1894 – 20 January 1989), known as Bea Lillie, was a Canadian-born British actress, singer and comedic performer. She began to perform as a child with her mother and sister. She made her West End debut ...

. When Sidney Sheldon joined the writing team, it was rewritten for

Gwen Verdon Gwyneth Evelyn "Gwen" Verdon (January 13, 1925October 18, 2000) was an American actress and dancer. She won four Tony Awards for her musical comedy performances, and served as an uncredited choreographer's assistant and specialty dance coach for t ...

, who just had two smash hits on Broadway (''

Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., dur ...

'' and '' New Girl in Town''). Verdon took the lead on the condition that

Bob Fosse Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American actor, choreographer, dancer, and film and stage director. He directed and choreographed musical works on stage and screen, including the stage musicals '' The Paja ...

would be the director as well as choreographer, making this his debut as a director. According to Stanley Green, Verdon was at the time contracted with producers Robert Fryer and Lawrence Carr to appear in a musical written by David Shaw. The producers resolved this conflict by producing ''Redhead'' and bringing Shaw in as one of the writers. ''Redhead'' opened on Broadway at the 46th Street Theatre (now the

Richard Rodgers Theatre The Richard Rodgers Theatre (formerly Chanin's 46th Street Theatre and the 46th Street Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 226 West 46th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1925, it was designed by Her ...

) on February 5, 1959, and closed on March 19, 1960, after 452 performances. Bob Fosse directed and choreographed. Production design was by Rouben Ter-Arutunian and lighting design was by Jean Rosenthal. Orchestrations were by Philip J. Lang and

Robert Russell Bennett Robert Russell Bennett (June 15, 1894 – August 18, 1981) was an American composer and arranger, best known for his orchestration of many well-known Broadway and Hollywood musicals by other composers such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwi ...

under the musical direction of Jay Blackton. The cast starred Verdon and

Richard Kiley Richard Paul Kiley (March 31, 1922 – March 5, 1999) was an American stage, film and television actor and singer. He is best known for his distinguished theatrical career in which he twice won the Tony Award for Best Actor In A Musical. Kiley ...

. The show won the

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 ...

. The musical ran in a brief US tour after closing on Broadway, starring Verdon and Kiley. The tour started at the Shubert Theatre, Chicago in March 1960 and ended at the Curran Theatre, San Francisco, California, in June 1960. One year after the Broadway premiere, a Spanish language adaptation was produced in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of ...

. ''La pelirroja'' was starred by the actress Vilma González and the actor

Armando Calvo Armando Calvo (25 December 1919 – 6 July 1996) was a Puerto Rican-born Spanish actor. His father was Juan Calvo Domenech, a Spanish actor and his mother was Minerva Lespier, a Puerto Rican. Calvo worked in Spain, Italy, and Mexico appearin ...

, featuring a young

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, Conducting, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded Plácido Domingo discography, over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, ...

. The production opened in the

Teatro de los Insurgentes Teatro de los Insurgentes ( en, Theater of the Insurgents) is a theater located on Mexico City's Avenida de los Insurgentes. It was built by José María Dávila in 1953 as part of President Miguel Alemán's program of urban renewal. Dávila ...

on February 11, 1960. The Costa Mesa Playhouse in Costa Mesa, California known for mounting lesser-known, unique, and obscure musicals, presented ''Redhead'' in June 1981. The musical revival group 42nd Street Moon in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, presented a staged concert of ''Redhead'' from September 2 to 20, 1998. The Goodspeed Opera House, Connecticut, presented the musical from September to December 1998. Directed by Christopher Ashley, the cast featured Valerie Wright as Essie, Timothy Warmen (Tom),

Marilyn Cooper Marilyn Cooper (December 14, 1934 – April 22, 2009) was an American actress known primarily for her work on the Broadway stage. Life and career Born in New York City, Cooper made her Broadway debut in 1956 in the chorus of '' Mr. Wonderfu ...

(Aunt Maude), and Carol Morley (Aunt Sarah). In late January and early February 2015, "Theatre West" in Hollywood, California presented benefit concert performances of ''Redhead'', featuring

Lee Meriwether Lee Ann Meriwether (born May 27, 1935) is an American actress, former model, and the winner of the Miss America 1955 pageant. She has appeared in many films and television shows, notably as Betty Jones, the title character's secretary and daught ...

."'Redhead' Announcement"
theatrewest.org, accessed January 17, 2016

Original Broadway cast

* Essie Whimple –

* Tom Baxter –

* Ruth LaRue – Pat Ferrier * Howard Cavanaugh –

William LeMassena William LeMassena (May 23, 1916 – January 19, 1993) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles in Broadway and off-Broadway productions, the film '' All That Jazz'' (1979), and the soap opera ''As the World Turns'' (1985–1992). ...

* Maude Simpson – Cynthia Latham * Sarah Simpson – Doris Rich * George Poppett – Leonard Stone * Inspector White – Ralph Sumpter * May –

Joy Nichols Joy Eileen Nichols (17 February 1925 – 23 June 1992) was an Australian-British comedian, actress and singer who also worked in the United States. She was best known as one of the stars of '' Take It From Here'' on BBC Radio. Biography Nichol ...

* Tilly – Pat Perrier * Alfy – Lee Krieger * Sir Charles Willingham – Patrick Horgan

Plot

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

London, the plain Essie Whimple works in the Simpson Sisters Wax Museum, run by her two aunts, Aunt Sarah and Aunt Maude. They show the murder of Ruth LaRue, an American chorus girl, at the museum. They are visited by the murdered women's co-workers and by Inspector White of Scotland Yard. Notable among them is Tom Baxter, a "Strong Man." Essie, attracted to Tom, makes up a story about knowing who the killer is, and fakes an attempt on her life. She hides in Tom's show, and is turned into a "Redhead."

Songs

;Act 1 * The Simpson Sisters – Singers and Dancers * The Right Finger of My Left Hand – Essie Whimple * Just for Once – Essie Whimple, Tom Baxter and George Poppett * Merely Marvelous – Essie Whimple * The Uncle Sam Rag – George Poppett, Singers and Dancers * Erbie Fitch's Twitch – Essie Whimple * She's Not Enough Woman for Me – Tom Baxter and George Poppett * Behave Yourself – Essie Whimple, Maude Simpson, Sarah Simpson and Tom Baxter * Look Who's in Love – Essie Whimple and Tom Baxter * My Girl Is Just Enough Woman for Me – Tom Baxter and Passersby * Essie's Vision – Essie Whimple and her Dream People * Two Faces in the Dark – Essie Whimple, The Tenor, Singers and Dancers ;Act II * I'm Back in Circulation – Tom Baxter * We Loves Ya, Jimey – Essie Whimple, May, Tilly and Clientele of the Green Dragon * Pick-Pocket Tango – Essie Whimple and Jailer * Look Who's in Love (Reprise) – Tom Baxter * I'll Try – Essie Whimple and Tom Baxter * Finale – Essie Whimple, Tom Baxter and Company

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

References

External links

* *
Redhead
' at the Music Theatre International website * Guinness Who's Who of Stage Musicals – editor, Colin Larken,
New York Public Library Blog on Redhead
{{Dorothy Fields 1959 musicals Broadway musicals Original musicals Musicals by Sidney Sheldon Musicals choreographed by Bob Fosse Musicals set in London Works set in the 1880s Tony Award for Best Musical Tony Award-winning musicals