''Redhead'' 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 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 more than 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films. Her best-known pieces include " The Way You Look Tonight" (1936), "A Fine Romance" (193 ...

, who with her brother, 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 city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in the 1880s, around the time of

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

, the musical is a murder mystery 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 dubbe ...

Background

Herbert and Dorothy Fields wrote the musical, then titled ''The Works'' for Beatrice Lillie. When Sidney Sheldon joined the writing team, it was rewritten for Gwen Verdon, 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., d ...

'' 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 choreographer, dancer, filmmaker, and stage director. Known for his work on stage and screen, he is arguably the most influential figure in the field of jazz dance in th ...

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) 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 Jean Rosenthal (born Eugenia Rosenthal; March 16, 1912May 1, 1969) is considered a pioneer in the field of Lighting Design, theatrical lighting design. She was born in New York City to Romanian-Jewish people, Jewish immigrants. northern.edu, ret ...

. 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 Gershw ...

under the musical direction of Jay Blackton. The cast starred Verdon and Richard 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 The Curran Theatre, located at 445 Geary Street between Taylor and Mason Streets in the Theatre District of San Francisco, California opened in February 1922, and was named after its first owner, Homer Curran. As of 2014, the theater is owned b ...

, San Francisco, California, in June 1960.

Synopsis

In Victorian 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."

Original cast and characters

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

Production history

One year after the Broadway premiere, a Spanish language adaptation was produced in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. ''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 people, Puerto Rican. Calvo worked in Spain, Italy, ...

, featuring a young

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

. The production opened in the Teatro de los Insurgentes on February 11, 1960. The Costa Mesa Playhouse in

Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa (; Spanish language, Spanish for "coastal tableland") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including ...

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, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, presented a staged concert of ''Redhead'' from September 2 to 20, 1998. The

Goodspeed Opera House Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. Its landmark Goodspeed Opera House is a distinctive feature of ...

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

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

The original cast album also tied with that of '' Gypsy: A Musical Fable'' for Best Broadway Show Album at the

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

for 1959 releases.

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 Musicals set in the 1880s Tony Award for Best Musical Tony Award–winning musicals