''Sunny'' is a

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

with music by

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over ...

and a libretto by

Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and director in musical theater for nearly 40 years. He won eight Tony Awards and two Academy Award ...

and

Otto Harbach Otto Abels Harbach, born Otto Abels Hauerbach (August 18, 1873 – January 24, 1963) was an American lyricist and librettist of nearly 50 musical comedies and operettas. Harbach collaborated as lyricist or librettist with many of the leading B ...

. The plot involves Sunny, the star of a circus act, who falls for a rich playboy but comes in conflict with his snooty family. This show was the follow-up to the 1920 hit musical '' Sally'', both starring

Marilyn Miller Marilyn Miller (born Mary Ellen Reynolds; September 1, 1898 – April 7, 1936) was one of the most popular Broadway musical stars of the 1920s and early 1930s. She was an accomplished tap dancer, singer and actress, and the combination of thes ...

in the title roles, and it was Kern's first musical in collaboration with Hammerstein. ''Sunny'' also became a hit, with its original

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 in 1925 running for 517 performances. The London production starred

Binnie Hale Beatrice "Binnie" Mary Hale-Monro (22 May 1899 – 10 January 1984) was an English actress, singer and dancer. She was one of the most successful musical theatre stars in London in the 1920s and 1930s, able to sing leading roles in operetta ...

and ran for 364 performances, while the UK national tour starred

Felice Lascelles Felice Lascelles ( Felicia Madge Lessels; 19 July 1904 – 29 April 1961) was a British Musical theatre, musical comedy actress, singer and dancer who performed on stage in the UK and Ireland from the early 1920s to 1940, under the manage ...

and ran for nearly three years.

Productions

The musical premiered on

at the

New Amsterdam Theatre The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 214 West 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Manhattan in New York City, New Yor ...

on September 22, 1925, where it was produced by

Charles Dillingham Charles Bancroft Dillingham (May 30, 1868 – August 30, 1934) was an American theatre manager and producer of over 200 Broadway theatre, Broadway shows. Biography Charles Bancroft Dillingham was born on May 30, 1868, in Hartford, Connecticut, ...

and directed by

Hassard Short Hubert Edward Hassard Short (15 October 1877 – 9 October 1956), usually known as Hassard Short, was an actor, stage director, set designer and lighting designer in musical theatreJohn Kenrick (theatre writer), Kenrick, JohnWho's Who in Musicals ...

, with scenic and costume design by James Reynolds. The cast included

as Sunny,

Jack Donahue John Donahue (c. 1806 – 1 September 1830), also spelled Donohoe, and known as Jack Donahue and Bold Jack Donahue, was an Irish-born bushranger in Australia between 1825 and 1830. He became part of the notorious "Wild Colonial Boys". Early l ...

as Jim Deering,

Clifton Webb Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck (November 19, 1889 – October 13, 1966), known professionally as Clifton Webb, was an American actor, singer, and dancer. He worked extensively and was known for his stage appearances in the plays of Noël Coward, in ...

as Harold Harcourt Wendell-Wendell, Mary Hay as "Weenie" Winters, Louis Harrison as the First Mate,

Joseph Cawthorn Joseph Bridger Cawthorn (March 29, 1868 – January 21, 1949) was an American stage and film comic actor. Biography Born on March 29, 1868, in New York City to a minstrel-show family, Cawthorn started out in show business as a child, debu ...

, Paul Frawley as Tom Warren,

Cliff Edwards Clifton Avon "Cliff" Edwards (June 14, 1895 – July 17, 1971), nicknamed "Ukulele Ike", was an American pop singer, musician and actor. He enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop sta ...

, Pert KeMoss & Fontana,

Esther Howard Esther Howard (April 4, 1892 – March 8, 1965) was an American stage and film character actress who played a wide range of supporting roles, from man-hungry spinsters to amoral criminals, appearing in 108 films in her 23-year screen care ...

as Sue Warren, Dorothy Francis, and the George Olsen Orchestra. Dances for Marilyn Miller were staged by

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...

. The musical closed on December 11, 1926, after 517 performances. The show was also produced in London at the

Hippodrome Hippodrome is a term sometimes used for public entertainment venues of various types. A modern example is the Hippodrome which opened in London in 1900 "combining circus, hippodrome, and stage performances". The term hippodroming refers to fr ...

, opening on October 7, 1926, and closing on July 16, 1927, after 364 performances. It starred Binnie Hale as Sunny and

Jack Buchanan Walter John Buchanan (2 April 1890 – 20 October 1957) was a Scottish theatre and film actor, singer, dancer, producer and director. He was known for three decades as the embodiment of the debonair man-about-town in the tradition of George Gr ...

as Jim Demming. Buchanan doubled as choreographer, with direction by Charles Mast. This musical comedy was so popular in the UK that the partnership of Lee Ephraim and Buchanan had two separate companies of actors touring it simultaneously in the provinces; one company—starring

as Sunny and Max Kirby, then Eric Fawcett, as Jim Demming—did so for nearly three years, opening in

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is located on the north coast of Kent and covers an area of long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and W ...

on July 4, 1927 and closing in

Ilford Ilford is a large List of areas of London, town in East London, England, northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Redbridge, Ilford is within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. It had a po ...

on May 31, 1930. Another production of ''Sunny'' opened at the Empire Theatre, Sydney, Australia, in March 1927; it was produced by Ernest C. Rolls and starred the British performers Fred Bluett, Wyn Richmond, and

Queenie Ashton Ethel Muriel Ashton (11 November 190321 October 1999), known professionally as Queenie Ashton, was a singer, dancer, and character actress, born in England, who had a long career in Australia as a theatre performer and radio personality, best ...

, as well as the American

Beatrice Kay Beatrice Kay (April 21, 1907– November 8, 1986) was an American singer, vaudevillian, music hall performer, and stage and film actress. Background Born in New York City as Hannah Beatrice Kuper, Kay performed as Honey Kuper and Honey Day for ...

Musical numbers

Judy Garland in Till the Clouds Roll By 2

''Note: The song list below is from the most common version of the show currently performed and excludes all specialties, cut numbers, and those added for other major productions.'' ;Act I * "Here We Are Together Again" - Ballyhoo and Ensemble * "Sunny" - Tom and Boys * Entrance of Sunny - Ensemble * " Who?" - Tom and Sunny * "So's Your Old Man" - Harold and the Eight Girls * "Let's Say Good Night Till It's Morning" - Jim and Weenie * "Pas de Equestrienne" - Sunny * "D'Ye Love Me?" - Sunny * "The Wedding Knell" - Sunny and Boys * "Two Little Bluebirds" - Harold and Weenie * Finale Act One - Company ;Act II * Opening Chorus - Ensemble * "When We Get Our Divorce" - Jim and Sunny * "Sunshine" - Marcia * "Who?" (reprise) - Tom and Sunny * Dance - Sunny, Jim, Harold, Weenie and Ensemble * "The Chase" - Sunny, Tom, and Ensemble * "The Hunt Ball" - Chorus * "Pas d'Equestrienne" - Sunny * "Finale Ultimo" - Sunny and Company

Films

The musical was adapted for a 1930 film version directed by

William A. Seiter William Alfred Seiter (June 10, 1890 – July 26, 1964) was an American film director. Life and career Seiter was born in New York City. After attending Hudson River Military Academy, Seiter broke into films in 1915 as a bit player at Mack Senn ...

and featuring additional music by Kern. In 1941, a second film version was produced, directed by

Herbert Wilcox Herbert Sydney Wilcox Order of the British Empire, CBE (19 April 1890 – 15 May 1977) was a British film producer and film director, director. He was one of the most successful British filmmakers from the 1920s to the 1950s. He is best know ...

. The first film starred Marilyn Miller, the second one (with a highly revised plot) starred

Anna Neagle Dame Florence Marjorie Wilcox (''née'' Robertson; 20 October 1904 – 3 June 1986), known professionally as Anna Neagle, was an English stage and film actress, singer, and dancer. She was a successful box-office draw in British cinema for 2 ...

, with

Ray Bolger Raymond Wallace Bolger (; January 10, 1904 – January 15, 1987) was an American actor, dancer, singer, vaudevillian, and stage performer (particularly musical theater) who started his movie career in the silent-film era. Bolger was a major B ...

in his first film role after playing the Scarecrow in ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...

'' (1939).

Recreation of scenes in film

In '' Sally of the Scandals'' (1928), the main character is in a musical production that was filmed using the chorus and sets from a production of ''Sunny'' at the Mayan Theater in Los Angeles. In the film ''

Till the Clouds Roll By ''Till the Clouds Roll By'' is a 1946 American Technicolor musical film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and a fictionalized biopic of composer Jerome Kern, portrayed by Robert Walker (actor, born 1918), Robert Walker. Kern was involved with the ...

'' (1946), a fictionalized biography of composer

, two songs from the show, "Sunny" and "Who?", are performed by

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...

, representing a performance from the lead character, Sunny Peters.

References

External links

*{{IBDB title, 9907 1925 musicals Musicals by Jerome Kern Musicals set in the Roaring Twenties Original musicals Broadway musicals Musicals by Oscar Hammerstein II Musicals by Otto Harbach Musicals set in circuses