Foxy (musical)

Foxy (musical)

Infobox Musical
name= Foxy
subtitle=


caption= Original Playbill
music= Robert Emmett Dolan
lyrics= Johnny Mercer
book= Ian McLellan Hunter
Ring Lardner, Jr.
basis= Ben Jonson's play "Volpone"
productions= 1964 Broadway
awards=

"Foxy" is a musical with a book by Ian McLellan Hunter and Ring Lardner, Jr., lyrics by Johnny Mercer, and music by Robert Emmett Dolan.

Based on Ben Jonson's "Volpone", it transports the original play's setting of early-17th century Renaissance Venice to the Yukon during the gold rush of 1898. When prospector Jim Fox confides in buddies Bedrock, Shortcut, and Buzzard that he's discovered a mother lode in the Klondike River, they set off to claim it as their own. Foxy and con man Doc Mosk join forces to swindle the greedy trio out of their stolen wealth. The two arrive in the Yukon with an enormous chest they claim is filled with gold and announce that Foxy is dying and looking to name an heir. As expected, the three begin to cater to their pal's every whim in the hope they'll be selected.

Subplots focus on Doc's affair with local madam Brandy; destitute Celia, who decides to sell herself to the highest bidder; and Bedrock's son Ben, who returns from Dartmouth College in time to save Celia and become involved in Foxy's shenanigans.

"Foxy" was tailored specifically for the talents of Bert Lahr, although his tendency to ad lib and insert slapstick antics into the proceedings were stifled by the creative team, a mistake given there wasn't much humor to be found within the dialogue. The tryout was scheduled not for venues in more traditional cities like Philadelphia or Boston but the practically unreachable Palace Grand Theatre in Dawson City. Co-produced by the Canadian government, which was anxious to promote tourism to the remote area, it ran for seven weeks in the summer of 1962, usually to a practically empty house, and its producers lost their $400,000 investment.

Lahr returned to New York City and signed for S. J. Perelman's "The Beauty Part", and "Foxy" was abandoned. In late 1963 producer David Merrick decided to revive it. The book was revamped and seven new songs were added to the score.

The Broadway production, directed by Robert Lewis and choreographed by Jack Cole, opened on February 16 1964 at the Ziegfeld Theatre, where it ran for 72 performances. In addition to Lahr, the cast included Larry Blyden as Doc, Robert H. Harris as Bedrock, Gerald Hiken as Shortcut, Edward Greenhalgh as Buzzard, Cathryn Damon as Brandy, Julienne Marie as Celia, and Will Parkins as Ben.

"Foxy"'s failure was due less to critical reaction, which for the most part was favorable, and more to Merrick's lack of interest in the project. His "Hello, Dolly!" had opened the month before, and he was too involved with its immediate success to devote any time or money to promoting the lesser effort. Additionally, the Ziegfeld was off the beaten Broadway track, losing walk-in business to venues more centrally located in the theatre district.

Lahr won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, and Marie was nominated as Best Featured Actress in a Musical. RCA Victor, which had acquired the cast album rights, opted not to release an original cast recording.

ong list

;Act I
* Prologue
* Many Ways to Skin a Cat
* Rollin' in Gold
* My Weight in Gold
* Money Isn't Everything
* Larceny and Love
* Ebenezer McAfee III
* Talk to Me, Baby
* This Is My Night to Howl
* Bon Vivant;Act II
* It's Easy When You Know How
* Run, Run, Run Cinderella
* Talk to Me, Baby (Reprise)
* I'm Way Ahead of the Game
* A Case of Rape
* In Loving Memory

References

*"Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops" by Ken Mandelbaum, published by St. Martin's Press (1991), pages 294-96 (ISBN 0-312-06428-4)
*"Open a New Window: The Broadway Musical in the 1960s" by Ethan Mordden, published by Palgrave (2001), pages 78-80 (ISBN 0-312-23952-1)

External links

*


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Foxy — has these meanings:*Used as slang for sexually attractive. *Foxiness, a characteristic flavour found in wine made from Vitis labrusca vines. *Nickname for Graeme Fowler, cricketer *Fox Terrier, various breeds of dog *Foxxy Cleopatra, a character… …   Wikipedia

  • Foxy Shazam — performing in Sydney, 2011. Background information Origin Cincinnati, Ohio, USA …   Wikipedia

  • Foxy Lady — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Foxy Lady álbum de estudio de Cher Publicación Julio de 1972 Grabación 1972 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Foxy Brown (rapper) — Foxy Brown Foxy Brown Nom Inga Marchand Naissance 6 septembre 1978  États Unis (New York) Profession(s …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Foxy (cartoon character) — Foxy is an animated cartoon character featured in three 1931 animated shorts in the Merrie Melodies series distributed by Warner Bros. He was the creation of animator Rudolf Ising, who had worked for Walt Disney in the 1920s.Foxy is one of any… …   Wikipedia

  • Foxy Brown —  Ne doit pas être confondu avec Foxy Brown (film). Foxy Brown Nom Inga Marchand Nai …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Foxy Brown (rapper) — Infobox Musical artist Name = Foxy Brown Also known as = Fox Boogie, Ill Na Na Img capt = Img size = Background = solo singer Birth name = Inga Fung Marchandcitation|last=Brown|first=Scott|last2=Serpick|first2=Evan|title=Lil , Brown… …   Wikipedia

  • Foxy Lady (Harisu album) — Infobox Album Name = Foxy Lady Type = studio Artist = Harisu Caption = Korean CD cover Released = Start date|2004|2|2 (S. Korea) Start date|2005 (Taiwan, China, Malaysia) Recorded = Genre = K Pop, Mandopop Length = 58:22 (S. Korea) 74:47 (Taiwan) …   Wikipedia

  • Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical — The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical is awarded to the actor who was voted as the best actor in a musical play, whether a new production or a revival. The award has been announced since 1948, but the nominees who… …   Wikipedia

  • Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ & Nature Present The Firm: The Album — Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ, and Nature Present The Firm: The Album Nas Escobar, Foxy Brown, AZ, and Nature Present The Firm: The Album Album par The Firm Sortie 21 octobre 1997 Enregistrement Novembre 1996–Aout 1997 Durée 53:04 Genre(s) …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”