Lady in the Dark is a musical with music by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book and direction by Moss Hart. It was produced by Sam Harris. The protagonist, Liza Elliott, is the unhappy female editor of a fashion magazine, Allure, who is undergoing psychoanalysis. The musical ran on Broadway in 1941, in the United Kingdom in 1981, and was also made into a 1944 film and a live 1954 television special.

Background

The musical's theme of psychoanalysis is said to be based on Hart's own experiences with psychoanalyst Gregory Zilboorg. Except for the final song, all the music in the play is heard in three extended dream sequences: the Glamour Dream, the Wedding Dream, and the Circus Dream which, to some extent, become three small operettas integrated into a straight play. The final song, "My Ship", functions as a leitmotif for Liza's insecurity: as each dream commences, a snippet of the tune is heard, as it is a haunting melody which Liza recognizes but cannot name, or sing with words, until her anxiety is resolved.

Productions

The musical opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon) on January 23, 1941 and closed on May 30, 1942 after 467 performances. Direction was by Hart, produced by Sam H. Harris, with musical staging by Hassard Short, who also was the production designer, and choreography by Albertina Rasch. The original cast starred Gertrude Lawrence, Danny Kaye, Bert Lytell, Victor Mature, Margaret Dale, and Davis Cunningham.

Kaye's performance as fashion photographer Russell Paxton, and particularly his consistently showstopping performance of the patter song "Tschaikowsky (and Other Russians)" in which he dashes through the names of 50 Russian composers in 39 seconds, made him a star.[2] The musical went on an eight city tour for 160 performances,[3]and also played on the West Coast, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, for 56 performances. The show then ran at The Broadway Theatre from February 27 through May 15, 1943, for 83 performances. Gertrude Lawrence reprised her role as Liza Elliott in all venues.

Subsequent productions

Lady in the Dark premiered in the United Kingdom on December 9, 1981, at Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham; Celeste Holm, in her British debut, starred.

A New York City Center Encores! semi-staged concert was produced in New York in May 1994 with Christine Ebersole.

The musical opened on the West End at the Royal National Theatre, London, on March 11, running through August 2, 1997, directed by Francesca Zambello and starring Maria Friedman.[7][8] The production received the Evening Standard Award for Best Musical.

SongsAct I
Glamour Dream
Oh Fabulous One in Your Ivory Tower – Liza Elliott's Serenaders
The World's Inamorata – Liza Elliott and Miss Foster
One Life to Live – Liza Elliott and Russell Paxton
Girl of the Moment – Ensemble
Wedding Dream
It Looks Like Liza – Entire Company
This Is New – Randy Curtis and Liza Elliott
The Princess of Pure Delight – Liza Elliott and Children
This Woman at the Altar – Entire Company Act II
Circus Dream
The Greatest Show on Earth – Randy Curtis and Ensemble
The Best Years of His Life – Charley Johnson and Randy Curtis
Tschaikowsky (and Other Russians) – Russell Paxton and Ensemble
The Saga of Jenny – Liza Elliott, Jury and Ensemble
Final Scene
My Ship – Liza Elliott (not retained in the film version)

Album reviews

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