Leave the Thursday headlines to Jane

 

Courtesy Concord Theatricals.

This week's Notable Opening Night is Aug. 28, 1917, when Leave It to Jane opened at the Longacre.

Jerome Kern, Jane's composer, might be my biggest musical theater blindspot. Sure, I'm familiar with Show Boat and a handful of other songs ("Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," "The Way You Look Tonight"). I know Kern's important, but I haven't yet had that "Wow, he's brilliant!" moment the way I have with other composers.

The trio of Kern, lyricist and co-bookwriter P.G. Wodehouse, and co-bookwriter Guy Bolton reunited for Jane, which opened just over six months after their Oh, Boy. Bolton, Kern, and Wodehouse collaborated, whether paired or altogether, for over a decade together. Their work helped advance musicals, even if it may seem a little lacking by today's standards.

Leave It to Jane is the story of a beautiful campus princess (played by Edith Hallor, who was 21 at the time) who influences a football star (Robert G. Pitkin) to stay at her daddy's school rather than be a legacy at a nearby rival. The synopsis indicates there's an opportunity for at least two comic relief couples: one of the football players and his golfer girlfriend, plus a southern politician's son and the waitress he dates.

Courtesy YouTube.

Leave It to Jane, which closed on Jan. 19, 1918, has had only one Broadway production to date. It was much more successful off-Broadway, running from May 25, 1959-Aug. 13, 1961, at the Sheridan Square Playhouse.

Courtesy YouTube.

Also opening on this date:

Adele, which opened at the Longacre in 1913 and closed on Valentine's Day 1914 at the now-demolished Harris Theatre. A supposed French import, Adele was written by Adolf Philipp. His musical involved the romance between two competing businessmen's children.

The Gingham Girl, which opened at the now-demolished Earl Carroll in 1922 and closed in 1923 at the now-demolished Central Theatre. Albert Von Tilzer & Neville Fleeson's musical was the story of a young gal from the sticks who made a name for herself in the city.

Little Miss Bluebeard, which opened at the Lyceum in 1923, closing the following January. A play with music, it was about a woman who's mistaken for a bigamist.

Hopefully nothing will eclipse the excitement of next week's post.