Post Them Again, Commentariat

 

Courtesy Cineluxe.

Today's Notable Opening Night is Feb. 12, 1969, when Play It Again, Sam opened at the Broadhurst.

"(Woody) Allen has the heart of a comedian and the tongue of a comic, and it is no bad combination," Clive Barnes wrote in the New York Times. A little earlier in his review, Barnes declared that not only were Woody's jokes "audaciously brilliant ... but he has a great sense of character. He is far from just being a gagman, but a theatrical talent that could, should and probably will do better."

Naturally, Play It Again, Sam was Woody Allen's last Broadway show for a dozen years. It didn't run as long as 1966-68's Don't Drink the Water, but in an era where Neil Simon was opening play after play year after year, you could hardly be blamed for thinking Woody was going to remain a staple on the Broadway scene.

Allan Felix (Woody), a cinephile, gets advice from the ghost of Humphrey Bogart (Jerry Lacy) as he not only returns to dating after getting divorced, but ends up briefly involved with his best friend's wife (Diane Keaton, whose professional and personal relationship with Woody started here). Sam went zero for three at the Tonys, striking out for Joseph Hardy's direction, Diane's performance, and Tony Roberts' performance as Dick the husband. With all due respect to Tony, who got prominent billing, I'd have bounced him in favor of a nomination for Jerry.

Courtesy EJ's Auction & Appraisal. I suspect Tony's billing is so prominent because he was also in Don't Drink the Water, not to mention David Merrick's How Now, Dow Jones. After that, he did Promises, Promises and Sugar for Merrick.

I reread Play It Again, Sam about a year ago and thought it held up fairly well. I've never seen the 1972 film adaptation, or if I did, I don't remember it. By 1972, Woody Allen was in the early stages of his film after film year after year production model. Whether by accident or design, it largely kept him away from Broadway. But we'll always have the Broadhurst.

Other notable openings include:

Monte Cristo Jr., which opened at the Winter Garden in 1919. Sigmund Romberg and Jean Schwartz were the primary composers of this musical about a boy who dreams himself into The Count of Monte Cristo.

Beggar on Horseback, which opened at the Broadhurst in 1924. George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly wrote this play about a classical composer whose imagination runs wild at the idea of selling out.

My Girl Friday, which opened at what is now the off-Broadway New Victory in 1929. William A. Grew wrote, directed, and co-starred in this play. Three chorus girls -- one with a boyfriend played by Grew, the other married, and the last single -- are invited to the home of their show's big financier. He wants the girls to "entertain" himself and two friends. The girls are smart, though, and give the creeps some mickeys. On the other hand, the girls do claim that the guys had their ways with them. Either way, I can't imagine this play being much fun to read in the here and now.

Topaze, which opened at the Music Box in 1930. This was the American premiere of Marcel Pagnol's play about a schoolteacher (Frank Morgan) who decides to give up his inegrity and succeed in business. Pagnol had two Broadway hits: this production and in 1954, the musical Fanny, which put David Merrick on the map. Frank Morgan, of course, went on to The Wizard of Oz.

Claudia, which opened at the Booth in 1941 before moving to the St. James in May 1942 and finally closing at what is now the Eugene O'Neill. Rose Franken wrote and directed this adaptation of her stories about the growing maturity of a young wife (Dorothy McGuire, who starred in the 1943 film version).

Black Comedy and White Lies, which opened at the Ethel Barrymore in 1967. Peter Shaffer wrote this pair of plays. The first, subsequently called The White Liars, concerns a rock singer (Michael Crawford) and his manager (Donald Madden) visiting a fortune teller (Geraldine Page). The second depicted a blackout. The audience can see what's going on while in-universe the characters are all stumbling around. Among the stumblers are an engaged couple (Crawford and Lynn Redgrave), his ex-girlfriend (Page), the neighbor (Madden) whose antiques are being "borrowed" to impress the girl's dad (Peter Bull), a German electrician (Pierre Epstein), a German arts buyer (Michael Miller), and a spinster who gets drunk for the first time (Camila Ashland).

Freak, which opened at what is now the James Earl Jones in 1998. John Leguizamo made his Broadway debut with this show, scoring Tony nods but no wins for Best Play and Best Lead Actor in a Play. (Those went to Art and Anthony LaPaglia in the revival of A View from the Bridge, respectively.) On the other hand, John won the Drama Desk for Outstanding Solo/One-Person Show.

Courtesy YouTube.

Be sure to drop in and say yoo hoo on Monday.