Fifth of November Notable Opening Nights

 

Courtesy Playbill.

Officially, the Notable Opening Nights spotlight is on Nov. 5, 1987, when Into the Woods opened at what is now the Al Hirschfeld. I like doing capsule commentary, and am going to continue this route for a while.

Notable Nov. 5 openings include:
White Cargo, which opened in 1923 at the now-demolished Greenwich Village Theatre. Leon Gordon scored a nearly two-year hit with this adaptation of Ida Vera Simonton's novel Hell's Playground. "A notorious bauble-craving (African) seductress" (Annette Margulies) gets her hooks into a rubber plantation employee (Richard Stevenson). White Cargo was notable for being the first Broadway play with a white man-black woman marriage, even if it wasn't a happy one.

Pride and Prejudice, which opened in 1935 at the Music Box and spent most of its season-length run at what is now the Gerald Schoenfeld. Helen Jerome's adaptation of Jane Austen's novel was itself adapted for the short-lived 1959 musical First Impressions, starring Polly Bergen, Hermoine Gingold, and Farley Granger. Back in 1935, the cast was led by Adrianne Allen, Lucile Watson, and Colin Keith-Johnston.

Blithe Spirit, which opened in 1941 at the now-demolished Morosco, stayed there for a year, and spent 1942-43 at the Booth before one last run at the Morosco. Noël Coward's play, already a hit in the West End, concerns a novelist (Clifton Webb) dealing with his second wife (Peggy Wood) being undermined by the ghost of his first wife (Leonora Corbett) ... that is until it becomes a level playing field. The original Broadway production also starred Mildred Natwick as medium Madame Arcati. Blithe Spirit is frequently revived or adapted.

Courtesy YouTube.

The Sold Gold Cadillac, which opened at the Belasco in 1953, spent a season there, and spent nearly all of 1954-55 at the Music Box. Howard Teichmann and director George S. Kaufman co-wrote this comedy about an underestimated woman (67-year-old Josephine Hull on Broadway; 34-year-old Judy Holliday in the movie) who ends up going from holding 10 shares of "International Projects" to being chairwoman of the board and the Secretary of Defense's wife. Oof, we might want to wait on a revival until Hegseth's out of office.

The Tenth Man, which opened at the Booth in 1959, and stayed there until a final run (January-May 1961) at the Ambassador. Three Tony nominations and no wins went to Paddy Chayefsky's comedy-drama. The man in question is a young agnostic lawyer (Donald Harron) who becomes necessary in the attempted exorcism of a supposed possessed woman (Risa Schwartz). Tyrone Guthrie directed.

Rape of the Belt, which opened at what is now the Al Hirschfeld in 1960. A short-lived show -- nine performances in one week -- this makes the history book for Philip Bosco's Tony-nominated featured performance. "For his ninth labor, Heracles (Bosco) is required to wrest from the queen of the Amazons (Joyce Redman) her belt. Zeus (John Emery) and Hera (Peggy Wood) comment wittily on the events."

Fifth of July, which opened at the now-demolished Academy Theatre in 1980. Swoosie Kurtz won the Tony and Drama Desk for her featured performance in Lanford Wilson's play about the fate of the Talley family home. Will it stay with gay couple Kenneth (Christopher Reeve) and Jed (Jeff Daniels)? Will it become a recording studio for would-be country singer Gwen (Swoosie)? Will it stay in the hands of the now-senior Sally Friedman (Mary Carver), previously of Talley's Folly?

Courtesy YouTube.

Into the Woods, which opened at what is now the Al Hirschfeld in 1987. Gosh, a lot of openings at the former Martin Beck today. Ten Tony nominations and three wins -- including for Stephen Sondheim's score, James Lapine's book, and Joanna Gleason's lead performance as the Baker's Wife -- went to this mix of Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood (and a few others). The OBC (one of three Broadway productions to date) also included Bernadette Peters as the Witch, a big-ass boot over the Beck's facade and, of course, wolf penis. Can't forget the wolf penis.

Courtesy YouTube.

Master Class, which opened at the John Golden in 1995. Terrence McNally, Zoe Caldwell, and Audra McDonald won Tonys for this play dramatizing what it may have been like to be briefly but unforgettably taught by Maria Callas. Concord Theatricals: "This play is not just a comedy about the entertainment industry, but also about the sacrifices one chooses to make in the name of art." After Caldwell's year, the role of Maria was played for seven months by Patti LuPone and five months by Dixie Carter. Tyne Daly revived the show in the summer of 2011. And, of course, Faye Dunaway headlined the 1996-97 tour.

Courtesy YouTube.

On Your Feet!, which opened at the Marquis in 2015 and stayed there through the 2016-17 season. Ana Villafañe received a Theatre World Award but not a Tony nomination for playing Gloria Estefan. I've never seen the show, but I see that it climaxes with Gloria's post-recovery "Coming Out of the Dark" performance.

Courtesy YouTube.