How Now, Dow Jones
Encyclopedia
How Now, Dow Jones is a musical
comedy
by Academy Award winner Elmer Bernstein
, Tony Award
nominee Carolyn Leigh
and Max Shulman
. The original Broadway
production opened in December 1967. A critically acclaimed revised version premiered in August 2009.
How Now, Dow Jones, set in Wall Street
, follows Kate who announces the Dow Jones numbers. Her fiancé will not marry her until the Dow Jones Industrial Average
hits 1,000.
and closed on June 15, 1968 after 220 performances and 19 previews. The David Merrick
production was directed by George Abbott
with choreography
by Gillian Lynne
(who was actually replaced by an uncredited Michael Bennett
). The cast starred Tony Roberts
, Marlyn Mason
, Brenda Vaccaro
and Hiram Sherman
.
In August 2009, a critically acclaimed revised version of How Now, Dow Jones was presented by UnsungMusicalsCo. Inc. at the Minetta Lane Theatre as part of the New York International Fringe Festival
. The cast was led by Jefferson Award nominee Cristen Paige, Colin Hanlon and Fred Berman. As revised and directed by Ben West, the new version featured three new songs that were cut from the original production: “Don’t Let a Good Thing Get Away”, “Where You Are” and “Touch and Go”. Five other musical numbers, four major characters and the ensemble were eliminated and the show was presented in one act. The production was choreographed by Rommy Sandhu with musical direction and arrangements by Fran Minarik.
Characters
Act One
Act Two
Characters
was fired in favor of veteran George Abbott
who had never before worked with producer David Merrick
. Similarly, choreographer Gillian Lynne
was replaced by a young Michael Bennett
, though he did not receive billing.
Several musical numbers were removed and/or rewritten; in a November 10, 1967 New York Times article, a cast member states that one song was "changed five times". Though no title was given, one suspects it was the tune titled “That’s Music” a.k.a. “Music to My ears” a.k.a. “Music to Their Ears”. Regardless, it was eventually eliminated with “Gawk, Tousle and Shucks” echoing the same sentiment. Elsewhere, one of the songs, "Step to the Rear", caught on; it was soon used in Lincoln-Mercury television commercials for their 1969 model year cars, and Hubert Humphrey's campaign for president in 1968. The song was even adapted into the college fight song
of the University of South Carolina
under the title "The Fighting Gamecocks Lead the Way
".
The original script is full of topical and cultural references highly specific to 1968; one entire scene in the play -- requiring a set, costumes and actors not used anywhere else in the production -- was an elaborate parody of a then-current Dreyfus Fund commercial depicting a lion emerging from a subway to stride down Wall Street
, and many jokes rely on audience's familiarity with the store Lane Bryant
and The Graduate
.
2009 FringeNYC Excellence Award
, 1968
Act I
Kate is frustrated that her engagement has gone on for three and a half years, only because Herbert has been expecting the Dow Jones average to hit the magic mark of 1000. She meets Charley, and they find that they share not only suicidal tendencies but also an attraction.
Cynthia, who recently met Wingate at a party and worships him, visits him in his office; Wingate, who is married, sets her up in an apartment as his mistress. After she leaves, Wingate and his fellow tycoons try to talk Senator McFetridge out of using an investigation of Wall Street to help his next election campaign.
After spending the night, Charley is smitten with Kate and wants them to travel the world together, but Kate turns him down, still hoping for a steady life with Herbert.
Having lured all other types of investors, Wingate now wants to convince widows and orphans to take their money out of safe bank accounts. But his customers' men don't have the kind of gawkiness that would win over old ladies. He notices Charley out on a window ledge about to jump, stops him, and finds him to be just the right kind of man for the job. Charley quickly becomes successful at charming rich widows into betting on the stock market.
Meanwhile, Kate finds out she's pregnant from her one-night stand with Charley. She loses her resolve to tell him when his childhood sweetheart Sue Ellen Bradbury and her father show up at their meeting place: now that Charley has turned out not quite the total failure Mr. Bradbury thought he was, Charley and Sue Ellen are engaged. In desperation, during her next Dow Jones update, Kate ignores the true figures given to her and announces that the Dow has reached 1000.
Act II
There is initial euphoria among investors such as the widows and Kate's doctor. But soon it is discovered that the announced figures were false. After all the tycoons eliminate each other as the perpetrators, they narrow down Kate as the suspect, but Senator McFetridge does not believe the scenario and plans to expose Wall Street corruption in a news interview. The rest try to find Kate.
Wingate visits Cynthia at her new apartment to ask if she knows where Kate is. It turns out that he has never taken advantage of their arrangement since it was first set up. He tells her that if the market crashes, the apartment will have to go. Cynthia brightens up when he asks her come with him to stand by his side when the national panic happens.
Wingate, Cynthia, Herbert, and Charley find Kate in her apartment. Even though she lied in order to get Herbert to marry her, she really doesn't love him. The matter of her pregnancy by Charley causes Wingate nearly to faint at the thought of what this entire illicit affair would do to the image of Wall Street. Left alone, Kate and Charlie resolve against suicide. Charlie is determined to come up with a solution and to make a life with Kate.
At Wingate's brokerage, the bottom is about to fall out. Even the Senator is resigned to having to live off of only his congressional salary from now on. Suddenly Charley comes in with Kate and the solution to the problem: the legendary old man A.K. himself, in a wheel-chair. Wall Street respects everything A.K. does in the stock market. Doddering near the end of his one sane hour a day, A.K. is convinced by Charley to buy up all the stocks that are now up for sale and thereby save the U.S. economy.
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
by Academy Award winner Elmer Bernstein
Elmer Bernstein
Elmer Bernstein was an American composer and conductor best known for his many film scores. In a career which spanned fifty years, he composed music for hundreds of film and television productions...
, Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nominee Carolyn Leigh
Carolyn Leigh
Carolyn Leigh was an American lyricist for Broadway, movies, and popular songs. She is best known as the writer with partner Cy Coleman of the pop standards "Witchcraft" and "The Best Is Yet to Come."-Biography:...
and Max Shulman
Max Shulman
Max Shulman was an American writer and humorist best known for his television and short story character Dobie Gillis, as well as for best-selling novels.-Early life and career:...
. The original Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production opened in December 1967. A critically acclaimed revised version premiered in August 2009.
How Now, Dow Jones, set in Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
, follows Kate who announces the Dow Jones numbers. Her fiancé will not marry her until the Dow Jones Industrial Average
Dow Jones Industrial Average
The Dow Jones Industrial Average , also called the Industrial Average, the Dow Jones, the Dow 30, or simply the Dow, is a stock market index, and one of several indices created by Wall Street Journal editor and Dow Jones & Company co-founder Charles Dow...
hits 1,000.
Productions
The original Broadway production opened December 7, 1967 at the Lunt-Fontanne TheatreLunt-Fontanne Theatre
The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 205 West 46th Street in midtown-Manhattan.Designed by the architectural firm of Carrere and Hastings, it was built by producer Charles Dillingham and opened as the Globe Theatre, in honor of London's Shakespearean playhouse, on...
and closed on June 15, 1968 after 220 performances and 19 previews. The David Merrick
David Merrick
David Merrick was a prolific Tony Award-winning American theatrical producer.-Life and career:Born David Lee Margulois to Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri, Merrick graduated from Washington University, then studied law at the Jesuit-run Saint Louis University School of Law...
production was directed by George Abbott
George Abbott
George Francis Abbott was an American theater producer and director, playwright, screenwriter, and film director and producer whose career spanned more than nine decades.-Early years:...
with choreography
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
by Gillian Lynne
Gillian Lynne
Gillian Barbara Lynne , CBE, born , is a British ballerina, dancer, actor, theatre director, television director and choreographer noted for her popular theatre choreography associated with the iconic musicals Cats and the current longest running show in Broadway history, The Phantom of the Opera.-...
(who was actually replaced by an uncredited Michael Bennett
Michael Bennett
Michael Bennett was an American musical theater director, writer, choreographer, and dancer. He won seven Tony Awards for his choreography and direction of Broadway shows and was nominated for an additional eleven....
). The cast starred Tony Roberts
Tony Roberts (actor)
David Anthony "Tony" Roberts is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in several Woody Allen movies, usually cast as Allen's best friend.-Early life:...
, Marlyn Mason
Marlyn Mason
Marlyn Mason is an American actress.Her acting credits include roles in My Three Sons, Burke's Law, Kentucky Jones, Bonanza, Ben Casey, Dr...
, Brenda Vaccaro
Brenda Vaccaro
Brenda Buell Vaccaro is an American stage, television and film actress.-Early life:Vaccaro was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Italian American parents Christine M. and Mario A. Vaccaro , both of whom were pioneers in Italian cuisine...
and Hiram Sherman
Hiram Sherman
Hiram Sherman was an American actor.Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Sherman made his Broadway debut as a playwright with the short-lived comedy Too Much Party in 1934. It proved to be his sole attempt at writing. Two years later he made his first appearance as an actor in Horse Eats Hat...
.
In August 2009, a critically acclaimed revised version of How Now, Dow Jones was presented by UnsungMusicalsCo. Inc. at the Minetta Lane Theatre as part of the New York International Fringe Festival
New York International Fringe Festival
The New York International Fringe Festival, or FringeNYC, is a Fringe theater festival and one of the largest multi-arts events in North America. It takes place over the course of two weeks every August, spread across several neighborhoods in downtown Manhattan, notably the Lower East Side, the...
. The cast was led by Jefferson Award nominee Cristen Paige, Colin Hanlon and Fred Berman. As revised and directed by Ben West, the new version featured three new songs that were cut from the original production: “Don’t Let a Good Thing Get Away”, “Where You Are” and “Touch and Go”. Five other musical numbers, four major characters and the ensemble were eliminated and the show was presented in one act. The production was choreographed by Rommy Sandhu with musical direction and arrangements by Fran Minarik.
2009 FringeNYC production
Musical Numbers- A-B-C
- They Don’t Make ‘Em Like That
- Live a Little
- Walk Away
- Gawk, Tousle and Shucks
- Shakespeare Lied
- Gawk, Tousle and Shucks (Reprise)
- Don’t Let a Good Thing Get Away
- Big Trouble
- Where You Are
- He’s Here
- Touch and Go
- Step to the Rear
Characters
- Kate Montgomery – Cristen Paige
- Charley Matson – Colin Hanlon
- Cynthia Pike – Cori Silberman
- William Foster Wingate – Fred Berman
- Herbert P. Magruder – Elon Rutberg
- Dow – Shane Bland
- Jones – Dennis O’Bannion
- Dr. Gilman – Jim Middleton
- A.K. – Jim Middleton
Original Broadway production
Musical NumbersAct One
- A-B-C
- They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore
- Live a Little
- The Pleasure's About to Be Mine
- A Little Investigation
- Walk Away
- Gawk, Tousle, and Shucks
- Step to the Rear
- Shakespeare Lied
- Big Trouble
Act Two
- Rich Is Better
- Just for the Moment
- He's Here!
- The Pleasure's About to Be Mine (Reprise)
- That’s Good Enough for Me
Characters
- Cynthia Pike, a tour guide for the New York Stock ExchangeNew York Stock ExchangeThe New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
, Kate's friend - Herbert Magruder, a Wall StreetWall StreetWall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
analyst for Wingate - Broker
- Kate Montgomery, "the voice of Dow Jones", Herbert's fiancée
- William Foster Wingate, a Wall Street tycoon
- Nichols, his assistant
- Judy Evans, a reporter
- Wally, a friend of Herbert
- Dr. Gilman
- Charley Matson, a chronic failure
- SenatorUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
McFetridge - Sue Ellen Bradbury, Charley's childhood sweetheart
- Mr. Bradbury, her father, the richest man in Elmira, New YorkElmira, New YorkElmira is a city in Chemung County, New York, USA. It is the principal city of the 'Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses Chemung County, New York. The population was 29,200 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chemung County.The City of Elmira is located in...
- Miss MacKenzie, Wingate's secretary
- Wingate’s Henchmen
- Dow
- Jones
- A.K.
Production history
Before it reached New York, How Now, Dow Jones went through a great deal of turmoil on the road. The original director Arthur PennArthur Penn
Arthur Hiller Penn was an American film director and producer with a career as a theater director as well. Penn amassed a critically acclaimed body of work throughout the 1960s and 1970s.-Early years:...
was fired in favor of veteran George Abbott
George Abbott
George Francis Abbott was an American theater producer and director, playwright, screenwriter, and film director and producer whose career spanned more than nine decades.-Early years:...
who had never before worked with producer David Merrick
David Merrick
David Merrick was a prolific Tony Award-winning American theatrical producer.-Life and career:Born David Lee Margulois to Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri, Merrick graduated from Washington University, then studied law at the Jesuit-run Saint Louis University School of Law...
. Similarly, choreographer Gillian Lynne
Gillian Lynne
Gillian Barbara Lynne , CBE, born , is a British ballerina, dancer, actor, theatre director, television director and choreographer noted for her popular theatre choreography associated with the iconic musicals Cats and the current longest running show in Broadway history, The Phantom of the Opera.-...
was replaced by a young Michael Bennett
Michael Bennett
Michael Bennett was an American musical theater director, writer, choreographer, and dancer. He won seven Tony Awards for his choreography and direction of Broadway shows and was nominated for an additional eleven....
, though he did not receive billing.
Several musical numbers were removed and/or rewritten; in a November 10, 1967 New York Times article, a cast member states that one song was "changed five times". Though no title was given, one suspects it was the tune titled “That’s Music” a.k.a. “Music to My ears” a.k.a. “Music to Their Ears”. Regardless, it was eventually eliminated with “Gawk, Tousle and Shucks” echoing the same sentiment. Elsewhere, one of the songs, "Step to the Rear", caught on; it was soon used in Lincoln-Mercury television commercials for their 1969 model year cars, and Hubert Humphrey's campaign for president in 1968. The song was even adapted into the college fight song
Fight song
A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
of the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
under the title "The Fighting Gamecocks Lead the Way
The Fighting Gamecocks Lead the Way
"The Fighting Gamecocks Lead the Way" is the fight song of the University of South Carolina. It was adapted from the musical number "Step to the Rear" in the Broadway show How Now, Dow Jones and the lyrics were written by Gamecocks football coach Paul Dietzel.-History:USC band director James...
".
The original script is full of topical and cultural references highly specific to 1968; one entire scene in the play -- requiring a set, costumes and actors not used anywhere else in the production -- was an elaborate parody of a then-current Dreyfus Fund commercial depicting a lion emerging from a subway to stride down Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
, and many jokes rely on audience's familiarity with the store Lane Bryant
Lane Bryant
Lane Bryant is a United States retail women's clothing store chain focusing on plus-size clothing. It began in the early 1900s with the innovative maternity designs created by Lena Himmelstein Bryant Malsin. -Beginning:...
and The Graduate
The Graduate
The Graduate is a 1967 American comedy-drama motion picture directed by Mike Nichols. It is based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay was by Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as a hotel clerk, and Calder...
.
Awards and nominations
1968 Tony Award Nominations- Best Musical
- Best Score – Elmer Bernstein & Carolyn Leigh
- Best Director – George Abbott
- Best Actor – Anthony Roberts
- Best Actress – Brenda Vaccaro
- Best Featured Actor – Hiram Sherman (WINNER)
2009 FringeNYC Excellence Award
- Outstanding Direction – Ben West
Original synopsis
New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, 1968
Act I
Kate is frustrated that her engagement has gone on for three and a half years, only because Herbert has been expecting the Dow Jones average to hit the magic mark of 1000. She meets Charley, and they find that they share not only suicidal tendencies but also an attraction.
Cynthia, who recently met Wingate at a party and worships him, visits him in his office; Wingate, who is married, sets her up in an apartment as his mistress. After she leaves, Wingate and his fellow tycoons try to talk Senator McFetridge out of using an investigation of Wall Street to help his next election campaign.
After spending the night, Charley is smitten with Kate and wants them to travel the world together, but Kate turns him down, still hoping for a steady life with Herbert.
Having lured all other types of investors, Wingate now wants to convince widows and orphans to take their money out of safe bank accounts. But his customers' men don't have the kind of gawkiness that would win over old ladies. He notices Charley out on a window ledge about to jump, stops him, and finds him to be just the right kind of man for the job. Charley quickly becomes successful at charming rich widows into betting on the stock market.
Meanwhile, Kate finds out she's pregnant from her one-night stand with Charley. She loses her resolve to tell him when his childhood sweetheart Sue Ellen Bradbury and her father show up at their meeting place: now that Charley has turned out not quite the total failure Mr. Bradbury thought he was, Charley and Sue Ellen are engaged. In desperation, during her next Dow Jones update, Kate ignores the true figures given to her and announces that the Dow has reached 1000.
Act II
There is initial euphoria among investors such as the widows and Kate's doctor. But soon it is discovered that the announced figures were false. After all the tycoons eliminate each other as the perpetrators, they narrow down Kate as the suspect, but Senator McFetridge does not believe the scenario and plans to expose Wall Street corruption in a news interview. The rest try to find Kate.
Wingate visits Cynthia at her new apartment to ask if she knows where Kate is. It turns out that he has never taken advantage of their arrangement since it was first set up. He tells her that if the market crashes, the apartment will have to go. Cynthia brightens up when he asks her come with him to stand by his side when the national panic happens.
Wingate, Cynthia, Herbert, and Charley find Kate in her apartment. Even though she lied in order to get Herbert to marry her, she really doesn't love him. The matter of her pregnancy by Charley causes Wingate nearly to faint at the thought of what this entire illicit affair would do to the image of Wall Street. Left alone, Kate and Charlie resolve against suicide. Charlie is determined to come up with a solution and to make a life with Kate.
At Wingate's brokerage, the bottom is about to fall out. Even the Senator is resigned to having to live off of only his congressional salary from now on. Suddenly Charley comes in with Kate and the solution to the problem: the legendary old man A.K. himself, in a wheel-chair. Wall Street respects everything A.K. does in the stock market. Doddering near the end of his one sane hour a day, A.K. is convinced by Charley to buy up all the stocks that are now up for sale and thereby save the U.S. economy.
External links
- Internet Broadway Database listing
- 2010 Official Website
- Elmer Bernstein Official Website
- "How Now, Dow Jones" listing guidetomusicaltheatre.com