Park Avenue (musical)
Encyclopedia
Park Avenue is a musical
with a book by George S. Kaufman
and Nunnally Johnson
, music by Arthur Schwartz
and lyrics by Ira Gershwin
. The plot focused on the many divorces and marriages of the rich and "black tie" set. The production performed poorly and was Gershwin's last work for Broadway.
. The plot was based on Nunnally Johnson’s short story "Holy Matrimony", published in the Saturday Evening Post. He wrote "smart" lyrics like "We live in an age that’s the pinnacle of the cynical", but the show's theme of divorce could not hold the audience's attention for an entire evening, and in 1946 American audiences wanted more. The book stuck too closely to Johnson’s short story and an overly-long second act consisted more of spoken words than songs.
The production was in pre-Broadway out-of-town tryouts for 5½ weeks. The musical opened on Broadway
at the Shubert Theatre
on November 4, 1946 and closed on January 4, 1947 after 72 performances. Directed by Kaufman with choreography by Helen Tamiris, the cast featured David Wayne
as Mr. Meachem, Ray McDonald as Ned Scott, Martha Stewart as Madge Bennett, Leonora Corbett as Mrs. Sybil Bennett, Mary Wickes
as Mrs. Betty Nelson, and Arthur Margetson as Ogden Bennett.
An Equity Showcase concert, New York City, ran in 1999.
Act 2
theatre critic for The New York Times
wrote, "Some of the most imposing people in show business are collaborating on a singularly unimposing musical comedy... The snobberies of the people they are satirizing have infected the writers... They are too fascinated by their astringent stye to write a good, earthy musical show. It ain't funny, McGee."
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...
with a book by George S. Kaufman
George S. Kaufman
George Simon Kaufman was an American playwright, theatre director and producer, humorist, and drama critic. In addition to comedies and political satire, he wrote several musicals, notably for the Marx Brothers...
and Nunnally Johnson
Nunnally Johnson
Nunnally Hunter Johnson was an American filmmaker who wrote, produced, and directed motion pictures.Johnson was born in Columbus, Georgia. He began his career as a journalist, writing for the Columbus Enquirer Sun, the Savannah Press, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and the New York Herald Tribune...
, music by Arthur Schwartz
Arthur Schwartz
Arthur Schwartz was an American composer and film producer.Schwartz supported his legal studies at New York University and postgraduate studies at Columbia University by playing piano before concentrating his talents on vaudeville, Broadway theatre and Hollywood.Among his Broadway musicals are The...
and lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century....
. The plot focused on the many divorces and marriages of the rich and "black tie" set. The production performed poorly and was Gershwin's last work for Broadway.
Background and production
Gershwin wanted Park Avenue to be a change from period shows such as Oklahoma!Oklahoma!
Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance...
. The plot was based on Nunnally Johnson’s short story "Holy Matrimony", published in the Saturday Evening Post. He wrote "smart" lyrics like "We live in an age that’s the pinnacle of the cynical", but the show's theme of divorce could not hold the audience's attention for an entire evening, and in 1946 American audiences wanted more. The book stuck too closely to Johnson’s short story and an overly-long second act consisted more of spoken words than songs.
The production was in pre-Broadway out-of-town tryouts for 5½ weeks. The musical opened on 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...
at the Shubert Theatre
Shubert Theatre (Broadway)
The Shubert Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 225 West 44th Street in midtown-Manhattan, New York, United States.Designed by architect Henry Beaumont Herts, it was named after Sam S. Shubert, the second oldest of the three brothers of the theatrical producing family...
on November 4, 1946 and closed on January 4, 1947 after 72 performances. Directed by Kaufman with choreography by Helen Tamiris, the cast featured David Wayne
David Wayne
David Wayne was an American actor with a career spanning nearly 50 years.-Early life and career:...
as Mr. Meachem, Ray McDonald as Ned Scott, Martha Stewart as Madge Bennett, Leonora Corbett as Mrs. Sybil Bennett, Mary Wickes
Mary Wickes
Mary Wickes was an American film and television actress.-Career:Wickes was born as Mary Isabelle Wickenhauser in St. Louis, Missouri, of German Irish Protestant extraction. She graduated at the age of eighteen with a degree in political science from Washington University in St. Louis, where she...
as Mrs. Betty Nelson, and Arthur Margetson as Ogden Bennett.
An Equity Showcase concert, New York City, ran in 1999.
Synopsis
The preparations for the wedding of young lovers Madge Bennett and Ned Scott are proceeding at the Long Island summer home of her mother Sybil and her 4th husband Ogden. The guests are the rich habitués of Park Avenue, who divorce and re-marry so often that their lawyer, Mr. Meachem, becomes confused as to who is married to whom. Between husbands, the women discuss what to do with their time ("Don't Be A Woman if You Can"), listing their choices over clothing and nail polish. Mrs. Bennett and Mr. Meachem praise the "divorce capitol", "Sweet Nevada", as they waltz. Madge and Ned see the crumbled marriages around them and decide to call off their wedding plans ("Goodbye to All That").Songs
Act 1- Tomorrow Is the Time - Mrs. Laura Woods and Bridesmaids
- For the Life of Me - Ned Scott and Madge Bennett
- The Dew Was on the Rose - Mrs. Sybil Bennett, Ogden Bennett, Reggie Fox, Richard Nelson and Charles Crowell
- Don't Be a Woman If You Can - Mrs. Betty Nelson, Mrs. Elsa Crowell and Mrs. Myra Fox
- Sweet Nevada - Mrs. Sybil Bennett and Mr. Meachem
- There's No Holding Me - Madge Bennett and Ned Scott
- The Dew Was on the Rose (Reprise)- Mrs. Sybil Bennett and Ogden Bennett
- There's Nothing Like Marriage for People - Entire Company
Act 2
- Hope for the Best – Bridesmaids, Ted Woods and James Meredith
- My Son-in-Law – Mrs. Sybil Bennett, Madge Bennett and Richard Nelson
- Land of Opportunities – Ogden Bennett, Richard Nelson, Reggie Fox and Charles Crowell
- Goodbye to All That – Madge Bennett and Ned Scott
- Echo – Ted Woods, Mrs. Laura Woods, James Meredith, Mrs. Beverly Meredith and Bridesmaids
Critical reception
Brooks AtkinsonBrooks Atkinson
Justin Brooks Atkinson was an American theatre critic. He worked for The New York Times from 1925 to 1960...
theatre critic for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote, "Some of the most imposing people in show business are collaborating on a singularly unimposing musical comedy... The snobberies of the people they are satirizing have infected the writers... They are too fascinated by their astringent stye to write a good, earthy musical show. It ain't funny, McGee."