Portofino is a musical

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 Richard Ney

Richard Ney

Richard Ney was an American actor and investment counselor.He was born in New York City, the son of Erwin Maximillian Ney and Rebie Margaret Flood. He was the grandson of the Rev. Theodore L. Flood, editor of The Chautauquan...

, lyrics by Ney and Sheldon Harnick

Sheldon Harnick

Sheldon Harnick is an American lyricist best known for his collaborations with composer Jerry Bock on hit musicals such as Fiddler on the Roof....

, and music by Louis Bellson and Will Irwin.

Set in a piazza

Piazza

A piazza is a city square in Italy, Malta, along the Dalmatian coast and in surrounding regions. The term is roughly equivalent to the Spanish plaza...

 in the Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 resort town of Portofino

Portofino

Portofino is a small Italian fishing village, comune and tourist resort located in the province of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town is crowded round its small harbour, is closely associated with Paraggi Beach, which is a few minutes up the coast...

, the convoluted plot involves auto-racing duke

Duke

A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...

 Nicky; his Texan

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

 rival Kitty; his granddaughter Angela, a practicing witch; the local padre; and his look-alike Guido, an emissary from the devil.

Ney, an unsuccessful actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

 once married to Greer Garson

Greer Garson

Greer Garson, CBE was a British-born actress who was very popular during World War II, being listed by the Motion Picture Herald as one of America's top ten box office draws in 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, and 1946. As one of MGM's major stars of the 1940s, Garson received seven Academy Award...

, was also the show's sole producer. When the critics crucified it during its Philadelphia tryout, he democratically left it to the cast to decide if they should continue to New York City

New 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...

. They voted to go.

The 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, directed by Karl Genus and choreographed by Charles Weidman

Charles Weidman

Charles Weidman is a renowned choreographer, modern dancer and teacher. He is well known as one of the pioneers of Modern Dance in America. He wanted to break free from the traditional movements of dance forms popular at the time to create a uniquely American style of movement...

 and Ray Harrison, opened on February 21, 1958 at the Adelphi Theatre, where it ran for three performances. The cast included Georges Guétary

Georges Guétary

Georges Guétary, born Lambros Worloou was a French singer, dancer, cabaret performer and film actor, best known his role in the 1951 musical An American in Paris.-Early life and career:...

 as Nicky, Helen Gallagher

Helen Gallagher

Helen Gallagher is an American actress, dancer, singer and makeup artist.-Early years:Born in Brooklyn, she was raised in Scarsdale, New York for several years until the Wall Street crash which heralded the Great Depression, and her family moved to the Bronx. Her parents separated and she was...

 as Kitty, Jan Chaney as Angela, and Robert Strauss

Robert Strauss (actor)

Robert Strauss was a gravel-voiced American actor.-Career:Strauss began his career as a classical actor, appearing in The Tempest and Macbeth on Broadway in 1930...

as both the padre and Guido.

Gallagher later was quoted as saying the three performances of Portofino were "the longest . . . of my life."

Songs

Act I

• Come Along
• No Wedding Bells for Me
• Come Along (Reprise)
• Red-Collar Job
• Here I Come
• New Dreams for Old
• A Dream for Angela
• Isn't It Wonderful?
• Dance of the Whirling Wimpus
• Under a Spell

Act II

• Under a Spell (Reprise)
• That's Love
• Too Little Time for Love
• Guido's Tango
• It Might Be Love
• Here I Come (Reprise)
• Bacchanale
• Morning Prayer
• Kitty Car Ballet
• The Grand Prix of Portofino
• Portofino
• I'm in League with the Devil
• Why Not for Marriage
• Portofino (Reprise)