So Long, 174th Street
Encyclopedia
So Long, 174th Street is a musical
with a book by Joseph Stein
and lyrics and music by Stan Daniels
.
Based on Stein's play Enter Laughing
, which had been adapted from the Carl Reiner
book of the same name and served as the basis for a 1967 film
, it focuses on the journey of young David Kolowitz from factory helper to actor - and from insecure adolescence
to self-assured adulthood - in just three whirlwind days in New York City
in the late 1930s.
After six previews, the Broadway
production, directed by Burt Shevelove
and choreographed by Alan Johnson
, opened on April 27, 1976 at the Harkness Theatre, where it closed after only 16 performances. The cast included Robert Morse
, George S. Irving
, Loni Ackerman
, and Rita Rudner
.
Clive Barnes
of the New York Times observed, "The people involved are talented enough . . . So what went wrong? How did Enter Laughing end up leaving us yawning?" He noted composer/lyricist Stan Daniels was a producer of The Mary Tyler Moore Show
and suggested "he should stay where he is well off . . . when the music and lyrics do not work for a musical, the musical does not work."
A recording of the score, with Kaye Ballard
added to the cast, was released in 1981.
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 Joseph Stein
Joseph Stein
Joseph Stein was an American playwright best known for writing the books for such musicals as Fiddler on the Roof and Zorba.-Biography:...
and lyrics and music by Stan Daniels
Stan Daniels
Stanley Edwin Daniels was a Canadian-American screenwriter, producer and director, who won eight Emmy Awards for his work on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi.-Early life:...
.
Based on Stein's play Enter Laughing
Enter Laughing
Enter Laughing is a play by Joseph Stein.Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Carl Reiner, it centers on the journey of young aspiring actor David Kolowitz as he tries to extricate himself from overly protective parents and two too many girlfriends, while struggling to meet the challenge of...
, which had been adapted from the Carl Reiner
Carl Reiner
Carl Reiner is an American actor, film director, producer, writer and comedian. He has won nine Emmy Awards and one Grammy Award during this career...
book of the same name and served as the basis for a 1967 film
Enter Laughing (film)
Enter Laughing is a 1967 comedy film, directed by Carl Reiner, based on his autobiographical novel and the stage play of the same name.The film stars Jose Ferrer, Shelly Winters and Elaine May...
, it focuses on the journey of young David Kolowitz from factory helper to actor - and from insecure adolescence
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
to self-assured adulthood - in just three whirlwind days in 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...
in the late 1930s.
After six previews, 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 Burt Shevelove
Burt Shevelove
Burt Shevelove was an American musical theater playwright, lyricist, librettist, and director. Born in Newark, New Jersey, he graduated from Brown University and Yale . At Brown in 1935, he acted in the first ever Brownbrokers musical titled Something Bruin...
and choreographed by Alan Johnson
Alan Johnson (choreographer)
Alan Johnson is an award winning choreographer, best known for his work on Mel Brooks films and for restaging Jerome Robbins original choreography in live productions of West Side Story in the United States and internationally. Johnson has been linked to West Side Story since making his Broadway...
, opened on April 27, 1976 at the Harkness Theatre, where it closed after only 16 performances. The cast included Robert Morse
Robert Morse
Robert Morse is an American actor and singer. Morse is best known for his appearances in musicals and plays on Broadway. He has also acted in movies and television shows. His best known role is that of J. Pierrepont Finch in the 1961 Broadway musical, and 1967 film How to Succeed in Business...
, George S. Irving
George S. Irving
George S. Irving is an American actor, known primarily for his character roles on Broadway. Born George Irving Shelasky in Springfield, Massachusetts, he made his debut in the original 1943 production of Oklahoma!, only to be drafted days later to serve in World War II...
, Loni Ackerman
Loni Ackerman
Loni Ackerman is an American Broadway musical theatre performer and cabaret singer.Born in New York City, she made her Broadway debut in George M! in 1968, then replaced Bernadette Peters in the hit off-Broadway production of Dames at Sea.In 1971, Ackerman was cast in the revival of No, No Nanette...
, and Rita Rudner
Rita Rudner
Rita Rudner is an American comedienne, writer and actress.-Early life:Rudner was born in Miami, Florida, the daughter of Frances, a homemaker, and Abe Rudner, a lawyer. Her mother died when she was 13. After graduating from high school at 15, Rudner left Miami and headed to New York City to embark...
.
Clive Barnes
Clive Barnes (critic)
Clive Alexander Barnes, CBE was a British-born American writer and critic. From 1965 to 1977 he was the dance and theater critic for the New York Times, the most powerful position he had held, since its theater critics' reviews historically have had great influence on the success or failure of...
of the New York Times observed, "The people involved are talented enough . . . So what went wrong? How did Enter Laughing end up leaving us yawning?" He noted composer/lyricist Stan Daniels was a producer of The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
and suggested "he should stay where he is well off . . . when the music and lyrics do not work for a musical, the musical does not work."
A recording of the score, with Kaye Ballard
Kaye Ballard
Kaye Ballard is an American musical theatre and television actress, comedienne, and singer.-Life and career:Ballard was born as Catherine Gloria Balotta in Cleveland, Ohio, to an Italian American family, the daughter of Lena and Vincent James Balotta.Ballard established herself as a musical...
added to the cast, was released in 1981.
Song list
- David Kolowitz, the Actor
- It's Like
- Undressing Girls With My Eyes
- Bolero on Rye
- Whoever You Are
- You
- My Son the Druggist
- You Touched Her
- Men
- Boy Oh Boy
- The Butler's Song
- Being With You
- If You Want to Break Your Father's Heart
- So Long, 174th Street