Walk a Little Faster is a musical revue with sketches by S. J. Perelman

S. J. Perelman

Sidney Joseph Perelman, almost always known as S. J. Perelman , was an American humorist, author, and screenwriter. He is best known for his humorous short pieces written over many years for The New Yorker...

 and Robert MacGunigle, music by Vernon Duke

Vernon Duke

Vernon Duke was a Russian-American composer/songwriter, who also wrote under his original name Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for "Taking a Chance on Love" with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche, "I Can't Get Started" with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, "April in Paris" with lyrics by E. Y...

, and lyrics by E. Y. Harburg.

Production

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 opened on December 7, 1932 at the St. James Theatre

St. James Theatre

The St. James Theatre is located at 246 W. 44th St. Broadway, New York City, New York. It was built by Abraham L. Erlanger, theatrical producer and a founding member of the Theatrical Syndicate, on the site of the original Sardi's restaurant. It opened in 1927 as The Erlanger...

 and then moved to the Selwyn Theatre, closing on March 18, 1933 for a total of 119 performances. Staged by Monty Woolley

Monty Woolley

Monty Woolley was an American stage, film, radio, and television actor. At the age of 50, he achieved a measure of stardom for his best-known role in the stage play and 1942 film The Man Who Came to Dinner...

, the cast starred Beatrice Lillie

Beatrice Lillie

Beatrice Gladys "Bea" Lillie was an actress and comedic performer. Following her 1920 marriage to Sir Robert Peel in England, she was known in private life as Lady Peel.-Early career:...

, the comedy team of Bobby Clark

Bobby Clark (comedian)

Robert Edwin Clark , known as Bobby Clark, was a minstrel, vaudevillian, performer on stage, film, television and the circus....

 and Paul McCullough

Paul McCullough

Paul Johnston McCullough was an American actor who performed in a comedy team with Bobby Clark.Born in Springfield, Ohio, McCullough met Clark at a local YMCA when they were boys...

, and Evelyn Hoey

Evelyn Hoey

Evelyn Hoey was a Broadway theatre torch singer and actress.- Career :Hoey was noted for her performances in Fifty Million Frenchmen and Good News. She began performing at the age of 10 in Minneapolis. As an adult she appeared in London, England and Paris, France...

. The production design, by Boris Aronson

Boris Aronson

Boris Aronson was an American scenic designer for Broadway and Yiddish theatre. He won the Tony Award for Scenic Design six times in his career.-Biography:...

, featured an innovative use of stage curtains; for example, one was shaped like an iris lens.

April in Paris

The show was only a moderate success but contained the famous song April in Paris

April in Paris (song)

"April in Paris" is a song composed by Vernon Duke with lyrics by E. Y. Harburg in 1932 for the Broadway musical, Walk A Little Faster. The original 1933 hit was performed by Freddy Martin, and the 1952 remake was by the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra, whose version made the Cashbox Top 50.Composer Alec...

. It was introduced by Evelyn Hoey. According to an account by Stanley Green, the idea for this song title came about as Duke and friends were talking about Paris in a restaurant. When someone said 'Oh, to be in Paris now that April's here', Duke started composing on the spot.According to Harburg, the song came from Aronson's model of a set of Paris. "Aronson was in love with Paris...he designed one of the most beautiful, sensitive sets that ever was seen." The producer wanted a song to match the set.

Sketches

Bea Lillie was a 1906 college girl, Penelope Goldfarb ("Scamp of the Campus"); the belle of the Yukon, "Frisco Fanny"; a radio songstress, and a French chanteuse ("Quel Bijou"). Clark and McCullough provided additional humor with their usual outfits and props

Theatrical property

A theatrical property, commonly referred to as a prop, is an object used on stage by actors to further the plot or story line of a theatrical production. Smaller props are referred to as "hand props". Larger props may also be set decoration, such as a chair or table. The difference between a set...

, including a cigar for Clark. One of the sketches was a take-off on another show, Flying Colors

Flying Colors (musical)

Flying Colors is a musical revue with a book, lyrics, and music by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz and sketch contributions by George S. Kaufman, Corey Ford, and Charles Sherman....

, in which Clark pretended to be Clifton Webb

Clifton Webb

Clifton Webb was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for his Oscar-nominated roles in such films as Laura, The Razor's Edge, and Sitting Pretty...

 and Lillie was Tamara Geva

Tamara Geva

Tamara Geva was a Russian actress, ballet dancer and choreographer. She was the first wife of dancer/choreographer George Balanchine.-Biography:...

.

Songs

• Where Have We Met Before?
• Speaking of Love
• A Penny for Your Thoughts
• April in Paris
  April in Paris (song)
  "April in Paris" is a song composed by Vernon Duke with lyrics by E. Y. Harburg in 1932 for the Broadway musical, Walk A Little Faster. The original 1933 hit was performed by Freddy Martin, and the 1952 remake was by the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra, whose version made the Cashbox Top 50.Composer Alec...
  
  
• That’s Life
• So Nonchalant
• Off again, On Again