Windy City (musical)
Encyclopedia
Windy City is a musical
with a book and lyrics by Dick Vosburgh
and music by Tony Macaulay
. It is based on the play The Front Page
by Ben Hecht
and Charles MacArthur
.
desk in the courthouse, Hildy cannot resist the lure of writing what could be the biggest scoop of his journalistic career before he boards the train for the West Coast.
in June 1982 before opening in the West End
on July 20 at the Victoria Palace
, where it closed on February 26, 1983 after 250 performances. Directed by Peter Wood
, the cast included Dennis Waterman
as Hildy Johnson, Anton Rodgers
as Walter Burns, Amanda Redman
as Esther Stone, Robert Longden as Earl Williams, Diane Langton
as Mollie Malloy, and Victor Spinetti
as poetic reporter Bensinger.
In the United States, Windy City was staged at the Marriott Theatre
in Lincolnshire, Illinois
from February 2 through April 22, 1984, and was remounted at the Marriot in the early 1990s.
A production staged at the Paper Mill Playhouse
in Millburn, New Jersey
in September 1985 starred Ron Holgate
as Walter Burns, Gary Sandy
as Hildy Johnson, Judy Kaye
as Mollie Malloy, and Alan Sues
as Bensinger. In his review in the New York Times, Alvin Klein observed, "Dick Vosburgh's mediocre book and mundane lyrics, replete with contrived rhymes that make no sense whatever, and Tony Macaulay's forgettable score are stuck in standard musical comedy mold. The jagged edge of the journalist's world eludes them. The adapters aim for the heart when they should be going for the jugular. The tough center of the plot is diluted, and the effect is something like having to settle for skim milk when one wants a drink with a kick . . . One wonders about the intent of an enterprise like Windy City. What is its tone? Is it supposed to be a spoof? An affectionate recreation? Either way, it has gone askew."
Another regional theatre production, starring David Elder and Paul Schoeffler, was staged at the Walnut Street Theatre
in Philadelphia from September 5 through October 22, 2006.
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 and lyrics by Dick Vosburgh
Dick Vosburgh
Richard Kennedy "Dick" Vosburgh was an American-born comedy writer and lyricist working chiefly in Britain....
and music by Tony Macaulay
Tony Macaulay
Tony Macaulay is a British author, composer for musical theatre, and songwriter, though it was the latter that made him a household name early in his career...
. It is based on the play The Front Page
The Front Page
The Front Page is a hit Broadway comedy about tabloid newspaper reporters on the police beat, written by one-time Chicago reporters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur which was first produced in 1928.-Synopsis:...
by Ben Hecht
Ben Hecht
Ben Hecht was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, and novelist. Called "the Shakespeare of Hollywood", he received screen credits, alone or in collaboration, for the stories or screenplays of some 70 films and as a prolific storyteller, authored 35 books and created some of...
and Charles MacArthur
Charles MacArthur
Charles Gordon MacArthur was an American playwright and screenwriter.-Biography:Charles MacArthur was the second youngest of seven children born to stern evangelist William Telfer MacArthur and Georgiana Welsted MacArthur. He early developed a passion for reading...
.
Plot
Set in 1929, the story focuses on ace reporter Hildy Johnson, who has just quit his job at the Chicago Examiner to marry his fiancée Esther Stone and write screenplays for her movie mogul father, much to the dismay of unscrupulous and cantankerous editor Walter Burns. When streetwalker Mollie Malloy, girlfriend of escaped condemned killer Earl Williams, reveals to Hildy he has secreted himself in a rolltopRolltop
Rolltop may refer to*Rolltop desk*A type of equestrian cross country obstacle...
desk in the courthouse, Hildy cannot resist the lure of writing what could be the biggest scoop of his journalistic career before he boards the train for the West Coast.
Production history
Windy City had its world premiere at the Bristol HippodromeBristol Hippodrome
The Bristol Hippodrome is a theatre in the centre of Bristol, England with seating on three levels giving a capacity of 1,951. It frequently features West End theatre shows when they tour the UK as well regular visits by Welsh National Opera, and an annual pantomime.- History :The theatre was...
in June 1982 before opening in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
on July 20 at the Victoria Palace
Victoria Palace
Victoria Palace is a palace in Victory Square, Bucharest, built in 1937, which is the headquarters of the Prime Minister of Romania and his cabinet.-See also:*Government of Romania...
, where it closed on February 26, 1983 after 250 performances. Directed by Peter Wood
Peter Wood (director)
Peter Wood is an English award-winning theatre and film director.-External links:...
, the cast included Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman is a British actor and singer, best known for his tough-guy roles in television series including The Sweeney, Minder and New Tricks.-Early life:...
as Hildy Johnson, Anton Rodgers
Anton Rodgers
Anton Rodgers was an English actor and occasional director. He performed on stage, in film and in television dramas and sitcoms.-Life and career:...
as Walter Burns, Amanda Redman
Amanda Redman
-External links:* ArtistsTheatreSchool.com* The-Little.co.uk...
as Esther Stone, Robert Longden as Earl Williams, Diane Langton
Diane Langton
Diane Langton is an English actress and singer.She has appeared in numerous TV shows like Only Fools and Horses, where she played Junie, an old girlfriend of Del Boy's, in the 1980s....
as Mollie Malloy, and Victor Spinetti
Victor Spinetti
Victor Spinetti is a Welsh comic actor.-Early life:Spinetti was born in Cwm, Ebbw Vale, Wales of Welsh and Italian heritage from a grandfather who was said to have walked from Italy to Wales to work as a coal miner...
as poetic reporter Bensinger.
In the United States, Windy City was staged at the Marriott Theatre
Marriott Theatre
The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, Illinois, USA is a respected Chicago area regional theatre. Attached to the Marriott Lincolnshire Resort, the theatre produces an average of five musicals each year, presented in the round, as well as productions aimed at younger audiences...
in Lincolnshire, Illinois
Lincolnshire, Illinois
Lincolnshire is a village in the Vernon Township region of Lake County, in the U.S. state of Illinois. The village is a suburb of Chicago, a city in the adjacent Cook County. Its population was 6,108 at the time of the 2000 census. Lincolnshire was incorporated on August 5, 1957, from the...
from February 2 through April 22, 1984, and was remounted at the Marriot in the early 1990s.
A production staged at the Paper Mill Playhouse
Paper Mill Playhouse
Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theatre with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey, less than 25 miles from Manhattan. Due to its location, it can draw from the pool of actors who live in New York City. Its location, as well as its focus on producing large-scale shows, makes...
in Millburn, New Jersey
Millburn, New Jersey
Millburn is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 20,149.Millburn Township was created as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 20, 1857, from portions of Springfield Township.Millburn also...
in September 1985 starred Ron Holgate
Ron Holgate
Ronald "Ron" Holgate is a American actor and opera singer. He is known for winning the Tony Award for Best Supporting Actor as Richard Henry Lee in the original Broadway production of 1776.-Early life:...
as Walter Burns, Gary Sandy
Gary Sandy
Gary Sandy is an American actor, who starred as program director Andy Travis on the television sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati....
as Hildy Johnson, Judy Kaye
Judy Kaye
Judy Kaye is an American singer and actress. She has appeared in stage musicals, plays, and operas. Kaye has been in long runs on Broadway in the musicals The Phantom of the Opera, Ragtime and Mamma Mia!-Biography:...
as Mollie Malloy, and Alan Sues
Alan Sues
Alan Sues is a U.S. comic actor best known for his performances as part of the ensemble on the 1968–1973 television program Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In...
as Bensinger. In his review in the New York Times, Alvin Klein observed, "Dick Vosburgh's mediocre book and mundane lyrics, replete with contrived rhymes that make no sense whatever, and Tony Macaulay's forgettable score are stuck in standard musical comedy mold. The jagged edge of the journalist's world eludes them. The adapters aim for the heart when they should be going for the jugular. The tough center of the plot is diluted, and the effect is something like having to settle for skim milk when one wants a drink with a kick . . . One wonders about the intent of an enterprise like Windy City. What is its tone? Is it supposed to be a spoof? An affectionate recreation? Either way, it has gone askew."
Another regional theatre production, starring David Elder and Paul Schoeffler, was staged at the Walnut Street Theatre
Walnut Street Theatre
The Walnut Street Theatre , located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 825 Walnut Street, is the oldest continuously operating theatre in the English-speaking world and the oldest in the United States...
in Philadelphia from September 5 through October 22, 2006.
Song list
- Bensinger's Poem
- Born Reporter
- Circles 'Round Us
- The Day I Quit This Rag
- Hey, Hallelujah
- I Can Talk To You
- Just Imagine It
- Long Night Again Tonight
- Mollie Has Her Say
- Natalie
- No One Walks Out On Me
- Perfect Casting
- Round In Circles
- Saturday
- Stamp! Stamp! Stamp!
- Ten Years From Now
- The Times We Had
- Wait Till I Get You On Your Own
- Water Under the Bridge
- Windy City