At first, the 1960s were more of the same, with Broadway turning out record setting hits (Hello, Dolly!, Fiddler on the Roof). But as popular musical tastes shifted, the musical was left behind. The rock musical “happening” Hair (1968) was hailed as a landmark, but it ushered in a period of confusion in the musical theatre.
- 1960The Fantasticks. told the story of two well-meaning fathers who manipulate their idealistic children into a storybook romance, only to learn that living “happily ever after” has its darker side. The score by composer Harvey Schmidt and lyricist Tom Jones includes “Soon It’s Gonna Rain” and “They Were You.” “Try to Remember” was introduced by Jerry Orbach, who narrated the show as the dashing El Gallo — the first of many leading roles that he would originate over the next two decades.
- 1960 Oliver! With a heartfelt libretto and glorious score (“Consider Yourself,” “Where is Love,” “Oom-Pah-Pah,” “As Long As He Needs Me”) by newcomer Lionel Bart, and an ingenious double turntable set by designer Sean Kenny,stressed the lighter elements in Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist.
- 1960 The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Meredith Willson, was very loosely based on the true story of a scrappy country girl who rose from poverty and eventually became a semi-legendary figure when she survived the sinking of The Titanic. A disarming performance by newcomer Tammy Grimes and the catchy march “I Ain’t Down Yet” were well received.
- 1960 Camelot, Loewe i Lerner The Once and Future King. Richard Burton played the legendary King Arthur, with Julie Andrews as Guenevere and newcomer Robert Goulet as Sir Lancelot. The luscious score featured “If Ever I Would Leave You,” “How to Handle A Woman” and a catchy title song, but the pressure to write another major hit proved too much for the creative team. During the pre-Broadway tour, both Loewe and director Moss Hart suffered near-fatal heart attacks. In desperation, the ailing Lerner was forced to take over direction, and an unfinished Camelot opened on Broadway. Many came expecting another lighthearted My Fair Lady — instead, they found a romantic tragedy. Although brilliant, it was unlike any previous Broadway musical. Most critics were not impressed, but some post-opening revisions by Hart made a profitable run possible. Camelot is a perennial favorite with audiences, thanks to the timeless appeal of the Arthurian legend and the show’s identification with President John F. Kennedy, who had frequently listened to the original cast recording. Whatever its shortcomings, Camelot has more melody and heart than most shows could ever hope for, and its original cast recording remains an all-time best seller. It has been revived once in London and four times on Broadway.
- 1960 Bye Bye Birdie, dirigida per Gower Champion.This youthful farce depicted the hype generated when an Elvis-like rock star kisses a contest-winning teenage fan before being drafted into the army.Champion’s all-encompassing sense of stage movement involved every cast member, set piece and prop. A memorable comic ballet had Chita Rivera — as sexy secretary Rose Grant — seducing a stage full of astounded (but ultimately enthusiastic) Shriners. Composer Charles Strouse and lyricist Lee Adams gave Broadway its first taste of genuine rock and roll in “One Last Kiss” and “Telephone Hour,” but traditional showtunes like “Put On A Happy Face” and “Kids” made up the bulk of the score.
- 1961 Carnival. Love makes the world go round, Based on the MGM movie Lili (1953 – MGM), it told the story of a naive French orphan who learns about love and life when she becomes human co-star of a circus puppet show. Champion sent roustabouts and circus acts through the audience, using the entire auditorium as a performance space, but he recognized that the true power of the show lay in the title character’s enchanting scenes with the hand puppets. Audiences of all ages melted when Anna Maria Alberghetti performed “Love Makes the World Go Round” with the little charmers — and Alberghetti won a Tony for this, her only appearance in a Broadway show. Bob Merrill’s score included the ballad “Her Face,” sung by Jerry Orbach as the tormented puppeteer.
- 1961 How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Frank Loesser. It told of a ruthless window cleaner manipulating his way into the chairmanship of a major corporation. This wicked satire of big business boasted dances by Bob Fosse, hilarious performances by Robert Morse & old-time crooner Rudy Valee, and the hit song “I Believe in You.” Fosse’s dances included “Coffee Break” and “Brotherhood of Man,” giving a quirky look to this sharp satire of America’s corporate culture.
- 1962 Little Me was based on a best-selling comic novel by Patrick Dennis, offering the fictional tell-all autobiography of “Belle Poitrine,” a poor young woman who uses sex appeal to find fame and fortune as a trashy film star. Fosse’s dances included a memorable “Rich Kids Rag,” and his direction made the most of a hilarious book by Neil Simon. The Cy Coleman-Carolyn Leigh score included the hits “Real Live Girl” and “I’ve Got Your Number.”
- 1964 Hello Dolly, (2,844 performances) a musical version of Thornton Wilder’s comedy The Matchmaker. With a giddy score by composer-lyricist Jerry Herman and a superb libretto by Michael Stewart, it told the story of a shrewd widow who brings young lovers together and finds a husband for herself (irascible Yonkers store owner, Horace Vanderguilder) in 1890s New York. Champion’s staging gave Hello Dolly! a stunning visual fluidity, evoking the gaslight era in a thrilling whirl of dancers and sets, capped by Channing’s luminous Dolly. Herman’s score caught the period to perfection, with “It Only Takes a Moment” as the standout ballad. The catchy title number became one of Broadway’s all-time great showstoppers, with Channing descending a staircase to lead a line of waiters through a rollicking cakewalk. The number was considered a problem on the road, but Broadway’s opening night audience demanded (and got) an encore. Choruses of apron-clad waiters have been escorting women of a certain age around runways ever since.
- 1964 Fiddler on the Roof, was Robbins’ ultimate Broadway triumph, weaving story, song and dance together to tell the story of a Jewish milkman facing change in his family and his shtetl community. He staged unforgettable images – the Jews of Anatevka forming a circle of community, the wedding dancers with wine bottles perched precariously on their hats, and the circle finally breaking apart as the Jews flee Russian oppression. As the philosophical milkman Tevya, Zero Mostel overcame personal differences with Robbins and gave the most memorable performance of his career.
- 1964 Funny Girl – After torturous previews, multiple directors and extensive rewrites, this fictionalized biography of comedienne Fanny Brice was given some much needed polish by Jerome Robbins. The results made a star of Barbra Streisand, who wisely avoided imitating Brice, building her own fresh characterization and relying on her own distinctive vocal stylings. Composer Jule Styne and lyricist Bob Merrill’s brassy score included the hit songs “People” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade.” The gifted Streisand went off to Hollywood for the screen version, winning an Academy Award for Best Actress. She never appeared in another stage musical.
- 1964 Man of La Mancha
- 1966 Mame, Jerry Herman followed up his smash Hello Dolly by teaming with playwrights Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee for an adaptation of their long-running comedy Auntie Mame. Angela Lansbury wowed audiences in the title role, winning her first Tony for Best Actress playing the eccentric heiress who liberates her orphaned nephew from a stodgy upbringing. Beatrice Arthur’s hilarious performance as the bitchy actress Vera Charles brought her a Tony for Best Featured Actress. Herman’s score included the show-stopping title tune, the moving “If He Walked Into My Life,” and the hilarious Lansbury-Arthur duet “Bosom Buddies.” Mame proved a worldwide favorite, enjoying successful productions into the next century.
- 1966 Cabaret,- Composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb worked with librettist Joe Masteroff on this searing adaptation of Christopher Isherwood’s play I Am a Camera. As a young American writer falls in love with a cabaret singer, we meet seedy chorus girls, Nazi storm troopers, and other denizens of the demi-monde in early 1930s Berlin. Joel Grey gave an electrifying performance as the leering Master of Ceremonies, a role he repeated in the acclaimed 1972 film version – becoming one of the very few actors to win the Tony and Academy Awards for the same role. The score included “Wilkommen” and the hit title song. Three decades later, an innovative Broadway revival would rack up an even longer run (1998 – 2,398 performances). (direcció i coreografia Bob Fosse)
- 1966 Sweet Charity, the touching story of a taxi-dancer who refuses to stop believing in love. Her limber, jubilant renditions of “If They Could See Me Now” and “I’m a Brass Band” became the stuff of theatrical legend. (Bob Fosse)
[ a partir d’aquí el musical clàssic va perdre el favor d’un púbic més inclinat cap a la TV i el rock n roll]
- 1968 Hair had only a shadow of a plot, involving a young rock man who revels in rock and rebellion until he is drafted into the army. He falls in with a tribe-like group of hippies who sing about such pointed social issues as poverty, race relations, the Vietnam war and more. This explosion of revolutionary proclamations, profanity and hard rock shook the musical theatre to its roots. After brief runs off-Broadway (first at Joseph Papp’s Public Theatre and then a dance club) composer Galt MacDermot and librettists Gerome Ragni and James Rado revised their “happening” before moving to Broadway. “Aquarius” and “Let the Sunshine In” became chart-topping hits, and Hair’s counter culture sensibility (including a draft card burning, simulated sex, and a very brief ensemble nude scene) packed the Biltmore Theatre for almost five years.
1969 Oh Calcutta [ dolent]
FILM 1960
- 1961 West Side Story (United Artists) allowed Jerome Robbins to adapt his unforgettable stage choreography for the camera — until his costly demands for retakes forced the producers to let him go. Producer and co-director Robert Wise did the rest. Rita Moreno received an Academy Award for her knockout performance as Anita, and the film received Best Picture.
- 1964 Mary Poppins, a magical nanny who brings joy to a family in Edwardian London. With a delightful score by Richard and Robert Sherman and a supporting cast that included Broadway veterans Dick Van Dyke, Ed Wynn and Glynis Johns, Mary Poppins was the best live-action musical Disney ever made. Its inventive musical sequences include Andrews magically cleaning house during “Spoonful of Sugar,” being serenaded by every animal in an animated barnyard, and cavorting about with Van Dyke on a “Jolly Holiday” with several animated penguins. Mary Poppins won five Academy Awards, the most ever for a Disney production. “Chim, Chim Chiree” won for best song. Andrews won for Best Actress, and had much to celebrate as her next project made her the hottest star in Hollywood.
- 1964 – My Fair Lady, retained Broadway star Rex Harrison and costume designer Cecil Beaton, and added stylish direction George Cukor. It also added Audrey Hepburn, who is so luminous that few have ever minded that her singing voice was dubbed by soprano Marni Nixon. The result is a delightful (if slightly overlong) film that garnered eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film does reasonable justice Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s masterpiece. At $17 million, it was the costliest film made in the US up to that time, but it grossed over $60 million in its initial release.
- 1964 – The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964 – MGM) turned out well thanks to solid direction by MGM veteran Charles Walters (his final musical) and a career-best performance by Debbie Reynolds. The only follow-up vehicle Hollywood could come up with for this talented star was the entertaining but saccharine semi-musical The Singing Nun (1966).
- 1965 The Sound of Music. 20th Century Fox had driven itself into bankruptcy spending $40 million on the historical epic Cleopatra. Fox moguls Darryl and Richard Zanuck slashed expenditures and searched for a hit to restore their fortunes. They had done well filming Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s stage hits in the 1950s, and already owned the screen rights to the final R&H show. Fox filmed The Sound of Music as their last hope, with a tight $8.2 million budget. It proved to be one of the most popular films of all time, grossing hundreds of millions and garnering five Academy Awards – including Best Picture. The Sound of Music remained in general release for an unprecedented four years. Decades later, it remains a classic, with a wonderful score, critic-proof performances and breathtaking cinematography. Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer kept the sentiment in check, and many underrate the crucial, edgy performances of Eleanor Parker as the acerbic Baroness and Richard Haydn as Uncle Max.
- 1967 Doctor Dolittle gave Hollywood a painful indication of how costly a mismanaged production could be. Budgeted at a then-generous $6 million, casting changes and behind the scenes ego clashes gradually sent costs skyrocketing to over $17 million. Reasonably well received, the film garnered Academy Awards for its special effects and the catchy song “Talk to the Animals.” But the overlong film sold few tickets, and its $9 million gross spelled the end of several musical screen careers — including that of temperamental leading man Rex Harrison.
- 1969 – Sweet Charity (1969 – Universal) marked Bob Fosse’s first directorial assignment on the big screen, adapting his hit stage musical about a dance hall girl looking for love in Manhattan. The result is a gem of a film that is often inexplicably overlooked by scholars and film buffs. Shirley MacLaine dazzled in the title role, with delicious supporting performances by musical stage veterans Chita Rivera and Stubby Kaye.
- 1968 Acclaimed director William Wyler used Barbra Streisand’s screen debut as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl (1968 – Columbia) to reshape this stage hit in vibrant cinematic terms. The popular star gave a luminous performance, earning an Academy Award for Best Actress. The “Don’t Rain On My Parade” sequence, beginning in a Baltimore train station and ending with Streisand belting her way across New York Harbor on a tugboat, was particularly magical.
- 1969 The British film version of Oliver! (1969 – Columbia) was superb in every department, but Ron Moody (Fagin) and Jack Wild (The Artful Dodger) were standouts.. Choreographer Onna White staged some of the most believable ensemble dances ever filmed. What was enjoyable on stage became dazzling on screen, and Oliver! richly deserved its Academy Award for Best Picture.
- 1969 Hello Dolly (Fox) received such a massive production that much of the show’s charm was compromised. Director Gene Kelly and choreographer Michael Kidd managed some good moments, but Barbara Streisand was far too young to play the title role, and occasionally reverted to an uneasy Mae West impersonation. While there is much to enjoy — most notably Streisand’s brief but iconic duet with Louis Armstrong — this film all too often wastes material that deserved far better treatment. Tens of millions were lost on each of these projects. They were expensive – and scary – harbingers of what lay ahead in the 1970’s.
- Elvis Presley, the hip-gyrating King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, starred in thirty musical movies between 1956 and 1970 — more musicals than any other screen star during the same period. The most memorable titles on the list include Jailhouse Rock (1956), Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) and Viva Las Vegas (1964). By grafting Presley pop songs onto routine plots (his films made no attempt to integrate song & story), these relatively low budget projects made truckloads of money. Presley’s original film songs include the charming ballads “Love Me Tender” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” While these films may not be artistic landmarks, they attracted millions of movie goers – no small accomplishment at a time when musicals were fading from the scene.