History of The Musical Stage
1970s: Part IV - 
Book Musicals
by John Kenrick
(Copyright 1996-2003)

Several writers took the common sense approach of adding contemporary musical flavoring to otherwise conventional musicals. Charles Strouse and Lee Adams, who used early rock and roll effectively in Bye Bye Birdie, had similar success with Applause (1970 - 900), which re-set the back-stabbing plot of the film All About Eve in the theatrical world of 1970. This time, rock rhythms and orchestrations gave a "mod" sound to traditional showtunes, and the presence of 1940s movie star Lauren Bacall cemented the show's success with mainstream theatregoers. She couldn't sing worth a damn, but her star power sold plenty of tickets. Tonys went to Bacall, director-choreographer Ron Field, and the show itself as Best Musical.

Two black dramas were adapted into popular book musicals, both with mostly white creative teams. --

• Purlie (1970 - 690) was based on Ossie Davis' 1961 comedy Purlie Victorious, the story of a black preacher fighting bigotry and finding love in the segregated South. Cleavon Little was irresistible in the title role, and Melba Moore won raves as his beloved with some death-defying vocal pyrotechnics – both performers received Tony Awards.

• Raisin (1973 - 847) was a scrupulously faithful musical adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry's hit 1959 drama Raisin in the Sun. The score was less than memorable, but the story of an inner city black family trying to balance ambition with integrity retained its power. The show copped the Tony for Best Musical, with a well deserved Best Actress award for the show's indomitable mamma, Virginia Capers.

Despite decent runs, both Purlie and Raisin wound up losing money. At the other extreme, Ain't Misbehavin' (1978 - 1,604) revitalized the revue format with an all-black cast in beguiling vignettes built around the songs of Fats Waller. Created by lyricist/director Richard Maltby, it brought stardom to rotund comedienne Nell Carter. She and Maltby won Tonys, and the show received the the award for Best Musical. The long, profitable run put the production's birthplace, the Manhattan Theatre Club, in the spotlight

Nostalgic Misfires
New musicals written in period style such as the Andrews Sisters vehicle Over Here (1974 - 341) had appeal, but most of the new book musicals in the mid-1970s met with disaster. Some fizzled despite good scores and distinguished casts --

• Cyrano (1974 - 49 previews, 5 performances) starred Christopher Plummer, who received the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical. But this strong adaptation of Rostand's classic play felt like operetta and did not find an audience.

• Molly (1974 - 68 previews, 40 performances) was based on Molly Goldberg's radio and TV sitcom about Jewish-American family life. It marked comedienne Kay Ballard's last starring role in a new musical.

• Mack and Mabel (1974 - 69) featured one of Jerry Herman's finest scores and a cast headed by Robert Preston and Bernadette Peters. But the tragic true life love story of silent screen director Mack Sennett and actress Mabel Normand made the libretto unworkable.

• Shenandoah (1975 - 1,050) was based on a classic film about a Virginia farmer and his family facing the nightmare of the American Civil War. A handsome TV campaign, the catchy tune "Freedom," a stellar performance by John Cullum, and steep ticket discounts kept the show running for several years, but the production never repaid its original investment.

• Rex (1976 - 48 previews, 14 performances) had a rich score by Richard Rodgers and lyricist Sheldon Harnick, but England's murderous King Henry VIII proved too hateful to be the protagonist of a musical. Leading man Nicol Williamson's rude misbehavior both on and off stage (he once slapped a chorus member in full view of the audience) kept the gossip columnists busy for the entire nine week run.

Palpable Hits
When Annie (1976) opened to extraordinary critical acclaim, the producers celebrated with this full page ad in the NY Times. (This is a large image – if clicked, it may take some time to download.)

Some suggested that the standard book musical was an endangered Broadway species. Then an orphan girl and a scruffy dog re-energized the genre. Both critics and audiences melted for Annie (1976 - 2,377), a shamelessly old-fashioned musical inspired by the comic strip Little Orphan Annie. It told how a penniless tyke met and captured the heart of billionaire Daddy Warbucks, finding love, adventure and a loveable mutt named Sandy along the way. Newcomer Andrea McArdle gave a disarming performance in the title role, and Dorothy Loudon copped the Tony with a hilarious performance as Miss Hannigan, the harried orphanage director who has come to loathe "Little Girls."

Composer Charles Strouse, lyricist Martin Charnin and librettist Thomas Meehan made Annie's success seem deceptively simple, but it was so skillfully written and produced that few could follow in its creative footsteps. This multiple Tony winner became an international sensation, proving that the traditional musical could still win audiences. Annie was the first Broadway musical to gross over $100 million, astounding for a show which opened with orchestra seats at a mere $16. (Note: By the time it closed six years later, the same seats went for $45.)

Towards the end of the decade, two more variations on the traditional book musical topped the 1,000 performance mark –

• The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1978 - 1,703) was inspired by the real-life political shenanigans that forced the closing of an infamous bordello. It became lasting hit thanks to Tommy Tune's energetic staging, a bawdy libretto, and some catchy country-style tunes by Carol Hall.  TV ads for the show had to bleep out the word "whore" in the title to meet federal broadcast standards -- but as a lyric put it, there was "nuthin' dirty goin' on," and audiences embraced the show.

• Neil Simon's hilarious book for They're Playing Our Song (1979 - 1,082) offered a conventional musical comedy romance between a composer and lyricist, played with disarming brio by Robert Klein and Lucie Arnaz. The Marvin Hamlisch- Carol Bayer Sager score infused some witty showtunes with the rhythms of late-70s pop.

As the decade ended, change was in the air – including the vanguard of a European invasion that would dominate Broadway into the end of the century.

Next: Stage 1970s V - Storm Warnings