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 sounds to otherwise conventional musicals. Charles Strouse and Lee Adams, who used early rock and roll so 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. She couldn't sing worth a damn, but her star power was undeniable. 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 about a black preacher finding love and fighting bigotry in the deep 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 Tonys. 

• Raisin (1973 - 847) was a 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 of these productions wound up losing money.

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 charismatic comedienne Nell Carter. She and Maltby won Tonys, and the show received the the award for Best Musical.

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 did not find an audience.

• Molly (1974 - 68 previews and 40 performances) was based on Molly Goldberg's old radio sitcom about Jewish-American family life. marked comedienne Kay Ballard's last starring role (to date) 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 true life love story of silent screen director Mack Sennett and the tragic comedienne 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. It had a handsome TV campaign, the catchy tune "Freedom" and a stellar performance by John Cullum – but despite a long run, it never returned its original investment.

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

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 feared that the standard book musical was a lost cause. Then an orphan girl and a scruffy dog conquered Broadway. Both critics and audiences melted for Annie (1976 - 2,377), a shamelessly old-fashioned musical inspired by the Little Orphan Annie comic strip. It told how the little tyke met and captured the heart of 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 embodying the comic evil of orphanage director Miss Hannigan.

Composer Charles Strouse, lyricist Martin Charnin and librettist Thomas Meehan made Annie seem 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. (By the time it closed six years later, the same seats went for $45.)

Towards the end of the decade, some variations on traditional approaches did well enough to top 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 a lasting hit thanks to Tommy Tune's energetic staging, a bawdy libretto, and some catchy country-style tunes by Carol Hall.

• 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. The Marvin Hamlisch- Carol Bayer Sager score infused some witty showtunes with the rhythms of late-70s pop.

As the decade ended, the hits kept coming, but change was in the air – including the first signs of a British invasion that would dominate Broadway into the next decade.

Next: Stage 1970s V - Storm Warnings