****nbone Alley is a stage musical comprising archy and mehitabel and
echoes of archy, the two concert pieces that were Sides One and Two of
the old Columbia "concept album," plus new material.
Over a decade ago Goodman did a studio production titled archy and
mehitabel, but which was essentially the stage musical ****nbone Alley
(for example the addition of the Flotsam and Jetsam song was distictly
****nbone, not archy); otherwise the two are not really recognized as
the same show.
By the way, the Don Marquis articles on which these works were based
were from the New York Sun, not Tribune.
The 70s animated film is pretty bad.
On Apr 14, 3:02=A0pm, New****tsRe...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(Steve New****t) wrote:
> ****nbone Alley is a musical with a book by Joe Darion (lyricist for MAN
> OF LA MANCHA, ILLYA DARLING) and Mel Brooks, lyrics by Darion, and music
> by George Kleinsinger.
>
> Based on archy and mehitabel, a series of New York Tribune columns by
> Don Marquis, it focuses on poetic cockroach Archy, alley cat Mehitabel,
> and her relation****ps with theatrical cat Tyrone T. Tattersal and tomcat
> Big Bill.
>
> The project began life in 1954 as a Columbia Records concept album with
> Marquis' original title, featuring Eddie Bracken, Carol Channing, and
> David Wayne.
>
> That same year a concert version was presented by the Little Orchestra
> Society at The Town Hall in New York City.
>
> With an expanded book, the addition of several lengthy ballet sequences,
> and a cast of animal characters, the rechristened ****nbone Alley =A0was
> one of the first Broadway shows to feature a fully integrated cast.
>
> Following "creative differences" with the writers and producers,
> original director Norman Lloyd requested that his name be removed from
> the credits.
>
> With benefit of neither an out-of-town tryout nor a preview period, the
> Broadway production, supervised by Sawyer Falk and choreographed by Joe
> and Rod Alexander, opened on April 13, 1957 at The Broadway Theatre,
> where it ran for 49 performances.
>
> The cast included Bracken, reprising his role as Archy, Eartha Kitt as
> Mehitabel, Erik Rhodes as Tyrone, and George S. Irving as Big Bill.
> Sup****ting players included Cathryn Damon, Jacques d'Amboise, Ross
> Martin, Lillian Hayman, and Allegra Kent. Relative newcomer Chita Rivera
> was Kitt's standby.
>
> The show's sole Tony Award nomination was for Best Costume Design.
>
> In lieu of a cast album recorded in a studio, a tape of a live
> performance was transferred to acetate and released on the Legend label.
>
> On May 16, 1960, an abridged version of the musical was broadcast under
> the original title archy and mehitabel as part of the syndicated
> anthology series Play of the Week presented by David Susskind. The cast
> included Bracken, Tammy Grimes, and Jules Mun****n.
>
> Bracken and Channing reunited to provide the voices for the 1971 UPA
> animated feature film entitled ****nbone Alley, directed by John David
> Wilson for Fine Arts Films.
>
> The musical is currently licensed by Music Theatre International under
> the title archy & mehitabel.
>
> Songs
> Act I
> What Do We Care?
> Toujours Gai
> Queer Little Insect
> Big Bill
> True Romance
> The Lightning Bug Song
> I Gotta Be
> Flotsam and Jetsam
> Come to Mee-ow
> Suicide Song
> ****nbone Alley
> Act II
> The Moth Song
> A Woman Wouldn't Be a Woman
> The Lullaby
> What the Hell
> Pretty Kitty
> Way Down Blues
> The Lady Bug Song
> Be a *****cat
> Quiet Street
> Toujours Gai (Reprise)
>
> Reference
> Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops by Ken
> Mandelbaum, published by St. Martin's Press (1991), pages 301-303
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