Lady in the Dark is a musical with music by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book and direction by Moss Hart. It was produced by Sam Harris. The protagonist, Liza Elliott, is the unhappy female editor of a fashion magazine, Allure, who is undergoing psychoanalysis. The musical ran on Broadway in 1941, in the United Kingdom in 1981, and was also made into a 1944 film and a live 1954 television special.
Background
The musical's theme of psychoanalysis is said to be based on Hart's own experiences with psychoanalyst Gregory Zilboorg. Except for the final song, all the music in the play is heard in three extended dream sequences: the Glamour Dream, the Wedding Dream, and the Circus Dream which, to some extent, become three small operettas integrated into a straight play. The final song, "My Ship", functions as a leitmotif for Liza's insecurity: as each dream commences, a snippet of the tune is heard, as it is a haunting melody which Liza recognizes but cannot name, or sing with words, until her anxiety is resolved.
Productions
The musical opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon) on January 23, 1941 and closed on May 30, 1942 after 467 performances. Direction was by Hart, produced by Sam H. Harris, with musical staging by Hassard Short, who also was the production designer, and choreography by Albertina Rasch. The original cast starred Gertrude Lawrence, Danny Kaye, Bert Lytell, Victor Mature, Margaret Dale, and Davis Cunningham.
Kaye's performance as fashion photographer Russell Paxton, and particularly his consistently showstopping performance of the patter song "Tschaikowsky (and Other Russians)" in which he dashes through the names of 50 Russian composers in 39 seconds, made him a star.[2] The musical went on an eight city tour for 160 performances,[3]and also played on the West Coast, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, for 56 performances. The show then ran at The Broadway Theatre from February 27 through May 15, 1943, for 83 performances. Gertrude Lawrence reprised her role as Liza Elliott in all venues.
Subsequent productions
Lady in the Dark premiered in the United Kingdom on December 9, 1981, at Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham; Celeste Holm, in her British debut, starred.
A New York City Center Encores! semi-staged concert was produced in New York in May 1994 with Christine Ebersole.
The musical opened on the West End at the Royal National Theatre, London, on March 11, running through August 2, 1997, directed by Francesca Zambello and starring Maria Friedman.[7][8] The production received the Evening Standard Award for Best Musical.
SongsAct I Glamour Dream Oh Fabulous One in Your Ivory Tower – Liza Elliott's Serenaders The World's Inamorata – Liza Elliott and Miss Foster One Life to Live – Liza Elliott and Russell Paxton Girl of the Moment – Ensemble Wedding Dream It Looks Like Liza – Entire Company This Is New – Randy Curtis and Liza Elliott The Princess of Pure Delight – Liza Elliott and Children This Woman at the Altar – Entire Company Act II Circus Dream The Greatest Show on Earth – Randy Curtis and Ensemble The Best Years of His Life – Charley Johnson and Randy Curtis Tschaikowsky (and Other Russians) – Russell Paxton and Ensemble The Saga of Jenny – Liza Elliott, Jury and Ensemble Final Scene My Ship – Liza Elliott (not retained in the film version)
