Redhead, anyone

[fb1123]

Posted: 3/26/15 at 1:34pm

Exploring some Broadway history and found a musical called "Redhead" from 1959. It ran for 452 performances and won Tony awards for Best Musical, actor for Richard Kiley, actress for Gwen Verdon, featured actor Leonard Stone, choreography by Bob Fosse and best costume. Is anyone familiar with this show? It ran for over a year but seems forgotten so I'm quite curious about it. I am not familiar with any of the song titles and wonder why with revivals every season why this hasn't been revived.

[tazber]

Posted: 3/26/15 at 1:43pm

Some thoughts on it here (previous thread)

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 3/26/15 at 1:46pm

Ive known the score, but thats about it. I think its wonderful!! They should revive this show with Molly Pope
Redhead Album

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/26/15 at 1:48pm

It is because revivals are done on a limited number of titles that are done over & over again. Most shows that opened since the 50's (or earlier)will never be revived .

Updated On: 3/26/15 at 01:48 PM

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 3/26/15 at 2:39pm

It's a weird case of a hit that just got forgotten randomly. Maybe it was only a hit because of the talent involved.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 3/26/15 at 3:14pm

I may have commented on this previously, but it's a lousy show that won the Tony's because of Verdon, Kiley, Fosse and the fact that, up to that point, there were no serious contenders. I saw the show several years later in Summer Stock and it fell flat as a pancake. No major songs and a loose plot, plus the absence of the reasons for seeing the show in the first place, contributed to it being a lackluster evening. Similar fate befell Hallelujah, Baby!, although it had a good score, if not Styne's very best.

[mamaleh]

Posted: 3/26/15 at 3:49pm

I'd like to see REDHEAD done at Encores!, just to see whether it was the show that was deserving or the star(s). I was amazed how lackluster IRMA LA DOUCE was at Encores!, a show I'd heard so much about and whose cast album I've long appreciated. It must have been Elizabeth Seal's appeal that carried the day.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 3/26/15 at 3:57pm

Verdon is pretty magical performing "'erbie Fitch's Twitch".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxdmCL9XJ64

[gypsy101]

Posted: 3/26/15 at 9:21pm

This topic reminds me of Fiorello! and whatever happened to that?

[fb1123]

Posted: 3/27/15 at 1:44pm

Thanks for the info guys, maybe someday?

[brucebossa]

Posted: 3/27/15 at 5:08pm

Mameleh: don't judge IRMA LA DOUCE by that rotten ENCORES production with an Irma who had absolutely no charisma. And a boring Malcolm Gets who had no character. Just hearing one song by Clive Revill on the OBC ... you can HEAR the character dripping from him!

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 3/27/15 at 5:11pm

I've always just assumed that Gwen Verdon and Fosse were the reasons this show was a success, and that's why it's not really done anymore. Regardless, there's a pretty good account of the show in Sam Wasson's terrific biography of Fosse. Like the rest of the book, it's fascinating to read about it.

[brucebossa]

Posted: 3/27/15 at 5:11pm

As for the TONY AWARDS! That year only 3 musicals were nominated: REDHEAD; FLOWER DRUM SONG and LA PLUME DE MA TANTE (a revue more or less). REDHEAD won by default. The score is fine ... but you can just tell the plot (murder mystery in a wax museum run by two maidenly aunts of Gwen Verdon's character) was pretty thin!

PS: EDITED UPDATE! I just saw that the year REDHEAD was on Broadway, the play version of THE VISIT opened the same year and was nominated for BEST PLAY. Updated On: 3/27/15 at 05:11 PM

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 3/28/15 at 3:01am

According to Sam Wasson's bio of Fosse (or was it the Dancers Over 40 clips on Youtube I can't remember), Gwen had the most fun performing in Redhead. Apparently the huge dance numbers with Verdon doing some cool things on a trampoline were all what made the show much better than the source material made it out to be.

Here's another video of Gwen Verdon performing a number from Redhead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVZTdOP-iWE

Between that and Erbie Fitch, I can see why people really enjoyed the show. I guess Gwen Verdon and Bob Fosse can sell anything together.