Latest Headlines View More Articles
Remembering IRENE In Honor of Debbie, Carrie and George |
Mirvish Productions, who had produced the out-of-town tryout in Toronto back in 1972 posted this on Facebook today (sorry for the all-caps, it's a direct copy and paste so it was them, not me):
MIRVISH PRODUCTIONS HONOURS DEBBIE REYNOLDS
LEGENDARY STAR OF STAGE AND SCREEN STARRED AT THE ROYAL ALEXANDRA THEATRE IN THE MUSICAL 'IRENE' IN 1972
DAUGHTER CARRIE FISHER HAD HER FIRST PROFESSIONAL JOB IN THE SHOW'S CHORUS
MIRVISH WILL DIM MARQUEE LIGHTS OF ALL ITS TORONTO THEATRES ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER AT 8 PM
The world is in shock to learn of the death of Debbie Reynolds only a day after that of her daughter, Carrie Fisher. In 1972 at the venerable Royal Alexandra Theatre, both these legends appeared in the same show.
Debbie Reynolds was starring in an adaptation of the 1919 Broadway musical IRENE. The show was having its out-of-town tryout before moving to Broadway. Miss Reynolds, who would be away from home for at least two years due to her commitment to IRENE, was delighted that her daughter, Carrie Fisher, had gotten a part in the chorus of the show — at 16, her first professional role as an actress. They would be together for the entirety of the show’s run. (Carrie Fisher would return to the Royal Alex in 2011 to star in her acclaimed one-woman show, WISHFUL DRINKING.)
In Toronto, IRENE would make theatrical history. (The story is recounted in the book “The Royal Alexandra Theatre: A Celebration of 100 Years” by Robert Brockhouse. The excerpt is below.)
But here David Mirvish remembers IRENE and the incident that would make it live on in theatre lore:
“IRENE was on its way to Broadway and it was the first and only time that Sir John Gielgud had directed a musical. In the tradition of out-of-town tryouts the show was rewritten every day and rehearsed in the afternoon and the new material put into the show at night. It is an exhausting process.
"A meeting was held in the Royal Alexandra Theatre — Jerry Minskoff, the producer of IRENE, Sir John Gielgud, Debbie Reynolds, my father (Ed Mirvish) and I were all present. We were informed by Jerry that Debbie had lost her voice and that we would therefore have to cancel the show.
“It was early winter, late in the afternoon and in the midst of a blizzard. My father explained that it was too late to contact the subscribers from Buffalo, who would have already left to come to the show, and asked if there was nothing that could be done.
“My father then said that it was thought that if Sir John, who was among the greatest actors of the 20th century, read the telephone book any audience would be appreciative.
"After a long pause, Sir John offered a possible solution and Debbie Reynolds graciously supported him.
"Taking a segment from the plot of the film SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, in which Debbie Reynolds had starred at the age of 19, Sir John suggested that Debbie could mime the role and Sir John would supply the words.
"The overture was played, the curtain raised and Debbie danced her way across the tops of six pianos while Sir John from the wings said 'and now Miss Reynolds would be singing these words.’
"Theatre history was made that night.
"Anyone who was in the audience was delivered a performance they would never forget. Two great legends of the theatre refused to allow the weather or loss of voice to defeat them.
"In the chorus of this production was a 16-year-old named Carrie Fisher.
“We are truly saddened to have lost both Carrie and Debbie within a day of each other. In fact, it is difficult to understand such a tragedy.
“They were legends who enriched all our lives.”
***********
Excerpt from “The Royal Alexandra Theatre: A Celebration of 100 Years” by Robert Brockhouse, published by McArthur & Company, 2007:
It’s difficult to imagine the pairing of Debbie Reynolds, bubbly star of Hollywood musicals, and Sir John Gielgud, the dignified British Shakespearean, but they once performed together on the stage of the Royal Alexandra, although few in the audience knew about it at the time. It happened in November 1972, in a revival of the 1920s musical IRENE.
IRENE had played at the Royal Alexandra three times before, twice in 1921 and once in 1923. It had done well on Broadway, but the touring production was seen as a vehicle devised principally to promote the would-be star Dale Winter, wife (widow, actually) of the Chicago gangster Big Jim Colosimo, who was believed to have been shot down by Al Capone, although no one ever proved it. Dale had taken singing lessons from Enrico Caruso, but that didn’t help much and IRENE had remained forgotten until 1971, when playwright Hugh Wheeler rewrote it and producers Harry Rigby and Jerome Minskoff restaged it, hoping to take advantage of the craze for vintage musicals sparked by NO, NO, NANETTE.
Sir John Gielgud was the producers’ curious choice as director - he had done opera, but had never directed a musical - and Debbie Reynolds was the star. The show had its pre-Broadway tryout at the Royal Alexandra and disaster struck when Debbie Reynolds, with a full house in attendance, lost her voice; she was unable to speak above a whisper. There was an understudy, but she had not yet rehearsed. Ed Mirvish claimed the dubious credit for what happened; he suggested that Miss Reynolds go on, act and dance, and that Gielgud stand in the wings and read her lines.
Ed may have been inspired by Debbie Reynolds’ role in the film SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, in which she stood backstage and provided the speaking and singing voice for an inept silent film star to mime before a live audience. It worked in the movie, but not in real life. The Toronto audience was furious at hearing Miss Reynolds’ songs recited by “some man.” Half the audience walked out at intermission, and the theatre had to refund almost everyone’s money. Ed Mirvish always expressed puzzlement at the failure of his idea. He had given the theatre an historic moment, the first (and last) musical performance by one of the 20th century’s greatest classical actors.
joined:10/13/03
joined:
10/13/03
In honor of noradesmond's wishful thinking I whipped up a mock cover for a rerecording with Debbie:
There may or may not be an edit of the aforementioned soundboard to go with it that folks need only PM me about...
joined:2/2/14
joined:
2/2/14
Posted: 12/29/16 at 7:11pm