There is always LITTLE ME...

[broadwaydanwi]

Posted: 5/10/18 at 7:32pm

As Carolyn Leigh wrote for the title song in her 1962 musical comedy, "There is always Little Me! Old Reliable!" LITTLE ME turned out to be a very reliable hit at Milwaukee's Melody Top Theater on three separate occasions: 1964, 1972 and 1983. Below is a link to a page with lots of information and photographs from these productions. On a more somber note, I have dedicated this page to my friend (and frequent contributor to this message board) Christine Plath, who unexpectedly passed away during the Easter holiday of 2018. Christine loved everything about LITTLE ME, and I know she would want all of us to enjoy a smile and a laugh at the humor created by such gifted clowns as Gabriel Dell, Arte Johnson, Haskell Gordon, Zale Kessler, Ralston Hill, Charles Kimbrough and so many others who kept LITTLE ME alive and thriving in summer stock tents and barns. "Here's to us, forever and always."

LITTLE ME at Memories of Melody Top

Finally, here's a photo I haven't shared on the page: Zale Kessler as Bennie Buchsbaum, Travis Hudson as Older Belle and Haskell Gordon as Bernie Buchsbaum in LITTLE ME (1972):

 

[IlanaKeller]

Posted: 5/10/18 at 7:39pm

One of my all-time favorite overtures. I'm sorry for your loss. 

[markypoo]

Posted: 5/10/18 at 10:04pm

I saw the 1983 version. So happy to see Penny Singleton on stage.

[DivaDiana]

Posted: 5/11/18 at 9:17am

Thank you for this! I love LITTLE ME and these pictures are a treasure. 

[broadwaydanwi]

Posted: 5/11/18 at 10:02am

You are welcome! Almost 1,000 people have visited this page, which makes me very happy.

Just a word about Penny Singleton. I saw her perform in the 1983 production of LITTLE ME, and it was fun seeing a movie star from the 1930s and 1940s on stage. She did struggle to project her voice in this semi-outdoor setting, and the musical's title song (late in the second act) was cut. I'm not sure if it was cut because the show was running too long or because Penny just didn't have the energy to perform it. Either way, I'm glad she still wanted to perform at a point in her life when she could have just stayed in retirement.

[darquegk]

Posted: 5/11/18 at 10:14am

These are wonderful photos of a show I love. I've always wanted to produce the 1998 revision, and Tams-Witmark has licensed the script a few times, but they lost their stash of orchestrations in a flood, so they don't give out the score.

[broadwaydanwi]

Posted: 5/12/18 at 12:40pm

Thanks for your comments -- and thanks for 1,000 visits to the LITTLE ME page over the past 24 hours!