The Pajama Game - 2006 - Broadway Articles Page 16

As BroadwayWorld reported last week, composer-lyricist and Broadway legend, Richard Adler, died Thursday, June 21st at his Southampton, New York home. He was 90. We celebrate the composer with a photo tribute below!

On Thursday, three-time Tony Award-winning Broadway composer Richard Adler passed away at the ripe old age of 90. Responsible for two of the biggest Broadway smash hits of the 1950s, THE PAJAMA GAME and GAMN YANKEES, Adler never quite managed to equal his career-high double-hitter of that era, yet his earlier work with Tony Bennett ('Rags To Riches'), Doris Day ('Everybody Loves A Lover') and Marilyn Monroe (the iconic 'Happy Birthday, Mr. President') surely shall solidify his place in the firmament of entertainment history along with his two classic musicals from the Golden Age. Winning both Best Score and Best Musical for both THE PAJAMA GAME and DAMN YANKEES, Adler's partnership with lyricist Jerry Ross - which began on Broadway in 1953 with JOHN MURRAY ANDERSON'S ALMANAC - was tragically cut short just months after the DAMN YANKEES premiere when Ross was diagnosed with lung disease and passed away soon thereafter. Yet, thanks to the beloved film versions of THE PAJAMA GAME and DAMN YANKEES and continued interest in the entities as expressed in the revivals and reappraisals of both onstage from Broadway to Biloxi to Bombay year after year, the snappy, snazzy tunes of Adler and Ross live on eight times a week all around the world - even now, more than fifty years after they premiered. Unfortunately, Adler's subsequent shows with other collaborators post-1955 failed to capture the early magic of his previous projects with Ross and his earlier musical and theatrical endeavors in the pop arena, with the racially charged KWAMINA flopping on Broadway in 1961 (though he took home a Best Composer Tony Award for his efforts anyway) and the awkwardly titled MUSIC IS failing to recreate the magic of its source material, Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT, in 1976. A MOTER'S KISSES, starring Bea Arthur and a young Bernadette Peters, died on the road, as well. In the intervening years, Adler attempted musical adaptations taken from a number of intriguing sources - OF HUMAN BONDAGE and others among them - though only his ballet scores seemed to reach an audience; particularly his last, commissioned for a new production of Lorca's THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA in 1998. Of course, THE PAJAMA GAME has had two Broadway revivals - most recently the rapturously received Kathleen Marshall-directed production starring Harry Connick, Jr. and Kelli O'Hara; and DAMN YANKEES famously returned to the Great White Way with much ado in 1994 starring Victor Garber. Now seems particularly ripe for remounting YANKEES, as we approach twenty years in its absence - especially given the musical's seriously smashing showing at Encores! in 2007. Who knows, perhaps some risky producer will even take a chance on a new production of KWAMINA, MUSIC IS, A MOTHER'S KISSES or one of the bottom drawer shows someday soon to see if they possess any of the limitless potential shown by Adler's earlier work. Or maybe a stage treatment of his TV musical GIFT OF THE MAGI (originally composed for then-wife Sally Ann Howes)? Or, better yet, how about a revue? What a stupendous songstack Adler created over the course of his career - 'Whatever Lola Wants' to 'Hey There' to 'Hernando's Hideaway' to 'You Gotta Have Heart' to 'Steam Heat' to the aforementioned Bennett, Day and Monroe standards and so many more chestnuts.

Preview performances are underway for Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway premiere production of Mary Chase' Harvey, set to open June 14, 2012. The marquee is up! See below for a first look.

Preview performances begin tonight for Roundabout Theatre Company's (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) Broadway premiere production of Mary Chase' Harvey.

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, May 13, 2012 - Sunday, May 13, 2012.

Today in 1954, The Pajama Game opened at the St. James Theatre, where it ran for 1063 performances. The Pajama Game is a musical based on the novel 7½ Cents by Richard Bissell. It features a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story deals with labor troubles in a pajama factory, where worker demands for a seven-and-a-half cents raise are going unheeded. In the midst of this ordeal, love blossoms between Babe, the grievance committee head, and Sid, the new factory superintendent. The original production won a Tony for Best Musical, and the 2006 Broadway revival won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.

Awards season is in full swing and to celebrate all of the 2011-2012 nominees, we've dug deep into our archives to bring you vintage photos of all of the talent during special moments in their careers. Check out the 2011-2012 Tony-nominated women below!

The creative team behind last summer's sold-out, acclaimed Southwark Playhouse musical, Parade - long-listed for The Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical in the 2011 Evening Standard Awards - are returning to the venue for a major revival of the Jerry Herman/Michael Stewart Hollywood musical, Mack and Mabel. The show runs July 5 - August 25.

El 9 de agosto, dentro del marco del Festival Castell de Peralada, el actor y cantante Harry Connick Jr, visto recientemente en Broadway en el musical On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, ofrecerá un concierto en el Auditorio Parc del Castell, donde hará un recorrido por su repertorio de más de 30 álbumes con el estilo de los grandes crooners de la historia.

After receiving positives reviews from critics and audiences alike - and selling out every performance of its January run - Balagan Theatre brings the coming-of-age rock musical, Spring Awakening, back to Seattle in April, plus a weekend tour to Mount Vernon in May.

After selling out every performance of its January run, the Balagan Theatre will bring the coming-of-age rock musical, Spring Awakening, back to Seattle in April, with a weekend tour to Mount Vernon in May. Check out the production photographs below.

The Broadway at Birdland concert series announces that Broadway stars Karen Mason and Brent Barrett will share the stage for the first time in "Sing Happy" on Monday, April 9 at 7pm.

After receiving positives reviews from critics and audiences alike - and selling out every performance of its January run - Balagan Theatre brings the coming-of-age rock musical, Spring Awakening, back to Seattle in April, plus a weekend tour to Mount Vernon in May.

Signature Theatre will present the world premiere of Really Really by Paul Downs Colaizzo.

Linda Lavin (Broadway Bound), Sebastian Arcelus (Elf), LaChanze (The Color Purple), Emily Skinner (Side Show), Shuler Hensley (Oklahoma!), Daniel Breaker (Passing Strange) and Sierra Boggess (Love Never Dies, The Little Mermaid) will be among the star players in the upcoming Broadway Hal Prince tribute, PRINCE OF BROADWAY, The New York Times reveals.

The Broadway at Birdland concert series announces that Broadway stars Karen Mason and Brent Barrett will share the stage for the first time in "Sing Happy" on Monday, April 9 at 7pm.

Two-time Tony Award nominated costume designer Carrie Robbins, and scenic, lighting, costume designer and educator Lloyd Burlingame are among the 2012 TDF/Irene Sharaff Awards recipients. The awards will be presented at a ceremony on Friday, May 4, at 6:30pm, at the Hudson Theatre (145 West 44th Street). Ms. Robbins was selected to receive the 2012 TDF/Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award for costume design, and Mr. Burlingame will receive the Robert L.B. Tobin Award for Sustained Excellence in Theatrical Design.

One of the greatest joys of our job is seeing our audiences transformed by a theatre performance. At some point in Roundabout's 46-year history, you've likely experienced a play or musical that has inspired you. Roundabout has been fortunate to produce award-winning productions on Broadway for 20 years now. You may even recall our first Broadway production of Anna Christie at the Criterion Center in 1992.

Today in 2006, The Pajama Game opened at the America Airlines Theatre, where it ran for 129 performances. The Pajama Game is a musical based on the novel 7½ Cents by Richard Bissell. It features a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story deals with labor troubles in a pajama factory, where worker demands for a seven-and-a-half cents raise are going unheeded. In the midst of this ordeal, love blossoms between Babe, the grievance committee head, and Sid, the new factory superintendent. The original Broadway production opened on May 13, 1954, and ran for 1,063 performances.

The Finborough Theatre's 'Celebrating British Music Theatre' series follows Perchance to Dream with Ivor Novello's last musical.

Roundabout Theatre Company in association with Don Gregory, has announced the full company for the new Broadway production of Mary Chase's Harvey starring Jim Parsons (Elwood P. Dowd), Jessica Hecht (Veta Louise Simmons), Charles Kimbrough (William R. Chumley, M.D.), Larry Bryggman (Judge Omar Gaffney), Carol Kane (Betty Chumley), Peter Benson (E.J. Lofgren), Tracee Chimo (Myrtle Mae Simmons), Holley Fain (Ruth Kelly, R.N.), Angela Paton (Mrs. Ethel Chauvenet), Rich Sommer (Duane Wilson), Morgan Spector (Lyman Sanderson, M.D.) and directed by Scott Ellis.

92nd Street Y has announced that Jordan Roth, President of Jujamcyn Theaters, continues the new season of his popular interview series, "Broadway Talks with Jordan Roth," with Harry Connick, Jr. (On a Clear Day You Can See Forever) on Tuesday, February 7th at 8:00 p.m. and Nick Jonas (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) on Sunday, March 4th at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are from $29 and are available at www.92Y.org/BroadwayTalks or by calling 212.415.5500.

The Finborough Theatre's 'Celebrating British Music Theatre' series follows Perchance to Dream with Ivor Novello's last musical.

Roundabout Theatre Company recently announced the theatre organization's permanent archives, which document the company's illustrious 46-year production history. The archives are a resource for the theatre community, Roundabout's audiences, students and researchers. The digital archives showcase selections from Roundabout's general collection, featuring items that chronicle and celebrate the company's impact on the American theatre movement, and BroadwayWorld is excited to share featured pieces from the archives. Featured today:

Three-time Grammy Award winner, two-time Emmy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Harry Connick Jr. will have a multi-episode, guest-starring turn on the Wolf Films/NBC drama LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT on Wednesday, January 18th from 10-11 p.m. ET.