Word: dears
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...NOVEMBER just such a show opened at the Colonial Theatre in Boston. The show, Dear World, had all the earmarks of a hit: a hot star (Angela Lansbury); a composer-lyricist who had never written for a flop (Jerry Herman, whose previous efforts included Hello Dolly and Mame); and a successful librettist team (Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, authors of Mame and Inherit the Wind). Dear World's five-week tryout engagement here was a virtual sellout before the opening night...
Unfortunately, the biggest advance sale in the world is no insurance against mediocre audience and critical response. In Dear World's case, the opening night audience at the Colonial was polite, but little more. The show's jokes got the mildest of laughs; the musical numbers merited only perfunctory applause. Much later, when the cast and creators were back in their hotel rooms, the reviews confirmed the audience reaction. Kelly said major revisions were in order, and Norton, usually enthusiastic about Broadways musicals and standard comedies, had only faint praise for Dear World...
Besides the new dialogue, there are the new songs, the new dances, and, for Dear World, the new sets. Not only must each new song be composed and learned by the performers, but it must be orchestrated, copied into parts, and rehearsed by the orchestra. Joe Layton, the new director, also took over the job of choreographer, thereby necessitating the removal of all the dancing devised by the show's original choreographer, Donald Saddler. So, Layton had to divide his limited time between rehearsing the actors and the dancers. He also had to wait for the new sets...
...Dear...
...opening of one of his plays, Mr. Shaw was greeted with great applause by all of the audience save one man who expressed his opinion with a resounding "Boo!" G.B. looked up into the balcony where the dissenter sat. Then said he genially, "I heartily agree with you, my dear fellow; but who are we two against so many...