I Remember Mama (musical)
| I Remember Mama | |
|---|---|
 1985 Studio Recording |
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| Music | Richard Rodgers |
| Lyrics | Martin Charnin Raymond Jessel |
| Book | Thomas Meehan |
| Basis | Memoir by Kathryn Forbes Mama's Bank Account |
| Productions | 1979 Broadway |
I Remember Mama is a musical with a book by Thomas Meehan, lyrics by Martin Charnin and Raymond Jessel, and music by Richard Rodgers.
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[edit] Origins
I Remember Mama originated as a memoir by Kathryn Forbes titled Mama's Bank Account. It was adapted for the stage by John Van Druten in 1944; Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II produced its original Broadway production. It was filmed in 1948, and served as the basis for a 1950s television series. Every incarnation basically was the same, a series of heartwarming vignettes centering on a family of Norwegian immigrants living in San Francisco in the early 20th Century. At its core is the oldest daughter, Katrin, who yearns to be a published writer and conspires to meet renowned author Dame Sybil Fitzgibbons, a guest at the Fairmont Hotel, for professional advice and guidance. It is through Katrin's eyes we see the struggles, hopes, and dreams of the Hansens unfold.
[edit] Production
The musical adaptation was beset with problems from the beginning. Rodgers and Charnin had composed a full score before the libretto was written, so they ended up having to replace a significant number of songs throughout rehearsals, and the director was also replaced. After 40 previews, the Alexander H. Cohen-Hildy Parks musical production, directed by Cy Feuer, opened on May 31, 1979 at the Majestic Theatre, where it ran for 108 performances. The opening night cast included Liv Ullmann, George Hearn, Dolores Wilson, and George S. Irving.
[edit] Reception
By 1979, Broadway audiences had become accustomed to edgier musicals such as Sweeney Todd and Evita. Critics found Mama to be old-fashioned and corny, and all were quick to describe the musically disinclined Ullmann as miscast. Advance box office sales, particularly for matinée performances, had been strong enough to keep the show alive in its early weeks, but attendance quickly dropped in numbers dramatic enough to warrant closing. It was Rodgers' last musical.
An original cast album was never recorded, but a studio recording with Hearn and Irving reprising their stage roles and Sally Ann Howes replacing Ullmann was released in 1985.
[edit] Song list
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[edit] References
Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops by Ken Mandelbaum, published by St. Martin's Press, October 1991
