Lady, Be Good (musical)
| Lady, Be Good | |
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 Fred and Adele Astaire perform "Swiss Miss" in the London production |
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| Music | George Gershwin |
| Lyrics | Ira Gershwin |
| Book | Guy Bolton Fred Thompson |
| Productions | 1924 Broadway 1926 West End |
Lady, Be Good (title sometimes presented with an exclamation point) is a musical written by Guy Bolton and Fred Thompson with music by George and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was first presented on Broadway in 1924; the West End production followed in 1926. The story of the musical is about a brother and sister who are out of money; both are eager to sacrifice themselves to help the other. This was the first Broadway collaboration of the Gershwin brothers.
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[edit] Productions
Lady Be Good premièred on Broadway at the Liberty Theatre on December 1, 1924 and closed on September 12, 1925, after 330 performances. The musical was staged by Felix Edwardes with musical staging by Sammy Lee and scenic design by Norman Bel Geddes. It starred brother and sister performers Fred and Adele Astaire.
The musical opened in the West End at the Empire Theatre on April 14, 1926, starring Fred and Adele Astaire.[1] It played strongly there, running for 326 performances.[2] The best-known songs from the score are "Oh, Lady be Good!" and "Fascinating Rhythm."
The 42nd Street Moon, San Francisco, California, presented the musical in a staged concert format in March and April 2010,[3] and also in November and December 1996.[4] Another staged concert was presented by "Musicals Tonight", New York City, in May 2003, with a cast that featured Jeffry Denman and Nancy Lemenager.[5]
[edit] Films
Two films by this title were produced: a 1928 silent film and a 1941 film starring Eleanor Powell. Neither film was adapted from the stage play, although the songs "Oh, Lady Be Good!" and "Fascinating Rhythm" are performed in the Powell film.[6]
[edit] Songs
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[edit] Legacy
The title was used on an American B-24D Liberator bomber which flew for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II out of north Africa, disappeared on an April 4, 1943 raid on Naples, Italy and was found virtually intact in the Libyan desert in 1958. [7]
[edit] References
- ^ "The Play Pictorial, vol 48, 1926, no 291 Lady, Be Good", The Play Pictorial, library.kent.ac.uk, accessed February 20, 2011
- ^ "Lady Be Good". The Guide to Musical Theatre, accessed May 10, 2010
- ^ "'Lady, Be Good!', 2010 Production". 42ndstmoon.com, accessed February 21, 2011
- ^ "'Lady, Be Good!'" Production, 1996". 42ndstmoon.com, accessed February 21, 2011
- ^ "Reviews: Lady, Be Good!", musicalstonight.org, accessed February 16, 2010
- ^ Lady Be Good, 1941 listing imdb.com, accessed February 16, 2010
- ^ Template:Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady Be Good (aircraft)
