Ankles Aweigh is a musical with a book by Guy Bolton and Eddie Davis, lyrics by Dan Shapiro, and music by Sammy Fain. The plot involves Hollywood starlet Wynne, who secretly marries a Navy pilot while filming a movie in Sicily. She disguises herself as a sailor and stows away on his ship to grab a covert honeymoon. They get mixed up with an espionage ring.
By 1955, audiences had become accustomed to book musicals that seamlessly integrated dialogue scenes with musical numbers, so this throwback to vaudeville-style entertainment, complete with burlesque jokes, chorus girls, and impersonations of Marlene Dietrich and Zsa Zsa Gabor, "seemed a shockingly dated effort", according to Ken Mandelbaum.[1]Rodgers and Hammerstein invested in the show but made no creative contributions. During rehearsals, lead comic Myron McCormick was replaced by Lew Parker, and Sonny Tufts was fired in New Haven.[1]Jerome Robbins spent two weeks revamping the show in Boston.[2] The Allmusic reviewer noted that "the show seemed like such a throwback" and was "dated".[3]
The musical opened on Broadway at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on April 18, 1955, and closed on September 17, 1955, after 176 performances. The show was directed by Fred F. Finklehoffe and choreographed by Tony Charmoli, with a cast that featured real-life sisters Jane and Betty Kean as Wynne and Elsey, Mark Dawson as Bill, Gabriel Dell as Spud and Thelma Carpenter as featured singer Chipolata.[2] The producers immediately posted a closing notice, but theatre owner Anthony Brady Farrell decided to keep the show running with his own financing. Broadway columnists Walter Winchell's and Ed Sullivan's glowing reports failed to generate much business, and when salaries were cut to keep losses to a minimum, most of the major players quit in protest. After struggling for five months, the show finally closed at a loss of $340,000, which was more than its initial investment.[1]
The Goodspeed Opera House revived the musical with a new book by Charles Busch, who transformed it into a camp satire of 1950s movie musicals and an affectionate tribute to the genre.[4] The musical ran at Goodspeed in September 1988.[5]
SynopsisEdit
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2015)
Act I
A Hollywood starlet, Wynne, is in Sicily with her sister Elsey to film her movie debut in a low-budget musical ("Italy"). She falls in love with U.S. Navy lieutenant Bill Kelley ("Nothing at All"). The two secretly marry, violating a clause in her contract. With the aid of her sister and two of her husband's service buddies, Dinky and Spud, Wynne disguises herself as a sailor ("Walk Like a Sailor") and stows away on Bill's ship, the U.S.S. Alamo, so that they can slip away for a honeymoon. When they reach Morocco, they run into Bill's jealous Moroccan ex-girlfriend, Lucia ("Headin' for the Bottom"), who is now the mistress of the leader of an espionage ring. As revenge, Lucia implicates him as a spy.
Act II
With the help of her sister and his buddies, Wynne and Bill eventually find a way to absolve him of the charges, he becomes a hero, and they live happily ever after ("Eleven O'Clock Song").
Musical numbersEdit
Act I
"Italy" – Chorus
"Old-Fashioned Mother" – Elsey and Wynne
"Skip the Build-Up" – Elsey
"Nothing at All" – Wynne and Bill
"Skip the Build-up" (reprise) – Dinky
"Walk Like a Sailor" – Wynne, Dinky, Spud, Girl, Elsey, Hank Brujes and Skeet Geunther
"Headin' for the Bottom" – Chipolata, Girls and Patrons of night spot
"Nothing Can Replace a Man" – Wynne and Boys
"Here's to Dear Old Us" – Elsey, Dinky and Spud
"His and Hers" – Wynne and Bill
"La Festa" – Chorus
Act II
"Ready Cash" – Chorus
"Kiss Me and Kill Me with Love" – Wynne and Bill
"Honeymoon" – Elsey and Girls
"The Villain Always Gets It" – Chorus
"The Code" – Joe's Henchmen
"Walk Like a Sailor" (reprise) – Chorus
"Eleven O'Clock Song" – Elsey and Wynne
"Finale" – Company
ReceptionEdit
Reviews were mostly unfavorable, commenting that the show's old vaudeville style no longer worked in the post-Oklahoma! era. Brooks Atkinson of The New York Times wrote: "Imagine that nothing interesting has developed in the field of musical comedy for the last ten or fifteen years", and Walter Kerr of the Herald Tribune said: "Some of us have been campaigning lately for a return to the old-fashioned, slam-bang, gags-and-girls musical comedy. Some of us ought to be shot."[citation needed] A review in the New York Post was equally critical: "My impression of Ankles Aweigh is that it has neither the brightness and wit to be satisfying as satire or the charm to be winning as nostalgia. ... The libretto ... seems to be remembered by Guy Bolton and Eddie Davis rather than written. ... I assuredly didn't enjoy Ankles Aweigh, but I would be the last to claim it was trying to deceive anybody."[6] A more mixed assessment from William Hawkins writing in the New York World–Telegram and Sun praised the costumes, saying "every girl in it had the choice of a lifetime dress to wear."[7]
The Goodspeed revival was better received by audiences, but not by critics:[8] "For all the inventiveness of its intentions," Alvin Klein wrote in The New York Times, the revival "clinches the show's status as a musical that one will go on forgetting to remember."[5]
RecordingsEdit
An original cast recording was released by Decca Records in 1955.[3] The recording does not include the songs "Old Fashioned Mothers", "The Villain Always Gets It", and "The Code". In addition, the song "Nothing Can Replace a Man" appears after "Ready Cash", instead of after "Headin' for the Bottom".[9] A CD re-issue was released in 2004.[10]
NotesEdit
^ abcMandelbaum, Ken. "CDs: Sister Act". Broadway.com, June 28, 2004
^ ab"'Ankles Aweigh' Broadway Listing". InternetBroadwayDatabase, accessed July 22, 2012
^ abRuhlmann, William. "'Ankles Aweigh'. Allmusic.com, accessed July 22, 2012
^Ankles Aweigh 2018-04-08 at the Wayback Machine, charlesbusch.com, accessed June 13, 2015
^ abKlein, Alvin. "Theater; Ankles Aweigh Gets Godspeed Revamping", The New York Times, September 11, 1988, accessed June 15, 2015
^Watts, Richard Jr. "Two on the Aisle", New York Post, April 19, 1955.
ankles, aweigh, musical, with, book, bolton, eddie, davis, lyrics, shapiro, music, sammy, fain, plot, involves, hollywood, starlet, wynne, secretly, marries, navy, pilot, while, filming, movie, sicily, disguises, herself, sailor, stows, away, ship, grab, cover. Ankles Aweigh is a musical with a book by Guy Bolton and Eddie Davis lyrics by Dan Shapiro and music by Sammy Fain The plot involves Hollywood starlet Wynne who secretly marries a Navy pilot while filming a movie in Sicily She disguises herself as a sailor and stows away on his ship to grab a covert honeymoon They get mixed up with an espionage ring Ankles AweighOriginal cast recordingMusicSammy FainLyricsDan ShapiroBookGuy Bolton Eddie DavisProductions1955 Broadway 1989 Goodspeed Opera House revivalThe original Broadway production ran for 176 performances in 1955 and lost money Contents 1 Background and productions 2 Synopsis 3 Musical numbers 4 Reception 5 Recordings 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksBackground and productions EditBy 1955 audiences had become accustomed to book musicals that seamlessly integrated dialogue scenes with musical numbers so this throwback to vaudeville style entertainment complete with burlesque jokes chorus girls and impersonations of Marlene Dietrich and Zsa Zsa Gabor seemed a shockingly dated effort according to Ken Mandelbaum 1 Rodgers and Hammerstein invested in the show but made no creative contributions During rehearsals lead comic Myron McCormick was replaced by Lew Parker and Sonny Tufts was fired in New Haven 1 Jerome Robbins spent two weeks revamping the show in Boston 2 The Allmusic reviewer noted that the show seemed like such a throwback and was dated 3 The musical opened on Broadway at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on April 18 1955 and closed on September 17 1955 after 176 performances The show was directed by Fred F Finklehoffe and choreographed by Tony Charmoli with a cast that featured real life sisters Jane and Betty Kean as Wynne and Elsey Mark Dawson as Bill Gabriel Dell as Spud and Thelma Carpenter as featured singer Chipolata 2 The producers immediately posted a closing notice but theatre owner Anthony Brady Farrell decided to keep the show running with his own financing Broadway columnists Walter Winchell s and Ed Sullivan s glowing reports failed to generate much business and when salaries were cut to keep losses to a minimum most of the major players quit in protest After struggling for five months the show finally closed at a loss of 340 000 which was more than its initial investment 1 The Goodspeed Opera House revived the musical with a new book by Charles Busch who transformed it into a camp satire of 1950s movie musicals and an affectionate tribute to the genre 4 The musical ran at Goodspeed in September 1988 5 Synopsis EditThis section needs expansion You can help by adding to it June 2015 Act IA Hollywood starlet Wynne is in Sicily with her sister Elsey to film her movie debut in a low budget musical Italy She falls in love with U S Navy lieutenant Bill Kelley Nothing at All The two secretly marry violating a clause in her contract With the aid of her sister and two of her husband s service buddies Dinky and Spud Wynne disguises herself as a sailor Walk Like a Sailor and stows away on Bill s ship the U S S Alamo so that they can slip away for a honeymoon When they reach Morocco they run into Bill s jealous Moroccan ex girlfriend Lucia Headin for the Bottom who is now the mistress of the leader of an espionage ring As revenge Lucia implicates him as a spy Act IIWith the help of her sister and his buddies Wynne and Bill eventually find a way to absolve him of the charges he becomes a hero and they live happily ever after Eleven O Clock Song Musical numbers EditAct I Italy Chorus Old Fashioned Mother Elsey and Wynne Skip the Build Up Elsey Nothing at All Wynne and Bill Skip the Build up reprise Dinky Walk Like a Sailor Wynne Dinky Spud Girl Elsey Hank Brujes and Skeet Geunther Headin for the Bottom Chipolata Girls and Patrons of night spot Nothing Can Replace a Man Wynne and Boys Here s to Dear Old Us Elsey Dinky and Spud His and Hers Wynne and Bill La Festa Chorus Act II Ready Cash Chorus Kiss Me and Kill Me with Love Wynne and Bill Honeymoon Elsey and Girls The Villain Always Gets It Chorus The Code Joe s Henchmen Walk Like a Sailor reprise Chorus Eleven O Clock Song Elsey and Wynne Finale CompanyReception EditReviews were mostly unfavorable commenting that the show s old vaudeville style no longer worked in the post Oklahoma era Brooks Atkinson of The New York Times wrote Imagine that nothing interesting has developed in the field of musical comedy for the last ten or fifteen years and Walter Kerr of the Herald Tribune said Some of us have been campaigning lately for a return to the old fashioned slam bang gags and girls musical comedy Some of us ought to be shot citation needed A review in the New York Post was equally critical My impression of Ankles Aweigh is that it has neither the brightness and wit to be satisfying as satire or the charm to be winning as nostalgia The libretto seems to be remembered by Guy Bolton and Eddie Davis rather than written I assuredly didn t enjoy Ankles Aweigh but I would be the last to claim it was trying to deceive anybody 6 A more mixed assessment from William Hawkins writing in the New York World Telegram and Sun praised the costumes saying every girl in it had the choice of a lifetime dress to wear 7 The Goodspeed revival was better received by audiences but not by critics 8 For all the inventiveness of its intentions Alvin Klein wrote in The New York Times the revival clinches the show s status as a musical that one will go on forgetting to remember 5 Recordings EditAn original cast recording was released by Decca Records in 1955 3 The recording does not include the songs Old Fashioned Mothers The Villain Always Gets It and The Code In addition the song Nothing Can Replace a Man appears after Ready Cash instead of after Headin for the Bottom 9 A CD re issue was released in 2004 10 Notes Edit a b c Mandelbaum Ken CDs Sister Act Broadway com June 28 2004 a b Ankles Aweigh Broadway Listing InternetBroadwayDatabase accessed July 22 2012 a b Ruhlmann William Ankles Aweigh Allmusic com accessed July 22 2012 Ankles Aweigh Archived 2018 04 08 at the Wayback Machine charlesbusch com accessed June 13 2015 a b Klein Alvin Theater Ankles Aweigh Gets Godspeed Revamping The New York Times September 11 1988 accessed June 15 2015 Watts Richard Jr Two on the Aisle New York Post April 19 1955 Suskin 1990 pp 50 53 Mandelbaum 1991 p 43 Ankles Aweigh Archived June 15 2015 at the Wayback Machine Playbill Vault accessed June 13 2015 Liner notes to CD issue 2004 Decca Broadway ASIN B0002BO0RGReferences EditMandelbaum Ken Not Since Carrie Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops by Ken Mandelbaum published by St Martin s Press 1991 ISBN 0 312 06428 4 Suskin Steven Opening Night on Broadway Critical Quotebook of the Golden Era of the Musical Theatre Schirmer Books 1990 ISBN 0 028 72625 1External links Edit Ankles Aweigh at the Internet Broadway Database Ankles Aweigh GuideToMusicalTheatre com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ankles Aweigh amp oldid 1153170295, 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