Allegro (musical) Totally Explained

Everything about Allegro Musical totally explained

Allegro is a theatre musical by Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics), their fourth collaboration together.

Production history

Allegro opened on Broadway at the Majestic Theater on October 10 1947, running for only 315 performances. It starred John Battles as Joseph Taylor, Jr., Annamary Dickey as Majorie Taylor, William Ching as Dr. Joseph Taylor, Roberta Jonay as Jennie Brinker, Lisa Kirk as Emily West, and John Conte as Charlie Townsend. It was directed and choreographed by Agnes de Mille. The production received mixed reactions from critics, which is perhaps the reason that it, along with only three other R&H productions, was never performed on the big screen. Be that as it may, it did win three Donaldson Awards including Best Book, Lyrics and Score.
According to Stephen Sondheim (who was a production assistant for the original Broadway production), in his introductory remarks prior to the 1994 New York City Center Encores! concert reading of the show, Allegro may have suffered the most disastrous opening night in theatre history. In addition to a falling flat, during a dance number in Act One, one of the actors caught his tap shoe in a track on the stage, tearing every ligament in his leg, and had to be carried - screaming - from the stage. In Act Two, Lisa Kirk, who was making her professional stage debut, caught a heel in another track and fell headlong into the orchestra. Mr. Sondheim confesses his memory may be faulty, but he recalls that she was back up on the stage without missing a note.
Oscar Hammerstein often claimed that he wished he could go back and rewrite the second act of Allegro; he felt audiences didn't get the show properly, leaving the show thinking it was a simple story of an Everyman returning to his roots. Hammerstein claimed the show was his most autobiographical work, and that Joseph Taylor, Jr.'s life was a mirror of some of his own experiences.

Encores! Concert In March 1994 a staged concert version was presented by New York City Center Encores!, with a cast that included Stephen Bogardus (Joseph Taylor, Jr.), Karen Ziemba, Jonathan Hadary and Christopher Reeve, and directed by Susan H. Schulman.

Revised revival – 2004 A revised version of Allegro, re-written by Joe DiPietro, who was a protege of James Hammerstein, was produced at the Signature Theatre (Arlington, Virginia) in January 2004. This version cut the musical in size and scale; the original Broadway production had a cast of nearly 100, the Signature production had 14.

Plot

The plot follows the life of "Everyman" protagonist Joseph Taylor, Jr. in a series of vignettes from birth to age thirty-five. Taylor, a doctor, grows up, marries a local woman, Jennie Brinker, and his wife's infidelity eventually drives him to move back home with nurse Emily West to serve the sick and needy. Themes in the musical include the corruption of large institutions.

Musical Numbers

Act I

Overture
Joseph Taylor, Junior
I Know It Can Happen Again
One Foot, Other Foot
Children's Ballet
The Winters Go By
A Fellow Needs A Girl
Freshman Dance
It's A Darn Nice Campus
She Is Never Away
So Far
You Are Never Away
What A Lovely Day For A Wedding
To Have And To Hold
Wish Them Well
Act II
Entr'acte
Money Isn't Everything
You Are Never Away (reprise)
A Fellow Needs A Girl (reprise)
Yatata Yatata Yatata
The Gentleman Is A Dope
Allegro
Come Home
Closing Scene/Finale

Further Information

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