Lady, be good

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Lady, Be Good is a musical with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin . The book was written by Guy Bolton and Fred Thompson . Additional songs and lyrics are provided by Cliff Edwards, Chick Endor, Gilbert Wells and Arthur Jackson. Alexander A. Aarons and Vinton Freedley produced the Gershwin brothers' first joint work, which also helped them achieve their breakthrough on Broadway . The same goes for Fred and Adele Astaire in the lead roles, in whom they appeared on both Broadway and the West End . Cliff Edwards (Ukulele Ike) could be seen alongside the Astaires .

The premiere took place on December 1, 1924 at the Liberty Theater in New York and the first performance in London's West End on April 14, 1926 at the Prince of Wales Theater.

action

Siblings Dick and Susie Trevor's apartment is evicted. The two, however, are full of confidence about the future and on the same evening the siblings are enjoying themselves at a party at the well-to-do Josephine "Jo" Vanderwater. The eviction was arranged by Jo; she is in love with Dick and wants him to move in with her. Although Dick is currently in a relationship with Shirley Vernon, because he is homeless, he advertises Jos and the engagement is announced. Susie meets a tramp again at the party and the two fall in love. She doesn't know that the tramp is Jack Robinson, Senator Robinson’s millionaire heir, who is believed to be lost.
Jo's attorney Watty Watkins is also in trouble; a Mexican desperado demands of him to organize inheritance fraud. In order to share in the legacy of the late senator, it was pretended that his missing nephew, Jack Robinson, had married in Mexico - namely the sister of the desperado. Since the sister is currently in jail, Watty approaches Susie with the request to pretend to be the estate administrator.
The fraud starts during the second act at the Hotel Robinson. Dick shows up there too, worried about his sister, but first meets his only true love, Shirley. He discovers his sister when she appears as the Mexican widow of the missing Jack Robinson. When Susie's beloved tramp shows up, the whole company ends up in the holding cell. Here the tramp identifies himself as Jack Robinson.
For the finale in the yacht club, the couples meet correctly sorted: Susie and Jack, Shirley and Dick and Jo and Watty.

Well-known music numbers

  •   "Fascinating Rhythm"
  •   “ Oh, Lady Be Good! "
  •   "The Man I Love" - Written by the Gershwins for the show but not used

filming

The 1941 film of the same name by Norman Z. McLeod has little in common with the musical; Provided with a new plot, only the two hits "Fascinating Rhythm" and "Oh, Lady be Good" were used. Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote the song " The Last Time I Saw Paris " for the film .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ JazzStandards.com: The Man I Love (1924)