The Unsinkable Molly Brown (Musical)

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The Unsinkable Molly Brown is the title of a musical that deals with the fate of Titanic survivor and suffragette Molly Brown .

The musical premiered on Broadway on November 3, 1960. Music and lyrics are by Meredith Willson , the book by Richard Morris . In total, the piece saw 533 performances; it starred Tammy Grimes and Harve Presnell .

action

Place and time: America and France at the beginning of the 20th century.
Molly Tobin, a poor girl of Irish descent, leaves her home in Missouri in search of the American dream. In Colorado, she meets the miner and future husband Johnny Brown. The wealth he dreamed of comes when Johnny discovers one of the largest silver mines in the country. However, the uneducated couple did not succeed in joining the upper class of Denver. In order to raise the social and cultural level, the two move to Europe; Molly runs a salon in Paris, has a noble audience, but cannot forget the rejection of the Denver bourgeoisie. He then successfully presents her new social behavior on a home leave until Johnny's lower-class friends appear. Thereupon Johnny and Molly separate - he stays in America, she returns to France. There Molly realizes that she cannot live without her Johnny, embarks on the Titanic, survives its sinking and is finally reunited with her miner.

Music numbers

Act One
  1. I ain't down yet
  2. Belly up to the bar, boys
  3. I've A'Ready Started In
  4. I'll never say no
  5. My Own Brass Bed
  6. The Denver Police
  7. Beautiful, People, of Denver
  8. Are you sure?
Act Two
  1. Happy Birthday, Mrs. JJ Brown
  2. Bon Jour (The Language Song)
  3. If I know
  4. Chick-a-pen
  5. Keep-a-hoppin '
  6. Up Where the People Are
  7. Dolce Far Niente
  8. Colorado, My Home

filming

The topic was taken up in 1964 by an MGM film of the same name (German title: Goldgräber-Molly ). The film was directed by Charles Walters , and Debbie Reynolds took the lead . The film received a number of Oscar nominations, including a. for the best female lead, the best production design, the best camera, the best costume design, the best film music and the best sound.

Awards

Tammy Grimes received the 1961 Tony Award in the category Best Performance by a Featured or Supporting Actress in a Musical for portraying Molly Brown .

Web links