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Armand Vallee, L'Heure du Bain, a la Piscine du Claridge (Bath time at the Claridge swimming pool), 1919.
APPLAUSE
1988
Applause is a musical with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Lee Adams, and a book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green based on the 1950 film All About Eve and the original story “The Wisdom of Eve” by Mary Orr.
The story centers on aging star Margo Channing, who innocently takes a fledgling actress under her wing, unaware that the ruthless Eve is plotting to steal her career and her man.
The musical opened on Broadway on March 26, 1970 at the Palace Theatre and played 900 performances. It was staged and choreographed by Ron Field and starred Lauren Bacall as Margo Channing. She was replaced by Anne Baxter (who had played Eve in the film version) and Arlene Dahl. Bacall, Field, and the show itself all won 1970 Tony Awards and Drama Desk Awards.
Bacall reprised her role in the 1972 London production as well as a 1973 television adaptation.
On August 11, 1988, a ‘tab’ (90 minute) version of Applause opened at the Palace Theatre at Claridge Casino Hotel in Atlantic City NJ. It was produced by Maynard Sloate, directed by Jack Bunch, and choregraphed by Penny Sloane. It starred Phyllis McGuire as Margo and Susan Hartley as Eve. It closed on November 27, 1988.
The cast also included Joe Warfield, Stephen Everett, Pi Douglass, Patricia Forestier, George McCulloch,
Phyllis McGuire (1930-2020) was one third of a trio with her sisters Ruby and Dorothy. Among their most popular songs are "Sincerely" and "Sugartime", both number-one hits. They performed together from 1952 to 1968, and often reunited, including just two years earlier in Atlantic City.
"I feel very, very comfortable in this play, and the reason is it's a play written for someone just like me, someone just like Bacall. Someone who's a pretty good singer, who's a pretty good actress, who scores via stage presence, not via Shakespearean performance." ~ DOROTHY McGUIRE
Jack Lloyd of the Philadelphia Inquirer found the choice of material “a downer” with no hummable songs, but praised McGuire’s musical skills, and hinted that Hartley might steal the show. Bill Kent of the Bergen Record echoed these sentiments.
"I've got nothing but fond memories of Atlantic City. I jump at the chance to come back here again. Dorothy, Chris and I have been at Resorts and Harrah's a few times, and we'll be at the Showboat in the fall." ~ DOROTHY McGUIRE
Clearly the production was not set in the original time period - if in any time period at all - because A Chorus Line did not open until 1975.
During her stint as Margo, McGuire announced that she was penning an autobiography that would talk about her relationship with mob boss Sam Giancana. The book was reduced to a 1989 article in Vanity Fair, with only brief mentions of her years with Giancana.
As the closing date approached, her sisters came to Atlantic City.
In the fall of 1996, the musical was revised for a Broadway-bound tour that began at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey starring Stefanie Powers (Margo, above) and Kate Jennings Grant (Eve) under the direction of Gene Saks, and choreographed by Ann Reinking (above). Produced by Barry and Fran Weissler, the tour visited Tampa, Baltimore, Grand Rapids, and Columbus where the closing notice was posted on November 24, 1996.
New York City Center's Encores! presented a staged concert of Applause from February 7 to 10, 2008. It was directed by Kathleen Marshall and starred Christine Ebersole and Erin Davie. Christine Ebersole is a resident of Maplewood, New Jersey, bringing this blog full circle. Hopefully, to applause!
PAL JOEY
1989
Pal Joey is a musical with a book by John O'Hara and music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. The musical is based on a character and situations O'Hara created in a series of short stories published in The New Yorker, which he later published in novel form.
The title character, Joey Evans, is a manipulative small-time nightclub performer whose ambitions lead him into an affair with the wealthy, middle-aged and married Vera Simpson.
Directed by George Abbott, the musical opened on Broadway on Christmas Day 1940, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre and ran for 374 performances. The cast included Gene Kelly as Joey, Vivienne Segal as Vera, and June Havoc as Gladys. Van Johnson and Stanley Donen were also in the cast.
Throughout much of the 1940s, the songs from Pal Joey were banned from radio play by ASCAP, preventing them from becoming popular standards. But in "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" was covered by many artists and it became a hit, inspiring a concept album and a Broadway revival in 1952 starring Harold Lang as Joey, and a young Elaine Stritch as Melba. This production out-ran the original clocking in at 540 performances. Two years later the musical was in the West End.
In 1957 a film adaption appeared starring Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, and Rita Hayworth.
In December 1957 Joey was in Atlantic City at at last - albeit on screen at the Beach Theatre on Atlantic Avenue. In the years ahead, the theatre went from first run films to porn before being damaged by fire and closed. Although no longer a cinema, the building (sans marquee) is still intact today. But back to Joey...
Bob Fosse headlined a 1963 City Center Revival, earning himself a Tony nomination. A second Broadway revival in 1976 starred Christopher Chadman as Joey and lasted just two months at Circle-in-the-Square. An all-black version titled Pal Joey ‘78 was even less successful on the road and soon shuttered. In 2008, a substantially re-written production briefly returned to Broadway. Produced by Roundabout, it starred Matthew Risch (taking over for an injured Christian Hoff), Stockard Channing, and Martha Plimpton.
By 1940, Atlantic City was no longer an out-of-town tryout destination. With theatrical venues converted to cinemas or burlesque houses, there was no shelter by the sea to birth new shows. Instead, the honors went to to cities closer to the Main Stem like New Haven, Hartford, and Boston. In her one-woman show At Liberty, Elaine Stritch talks (and sings) about her experiences out-of-town in New Haven with Joey, while simultaneously understudying Merman in Manhattan.
Fast Forward to 1989, Pal Joey finally plays Atlantic City in a tab (90-minute) production at the Palace Theatre in the historic Claridge Casino-Hotel.
The show was produced by Maynard Sloate, directed by Jack Bunch, and choreographed by Jack Payne starring Clint Holmes as Joey, Barbara Henson as Vera, and Trish Gorman as Linda. It opened on April 11, 1989. The cast also included Scott Jarvis, Randy Riegelman, and Trish Dowd, to name a few.
Most critics praised Holmes, especially for his vocal prowess. But not all thought he was able to overcome a partial Pal.
“Because Sloate and Bunch used a chainsaw rather than a scalpel to make the show conform to its casino-mandated 90-minute running time, the coherent story was replaced by a series of out-of-kilter vignettes separated by unsatisfactory renditions of some of Rodgers and Hart's greatest hits.” ~ CHUCK DARROW, COURIER-POST
The production was schedule to run through June 25, but was extended to September 3, 1989.
The extension, however, did not feature Clint Holmes. He was replaced by Tony Darrow. Sadly, he was welcomed with more jeers than cheers.
“The Claridge's version of 'Pal Joey' is too depressing to ponder.”
“Rodgers and Hart's 'Pal Joey' is a classic, and the Maynard Sloate production of 'Pal Joey,' at the Claridge's Palace Theater through Sept. 3, is a disaster.”
When it comes to tab prods, Alvin Klein of the New York Times preferred Pudgy in Nunsense (playing at nearby casino showroom) to Pal Darrow.
Like Holmes, Darrow was an Atlantic City favorite, performing on club stages regularly. He is probably best known for his mob roles on screen, especially the New Jersey-set “Sopranos”. In 2011, fiction met fact when was charged with extortion and sentenced to six months house arrest.
Clint Holmes left AC for LV, becoming so popular in Vegas that they named a theatre after him. In 1996, Holmes returned to New Jersey to premiere his biographical musical Comfortable Shoes at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn. In September 2021, Holmes was back in Atlantic City performing to sold out crowds at Harrah’s.
I LOVE MY WIFE
1984
I Love My Wife is a musical by Cy Coleman (music) and Michael Stewart (book and lyrics) based on play by Luis Rego. It opened on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in April 1977 and played 857 performances. It starred Joanna Gleason (Broadway debut), Lenny Baker, Ilene Graff, and James Naughton. It was directed by Gene Saks. The original director and choreographer Joe Layton was replaced due to injuries sustained in a fall.
The pre-Broadway tryout opened at the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia.
The production earned two 1977 Tony Awards (Baker and director Saks), and four Drama Desk Awards.
The band consisted of four on-stage musicians who were among the friends and acted in the opening scene.
“The musicians are welded into the play, as a kind of Greek chorus." ~ CLIVE BARNES, THE NEW YORK TIMES
The musical takes place in Trenton, New Jersey, in the present day, where two married couples who have been close friends since high school find themselves contemplating a ménage-à-quatre.
January 17 through April 8, 1984, the musical was presented at the Claridge Casino-Hotel’s Palace Showroom in Atlantic City, New Jersey - just 60 miles from where the show is set. The Claridge was built in 1930 and dubbed the “skyscraper by the sea”. In 1982, it added casino gambling. Shortly after, it began offering Broadway-style entertainment. The hotel and casino is still operating as of this writing.
The show starred Joey Travolta, older brother of John Travolta. Continuing the Jersey theme, the Travolta brothers were raised in Englewood, New Jersey. Joey graduated from NJ’s William Paterson University with a degree in special education. Sharing the bed with Travolta was Jerry Clark, Nancy Sinclair, and Martie Ramm.
Interestingly, this was around the same time that Bob Fosse had expressed interest in collaborating with Coleman on a show based on the Coleman song “Atlantic City”, which he composed with Christopher Gore. Playwright Jack Heifner was engaged as the book writer, but before him, John Guare was approached. In 1980, Guare wrote the film Atlantic City, but denies that it was connected to his initial approach to write the book for Coleman’s musical.
“I also felt, having gone down there, that Atlantic City was impossible to capture on stage.” ~ JOHN GUARE
Coleman got busy, Fosse grew disinterested, and Gore died, so the musical entered a sort of show biz limbo, where it remained. It has, however, generated a few “trunk” songs since released. Atlantic City itself was going through a sort of limbo - transforming itself from a footnote in history to an East Coast destination resort for casino gambling.
But back to 1984...
On New Year’s Day it was announced that unlike previous Broadway musicals at the Claridge, I Love My Wife would be a dinner-theatre presentation.
The Claridge nearly had to look for another star attraction when on January 2, 1984, a small plane carrying Travolta had to make an emergency landing when its landing gear would not descend. Luckily, all walked away unharmed.
Of course, it might have been mere typesetter coincidence that the ad for John’s new film Two of a Kind was right next to a plug for Joey’s musical - but maybe not! Not to be outdone, during his stint in Atlantic City, Joey Travolta’s film The Prodigal opened.
“Joey Travolta isn’t as handsome as his famous younger brother, John. And Joey's physique, while quite satisfactory, cant compare with his swivel-hipped brother's, especially since Sylvester Stallone helped build up John for 'Staying Alive.' But Joey has some things going for him. He is a more-than-adequate singer who has had a Top 40 hit More important, his on-stage personality is much more pleasant than John's onscreen persona. Which makes low-key, amiable Joey perfect for the starring role in a new Atlantic City production of ‘I Love My Wife,' an amusing and light-hearted 1977 Broadway hit musical that runs through April 8. Joey is believable as a bored Trenton, N.J., public relations man who wants to spice up his dull life by having a multiple love experience.” ~ DAVE BITTAN, DAILY NEWS
Speaking of John (and most people do when Joey’s name comes up), Joey’s younger brother was flown in to see the show during the run. His visit remained secret to everyone except Claridge management and his brother. The Travolta clan occupied most of the posh 24th floor of the casino-hotel during John’s quick visit.
Nothing says success like a coupon! To be fair, most people who see casino shows are comped anyway. The show will cost far less than the amount of cash dropped by 20,000 people in the casino!
After the show closed, the Claridge followed up a few weeks later with Sugar starring Joe Namath, which you can read about by clicking here.
Paris Enlightenment with @gogojungle " Ce soir c'était le lancement des illuminations @avenuechampselysees ! Un grand merci @fraserclaridge pour leur accueil, un splendide hôtel 5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ La vue depuis le 6ème étage est absolument incroyable surtout en belle compagnie @aurelyaparis @dessinateurs @jezza.pritchard 🤗 Vous en pensez quoi?? Belle soirée 🤗" #claridge #selectionphoto #rooftops #avenuedeschampselysees #champselysees #arcdetriomphe #lecmn #rooftop #lescomperes #christmas #noel #vivreparis #mylittleparis #paris #paris_maville #parisjetaime #quefaireaparis #paris https://www.instagram.com/p/CWjiGPytbDG/?utm_medium=tumblr
Crazy show last night!!! Thank you to everyone who came out. See everyone tonight!!! #griffinicon #comedy #atlanticcity #claridge #FLITV #focusbroadcastingnetwork https://www.instagram.com/p/CT-Y8u6rKkT/?utm_medium=tumblr
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