Listening to the original cast album of 1960's “Greenwillow” you might wonder why this Frank Loesser musical failed to become as popular as his “Guys and Dolls”, “How To Succeed In Business”, or “The Most Happy Fella”, all of which have remained part of our our musical theatre repertoire. As was his usual practice, Loesser wrote music, lyrics and the book for the show, based on the best-selling novel by B.J. Chute. “Greenwillow” is the story of a mystical, magical town where the Briggs men are cursed with wanderlust. Vowing to avoid his fate, Gideon Briggs decides he will never marry or have children, despite his obvious infatuation with villager Dorrie. Lerner and Loewe turned down the chance to musicalize the story (too “Brigadoon”-like?) and Loesser took the opportunity with screenwriter Lesser Samuels. The show would also be the musical theatre debut of actor Anthony Perkins. On the strength of Loesser and Perkins' involvement, the show easily banked a healthy pre-sale. The show also starred Pert Kelton, who was fresh from playing Mrs. Paroo in “The Music Man”, a role she would reprise in the film version. Film star Perkins insisted on director George Roy Hill, who he had worked with on Broadway's “Look Homeward, Angel” three years earlier. Joe Layton took care of the musical staging - strong support as Hill (like Perkins) was new to the genre. The only bump in a Philadelphia try-out was replacement of the leading lady. The show evicted “Once Upon A Mattress” to get the Alvin Theatre where it opened to decidedly mixed reviews. As expected, critics were thrilled with the new Loesser score, but less than happy about the fanciful book and its tricky tone. Based on its healthy pre-sale the show ran for 97 performances, scoring six Tony nominations, but taking home none. Interestingly, Perkins was filming “Psycho” on one coast while rehearsing “Greenwillow” on the other. While his double was stabbing Janet Leigh in the famous shower scene, Perkins was actually in New York City singing “Never Will I Marry”. Little did audiences know that Perkins was having a relationship with Grover Dale, who played Andrew in the show. Mirroring his character Gideon Briggs, Perkins did eventually marry and have a family in 1973, the same year Dale married Anita Morris (“The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”). Another talented boyfriend of Perkins' was Stephen Sondheim, with whom he did his second musical, TV's “Evening Primrose” in 1966.
