Well, lots of people, of course!
On the Town
A classic of the American Musical Theater. Three sailors have one day—only one day?!—to see all of New York, and maybe meet a nice girl while they're at it.
Based on the ballet Fancy Free (choreography Jerome Robbins, music Leonard Bernstein), the play (1944) has book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and was directed by George Abbott. The movie followed a few years later, and starred Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, and Jules Munshin as the sailors, and Ann Miller, Betty Garrett, and Vera-Ellen as the objects of their affection. Kelly, who co-directed the film, insisted on location shooting for many scenes, including the song "New York, New York", a highlight of which is seen in the clip above. This was unusual for the era, and the song provides a kind of collage view of New York's famous sights. (see the bottom of the page for the full song).
(Actually, the original lyrics, written for the Broadway musical, said: "It's a helluva town!" But they changed the lyric for Hollywood, to make it more family-friendly.)
Wonderful Town
But this answer is about New York and one particular musical.
Play the video clip below and listen!
On the Town
A classic of the American Musical Theater. Three sailors have one day—only one day?!—to see all of New York, and maybe meet a nice girl while they're at it.
Based on the ballet Fancy Free (choreography Jerome Robbins, music Leonard Bernstein), the play (1944) has book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and was directed by George Abbott. The movie followed a few years later, and starred Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, and Jules Munshin as the sailors, and Ann Miller, Betty Garrett, and Vera-Ellen as the objects of their affection. Kelly, who co-directed the film, insisted on location shooting for many scenes, including the song "New York, New York", a highlight of which is seen in the clip above. This was unusual for the era, and the song provides a kind of collage view of New York's famous sights. (see the bottom of the page for the full song).
(Actually, the original lyrics, written for the Broadway musical, said: "It's a helluva town!" But they changed the lyric for Hollywood, to make it more family-friendly.)
Wonderful Town
Nine years after the premiere of On the Town, Comden, Green, and Bernstein teamed up again for another musical, this one titled Wonderful Town. (Are you sensing a theme here? These folks loved New York!)
In 1938, Ruth McKenney had published a collection of stories, based on her life in Greenwich Village after moving here from a Columbus, Ohio. Its title was My Sister Eileen. A play followed in 1940 by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, based on two of those stories and sharing the collection's name. This served as the basis for Comden, Green, and Bernstein's Wonderful Town.
There have been many plays and musicals set in New York City. Come back to this page; I'll be adding more of them. In the meantime, here is a link to a list on wikipedia:
List of plays and musicals set in New York City
See a few before you come; they might give you ideas!
See a few before you come; they might give you ideas!
