Of V We Sing

Of V We Sing is a Broadway musical revue with lyrics by Alfred Hayes and a book by Mel Tolkin, Sam Locke, and Al Geto. It premiered at the Elysee Theatre on February 11, 1942, and ran for 76 performances before closing on April 25 that year. The show marked the Broadway debuts of both Betty Garrett and Phil Leeds.

Production

The show was originally put on by the American Youth Theatre under the name V For Victory in September 1941 at the Malin Studio Theater. By October, it was running under the name Of V We Sing.

The Broadway production was directed by Perry Bruskin and produced by Alexander H. Cohen.

A condensed version of the show, with a cast of ten people, played at the La Conga Club in New York City for two weeks in September 1942. Four members of the original cast performed in this version: Eleanor Bagley, Lee Barrie, Connie Baxter, and Adele Jerome. New cast members were Kay Dowd, Ty Kearney, Ray Long, Marty Ritt, and Shelley Winters.

Synopsis

The show consisted of two acts of songs and sketches. Some of the show's content addressed World War II, while other parts touched on topics closer to home, like unions, Mother's Day, and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Act I

Act II

Broadway cast

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Dietz, Dan (2 February 2015). The Complete Book of 1940s Broadway Musicals. pp. 99–100. ISBN 978-1-4422-4528-0. OCLC 903014625.
  2. 1 2 "Of V We Sing (Broadway, Elysee Theatre, 1942)". Playbill. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  3. ↑ Pesselnick, Jill (1998-08-21). "Phil Leeds". Variety. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  4. ↑ Carbone, Nick (2011-02-13). "Betty Garrett, Laverne and Shirley Actress and Broadway Star, Dies at 91". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  5. ↑ "Of V We Sing' Ends Its Run Saturday; Topical Revue Is Closing at the Concert Theatre -- Gertrude Lawrence Year in Part; Pal Joey' in New Home; Begins in Brooklyn Tonight -- Sponsorship of 'Broken Journey' Is Arranged". The New York Times. 1942-04-21. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  6. ↑ L.C. (1941-10-26). "Of V We Sing' Offered; Musical Revue Is Presented by the American Youth Theatre". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  7. ↑ "'Of V We Sing' Makes Brooklyn Youngsters Pros on Wednesday". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 8 February 1942. p. 36. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  8. ↑ McLaughlin, Robert L. (2021). Broadway Goes to War: American Theater During World War II. ISBN 978-0-8131-8094-6. OCLC 1190853602.
  9. ↑ "N.Y. Clubs Buy Lots of Talent For New Season". Billboard. 12 September 1942. p. 11.
  10. 1 2 Denis, Paul (19 September 1942). "LaConga, New York". Billboard. p. 12.
  11. ↑ "Better Comedy Floorshow Units Get Plenty of Bookings as the Quickies Drop Out; Philly Boom". Billboard. 31 October 1942. p. 11.
  12. ↑ Jones, John Bush (2003). Our Musicals, Ourselves: A Social History of the American Musical Theater. Hanover: Brandeis University Press, published by University Press of New England. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-61128-223-8. OCLC 654535012.