I'm currently listing a large number of playbills from out-of-town tryouts prior to the Broadway runs. Many are from early performances when revisions were common and include song titles that were cut before opening in New York. (See cut songs below.) ....... This is a rare April 9th, 1951 "Playgoer" playbill from the Pre-Broadway tryout and WORLD PREMIERE engagement of the E. Y. HARBURG, FRED SAIDY and SAMMY FAIN musical "FLAHOOLEY" at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut. (The production would open May 14th, 1951 at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City and close June 16th, 1951 after only 40 performances.) ..... The musical starred ERNEST TRUEX, JEROME COURTLAND, EDITH ATWATER, IRWIN COREY, the BIL BAIRD MARIONETTES and YMA SUMAC (and her five octave range in what would be her only Broadway appearance) and the cast included BARBARA COOK (in her professional stage debut), FAY DeWITT, EDGAR THOMPSON, VICKI BARRETT, JANE FISCHER, LAUREL SHELBY, TAFI TOWERS, URYLEE LEONARDOS, ANNALIESE WIDMAN, STANLEY CARLSON, TED THURSTON, ROWAN TUDOR, RICHARD TEMPLE, ANDREW APREA, EDGAR THOMPSON, MARILYN ROSS, NEHEMIAH PERSOFF, LOUIS NYE, LEE BALLARD, RAY COOK, CLIFFORD PEARL, FRANKLIN T. SYME, LULU BATES, NORVAL TORMSEN, SHELDON OSSOSKY and ELIZABETH LOGUE ..... CREDITS: Music by SAMMY FAIN ("Hellzapoppin", "Sons o' Fun", "Ankles Aweigh", "Alive and Kicking", "Flahooley", "Christine", "Something More!"); Book by E. Y. "Yip" HARBURG ("Ziegfeld Follies of 1931", "Ballyhoo of 1932", "The Show Is On", "Hooray for What!", "Bloomer Girl", "Finian's Rainbow", "Flahooley", "Jamaica", "Darling of the Day" and the classic film score "The Wizard of Oz") and FRED SAIDY; Lyrics by E. Y. HARBURG; Sets designed by HOWARD BAY; Costumes designed by DAVID FFOLKES; Choreographed by HELEN TAMIRIS; Musical numbers directed by MAURICE LEVINE; Staged by E. Y. HARBURG and FRED SAIDY; Produced by CHERYL CRAWFORD in association with E. Y. HARBURG and FRED SAIDY ..... DETAILS: The 36 page playbill measures 6" X 9 1/4" inches and includes full production credits, cast list, synopsis of scenes, list of musical numbers and bios of each of the leading actors, but no cast photos ..... CUT SONGS: The list of musical numbers includes "Scheherazade Interlude", "Song of the Enchanted Rope" and "Who Says There Ain't No Santa Claus?" which were cut out-of-town ..... CONDITION: With the exception of a light vertical crease, this rare playbill is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any musical theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective, carded sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.
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