Babes in Arms
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Lorenz Hart
Book by Rodgers and Hart
Adapted by John Guare
Orchestrations by Hans Spialek
Vocal Arrangement by David Bishop
116th Production, 24th Season
Produced in Association with Barnyard Productions
Performed at Jackson Creek Middle School
March 25, 26 and 27, 2010
Directed by Russell Stinson and Sheila Butler
Babes in Arms is presented through special arrangement with R&H Theatricals.
Cast |
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| Newark Cast | Paris Cast | |
Val LaMar
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Todd Baer Jenna Brown Quinn Gaylan Courtney Mitzel Cameron Butler CeCe Underwood Zach Langham Edward Jackson John Bristow Seth Bridges Ryan Butler Jeff Craft Jonathan Enari Anna Bianco Liz Nixon Katie Head Caitlin Diekhoff Alexandra Lucas Jonathan Enari Laura Schneider Alex Goodman Anna Bianco Lois Moon Christy Thompson Megan Kelly Kierra Winston Dina Dajani Alaina Martinez Lois Moon Christy Thompson Megan Kelly Kierra Winston Dina Dajani Alaina Martinez Barbie Mitzel Becky Underwood Buff Brown Matt Lucas Laura Schneider Zach Langham Todd Baer Quinn Galyan |
Jonathan Enari
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Orchestra |
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Music Direction |
Russell Stinson |
Crew |
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Producer |
Sheila Butler |
Photo Gallery
Poster by Cameron Butler
Photos by Sara Johnson
Click Here to View Gallery
Music Director's Notes
For a show long acclaimed as one of America's classic musicals, Rodgers and Hart's Babes in Arms has had a troubled history. The original production, starring Ray Heatherton and Mitzi Green and featuring choreography by the legendary George Balanchine, had a respectable run (for the time) of 289 performance on Broadway in 1937 and was by all accounts a success, but for reasons no one can entirely explain, Babes in Arms virtually disappeared from the scene after its initial Broadway run ended. Rodgers and Hart moved on to other shows and so, it seems, did the American public.
In 1939, the show was turned into a film vehicle for the young Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. The movie version, which retained only two of the original Rodgers and Hart songs and bore only a faint resemblance to the original plot, quickly became the version familiar to the public at large, and Rodgers and Hart's original version was quickly forgotten. For many years, the only remnants of the show that survived were the hit songs. "My Funny Valentine", "Where or When", "The Lady is a Tramp", "I Wish I Were in Love Again", and "Johnny One-Note" all became pop standards, recorded by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald, and Miles Davis.
In 1959, an attempt was made to resurrect the musical through a new version incorporating a completely rewritten book by George Oppenheimer. The action was moved from the 30s to the 50s, and it now evolved not around children of vaudevillians trying to stay off the Work Farm but around apprentices at a summer stock theatre in Cape Cod trying to produce their musical revue, against the wishes of the management. Most of the original songs were retained, but used in completely different contexts, with new arrangements, and sometimes with new lyrics. George Balanchine's sprawling ballets were cut entirely, as were the songs "Light on Our Feet" and "You Are So Fair". The new script was clunky in places, and many of the songs did not work nearly as well in their new settings. Nevertheless, this version was the only version available for licensing for three decades, and it is still the version best known to audiences today. If you are at all familiar with the show, or have seen it before, it is most likely this version.
However, we have chosen to present the 1937 original version, happily available again at last with a libretto revised by John Guare. The revision eliminates some racial references that would sound offensive to modern ears, but retains the essence of Rodgers and Hart's original. All the songs are back in their original contexts and arrangements, and Hans Spialek's wonderful original orchestrations have been restored. If you are unfamiliar with this version (and chances are you are), you have a rewarding experience ahead of you. So sit back and listen to your favorite songs as they were meant to be heard, and perhaps discover a forgotten gem or two. And in the words of the immortal Lorenz Hart, "So babes in arms, to arms!"
--Russell Stinson, Music Director
Special Thanks
A Very Special Thanks to Our Gold Sponsors:
Mike and Mary Ellen Diekhoff
Panache Dance Studio (Rehearsal Sponsor)
University Baptist Church (Rehearsal Sponsor)
Theatre South (Sound Sponsor)
In Addition, Thanks To:
JCMS and their custodial staff, David Pillar, Catherine Rademacher, Gwen Witten, Jane Gourker, B. Stryker DeLong, BHSN Band, BSO, Amal and Wael Dajani (concessions and set transport), Julie Head (publicity), Luis Garza, all the parental support, Lisa Brown (flowers), Yunika Jackson (tickets and backstage parent), Parent actors, Bill Bianco, Miranda Stinson, Nate Stanger, Cameron and Prince Butler, Mike Diekhoff (photographer), Lee Burckes, Eric Anderson, Jr., BHSS, Theatre South, and all the cast and crew. It took so much more than a village to accomplish this; if you were accidentally left off the list, know that whatever you did to help, we greatly appreciate it.