Irene

By remaining at the Vanderbilt Theatre (then on 48th Street east of 7th Avenue), for one year eight months — and by running 11 performances longer than A Trip to Chinatown — Irene set a Broadway endurance record that it held onto for 18 years. What made it such a hit for its day (at one time it claimed 17 road companies) resulted from what critics hailed as its intelligent book, diverting comedy, brisk pacing, melodious songs that fitted logically into the story, and talented performers. The show, in fact, won not only critical applause but also gratitude for relieving what Alexander Woollcott termed “Broadway’s desperate plight with only 17 or 18 musical comedies in view.” Actually, the plot was little more than another version of the Cinderella tale, which has served as the basis for many other musicals including Mile. Modiste, The Firefly, Sally, Sunny, Annie Get Your Gun, My Fair Lady, Annie, and 42nd Street. In this variation, a chatty upholsterer’s assistant, Irene O’Dare (Edith Day), is sent to a Long Island mansion to mend some cushions. There she meets the instantly smitten Donald Marshall (Walter Regan), who persuades his friend, a male couturier known as Madame Lucy (Bobbie Watson), to hire Irene to pose as a socialite and show off his latest creations. Even though her humble origin is revealed, Irene makes a hit at an elegant party wearing and singing about her Alice blue gown, and ends in Donald’s arms. The show was designed as a star vehicle for Edith Day (who left the cast after only five months to head the London company) and it was the first — of seven — Broadway musicals with songs by Harry Tierney and Joseph McCarthy. During the New York run, Irene Dunne became the fourth actress to play Irene, and Jeanette MacDonald joined the cast as a Long Island belle. Busby Berkeley played Madame Lucy on the road. As for Miss Day, though she appeared on Broadway in two subsequent musicals, her career flourished mostly in London where she was known as the Queen of Drury Lane. Prompted by the successful revival of No, No, Nanette in 1971, Irene was brought back two years later by the same producer, Harry Rigby, who had first thought of bringing back Nanette. (See page 238.) The new production was also plagued at the outset by the same kind of problems that had affected the previous show, including the replacement of a major cast member (George S. Irving for Billy DeWolfe as Madame Lucy) and the director (Gower Champion for Sir John Gielgud). Though greeted by mixed reviews in New York, the musical remained a year and a half at the newly built Minskoff Theatre, located on the west side of Broadway between 44th and 45th Streets. Debbie Reynolds, who was succeeded during the run by Jane Powell, made her Broadway debut as Irene. Her occupation, however, was changed to that of a piano tuner so that the title song might be used for a male chorus tapping away on top of four uprights as they sing of the charms of Irene. Only five numbers were ret

Music

Harry Tierney

Lyrics

Joseph McCarthy

Book

James Montgomery