Jotham Valley

Moral Re-Armament produced a number of plays and musicals, including two musicals that followed Jotham Valley. The Vanishing Island, with book, lyrics, and music by Peter Howard and Cecil Broadhurst, gave free performances at the London Hippodrome beginning on May 28, 1955. A flyer for the London premiere indicated the “musical play” had previously been performed 230 times on four continents; a 1956 production of the musical was recorded by Philips (LP # D99538-9L). Space Is So Startling! (“The Space-Age Musical”) had book and lyrics by Peter and Anthony Howard, and music by Herbert Allen, Richard Hadden, and Cecil Broadhurst (the action took place within “any human heart”). It was first performed in Japan in October 1962, in London at the Westminster Theatre on December 19, 1962, and then in various cities throughout the world. There was at least one U.S. engagement, at the John Hancock Hall in Boston, Massachusetts, from September 5 through September 21, 1963. The London cast recording was released by Philips (LP # 632-303-BL). Jotham Valley premiered in Caux, Switzerland, during the summer of 1950, and in January 1951 was produced in Washington, D.C., where it briefly played before its short Broadway engagement. The musical is generally ignored in Broadway reference books, perhaps because it was perceived as a privately financed musical by amateurs that had the air of a vanity production about it. The venerable Best Plays series didn’t include the musical in its survey of the 1950–1951 season, and while the 1951 New York Theatre Critics’ Reviews volume included all the newspaper reviews of every play and musical to open on Broadway during the year, the reviews of Jotham Valley were omitted. Both The Vanishing Island and Space Is So Startling! were produced in the West End, but neither is mentioned in The British Musical Theatre 1915–1984 (Volume Two). A program note professed the musical’s story about a feud in Jotham Valley was true. Brooks Atkinson in the New York Times reported the plot dealt with two brothers who have almost ruined their lives and their community in a bitter feud. When one brother simply admits he was wrong, the feud is resolved and peace comes to the valley. Atkinson noted that the plot was “as simple as that,” but he observed that Broadway was probably not the best venue for what was in essence a modern morality play. Further, the musical didn’t meet the “exacting” professional standards demanded of Broadway musicals (it was “distressingly amateurish” and its attempts at humor were “embarrassing”). Further, the structure of the musical was all wrong. The “genuine and moving” theme of reconciliation, understanding, and peace was unfortunately wrapped in a “gay package . . . on the level of a children’s holiday frolic,” and the lighthearted aspects of the evening seemed forced into the story “like sugar plums.” This patronizing attitude was a disservice to the “serious and straightforward statement of a moral attitude toward other human beings and the world.” As for the cast, Atkinson said they were “thoroughly agreeable singers and actors,” and Leland Holland in the leading role of “Joth” Jotham had “a voice and a relaxed style that would make him welcome as leading man in most professional musical plays.” Atkinson also liked the “pleasant” songs, which were in a “cheerful mood.” The musical briefly toured, and its tag line indicated the show was a “Sparkling Musical Play of the West.” There was no cast recording, but the entire musical was preserved when it was privately filmed during one of the New York performances. The film was briefly available in a limited-edition DVD release in Great Britain. The musical is distinguished for having one of the most collectible of Broadway programs (Playbill-sized programs, which seem to have been printed by Playbill magazine, were given to the audience). The rare program is distinguished as the first to use an all-color artwork cover. In the past, program covers had displayed generic color covers (and at least one used tints to brighten the photograph on its cover), but Jotham Valley offered bright red-and-yellow artwork that was somewhat reminiscent of the logo design for the original production of Oklahoma!

Music

Cecil Broadhurst, Frances Hadden, and Will Reed

Lyrics

Cecil Broadhurst

Book

Cecil Broadhurst