Something For The Boys

Louise Gold starred as Blossom Hart at Barbican Cinema 1 on 28 May, 4, 11, and 18 June 1995

 STOP PRESS: Louise Gold has two nominations in the Broadway World West End Awards: http://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/vote2015region.cfm

In particular she has been nominated for Understudy of The Year Female: http://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/liveupdate2015region.cfm?btype=4338&region=UK%20/%20West%20End#sthash.2TIlL8gx.dpbs  (for her performance as Momma Rose – she understudied Imelda Staunton)

Cast

Chiquita Hart - Jessica Martin

Roger Calhoun - Lynden Edwards

Harry Hart - Sam Kelly

Blossom Hart - Louise Gold

Staff Sgt Rocky Fulton - Teddy Kempner

Sgt Laddie Green - Daniel Gillingwater

Mary Frances - Hazel Holder

Betty-Jean/Maid - Louise Davidson

Lucille - Irene Warren

Lt Col S. D. Grubbs - Paul Stewart

Mr Tobias Twitch - Stewart Permutt

Sgt Carter - Simon Joslin

Melaine Walker - Ashleigh Sendin

Waiter/Burke/Soldier - Richard Shelton

Mrs Jane Grubbs - Myra Sands

 

Production Team

Music and Lyrics - Cole Porter

Book - Herbert and Dorothy Fields

Original Production - 1943, Broadway, with Ethel Merman as Blossom Hart

Inspired by an article about Carborundum in a 1938 edition of The Readers Digest

Musical Director - Mark W Dorrell

Director/Producer - Ian Marshall Fisher

 

For a review of Something For The Boys please click here.

 The Readers Digest story that inspired Herbert and Dorothy Fields to write Something For The Boys was a story which recounted how residents of East Rahway in New Jersey within a half a mile radius of a radio station, WOR, found themselves receiving radio broadcasts through rusty metal surfaces such as plumbing and stoves, and one inhabitant actually found himself receiving them even when in a sound-proofed room, just like in the show, he was receiving them through his teeth. It transpired he worked in a factory breaking up carborundum, which got onto the metal fillings of his teeth, and just like Blossom Hart in the musical, turned him into a crystal receiving set. He was advised “to brush his teeth hard”  every day, which apparently sorted the problem out. It did however produce this story, in The Readers Digest,  referred to several times in the musical about what happens to people who work with carborundum.”

Ethel Merman, the mighty singer who originated the role of Blossom back in 1943, herself had a sort of “Blossom” experience in reverse some years later, when performing a solo act at The London Palladium (a theatre in which Louise Gold would later appear in Ziegfeld and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang). The story (which producer Michael Grade told on a radio programme) was that Miss Merman had brought along with her what was then quite a new piece of technology, a radio mike. Now in order to use radio mikes one has to obtain clearance from the local police, to make sure they are not using a frequency that is restricted. But neither Miss Merman or her producers realised this, on this occasion. Indeed Mr Grade and co had never actually seen a radio mike before. The result was that a few days into the run, the show was raided by The Flying Squad. It seems that Miss Merman’s radio mike was unwittingly using the same frequency as some of their communications radios, so that whenever The Flying Squad went to use their communications radios, all they were getting was Ethel Merman.

Something For The Boys was the fifth musical that Cole Porter wrote for Ethel Merman. The others being: Anything Goes, Red Hot And Blue, Du Barry Was A Lady (see: Du Barry Was A Lady (1993 Production) & Du Barry Was A Lady (2001 Production) ), and Panama Hattie. The writing team of Herbert and Dorothy Fields went on to create Annie Get Your Gun for Miss Merman.

The only previous occasion when this musical had been seen in London was the original London production, produced by Bernard Delfont, at The Coliseum, when Evelyn Dall played Blossom.

Of the Lost Musicals cast, it is perhaps interesting to note in this production the leading lady and leading man are also a puppeteer and an animator respectively.

Louise Gold and Teddy Kempner had previously appeared together in Angry Housewives and the charity concerts Chicago & Company and Broadway To Brighton.

Louise Gold, Teddy Kempner and Ashleigh Sendin (plus Myra Sands ) had previously appeared together in in a Lost Musicals production of One Touch Of Venus (in 1992).

Louise Gold and Ashleigh Sendin had previously appeared together in another Merman/Porter musical, namely Anything Goes, they would be reunited in Of Thee I Sing.

Louise Gold and Daniel Gillingwater had previously appeared together in Merrily We Roll Along (Stage Production) and on that cast’s Merrily We Roll Along (Recording)

Myra Sands is a regular member of The Lost Musicals gang, and has appeared with Louise Gold in: By Jupiter | One Touch of Venus (1992 Production) | Du Barry Was A Lady (1993 Production)  | New Girl In Town | Red Hot And Blue |Panama Hattie | Gentlemen Prefer Blondes | One Touch of Venus (2000 Production) . They had previously appeared in a concert of highlights from Ratepayers' Iolanthe & Metropolitan Mikado , have also appeared together on the commercial stage in Follies, and, Oliver!; And can be heard on the album Oliver! (Recording).

Louise Gold and Sam Kelly went on to appear in the film Topsy Turvy

Stewart Permutt went on to appear with Louise Gold in Oh Kay and Du Barry Was A Lady (2001 Production). He also went on to co-write Jessica Martin’s one woman show Blame It On My Youth.

Louise Gold and Jessica Martin (plus Myra Sands) would be reunited 5 years later, in a Lost Musicals production of One Touch Of Venus.

Louise Gold and Jessica Martin sort of reprised their performance of By The Mississineawah in A Lost Musicals Occasion. They have also worked on Spitting Image, and feature on the album Spit In Your Ear, and in the documentary Best Ever Spitting Image . They went on to appear in: Regents Park 70th Anniversary Gala, at Dress Circle Grand Reopening, and in A Celebration Of The Life And Work Of Dick Vosburgh. They have also appeared together on the radio on Let’s Do The Show Right Here and Ned Sherrin’s Review Of Revue.

Louise Davidson went on to become Louise Gold's understudy in Mamma Mia, and Mary Poppins. They also went on to appear as part of The Company Of Mary Poppins in a late night FUNdraising special.

Mark Dorrell went on to appear in Side By Side By Sondheim 30th Anniversary Gala.

Jessica Martin went on to appear in A Love Letter To Dan.

Myra Sands may have previously taken part in Thing A Thon.

Sam Kelly went on to take part in Shopping With The Stars 2009.

Louise Gold, Myra Sands, and, Paul Stewart have gone on to appear in Darling of The Day.

Louise Gold, and, Myra Sands had previously taken part in Camberwell Pocket Opera’s First Fundraising Gala, for which Mark Dorrell also played the piano.

Louise Gold, Stewart Permutt, and, Myra Sands went on to appear in Mexican Hayride.

One of the songs in this musical, The Leader of The Bigtime Band includes a lyric referring to Gypsy Rose Lee, having sung the lyric in the original production of this musical, Ethel Merman of course famously played Gypsy Rose Lee’s mother in the musical Gypsy.

 Louise Gold has appeared in quite a number of Cole Porter musicals, besides the Ethel Merman quintet of shows, she has also appeared in Kiss Me Kate, Noel/Cole: Let’s Do It, and, Mexican Hayride. However, she has made all too few recordings, the only albums of her singing Cole Porter are Noel/Cole: Let’s Do It (Recording), and the JAY/TER studio cast album of Anything Goes (recording) - Website Recommended Album.

 

Links about Something For The Boys

Muppet Central/Tibby's Bowl Interview with Louise Gold http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/gold.shtml Although she does not give name them, Louise mentions playing the Ethel Merman parts in The Lost Musicals.

 Agency Licensing Campaign (article in The Stage): http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/31022/theatre-stars-back-campaign-for-talent-agency, and Online Petition (which anyone who supports it can sign): http://www.gopetition.com/petition/41085.html  , seeing as Hazel Holder is among the performers backing this worthy campaign.

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