A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine is a musical comedy consisting of two essentially independent one-act plays, with a book and lyrics by Dick Vosburgh and music by Frank Lazarus. Additionally, songs by other composers are incorporated into the score. The musical premiered in the West End and then ran on Broadway.
| A Day in Hollywood A Night in the Ukraine | |
|---|---|
 Original Broadway cast recording | |
| Music | Frank Lazarus and others |
| Lyrics | Dick Vosburgh |
| Book | Dick Vosburgh |
| Basis | A revue and Anton Chekhov's one-act play The Bear |
| Productions | 1979 West End 1980 Broadway |
Plot overview
editThe first act, A Day in Hollywood, is a revue of classic Hollywood songs of the 1930s performed by singers and dancers representing ushers from Grauman's Chinese Theatre. The second, A Night in the Ukraine, is loosely based on Anton Chekhov's one-act play The Bear, and is presented in the style of a Marx Brothers movie. We follow Serge B. Samovar, a lawyer based on Groucho Marx, as he attempts to collect a 1,800 ruble fee from Mrs. Pavlenko – a wealthy widow. Other characters in this act include Gino (a Harpo Marx-inspired character), Carlo (a Chico Marx-inspired character), Nina, and Constantine (arguably a character inspired by Zeppo Marx).[1]
In a review of a regional production the reviewer from The New York Times commented that the musical "...has a hybrid score that lists music by Frank Lazarus, with book and lyrics by Dick Vosburgh, additional songs composed by Jerry Herman and a solid midsection medley devoted to the prolific composer of popular movie music, Richard A. Whiting. We are treated to a pleasant musical grab bag..."[2]
Productions
editThe musical premiered in the West End at the Mayfair Theatre on 28 March 1979, where it ran for 168 performances.
The musical opened on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre on May 1, 1980, transferred to the Royale Theatre on June 17, 1980, and closed on September 27, 1981, after 588 performances and nine previews. The musical was directed and co-choreographed by Tommy Tune, with Thommie Walsh as co-choreographer, with scenic design by Tony Walton, costume design by Michel Stuart and lighting design by Beverly Emmons. The cast included David Garrison, Priscilla Lopez, Frank Lazarus, Peggy Hewett, Kate Draper, Albert Stephenson, and Stephen James.[3]
An Off-Broadway revival premiered in 2022 and ran for 8 performances at Theatre Row. Directed by Robert Schneider and choreographed by Deidre Goodwin, the company included Mike Cefalo (Carlo / Frank), David B. Friedman (David / Samovar), Felipe Galganni (Sascha), Caleb James Grochalski (Male Swing / Dance Captain), Stephanie Israelson (Kate / Nina), Lauren Lukacek (Peggy / Pavlenko), Maria Grace Reginaldi (Female Swing), Suzanne Slade (Pricilla / Gina), Marina Vidal (Masha) and Mark William (Constantine / Stephen). [4]
Casts
edit| West End (1979) | Broadway (1980) | |
|---|---|---|
| Serge B. Samovar | John Bay | David Garrison |
| Mrs. Pavlenko | Paddie O'Neill | Peggy Hewett |
| Carlo | Frank Lazarus | |
| Gino | Sheila Steafel | Priscilla Lopez |
| Constantine | Jon Glover | Stephen James |
| Nina | Maureen Scott | Kate Draper |
| Sascha | Albert Stephenson | |
| Masha | Pera Koston* | Niki Harris |
*Replaced by Alexandra Sebastian when the show transferred from the New End Theatre to the Mayfair Theatre.
Songs
edit(Songs are by Vosburgh and Lazarus unless otherwise noted)
London Production
editSource:[5]
|
|
Broadway Production
edit
|
|
Awards and nominations
editOriginal Broadway production
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Tony Award | Best Musical | Nominated | |
| Best Book of a Musical | Dick Vosburgh | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Score | Frank Lazarus and Dick Vosburgh | Nominated | ||
| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical | David Garrison | Nominated | ||
| Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical | Priscilla Lopez | Won | ||
| Best Direction of a Musical | Tommy Tune | Nominated | ||
| Best Choreography | Tommy Tune and Thommie Walsh | Won | ||
| Best Scenic Design | Tony Walton | Nominated | ||
| Best Lighting Design | Beverly Emmons | Nominated | ||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Peggy Hewett | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Choreography | Tommy Tune and Thommie Walsh | Won | ||
| 1979–1980 | Theatre World Award | Outstanding New York City Stage Debut | Stephen James | Won |
Lawsuit
editRepresentatives of the Marx Brothers' interests (Groucho Marx Productions, on behalf of Groucho and Chico, and Harpo's widow Susan Marx) sued the musical's producers for violating the Marx Brothers' right of publicity.[6] A lawyer for the plaintiffs said that they were not seeking to shut down the production, but only to demand a license fee for the use of the Marx Brothers characters.[7] The District Court found in favor of the Marx heirs, applying New York law.[6][7] However, on appeal, the decision was reversed, on the grounds that the Marx Brothers had been residents of California, and, at the time of the lawsuit, California law provided that a person's right of publicity either expired upon the person's death, or possibly, could pass to the person's heirs only under limited circumstances which could not restrict production of this musical.[8] The lawsuit ultimately resulted in favor of the musical's producers.[9]
References
edit- ^ "A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine (Broadway, John Golden Theatre, 1980)".
- ^ Klein, Alvin. "Theater; 'Day In Hollywood' In Fairfield", The New York Times, October 4, 1987
- ^ " A Day in Hollywood / a Night in the Ukraine Production Information", PlaybillVault.com, accessed January 5, 2012
- ^ https://www.broadwayworld.com/off-broadway/article/Photos-A-DAY-IN-HOLLYWOODA-NIGHT-IN-THE-UKRAINE-Celebrates-Opening-Night-20220225 " A Day in Hollywood / a Night in the Ukraine'], PlaybillVault.com, accessed July 3rd, 2023
- ^ Vosburgh, Dick (2000). A day in Hollywood - a night in the Ukraine : a musical. Internet Archive. London : French. ISBN 978-0-573-08111-8.
- ^ a b Groucho Marx Productions v. Day & Night Co., 523 F. Supp. 485 (S.D.N.Y. 1981).
- ^ a b Lubasch, Arnold H. (October 6, 1981). "U.S. Court Rules for Marx Brothers' Heirs on 'Day in Hollywood'". The New York Times. p. C7. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
- ^ Groucho Marx Productions v. Day & Night Co., 689 F.2d 317 (2d Cir. 1982).
- ^ Siegel, Paul (2011). Communication Law in America (3d ed.). Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 151. ISBN 978-1442209398. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
External links
edit- Internet Broadway Database listing
- A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine - Plot summary and character descriptions from StageAgent.com
- A Day In Hollywood/A Night In The Ukraine Plot and Musical Numbers at guidetomusicaltheatre.com