Lady in the Dark: Biography of a Musical »

bruce d. mcclung, a native of California's Mojave Desert, teaches American and European music history at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music.

When Lady in the Dark opened on January 23, 1941, its many firsts immediately distinguished it as a new and unusual work. The curious directive to playwright Moss Hart to complete a play about psychoanalysis came from his own Freudian psychiatrist. For the first time since his brother George's death, Ira Gershwin returned to writing lyrics for the theater. And for émigré composer Kurt Weill, it was a crack at an opulent first-class production. Together Hart, Gershwin, and Weill (with a little help from the psychiatrist) produced one of the most innovative works in Broadway history.

Though Lady in the Dark was a smash-hit, it has never enjoyed a Broadway revival, and a certain mystique has grown up around its legendary original production. In this ground-breaking biography, bruce mcclung pieces together the musical's life story from sketches and drafts, production scripts, correspondence, photographs, costume and set designs, and thousands of clippings from the star's personal scrapbooks. He has interviewed eleven members of the original company to provide a one-of-a-kind glimpse into the backstage story.

Debra Griboff - Encore Magazine

McClung is adept at chronicling Broadway's glamour and the backstage idiosyncrasies of its stars. Given Lady 's size-and the demands of its lead-there has yet to be a Broadway revival. His book is the next best thing.

Credits     xiii
Prologue     xv
Opening Night     3
Genesis     35
Musical Score     61
Tryout     81
Broadway Run     103
Tour     125
Cultural Context     143
Revivals     167
Epilogue     199
Notes     203
Selected Bibliography and Discography     237
Index     255