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The Pajama Game

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The Pajama Game is a Broadway musical based on the novel 7-1/2 Cents by Richard Bissell. It features a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross.

The original Broadway production ran from May 13, 1954 to November 24, 1956. It was revived between December 9, 1973 to February 3, 1974. A current production by The Roundabout Theatre Company has been running since February 23, 2006, starring Harry Connick, Jr. (Sid), with Kelli O'Hara (Babe) and Michael McKean (Hines). The original production won a Tony for best musical, and the most recent revival won a Tony Award for best revival.

Contents

Plot

The story deals with labor troubles in a pajama factory, where worker demands for a seven and a half cent raise are going unheeded. In the midst of this ordeal, love blossoms between Babe, a union leader, and Sid, the new factory superintendent.

A strike is imminent at the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory. The union is seeking a wage rise of seven and a half cents an hour. Sid and Babe are in opposite camps yet a romance is born between them. At first Babe rejects Sid and he is forced to confide his feelings to a dictaphone. During the picnic for the factory workers, he makes better progress, but their estrangement is reinforced when they return to the factory. A go-slow is staged by the union, strongly supported by Babe. Sid, as factory superintendent, demands an "honest day's work" and threatens to fire slackers. Babe is enraged by his attitude and kicks her foot into the machinery, causes a general breakdown and is immediately fired by Sid.

Hines, the popular efficiency expert, is in love with Gladys, the company president's secretary. Periodically, he brings a more optimistic outlook to the life of the factory. Becoming convinced that Babe's championship of the union is justified, Sid simulates an interest in Gladys by taking her out for the evening to the night club, Hernando's Hideaway. Through her help, he is eventually able to gain access to the firm's books and discovers that the boss Hasler has already given the raise, but is keeping all of the money for himself.

Sid then brings about Hasler's consent to a pay rise and is able to bring peace to the factory and to his love life. Everyone goes out to celebrate—at Hernando's Hideaway.

(Summary adapted from http://www.nodanw.com/shows_p/pajama_game.htm)

Characters

The following are the characters in the show:

Songs

Broadway

1954

The original Broadway production opened on May 13, 1954 and closed on November 24, 1956 after 1,063 performances. It was directed by George Abbott and Jerome Robbins and featured choreography by Bob Fosse. The original cast included John Raitt, Janis Paige, Eddie Foy, Jr., and Carol Haney.

Awards

External links

1973

A Broadway revival opened on December 9, 1973 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, but it closed on February 3, 1974 after just 65 performances. Directed by one of the two directors at the original production in 1954, George Abbott, with choreography by Zoya Leporska. The cast this time included Hal Linden, Barbara McNair, and Cab Calloway as Hines.

2006

The Roundabout Theatre Company opened a revival on February 23, 2006, with Kathleen Marshall as choreographer and director.
The Pajama Game (2006)
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The Pajama Game (2006)
The cast includes Harry Connick, Jr. as Sid, Kelli O'Hara as Babe, and Michael McKean as Hines. The revival includes three added songs, by Richard Adler. Performances started at the American Airlines Theatre January 19, 2006, and is scheduled to run until June 11, 2006. A one week extension was announced on Valentine's day [link]. On April 6., the extension was announced to be 5 benefit performances running from June 13 to 17. Tickets, priced at $250-$2,500, benefit the Actors' Fund of America, the New Orleans Habitat Musicians' Village and the Roundabout's Education Program and Musical Theater Fund. [link]
The original book by George Abbott and Richard Bissell is revised by Peter Ackerman (screenwriter Ice Age). The Roundabout Theatre Company is producing the show with commercial producers, Jeffrey Richards, Scott Landis and James Fuld, Jr.

As of March 1, 2006, all tickets for the run of the show were sold out. The Pajama Game received a huge number of positive reviews after its opening, on February 23, and sold out within the week.

Running Time: Approximately 2 hours 30 minutes with one 15 minute intermission.

Cast

Musical Numbers

Act 1

Act 2

Songs

"Hernando's Hideaway"

Harry Connick Jr shows his piano skills, when Gladys (Megan Lawrence), Sid, and Company are on stage for "Hernando's Hideaway". "The length and form of the song remain steady," Kathleen Marshall said, "but he can improvise within it."

"Steam Heat"

In the original production, and in the film version, the famed dance number "Steam Heat" was danced by Gladys. But here the number is made with Mae (Joyce Chittick), instead of Gladys. Kathleen Marshall explains: "Hines accuses Gladys of being a flirt, and she's not. So does it make sense that she'd go and strut her stuff in front of the whole union? Hines would say, 'Aha, you floozy, I caught you!' Also, she's the boss's secretary, so why would she be at a union meeting? I think it's much more fun that Gladys doesn't really let go until she goes out with Sid, gets real drunk, and throws caution to the wind."

New songs

Hines (Michael McKean) performs the new number, "The Three of Us" at show's end with Gladys (Megan Lawrence). A song Richard Adler wrote for Jimmy Durante, in 1964, which he did in his live act but never recorded. "It was written for Jimmy Durante," says McKean, "and Durante used to do it in his act, but he never recorded it, so it’s kind of an orphan."

"The World Around Us" was part of the 1954 Broadway previews and opening, but was dropped during the first week of the Broadway run, replaced by Babe's reprise of "Hey There." This would leave Sid with no songs in the second act. The number has been restored for the current Broadway revival, allowing star Harry Connick, Jr. to have a second-act song.

For the 1973 revival, in place of the second-act "Hey There" reprise, there was a new song, "Watch Your Heart." Retitled "If You Win, You Lose," the song has been heard in recent productions of the show and will be heard in the new Broadway production.

Music

(*John Allred, Joe Barati, Neal Caine, and Roger Ingram are members of Harry Connick Jr's big band, and appear on several of his albums.)

Credits

Awards & Nominations

Cast recording

Cast recording for the 2006 revival, a two-disc set: 1. Original Broadway cast recording The Pajama Game; 2. Songs from Thou Shalt Not, Harry Connick Jr. featuring Kelli O'Hara

External links

Film

The film version was released by Warner Bros. in 1957 and featured the original stage cast except for Janis Paige, who was replaced by Doris Day.

External links

Trivia

Shirley MacLaine became understudy to actress Carol Haney in the original Broadway production; Haney broke her ankle and MacLaine replaced her. A few months thereafter, with Haney still out of commission, director/producer Hal B. Wallis was in the audience, took note of MacLaine, and signed her to go to Hollywood to work for Paramount Pictures.

External links

See also

 

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