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and Only" Show Page
My One and Only…the
history
Perhaps no musical
arrived on Broadway with a stranger history and became a runaway surprise hit…
Originating as a misguided Peter Sellers attempt to bring Russian
deconstructionalism to the Broadway stage, the show faced the most devastating
pre-Broadway reviews in history…even Tommy Tune apologized to the audience on opening
night in Boston.
Taking the helm, Tommy Tune reconstructed the entire show in one
month before opening in New York City. Peter Stone (1776, City of Angels) was brought in
to fix the script virtually overnight, and even Mike Nichols took his hand at fixing what
skeptical New Yorkers had already nicknamed "My Flop and Phony". Every single
song was gone, every scene re-written, every character changed, and every dance step
re-choreographed. No Broadway-bound cast had ever done that, and in only 4 weeks time.
Imagine New York’s surprise when what arrived was a tuneful,
fast paced romp through 20’s Gershwin tunes with inventive choreography and a bubbly,
funny script. Gone were the factory gear-like sets, and in their place was a simple show
that brought audience after audience to it’s feet. Opening in the same year as CATS,
this was no mean feat.
The rest is history…the show received unanimous rave reviews,
and went on to keep the St. James theatre filled for almost two years.