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- Li'l Abner (1)
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Li'l Abner (musical)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the film based on the musical, see Li'l Abner
| Li'l Abner | |
| Music | Gene De Paul |
|---|---|
| Lyrics | Johnny Mercer |
| Book | Norman Panama Melvin Frank |
| Based upon | Al Capp's comic strip Li'l Abner |
| Productions | 1956 Broadway |
Li'l Abner is a musical with a book by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, music by Gene De Paul, and lyrics by Johnny Mercer.
Based on the comic strip Li'l Abner by Al Capp, the show is, on the surface, a broad spoof of hillbillies but is also a pointed satire taking on any number of topics, ranging from an incompetent United States federal government to standards of masculinity.
The plot centers on two things: first, Dogpatch, the town that is the main setting of the comic strip, has been declared the "most unnecessary town" in the U.S. and is set to be turned into a nuclear testing site; second, the baby tonic that Abner has been forcibly fed all his life by His Mother, Mammy Yokum, is discovered to be a potion that makes men strong and handsome, but also utterly uninterested in sex.
The town is ultimately saved when a plaque is discovered declaring that its local hero, the Confederate general Jubilation T. Cornpone was, by virtue of his incompetence, so instrumental in the defeat of his own army as to be a hero of the Republic.
The Broadway production, directed and choreographed by Michael Kidd, opened on November 15, 1956 at the St. James Theatre, where it ran for 693 performances. The original cast starred Peter Palmer in the title role and Edie Adams as Daisy Mae. Other prominent cast members were Howard St. John as General Bullmoose, Stubby Kaye as Marryin' Sam, Charlotte Rae as Mammy Yokum (Li'l Abner's mother), Tina Louise as Appassionata von Climax, Julie Newmar as Stupifyin' Jones, Carmen Alvarez as Moonbeam McSwine, Ted Thurston as Senator Phogbound, and Tony Mordente as Lonesome Polecat.
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- Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical - Edith Adams (WINNER)
- Tony Award for Best Costume Design - Costume Design by Alvin Colt (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Choreography - Michael Kidd (WINNER)
- 1957 Theatre World Award - Peter Palmer (WINNER)
- 1958 Theatre World Award - Wynne Miller (WINNER)