Animal Crackers (musical)

Animal Crackers opened on Broadway on October 23, 1928, at the 44th Street Theatre, and closed April 6, 1929, running for 191 performances.[http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?html_title=&tols_title=ANIMAL%20CRACKERS%20(PLAY)&pdate=19281024&byline=&id=1077011429138 New York Times review, October 24, 1928]{{cite web |title=Animal Crackers – Broadway Musical – Original – 1928-10-23 to 1929-04-06 |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/animal-crackers-10753 |website=IBDB |access-date=20 August 2022}} The musical was produced by Sam H. Harris, staged by Oscar Eagle, and starred the four Marx Brothers and Margaret Dumont in the Brothers' second Broadway hit. Hermes Pan appeared as a chorus boy.

The play was filmed in 1930 with the Marx Brothers and most of the principal actors repeating their roles from the stage production, and most of the musical numbers cut.

After The Cocoanuts ran for almost three years at the Lyric Theatre, the "anarchic" Animal Crackers became the third and last Broadway show for the Marx Brothers (I'll Say She Is was the first). It was their last stage show, after which they focused on film. Vaudeville's heyday was finishing, as talking movies were beginning to become popular. While the Marx Brothers performed in Animal Crackers in the evenings, they were busy during the day filming The Cocoanuts at Paramount's Astoria Studios in Astoria, Queens.

The song list for the show is as follows:[https://www.marx-brothers.org/whyaduck/info/broadway/anim-37.htm Original 44th Street Theatre program][https://web.archive.org/web/20090114040347/http://www.flyrope.com/sections/shows/score.php?var=100000539 Flyrope.com - worldwide musical theatre database]{{dl|date=August 2022}}{{cite web |title=Animal Crackers - 1928 Broadway Musical: Tickets & Info |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/shows/Animal-Crackers-3195.html |website=Broadway World |access-date=21 August 2022}}

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;Act I

• Opening

:Hives and Dancers

:The Maids — The Sixteen Markert Dancers

:The Guests — Ensemble

• "News" — Wally Winston and the Sixteen Markert Dancers
• "Hooray for Captain Spaulding" — Hives, Jamison, Mrs. Rittenhouse, Captain Spaulding and Ensemble
• "Who's Been Listening to My Heart" — Mary and John
• "The Long Island Low-Down" — Wally Winston and Grace
• "Go Places and Do Things" — Ensemble
• Dance
• "Watching the Clouds Roll By" — Mary and John
• Piano speciality — Emanuel Ravelli

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;Act II

• "When Things Are Bright and Rosy" — Wally Winston and Arabella
• Reprise — Mary and John
• "Cool Off" — Grace and Ensemble
• The Royal Filipino Band
• Harp speciality — The Professor
• "Four of the Three Musketeers" — Spaulding, Jamison, Ravelli, Professor
• Finale — Company

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• "Three Little Words" † ‡
• "Oh By Jingo!" (by Lew Brown and Albert von Tilzer)†
• "Show Me a Rose" ‡
• "The Social Ladder" †
• "I Wanna Be Loved by You" ††
• "Nevertheless (I'm in Love with You)" ††
• "The Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me" †††
• "Everyone Says I Love You" †††

† added for Goodspeed production

‡ added for Arena Stage and Paper Mill productions

†† added for Paper Mill production

††† added for the Goodman production

*Reprised the role in the film adaptation.

**Character not in the film adaptation.

The musical was revived in 1982 at the Arena Stage, Washington, D.C., directed by Douglas C. Wager and choreographed by Baayork Lee.[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/31/theater/stage-animal-crackers-at-the-arena.html New York Times review, May 31, 1982] It was also revived in 1992 by Goodspeed Musicals, Connecticut.[http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9E0CE7DE1F3BF935A35751C1A964958260 New York Times review, December 6, 1992]

A production in 1993 at the Paper Mill Playhouse, New Jersey, was notable for being Kristin Chenoweth's first professional role.{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/over-20-years-of-popular-kristin-chenoweth-on-stage-and-screen-com-340972|title=Over 20 Years of Popular: Kristin Chenoweth on Stage and Screen |access-date=2019-10-15 }}[http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9F0CE6DE1331F937A25752C1A965958260 New York Times review, November 14, 1993]

It was produced in the U.K. by the Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre, where it was first mounted as part of the 1995–96 season,{{cite web |url=http://www.royalexchange.co.uk/454-the-theatre-production-history/file |title=Main House Production History from 1976 - 2015 |access-date=2015-12-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519033924/http://www.royalexchange.co.uk/454-the-theatre-production-history/file |archive-date=2015-05-19 |publisher=Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre}} running from the 21st of December until the 3rd February. It was then revived at that theatre's Swan Street Studio from 12 March to the 14th April 1998. It was taken on tour, and played the Sculpture Court of The Barbican Centre in a circus tent in June 1998;{{cite web|author=12:00AM BST 04 Jul 1998 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4714713/Bliss-is-a-tent-filled-with-Marx-Brothers-one-liners.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211014649/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4714713/Bliss-is-a-tent-filled-with-Marx-Brothers-one-liners.html |archive-date=2015-12-11 |title=Bliss is a tent filled with Marx Brothers one-liners |publisher=Telegraph |date=1998-07-04 |access-date=2019-08-31}} after further touring, it transferred to the West End at the Lyric Theatre, opening on March 16, 1999,{{cite web |title=Animal Crackers - 1999 West End Musical: Tickets & Info |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/shows/Animal-Crackers-10766.html |website=Broadway World |access-date=21 August 2022}} and closing on May 15, 1999 (the run brought to an early close, having been booking until September{{cite web|url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-theatre/news/04-1999/animal-crackers-makes-way-for-tango-pasion_28923.html |publisher=WhatsOnStage.com |title=Animal Crackers Makes Way for Tango Pasion |access-date=2015-12-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222051858/http://www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-theatre/news/04-1999/animal-crackers-makes-way-for-tango-pasion_28923.html |archive-date=2015-12-22 }}). Starring were Ben Keaton (Spaulding), Toby Sedgwick (the Professor), Joseph Alessi (Emanuel Ravelli), and Jean Challis (Mrs Rittenhouse).[http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/theatre/show-587664-details/Animal+Crackers/showReview.do This Is London, 3/16/99]{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4717052/Full-Marx-for-bringing-back-fun.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208203355/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4717052/Full-Marx-for-bringing-back-fun.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2015-12-08 |title=Full Marx for bringing back fun |publisher=Telegraph |date=1999-03-15 |access-date=2019-08-31}}

Animal Crackers was produced to open the 2009–2010 season at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, opening September 18, 2009, and closing on November 1.{{cite web |title=Animal Crackers - Goodman Theatre - Chicago |url=https://www.theatreinchicago.com/animal-crackers/3391/ |website=Theatre In Chicago |access-date=21 August 2022}}{{cite web |last1=Sierra |first1=Gabrielle |title=Joey Slotnick Completes Cast Of ANIMAL CRACKERS, Begins 9/18 At Goodman Theater |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/chicago/article/Joey-Slotnick-Completes-Cast-Of-ANIMAL-CRACKERS-Begins-918-At-Goodman-Theater-20090618 |website=BroadwayWorld |access-date=21 August 2022 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Animal Crackers |url=https://www.goodmantheatre.org/season/0910/animal-crackers/ |website=Goodman Theatre |access-date=21 August 2022}} The revival starred Joey Slotnick (Spaulding), Molly Brennan (the Professor), Jonathan Brody (Emanuel Ravelli), and Ora Jones (Mrs. Rittenhouse). In addition, with a cast of only nine, several of the roles were doubled up by actors.{{Citation | title = Cast of Animal Crackers | journal = Playbill | page = 3 | date = October–November 2009 }}

Animal Crackers also ran from May 6, 2011, to June 4, 2011, at The Lyric Stage Company of Boston.

"Animal Crackers" opened the 2013 season at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, running from June 26, 2013, to July 13, 2013.

{{Reflist}}

• {{ibdb title|id=10753|title=Animal Crackers}}
• [http://www.marx-brothers.org/whyaduck/info/broadway/anim-index.htm Animal Crackers] - whyaduck

{{George Kaufman}}

{{Marx Brothers}}

Category:1928 musicals

Category:Broadway musicals

Category:Musicals set in the Roaring Twenties

Category:Original musicals

Category:Marx Brothers

Category:Musicals set on Long Island

Category:Musicals by Harry Ruby