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Betty Comden

BETTY COMDEN

  (1915 - 2006)
Nationality:    USA
email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    n/a

Betty Comden's plays including theatres, agent, synopses, cast sizes, production and published dates

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below is a list of Betty Comden's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Applause         Bells Are Ringing         Billion Dollar Baby         Bonaza Bound         Do Re Mi         Doll's Life         Fade Out - Fade In         Ghost Goes West, The         Hallelujah, Baby!:         Lorelei         Madwoman Of Central Park West, The         On the Town         On the Twentieth Century         Peter Pan         Say, Darling         Singin' In the Rain         Subways Are For Sleeping         Two On the Aisle         Will Rogers Follies, The         Wonderful Town

Applause

Applause
Margo Channing Broadway actress is about to have her latest opening night. Her fiance Bob tells her that he cannot stay for the performance as he is off to Rome to direct a movie. Margo does not want to go to the cast party alone. She gets her gay hairdresser Duane to take her and eve who works at the theatre to a gay disco. eve becomes Margo's Girl Friday and organises everything for her. But when eve takes over as Margo's understudy Margo takes against her. Bill returns but he and Margo have a huge row and they split. Margo is rude to eve and Margo's friends are shocked. Margo is spending the weekend with two of the friends and they drain her petrol tank so that she cannot get to the theatre and eve goes on. eve is a huge success. eve makes a play for Bill and gives an interview in which her makes a veiled attack on Margo. eve gets the Tony for her performance. Bill realises that Margo was right about eve and they reconcile

Notes:
Music by Charles Strouse; Lyrics by Lee Adams; Book by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; Based on the film "all About eve" And the original story by Mary Orr

1st Produced:
Palace Theater, New York     1970

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
Original cast recording: Decca (012159404-2)

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical Play Musical

Parts:
Male:  15            Female:  6            Other:  extras

Further Reference:
-

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Bells Are Ringing

Bells Are Ringing
at the Susanswerphone telephone answering service, Ella goes out of her way to help the clients. She particularly likes struggling playwright Jeff. the police are investigating the company because they believe it to be a front for vice. It is being used for gambling by subscriber Sandor who pretends to be a music publisher and has gamblers telephoning using code

Notes:
Book by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; Lyrics by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; Music by Jule Styne

1st Produced:
Shubert Theater, New York     29 Nov 1956

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
Original cast recording: Columbia (CK-2006)

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  8            Female:  5            Other:  ensemble

Further Reference:
-

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Billion Dollar Baby

Billion Dollar Baby
Maribelle Jones and her quest for wealth during Prohibition

Notes:
Music by Morton Gould; Book by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; Lyrics by Betty Comden And Adolph Green

1st Produced:
Alvin Theater, New York     21 Dec 1945

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
Studio cast recording: Original Cast Records: (OC- 4304) 2000

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Bonaza Bound

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Music by Saul Chaplin; lyrics and book by Betty Comden; Adolph Green

1st Produced:
-     1947

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
Original cast recording: RCA Victor never released

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Do Re Mi

Do Re Mi
Hubie's wife urges him to get a proper job - but he prefers scheming and dealing. He comes up with an idea to get juke boxes in to various venues

Notes:
Book by Garson Kanin; Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Betty Comden And Adolph Green

1st Produced:
St James Theater, New York     1960

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
Original cast recoding: RCa 61994) 1960

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  large cast

Further Reference:
-

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Doll's Life

Doll's Life
the sights and sounds of 19th century Norway as Nora, Ibsen's heroine from a Doll's House, tries to make her way in a male dominated society after she slams the door on her former life

Notes:
Book by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; Lyrics by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; Music by Larry Grossman

1st Produced:
Mark Hellinger Theatre, NY     1982

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French Inc, NY,    -

Music:
Original Broadway cast recording: Bayview: (BCD 3031)

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Fade Out - Fade In

Fade Out - Fade In
a New York usherette is whisked off to Hollywood to become a star. However she has been mistaken for someone else

Notes:
Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; Book by Betty Comden And Adolph Green

1st Produced:
Mark Hellinger Theatre, NY     1964

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
Original cast recording: aBC (aBCS-OC-3) 1964

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Ghost Goes West, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Music by Jule Styne; lyrics by Betty Comden; lyrics by Adolph Green; book by ernest Kinoy

1st Produced:
-     1967

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Hallelujah, Baby!:

Hallelujah, Baby!:
Setting: America from the turn of the century until now

Notes:
Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Adolph Green And Betty Comden; Book by Arthur Laurents

1st Produced:
Martin Beck Theatre, NY     1967

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
Original cast recording: Sony (48218) 1967

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Lorelei

Lorelei
Setting: the pier of the Ile de France; the deck of the Ile de France; Lorelei's suite on the Ile de France; the eiffel Tower; Lorelei's suite at the Ritz Hotel, Paris; Pre-Catalin nightclub; a Paris street; the Central Park Casino, New York.

Notes:
Music by Jule Styne; New lyrics by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; New book by Kenny Solms And Gail Parent; Based on the musical "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" by Anita Loos And Joseph A. Fields; Lyrics by Leo Robin

1st Produced:
Palace Theater, New York     1974

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
Original Broadway cast: Decca (B0001407-02) 1974

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Madwoman Of Central Park West, The

Madwoman Of Central Park West, The
a woman tries to tidy up her bedroom whilst writing lists of things to do, having fights with her teenage daughter and reminiscing

Notes:
written with Phyllis Newman, music by Peter Allen, Leonard Bernstein And others, from play My Mother Was A Fortune Teller by Newman

1st Produced:
Buffalo     1979

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
Original cast recording: DRG (5212) 1979

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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On the Town

On the Town
Setting: New York City. 1944 - wartime, three sailors on shore leave embark on the biggest adventure of their lives with just 24 hours to find fun and romance in the world's most exciting city. . .

Notes:
Music by Leonard Bernstein; Lyrics by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; Book by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; Based on An idea by Jerome Robbins; Additional lyrics by Leonard Bernstein

1st Produced:
Adelphi Theatre, NY     1944

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
Some songs by original cast memebers: MCa (10280) 1944

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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On the Twentieth Century

On the Twentieth Century
after four flops in a row, megalomaniac theatre impresario, Oscar Jaffee, and his hapless entourage are on the run. Desperately trying to resuscitate his flat-lining career he books a carriage on the Twentieth Century Limited, the world's most famous express train, bound for New York. In the next carriage resides his former sweetheart turned Hollywood starlet Lily Garland. Now Oscar has just 16 hours to entice the egotistical Lily back on to the stage, as the leading lady in his next show. Oscar's financial ruin hangs in the balance and a jealous lover is on the loose. Offered funding by religious fanatic Letitia Peabody Primrose, Jaffee's dreams fall into a glorious, and by turns hilarious, balancing act of keeping everyone happy. Set against a backdrop of the great American Depression of the 1930s, what unfolds is a tongue-in-cheek fairy tale of the pitfalls of producing theatre when cash is tight and private money comes at an unavoidable cost.

Notes:
Book by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; Lyrics by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; Music by Cy Coleman; Based on the play by Ben Hecht, Charles Macarthur And Bruce Milholland

1st Produced:
St James Theater, New York     1978

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
Original cast recording:Sony (35330) 1978

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Peter Pan

Peter Pan
Setting: the Nursery of the Darling Residence, Neverland, Marooner's Rock, the Home Underground, the Pirate Ship.

Notes:
Based on the play by James M. Barrie; Lyrics by Carolyn Leigh; Music by Mark Charlap; Additional music by Jule Styne; Additional lyrics by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; Incidental music by elmer Bernstein And Trude Rittman

1st Produced:
Winter Garden Theatre, NY     1954

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
Original cast recording: RCA Victor (3762-2 RG)

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Say, Darling

Say, Darling
Setting: airport in Corn County; Hackett & Snow's Office in the Big City; Stamford; Irene Lovelle's apartment; New Haven; Idlewild airport in New York

Notes:
Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; Book by Richard Bissell, Abe Burrows And Marian Bissell; Based on the best-selling novel by Richard Bissell

1st Produced:
Anta Playhouse, NY     1958

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Tams-Witmark, 757 Third ave., New York, NY,    ocrsaydarling

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
comedy Play with Music

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Singin' In the Rain

Synopsis:
Setting: Hollywood in the Twenties

Notes:
Based on the film by MGM; Screenplay by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; Book Adapted by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; Music by Nacio Herb Brown; Lyrics by Arthur Freed

1st Produced:
George Gershwin Theatre, NY     1985

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Subways Are For Sleeping

Subways Are For Sleeping
One of David Merrick's notorious "flops," Subways are For Sleeping tells the tale of a angie, a lady reporter sent to get the scoop on a segment of NYC society that lives by their own rules. these carefree souls take up odd jobs to earn enough to get a place to sleep and food to eat, eschewing a drone-like existence. When angie learns how the other half lives, she begins to see there might be another way to experience the world.

Notes:
Book by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; Suggested by the book by edmund G. Love

1st Produced:
St James Theater, New York     1961

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
Original cast recording: Fynsworth alley (Fa-001-Le) 1961

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Two On the Aisle

Two On the Aisle
-

Notes:
Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; Sketches by Betty Comden And Adolph Green

1st Produced:
Mark Hellinger Theatre, NY     1951

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
Original cast recording: Decca (440 014 583-2) 1951

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Will Rogers Follies, The

Will Rogers Follies, The
the life of Will Rogers as told by Will and with embellishments from Florenz Ziegfield. at nineteen Will runs away from home and goes to South America to be a cowboy. He meets the love of his life - Betty Blake on a train. Ziegfield decides that this is not romantic enough - so instead of the train she floats down from the sky seated on the moon. Some years later Will is playing in a Wild West Revue and he marries Betty. Ziegfield says that a grand wedding should be the finale of act one. So Will and Betty have four children and Will goes to work at the Ziegfield Follies where he becomes a huge success. He is also a radio star now and he is just about to leave for Hollywood when Ziegfield says it is nearly time for the interval - so they have the grand wedding. In Hollywood Will is also a great success - he is asked to run for President. Ziegfield looses his fortune and the Depression gets worse. President Hoover asks Will to broadcast to the Nation to boost morale. He does and everyone is inspired. In alaska he goes for a plane ride with his friend Wiley - they never come back.

Notes:
Book by Peter Stone; Music by Cy Coleman; Lyrics by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; Music Arranged by Cy Coleman; Inspired by the words of Will Rodgers And Betty Rodgers

1st Produced:
Palace Theater, New York     01 May 1991

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
Original cast recording: Sony (48606) 1991

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
life in revue Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Wonderful Town

Wonderful Town
Two friends move from Ohio to New York to seek their fortunes. eileen a dancer who always has men chasing her and Ruth a writer who can't get even one man

Notes:
Music by Leonard Bernstein; Book by Joseph A. Fields And Jerome Chodorov; Lyrics by Betty Comden And Adolph Green; Based on "My Sister eileen" by Joseph A. Fields And Jerome Chodorov; Based on stories by Ruth McKenney

1st Produced:
Winter Garden Theatre, NY     25 Feb 1953

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Tams-Wltmark, NY,    -

Music:
Original cast recording: MCa (10050) 1953

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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