A CONCORD THEATRICALS TITLE

The Biograph Girl

Full-Length Musical, Drama  /  5w, 4m

Warner Brown, David Heneker

Book by Warner Brown
Lyrics by Warner Brown and David Heneker
Music by David Heneker

This British salute to Hollywood's glorious era of silent pictures is ideal for stock and community theatres. Characters include D. W. Griffith, Mack Sennett, Mary Pickford, and Lillian Gish.

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    5w, 4m
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Biography, Period, Docudrama/Historic
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior, Teen (Age 14 - 18)

Details

Summary

Set in the early 20th century when silent film was still a new form of media, Dorothy and Lillian Gish follow their family friend, the newly dubbed Mary Pickford, to New York City to become actresses in moving pictures. They are introduced to D.W. Griffith and he casts Lillian in his film The Birth of a Nation. The movie's lack of success forces D.W. to vow make an even bigger movie, while Lillian struggles with maintaining the image that he audiences have attributed to her. When Intolerance is also a commercial flop, D.W. urges Lillian to take an offer from another studio so that she can earn a living wage. Soon after the industry makes a huge shift with the introduction of sound in pictures, forcing every film industry member to assess their place in the business.

This British salute to Hollywood's glorious era of silent pictures is ideal for stock and community theatres. 

History

The Biograph Girl premiered at the Gardner Centre Theatre at the University of Sussex in October of 1980 under the direction of Victor Spinetti. 

LILLIAN GISH - A major star of silent films and a greatly respected figure of the American theatre to this day.
DOROTHY GISH - Her younger sister and an equal success in silent films though in a lighter vein.
MRS. MARY ROBINSON GISH - Actress mother of Lillian and Dorothy. Her close friend was Mrs. Charlotte Smith, mother of Gladys Smith
GLADYS SMITH aka MARY - Acheived international fame and considerable fortune as Mary Pickford, "the world's sweetheart". Although not the original "Biograph Girl", she inherited the title when Florence Lawrence left Griffith to go to another studio.
DAVID WARK GRIFFITH - Greatest of the pioneer film directors. His classic, The Birth of a Nation, is still frequently shown in specialist cinemas.
G.W. "BILLY" BITZER - Griffith's cameraman for 16 years. Primitive camera obliged him to improvise which accidentally gave Griffith some of his finest efects, among them the fade-out.
JOHANNES CHARLEMAGNE EPPING - Griffith's accountant who secretly invested D.W.'s money in non-revocable annuities and saved him from spending his last years in penury.
ROSE SMITH - Griffith's long time assistant, but the character as presented in this play is a compilation of several different people.
ADOLPH ZUKOR - One of the small time sales (mostly from central Europe) who became the big time bosses of Hollywood. He died in 1976 aged 103.
MACK SENNETT - The king of silent film comedy who introduced Charlie Chaplin to the screen and created the Keystone Kops.
WALTER L. HALL - Nicknamed "Spec" (short for prespective), pioner scenic designer, was largely responsible for the famous set design of Babylon. It was often thought Griffith produced his own designs on an ad hoc basis, but Hall's plans exist to prove the contribution he made to Intolerance.
  • Time Period 1920s, 1910s / WWI
  • Setting Various locations in New York City and Hollywood from 1912 - 1927.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

REVIEWS

"This delightfully unassuming show contains the same naive charm as those early flicks.... [It's a] minor miracle." - The Daily Mail

"A joyous celebration." - International Herald Tribune 

"David Heneker and Warner Brown’s musical captures the heady excitement of the burgeoning movie business..." -

"A winningly wistful musical love letter to silent film" - The Stage  

ON BREAKING CHARACTER

The Biograph Girl: Warner Brown on Bringing Hollywood to the Stage

8 Classic British Musicals to Perform
by Cathy Thomas
August 5, 2019

Music

Song Samples

The Moving Picture Show
Working in Flickers
That's What I Get All Day
Diggin' Gold Dust
Every Lady Needs a Master
I Just Wanted to Make Him Laugh
I Like To Be The Way I Am In My Own Front Parlour
Beyond Babel
A David Griffith Show
More Than a Man
The Industry
Gentle Fade
Nineteen Twenty Five
The Biograph Girl
One of the Pioneers
Put it in The Tissue Paper
Piano-Vocal Score
Reed 1 (Alto Sax, Clarinet & Flute)
Reed 2 (Tenor Sax, Bass Clarinet, Clarinet & Flute)
Reed 3 (Baritone Sax, Alto Sax, Clarinet & Flute)
Piano 2
Bass
Trumpet 1 (Doubling Flugelhorn)
Trumpet 2 (Doubling Flugelhorn)
Trombone
Drums
  • Musical Style Classic Broadway
  • Vocal DemandsModerate
  • Orchestra Size Small/Combo

Licensing & Materials

  • Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

Music Rentals

Concord offers a full suite of resources to help you put on the show of a lifetime!
12 Piano-Vocal Scores

Add-Ons

Take a look below at how you can enhance your show!

Authors

Warner Brown

Warner Brown is an internationally-renowned writer whose work encompasses everything from the traditional form to the radical avant garde. He has collaborated with the composers Angelo Badalamenti, Michael Feinstein, Jenny Giering, Tony Hatch, David Heneker, Gwyneth Herbert, ...
View full profile
Author

David Heneker

Community

Now Playing

Community Experiences