Dames at Sea

A CONCORD THEATRICALS TITLE

Dames at Sea

Full-Length Musical, Comedy  /  3f, 4m

Book and Lyrics by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller
Music by Jim Wise

This long-running off-Broadway hit, in which a young chorine becomes a musical theatre star, is a tap-happy gem of a show celebrating the golden era of movie musicals.

Image: Jeremy Daniel

Dames at Sea

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3f, 4m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Period
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! 1968 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical
    Winner! 1968 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics
    Nominee: 2016 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Revival of a Musical
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Details

Summary
A long-running off-Broadway hit, which brought stardom to newcomer Bernadette Peters, this delightfully campy show revels in nostalgia for Hollywood musicals of the '30s. Sweet little Ruby from faraway Hometown, U.S.A. has come to the big city make her mark on Broadway. Who should she chance to meet but another boy from Hometown, U.S.A.: Dick, a sailor, who also has ambitions as a songwriter. Ruby begins in the chorus, and by the end of the day, in true Hollywood fashion, Dick saves her doomed Broadway show with a smash tune and Ruby becomes a star on the deck of a battleship, which just happens to be passing by. Selected as "Best Musical of the Year" by Time, Newsweek and the Outer Critics Circle, Dames at Sea is a non-stop ride of romance, laughs and musical delights.
History
Dames at Sea opened off-Broadway at the Bouwerie Lane Theatre on December 20, 1968. It transferred to the larger Theater de Lys on April 22, 1969, and closed on May 10, 1970 after a total of 575 performances. Directed by Neal Kenyon, the show featured newcomer Bernadette Peters in the lead role of Ruby. On October 22, 2015, Dames at Sea made its Broadway premiere at the Helen Hayes Theatre, in a production directed and choreographed by Randy Skinner.
Keywords
Performing Groups

MONA KENT – A tempermental Broadway diva.
JOAN – A big-hearted chorus girl.
HENNESSEY – The director.
RUBY – A young, brigh-eyed chorus girl from Utah.
DICK – A handsome sailor who happens to be a great songwriter.
LUCKY – A sailor who used to date Joan.
THE CAPTAIN – The ship's captain and Mona's former lover back in Florida.
CHORUS

Note: Producers may augment the cast with a female, male, or mixed chorus of any number of members for any number of production routines up to nine.

  • Time Period 1930s
  • Setting A theater on 42nd Street and a battleship. The early thirties.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Media

“A winner! A gem of a musical!” – The New York Times

“Dames At Sea is a dance-driven delight... prepare to be thoroughly charmed.” – USA Today

“[A] perky homage to 1930s movie musicals... A sweet candy morsel.” – The Hollywood Reporter

“An instant hit!” – United Press International

“A winner! A gem of a musical!” – The New York Times, Read More

Videos

  • Dames at Sea - Broadway Revival Teaser

Photos

  • Dames at Sea

    Image: Paul Kennedy

  • Dames at Sea

    Image: Jeremy Daniel

Music

Song Samples

Overture
Wall Street
It's You
Broadway Baby
That Mister of Mine
Choo-Choo Honeymoon
The Sailor of My Dreams
Good Times Are Here to Stay
Dames at Sea
The Beguine
Raining in My Heart
Singapore Sue
There's Something About You
The Echo Waltz
Star Tar
Let's Have a Simple Wedding
Act 1
New Overture
Wall Street - Mona
Wall Street Playoff
Wall Street Instrumental
It's You - Ruby and Dick
Broadway Baby - Dick
That Mister Man of Mine - Mona, Chorus
Choo Choo Honeymoon - Joan, Lucky
The Sailor of My Dreams - Ruby
Singapore Sue - Lucky, Dick, Mona, Joan and Hennessey
Broadway Baby Reprise (Optional) - Hennessey and Chorus
Good Times Are Here To Stay - Joan, Ruby, Dick, Lucky and Hennessey
Underscore
Good Times Reprise - All

Act 2
Entr'acte
Dames at Sea - Lucky, Dick, Captain and Girls Trio
Beguine - Mona and Captain
Raining in My Heart - Ruby and Chorus
Something About You - Ruby and Dick
Raining Reprise - Ruby
Echo Waltz - Mona, Joan, Ruby and Men offstage)
Into Dressing Room
StarTar - Ruby, Chorus
Playoff
Simple Wedding - All
Bows - All
Piano 1-Conductor

Reed 1 (Alto Saxophone, Clarinet)
Reed 2 (Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet)
Trumpet
Percussion (Vibraphone, Xylophone, Drums)
Piano 2
Violin A & B
Violin C
Bass
  • Musical StyleClassic Broadway
  • Vocal DemandsModerate
  • Orchestra SizeLarge
  • Chorus SizeMedium

Materials

Music Rentals

Concord offers a full suite of resources to help you put on the show of a lifetime!
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1 Piano 1-Conductor (Act 1)
1 Piano 1-Conductor (Act 2)
10 Vocal Books

1 Reed 1
1 Reed 2
1 Trumpet
1 Percussion
1 Piano 2
1 Violin A & B
1 Violin C
1 Bass
1 Piano 1-Conductor (Act 1)
1 Piano 1-Conductor (Act 2)
10 Vocal Books
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Authors

Author

George Haimsohn

Author

Robin Miller

Author

Jim Wise

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