A CONCORD THEATRICALS TITLE

Call Me Madam

Full-Length Musical, Comedy  /  3w, 6m

Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse

Ambassador Sally Adams, with slim credentials, is sent off to administer in the tiny duchy of Lichtenburg. It's not long before her down-to-earth, typically undiplomatic manner has surprised and charmed the local gentry, especially the handsome Prime Minister.

Call Me Madam

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 6m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Romantic Comedy
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for All Audiences
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! 1952 Tony Award, Best Original Score
Call Me Madam

Details

Summary
Once President Harry S. Truman appointed Washington hostess Perle Mesta as Ambassador to Luxembourg, the foundation was laid for a musical comedy that would kid politics-foreign and domestic alike. Ambassador Sally Adams, with slim credentials, is sent off to administer in the tiny duchy of Lichtenburg. It's not long before her down-to-earth, typically undiplomatic manner has surprised and charmed the local gentry, especially the handsome Prime Minister. A second romance is blossoming between her young Ivy League aid and Lichtenburg's enchanting young Princess. The course of love is threatened by the stuffy opposition, who eventually succeed in wrangling Sally's recall, but not before all has resolved happily for both pairs of lovers.
History
Call Me Madam opened on Broadway on October 12, 1950 at the Imperial Theatre, where it ran for 644 performances. The original production, directed by George Abbott and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, starred Ethel Merman and Russell Nype. Elaine Stritch led the cast in the subsequent national tour. In 1995, Tyne Daly played the "hostess with the mostess" in an Encores! production at New York's City Center. The show returned to Encores! in 2019, starring Carmen Cusack. For a more detailed history of Call Me Madam, check out the below article in Breaking Character:
Call Me Madam: A History of the Irving Berlin Hit
by Robert Kimball
Keywords
Performing Groups
  • Time Period 1950s
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)

Media

“Sailing on one of Irving Berlin's most rhythmically propulsive scores, Call Me Madam soars like a musically-powered balloon. And what a ride it turns out to be!” – The New York Times
“A reminder of how much sheer fun it used to be to go to the theater!” – New York Daily News

Music

Music Samples

  • Musical Style Classic Broadway
  • Dance Requirements Difficult
  • Vocal DemandsModerate
  • Orchestra Size X-Large
  • Chorus Size Large

Licensing & Materials

  • Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

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Authors

Irving Berlin

Irving Berlin

With a life that spanned more than 100 years and a catalogue that boasts over 1,000 songs, Irving Berlin (1888-1989) epitomized Jerome Kern’s famous maxim that “Irving Berlin has no place in American music – he is American music.” Berlin wrote scores to 13 Broadway musicals, ...

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Howard Lindsay

Howard Lindsay

Howard Lindsay (1889-1968) was an actor, stage manager, director and playwright before teaming up with Russel Crouse. Lindsay and Crouse's partnership stands today as the longest collaboration of any writers in theatrical history, lasting for more than 28 years. The two men f ...

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Russel Crouse

Russel Crouse

Russel Crouse (1893-1966) was a newspaperman, a press agent for the Theatre Guild, the author of several books and a librettist before partnering with Howard Lindsay. Lindsay and Crouse's partnership stands today as the longest collaboration of any writers in theatrical histo ...

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