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Oh, Lady! Lady!!

Full-Length Musical, Comedy  /  4w, 4m

Book and Lyrics by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse / Music by Jerome Kern / Orchestration by Frank Saddler

This romantic comedy from 1918 pairs a zany comic story with a wonderful Jerome Kern score.

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4w, 4m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Romantic Comedy
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for All Audiences
Oh, Lady! Lady!!

Details

Summary
Molly and Bill are engaged to be married, but preparations are interrupted when Will’s ex-fiancée arrives unexpectedly on their wedding day. Bill works to convince his old flame that he was not worthy to marry her, but his clumsy efforts do not make him look good to his new fiancée, whose mother already dislikes Bill. A couple of crooks cause further complications.
History
Oh, Lady! Lady!! opened on Broadway at the Princess Theatre on February 1, 1918, starring Vivienne Segal as Mollie and Carl Randall as Bill. The show later transferred to the Casino Theatre, playing a total of 219 performances.
Keywords

Act I

Debonair but penniless Willoughby "Bill" Finch is set to marry Long Island society gal Molly Farringdon, although he has not charmed his formidable future mother-in-law. Bill's sassy former fiancée, May, has met and piqued the interest of his affable friend and best man, Hale. Hale recognizes Bill's valet, Spike, as an ex-convict; Spike is guarding the pearls that Bill has bought for Molly as her wedding gift. Spike's sticky-fingered girlfriend, Fanny, tries to persuade him to pocket the wedding gifts, but he wishes that they could put their old prison days behind them.

May calls unexpectedly on Bill's wedding day, to say that she will soon arrive, and she points out that they are still engaged. Bill and Hale scheme to convince her that he is a ladies' man, and not worthy to marry her. Hale catches Fanny trying to pocket the pearls and forces her to agree to help with Bill's charade. May arrives; it turns out that she has been hired as a dressmaker for the wedding by Molly's mother. May admits that she is no longer interested in Bill and wishes him well, and she returns Hale's interest. But when Molly returns, she is confronted by Fanny, who is pretending to be Bill's girlfriend – and the pearls are missing.

Act II

That night, Hale hosts a party on the roof of Bill's Greenwich Village apartment. Molly's mother has called of the wedding. May is flirting with various men, making Hale jealous. Spike and Fanny arrive to announce that they are now married. Fanny tells Spike that she does not have the pearls, but she is very nervous when a British private detective shows up.

Molly comes to talk with Bill, and they have a romantic moment before her mother shows up. Bill awkwardly tries to explain to Mrs. Farrington what happened, and Hale asks May to marry him. But Molly and her mother find May at Bill's bedroom door and conclude that Bill had been entertaining her in his apartment. Finally, the real thief confesses, Molly finds out that May and Hale are engaged, and a happy ending ensues with a double wedding.

Principals
(4 female; 4 male)

Molly Farringdon
Fanny Welch
May Barber
Miss Clarette Cup

Willoughby "Bill" Finch
Spike Hudgins (Will’s valet)
Hale Underwood
Cyril Twombley

Supporting

Parker
Mrs. Farringdon
William Watty
Miss Lettice Romayne
Miss Lotta Pommery
Miss Della Catessen
Miss Hallie Butt
Miss Sal Munn
Miss Marie Schino
Miss Mollie Gatawney
Miss Marion Etta Herring
Miss C. Ella Rhy
Miss Barbara O’Rhum
Miss May Anne Ayes
Miss Cassie Roll
Miss Virginia Hamm
Mr. Artie C. Hoke
Mr. B. Russell Sprout
Mr. C. Ollie Flower
Mr. H. Ash-Brown
Mr. Stewart Prune
Mr. Con Kearny

  • Time Period 1910s/WWI
  • Setting Hempstead, Long Island and Waverly Mews. 1918.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)

Music

Act I

Overture - Orchestra
1. “I’m To Be Married Today” - Molly  and Girls
2. “Not Yet” - Molly and Bill
3. “Do It Now” - Spike, Hale and Bill
4 “Our Little Nest” - Spike and Fanny
5. “Do Look at Him!” - Molly and Girls
6. “Oh, Lady! Lady!” - Bill and Girls
7. “You Found Me and I Found You” - May and Underwood
8. Finale Act I - Ensemble

Act II

9. “Moon (The Moon Song)” - Ensemble
10. “Waiting Around the Corner” - May and Boys
11. “When The Ships Come Home” - Molly and Girls
12. Melodrama - Orchestra
13. “Before I Met You” - Bill and Molly
14. “Greenwich Village” - Bill, Spike and Fanny
15. “Wheatless Days” - Underwood and May
16. “It's a Hard, Hard World For A Man” - Bill, Hale and Twombley
17. Finale - Ensemble

Full Orchestration

Violin 1
Violin 2
Viola
Cello
Bass

Flute (doubling Piccolo)
Clarinet 1 & 2 (both in Bb and A)

Trumpet 1 & 2 (both in Bb and A)
Trombone

Percussion

  • Musical Style Classic Broadway
  • Dance Requirements Moderate
  • Vocal DemandsDifficult
  • Orchestra Size Medium
  • Chorus Size No Chorus

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!
1 Piano-Conductor
32 Libretto-Vocal
1 Flute
2 Clarinet 1 & 2
2 Trumpet 1 & 2
1 Trombone
1 Percussion
1 Violin 1
1 Violin 2
1 Viola
1 Cello
1 Bass
1 Piano-Conductor
32 Libretto-Vocal

Add-Ons

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Authors

Guy Bolton

Guy Bolton (1884-1979) was born in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England, on November 23, 1884. Bolton famously collaborated with Jerome Kern and P.G. Wodehouse on a series of buoyant musicals for the 299-seat Princess Theatre, including Have A Heart; Oh, Boy!; Leave It To Jane; ...

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P.G. Wodehouse

P.G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) and Guy Bolton (1884-1979) were both born in England. They were introduced by Jerome Kern, and he suggested they all work together. They did, tirelessly, and in the beginning of their collaboration wrote nearly one show per month: the famed Princess ...

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Jerome Kern

Jerome Kern (1885-1945) composed his first complete show, The Red Petticoat, in 1912. Between 1915 and 1919, he composed a series of intimate chamber musicals, mostly in collaboration with Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, known as the Princess Theatre shows. These works — Very ...

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Author

Frank Saddler

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