Ladies First is a musical in three acts with music by A. Baldwin Sloane and both book and lyrics by Harry B. Smith.[1] It was based on Charles H. Hoyt's 1897 play A Contented Woman. Directed by Frank Smithson and produced by Harry Frazee, it premiered at Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre on October 24, 1918.[2] In the middle of its New York run it transferred to the Nora Bayes Theatre where it closed on March 15, 1919, after 164 performances.[3]
Ladies First was created as a starring vehicle for Nora Bayes who played the role of Betty Burt.[3] It was originally titled Look Who's Here during tryout performances prior to its Broadway run.[2] The musical included two interpolated songs by George Gershwin as the composer: "The Real American Folk Song (is a Rag)" (lyricist Ira Gershwin under the pseudonym Arthur Francis) and "Some Wonderful Sort of Someone" (lyricist Shuyler Greene).[2]
References
edit- ^ Mantle, Burns; Sherwood, Garrison P. (1943). "Ladies First". The Best Plays of 1909-1919. Dodd, Mead & Co. p. 641.
- ^ a b c Suskin, Steven (2000). "George Gershwin; section Ladies First". Show Tunes: The Songs, Shows, and Careers of Broadway's Major Composers. Oxford University Press. pp. 57–58. ISBN 9780195125993.
- ^ a b Dietz, Dan (2021). "Ladies First". The Complete Book of 1910s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 451–453. ISBN 9781538150283.
External links
editLadies First at the Internet Broadway Database
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