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papermoonloveslucy · 1 year

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CURTAIN UP!

Lucy on Stage ~ Epilogue

Lucille Ball has influenced theatrical stage plays as part of her legacy to the entertainment industry. There have been theatrical presentations that merely mention her name, or present her as a character. Here are a just a few examples.

I Love Lucy ~ A three-act comedy adapted by Christopher Sergel from the television program by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, and Bob Carroll Jr.

Act One opens in the Ricardos’ messy living room, based on the TV show’s eighth episode, “Men Are Messy.” Lucy and Ricky argue over finances. Lucy changes the subject by wanting to look up Ricky’s horoscope, from “The Séance.” She does this to encourage Ricky to ask Mr. Littlefield, owner of the Tropicana nightclub, for a raise (from “Ricky Asks for a Raise”). Peggy and Arthur, “The Young Fans” are also in the cast. Later, Mr. Littlefield comes over to the messy apartment and wonders how Ricky can manage the Tropicana if he can’t manage his own wife.

It is reported that in 1954, before television was widely available in Hawaii, Hilo High School put on the “I Love Lucy” play! The sister of a Hilo High School teacher living in Hollywood met with the publicity manager for Lucy and Desi and told them about the approaching production. Lucille Ball was reportedly “thrilled,” and asked for pictures of the Hilo High School cast. The “I Love Lucy” senior play had four daytime student performances and one night showing for the community. It was also staged at the Kilauea Military Reservation. The Arnazes sent them a congratulatory telegram.

“If you want to laugh until tears run down your cheeks and your sides ache go see ‘I Love Lucy,’ the hilarious comedy production by Hilo High School’s senior class. The cast literally had its audience rolling in the aisles.” ~ Thelma Olival in the Hilo Tribune Herald

After a few local and community performances, the Sergel script was withdrawn and is no longer in print.

In 1955, after “I Love Lucy” concluded its European Tour episodes, Hedda Hopper reported that Lucille Ball and Desi Aranz were in talks to appear in a stage musical produced by Rogers and Hammerstein.

“They're figuring on an original story to fit their personalities, and it will bring these two back to the stage for the first time in 15 years. Desi was in ‘Too Many Girls’ in 1940 and Lucille road-toured in ‘Dream Girl’ after she quit Metro. ~ Hedda Hopper, July 11, 1955

Needless to say, the project never materialized. Instead, Lucy and Desi opted for a sixth season of “I Love Lucy” set in Connecticut.

Bells Are Ringing (1956) is a Broadway musical by Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Jule Styne, which focuses on Ella Peterson (originally played by Judy Holliday), who works in the basement office of a telephone answering service. At a party attended by snobbish New Yorkers, the ensemble sings “Drop that Name”. One of the names dropped is Lucille Ball. The 1960 film adaptation (also starring Holliday and Lucille Ball’s friend Dean Martin) was directed by Vincente Minnelli, who had directed Ball in The Long, Long Trailer (1954).

“That's the way you play the game, Drop that name!”

Little Shop of Horrors (1982) by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman follows a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood and flesh. He has a romance with a fragile beauty named Audrey, who dreams of “Somewhere That’s Green.” The lyrics of the song imagine Audrey and Seymour married, settled down, and watching “I Love Lucy” with their children. When the film was made in 1986, the song was turned into a dream sequence that featured footage of “I Love Lucy’s” famous chocolate factory scene from “Job Switching” (1952).

“We snuggle watchin' Lucy On our big, enormous twelve-inch screen!”

Baby (1983) is a Broadway musical by David Shire, Richard Matlby Jr, and Sybille Pearson that dealt with the effects of motherhood on three couples. During the song “I Want It All” the three expectant mothers (originally Liz Calloway, Catherine Cox, and Beth Fowler) sing about the famous and powerful women they emulate.. including Lucille Ball.

“I want to be Mother Teresa, Sally Ride, Lucille Ball I want it all!”

Senator Joe (1989) was a Broadway ‘popera’ by Tom O'Horgan and Perry Arthur Kroeger that dealt with famous red-hunting Senator Joseph McCarthy. The show closed in previews due to accusations of financial misconduct by its producer.

(Photo courtesy of Perry Arthur Kroeger. Used by permission.)

Lucille Ball was accused of being a communist by McCarthy in 1953. The show featured large cut-out heads of Lucy and Desi (as well as Jackie Gleason and Howdy Doody), with their dialogue voiced by Michelle Fleischer and Tom Desrocher. The show played at the the Neil Simon (formerly the Alvin), the same venue where Lucille Ball’s name was dropped in Bells Are Ringing and Ball made her only Broadway appearance in 1960′s Wildcat. When Ball suddenly died in 1989, news reporters stood outside the theatre, which still displayed the marquee for “Senator Joe”!

I Loved Lucy is a play by Lee Tannen, based on his 2001 book of the same title about his friendship with Lucille Ball. The two person play (Lucy and Lee) presents their developing relationship over a series of conversations and backgammon games during the last years of her life.

The play has had numerous productions, including New York City and London, where it starred Sandra Dickinson as Ball and Matthew Scott as Lee. Tannen has also played himself in some productions.

An Evening With Lucille Ball: Thank You for Asking is a one woman show starring Suzanne LaRusch as Lucy, written and directed by Lucie Arnaz. It is structured after a series of real-life Q&As and seminars Lucille Ball conducted in the 1970s, enhanced with flashbacks to earlier periods in the actress's astonishing career and silent home movies. LaRusch was originally a strolling Lucy impersonator at Universal Studios who parlayed her uncanny imitation into this unique ‘sanctioned’ show as well as playing ‘Lucy’ in the 1997 feature film Timecop.

Lucy Loves Desi: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Sitcom is a staged radio play produced by L.A. Theatre Works from a script by Gregg Oppenheimer, son of “I Love Lucy” creator Jess Oppenheimer.

Originally an audio play, the show has since been staged and toured. Six performers play Lucy, Desi, Jess Oppenheimer, and the other central figures responsible for the launch of the series. The show employs projections and music.

The Cuban and the Redhead is a musical by Robert Bartley and Danny Whitman deals with the tumultuous relationship of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and the creation of the television show that was their legacy.

The musical has had numerous readings and regional productions.

I Love Lucy: Live On Stage is a theatrical presentation of “I Love Lucy” scripts staged by Rick Sparks.

The show has toured extensively in the USA and Canada. The settings, costumes, and wardrobe contribute to bringing the television program vividly to life.

The Cher Show (2017) is a jukebox musical with a book by Rick Elice that tells the story of the life and career of Cher, using songs that she performed throughout her career. The part of Cher is played by three actresses. One actress (originally Emily Skinner) plays Cher’s mother Georgia Holt, and Lucille Ball. Holt was a background performer on “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show.”

Everybody Loves Lucy by Elise McCann and Richard Carroll. In the cabaret show Francine Cain brings Lucille Ball to life, revealing the woman behind the image. As well as playing Ball, Cain also plays Edie, an amalgam of the women who watched “I Love Lucy” in the 1950s.

SIdekicked by Kim Powers is a one-woman about Vivian Vance. Set on March 2, 1960, Vance is about to turn herself into Ethel Mertz, America's most beloved side kick, for the final time. Although Lucille Ball is not represented on stage, she is the center of Vance’s world at the time.

The play has had several regional productions, including at Cape May Stage (NJ) where Sally Mayes (above) played Vance.

Love! Valour! Compassion! (1994) by Terrence McNally is a play about a group of gay friends that escape to a lakeside house. The character of Buzz (originally Nathan Lane) tells the audience that he owes his very existence to Lucille Ball. In the 1997 film version, Buzz was played by Jason Alexander.

Corpus Christi (1997) by Terrence McNally is a modern retelling of the story of Jesus' birth, ministry, and death. McNally mentions Lucille Ball in a scene between Joshua (the Jesus prototype) and a room service waiter.

Bring it On: The Musical (2011) is a musical with music by Tom Kitt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, lyrics by Amanda Green and Miranda, and book by Jeff Whitty loosely based on the 2000 film of the same name. It focuses on the competitive world of cheerleading and over-the-top team rivalries. During the song "I Got You" Lucy and Desi are mentioned. The song was performed during the televised Macy's Parade on Thanksgiving Day 2012.

MISCELLANEOUS LUCY

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