Overview
Synopsis
Ex-Follies girl Lorelei Lee is about to set sail for a luxurious cruise to Europe with her best friend Dorothy Shaw and her fiance and sugar daddy, Gus Edmond Jr. However, Gus throws a spanner in the works at the last minute when he announces that his father’s ill health means that he must stay behind to help with their button empire. He has heard news of a zipper, a new invention from his rival Josephus Gage, and is worried for the future of his business. The girls head out on the journey alone and they soon encounter a variety of guests, also traveling to Europe. Mrs. Spofford, the richest widow in Philadelphia traveling with her shy son Henry; Sir Francis and Lady Beekman, an English couple with a diamond tiara that Lorelei sets her sights upon; and the infamous Josephus Gage, America's Zipper King.
When Lorelei hears news that Gus and his father have traveled to Little Rock and discovered a secret from her past, she concludes that her wedding is now off and she must find others to rely upon financially. With a little help from the clueless Sir Francis, Lorelei succeeds in getting her hands on the tiara and turns her attention to Gage. However, when Gus shows up in Paris, tempers flare and he challenges Gage to a fight in a Parisian club. Finally, Gus reveals that he knows Lorelei shot a man in Little Rock but was acquitted, and tells her that he is prepared to leave the family business to keep her by his side. With her “daddy” back, Lorelei succeeds in arranging a merger between the button business and the zipper business that pleases her disapproving father-in-law and looks set to bring lots of success in the future.
Show Information
- Book
- Anita Loos
- Music
- Jule Styne
- Lyrics
- Leo Robin
- Based on the Play/Book/Film
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Intimate Diary of a Professional Lady (1925)
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1949
- Genres
- Comedy
- Settings
- Period, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- New York, Aboard the Ile de France, Paris, 1924
- Cast Size
- large
- Orchestra Size
- Large
- Dancing
- Heavy
- Licensor
- Concord Theatricals
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, High School, Large Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Female, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult, Elderly Characters
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone, Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass |
|
|
|
Male |
|
Songs
Act One
- "Overture" – Orchestra
- "* It's High Time" – Dorothy Shaw and Ensemble
- "Bye, Bye Baby" – Gus Esmond and Lorelei Lee
- "I'm Just A Little Girl From Little Rock" – Lorelei Lee
- Encore: "I'm Just A Little Girl From Little Rock" – Lorelei Lee
- Dance Encore*: "I'm Just A Little Girl From Little Rock" – Orchestra
- "* I Love What I'm Doing" – Dorothy Shaw
- Dance* : "I Love What I'm Doing" – Orchestra
- "Just a Kiss Apart" – Henry Spofford
- "* Scherzo" (Gloria's Dance) – Orchestra
- "* It's Delightful Down in Chile" – Sir Francis Beekman, Lorelei Lee, Show Girls and Male Ensemble
- "Sunshine" – Henry Spofford and Dorothy Shaw
- "* Park Scene" – Chorus and Dancers
- "* Pas De Deux" – Orchestra
- "Sunshine (Reprise)" – Ensemble
- "I'm A'Tingle, I'm A'Glow" – Josephus Gage
- "You Say You Care" – Dorothy Shaw and Henry Spofford
- "* Finale Act I" ("I'm Just A Little Girl From Little Rock") – Lorelei Lee and Ensemble
Act Two * * "Entr'acte" – Orchestra * "* Mamie is Mimi" – Gloria Stark, Coles and Atkins * "* Coquette" – The Tenor and Show Girls * "* Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" – Lorelei Lee * First Encore: "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" – Lorelei Lee * Second Encore: "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" – Lorelei Lee * "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" – Lorelei Lee and Gus Esmond * "Homesick Blues" – Lorelei Lee, Dorothy Shaw, Gus Esmond, Henry Spofford, Mrs. Ella Spofford and Josephus Gage * "* Keeping Cool with Coolidge" – Dorothy Shaw, Bill and Ensemble * "* Button Up With Esmond" – Lorelei Lee, Show Girls and Ensemble * "* Finale Act II" ("Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and "Bye, Bye Baby") – Lorelei Lee, Gus Esmond and Ensemble
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
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Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Guide Written By:
Alexandra Appleton
Writer, editor and theatre researcher