Wonderful Town
Musical
Writers:Jerome Chodorov Joseph Fields Leonard Bernstein Betty Comden Adolph Green
Overview
Synopsis
Based on the earlier play, My Sister Eileen by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov (which is in turn based on stories by Ruth McKenney), Tony-award winning Wonderful Town is a bright and cheery love letter to the colorful experience of living life in New York. Wonderful Town tells the story of two sisters, Ruth and Eileen, who move from a rural town in Ohio to experience the bright lights, the big city, and the crazy characters of Greenwich Village, New York City. Ruth is an aspiring writer and Eileen is a dancer who wants to pursue a life on stage. One sister can’t find a man no matter what she does, the other can’t keep them away. Together, these two sisters take on the world, pursuing their dreams and finding love along the way. Wonderful Town features a bright Leonard Bernstein score, including such classics as “A Little Bit in Love” and “Ohio.”
Show Information
- Book
- Jerome Chodorov , Joseph Fields
- Music
- Leonard Bernstein
- Lyrics
- Betty Comden , Adolph Green
- Based on the Play/Book/Film
- My Sister Eileen by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1953
- Genres
- Comedy
- Settings
- Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- greenwhich village, new york, summer of 1935
- 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 Mature Adult, Young Adult, Adult Characters
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
|
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
|
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
|
|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
|
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
|
|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
|
Songs
Act I
- "Overture"
- "Christopher Street" — Tour Guide and The Villagers
- "Ohio" — Ruth Sherwood and Eileen Sherwood
- "Conquering New York" — Ruth, Eileen, First Cadet, Violet and The Villagers*
- "One Hundred Easy Ways" — Ruth
- "What A Waste" — Robert Baker and Associate Editors
- "A Little Bit in Love" — Eileen
- "Pass the Football" — Wreck and The Villagers
- "Conversation Piece" — Ruth, Eileen, Frank Lippencott, Robert and Chick Clark*
- "A Quiet Girl" — Robert
- "Conga" — Ruth
Act II
- "My Darlin' Eileen" — Eileen, Drunk and Policeman
- "Swing" — Ruth and Villagers
- "Ohio (Reprise)" — Ruth and Eileen
- "It's Love" — Robert and The Villagers
- "Ballet at the Village Vortex"
- "Wrong Note Rag" — Ruth, Eileen and The Villagers
- "It's Love (Reprise)"
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
Key Terms
A Broadway musical written and produced between 1943 and 1965.
Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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