By Jupiter is a musical with a book by Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers, music by Rodgers, and lyrics by Hart. The musical is based on the play The Warrior's Husband by Julian F. Thompson, set in the land of the Amazons. By Jupiter premiered on Broadway in 1942 and starred Ray Bolger.
| By Jupiter | |
|---|---|
 Ray Bolger in the original Broadway production | |
| Music | Richard Rodgers |
| Lyrics | Lorenz Hart |
| Book | Lorenz Hart Richard Rodgers |
| Basis | The Warrior's Husband by Julian F. Thompson |
| Productions | 1942 Broadway 1967 Off-Broadway revival |
Synopsis
In the land of the Amazons the women rule and do battle while the men stay at home, mind the children, and buy new hats. An army of Greek soldiers, led by Theseus and Hercules, arrives in search of the Sacred Girdle of Diana, currently in the hands of reigning Queen Hippolyta. Accompanying them is war correspondent Homer, author of a recent bestseller called The Iliad. The Greek warriors are captured by the Amazons, and romance blossoms between Theseus and Antiope, the warrior-leader of the Amazons. A subplot involves Hippolyta's epicene gender-bending husband Sapiens, who employs his "feminine wiles" to get his way with his new wife.
Productions
The Broadway production opened at the Shubert Theatre on June 3, 1942 and closed on June 12, 1943 after 427 performances. Directed by Joshua Logan and choreographed by Robert Alton, the cast included Ray Bolger, Benay Venuta, Vera-Ellen, and Constance Moore, who was replaced by Nanette Fabray later in the run.
At one point, 20th Century Fox considered pairing Laurel and Hardy with Martha Raye in a movie version of the show, but the idea was eventually shelved.
A revival opened off-Broadway at the Theatre Four on January 19, 1967 and closed on April 30, 1968 after 118 performances. This production had new material by Fred Ebb. Directed by Christopher Hewett with choreography and musical staging by Ellen Ray, Bob Dishy headed the cast. An original cast recording was released of this production, reissued in CD on September 11, 2007 by DRG.[1]
Ian Marshall Fisher's Discovering Lost Musicals Charitable Trust presented a concert staging at Barbican Cinema 1 in May 1992, with Louise Gold as Hippolyta and Jon Glover as Sapiens. Issy Van Randwyck was also among the cast.
42nd Street Moon, San Francisco, California, presented a staged concert from April 17 - May 12, 2002.[2][3]
Musicals in Mufti at the York Theatre in New York City presented a staged concert from April 5 - April 7, 2002.[4]
The musical proved to be not only Rodgers and Hart's longest-running Broadway hit, but their last full-length work. (They collaborated on a revision of their 1927 show A Connecticut Yankee in 1943, writing six new numbers.)
Song list
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References
- Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre by Stanley Green, published by Dodd, Mead, 1976
Notes
- ^ "By Jupiter recording", amazon.com, accessed February 2010
- ^ "By Jupiter listing", 42ndstmoon.org, accessed February 14, 2010
- ^ Connema, Richard."Review of By Jupiter", talkinbroadway.com, April 26, 2002
- ^ Jones, Keneth."York Mufti Series With Rodgers as Focus Will Bounce From January to April",.playbill.com, January 8, 2002