Pal Joey Un"Zipped"

With the success of the revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, it's exciting to look forward to a revival of another Richard Rodgers musical Pal Joey opening in previews on Broadway November 14th, with the official opening slated for December 11th at Roundabout Theatre's Studio 54. This one, in collaboration with lyricist Lorenz Hart, includes Broadway songbook classics "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered", "I Could Write a Book", "The Lady is a Tramp" and "My Funny Valentine". The original Broadway production of Pal Joey with book written by John O'hara opened on Christmas Day 1940 and starred Gene Kelly as Joey Evans, a brash scheming song and dance man with dreams of owning his own nightclub. A 1962 Broadway revival, which was actually more successful than the original, starred Bob Fosse as Joey, with Frank Sinatra playing the lead in the 1952 film. The 2008 revival will star Christian Hoff winner of a Best Featured Actor in a Musical Tony Award for his role of Tommy DeVito in Jersey Boys. Also in the cast is "friend of The Matinee" Stockard Channing playing former burlesque stripper Vera Simpson, a rich widow the conniving Joey takes up with in hopes of convincing her to finance his dream of owning a night club of his own "Chez Joey". The role of Vera Simpson was played by Vivienne Segal in the original staging and Viveca Lindfors opposite Fosse in the 1962 revival, with Rita Hayworth in the role in the 1952 film. Stockard Channing, for your information, played Rizzo in the movie Grease and was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Six Degrees of Separation. Stage and film veteran Martha Plimpton, last seen on Broadway in Top Girls for which she was nominated for a Tony, and 35 films including The Goonies, Parenthood and Mosquito Coast, will star as Gladys Bumps, a chorus girl with a dislike for Joey. The role was played by June Havoc (Gypsy Rose Lee's real life sister "Baby June") in 1940 and Barbara Nichols in the film. The Gladys Bumps character was a minor one but has been tweaked to be more prominent by playwright Richard Greenberg's adaptation, including Gladys singing the song "Zip" which has traditionally been Vera's song.

A great show, great music, great songs to bewitch us all. Another feather in the heavy plumage of Roundabout's Artistic Director, Todd Haimes' hat. Kudos to his brilliance and vision.