| Gentlemen Prefer Blondes | |
|---|---|
 1949 Broadway Playbill | |
| Music | Jule Styne |
| Lyrics | Leo Robin |
| Book | Joseph Fields Anita Loos |
| Basis | Gentlemen Prefer Blondes byAnita Loos |
| Productions | 1949Broadway 1962West End 1995Broadwayrevival |
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is amusical with a book byJoseph Fields andAnita Loos, lyrics byLeo Robin, and music byJule Styne, based on thebest-selling 1925 novel of the same name by Loos. The story involves an American woman's voyage to Paris to perform in a nightclub.
The musical opened onBroadway in 1949 (running for 740 performances and introducingCarol Channing), a London production was mounted in 1962, and there was a Broadway revival in 1995. It was made into a 1953film of the same name, starringJane Russell andMarilyn Monroe. The popular songs "Bye Bye Baby" and "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" were introduced in this musical. An adaptation calledLorelei (also starring Carol Channing) was performed on Broadway in 1974.
In the 1920s, Lorelei Lee, a blonde fromLittle Rock, Arkansas, and her friend Dorothy Shaw board theocean linerIle de France, to embark for France ("It's High Time"). Lorelei and her boyfriend, Gus Esmond, are parting for a while ("Bye, Bye Baby"); Gus is going to Little Rock, and Dorothy is Lorelei's chaperone. On the ship, Lorelei has many admirers, including the richPhiladelphian Henry Spofford III, and an Englishman, Sir Francis (Piggy) Beekman. Lorelei is worried that Gus will find out about an old secret of hers and break off their engagement ("I'm Just A Little Girl From Little Rock"), and she is afraid to open a wire that she receives from him.
Meanwhile, Dorothy flirts with a group of olympic sportsmen ("I Love What I'm Doing (When I'm Doing It For Love)"). Lorelei disapproves of this as the Olympians are poor; she is sure that Gus has broken up with her and tells Dorothy that they need to find some rich men. Lorelei chooses the zipper king, Josephus Gage. For Dorothy she chooses Henry Spofford. Lady Beekman is trying to sell her tiara to an American. Lorelei wishes to buy it, but does not have the money, so she decides to persuade Sir Francis to lend her the money ("It's Delightful Down In Chile").
On arrival in Paris, Dorothy and Henry are becoming attracted to each other ("Sunshine"). Two French detectives, Robert and Louie Lemanteur, are looking for Lorelei, trying to recover Lady Beekman's tiara. They don't speak much English, but they fall for the charms of the girls and offer to take them out. Josephus Gage arrives with Lorelei, wearing the first French dress to use a zipper. It is suggested that everyone have cocktails, to Mrs Spofford's delight, but Josephus does not drink, instead eating raw carrots ("I'm a Tingle I'm Aglow"). Henry, left alone with Dorothy, proposes marriage ("You Say You Care"), but she says that she is not good enough for him.
Gus arrives suddenly and discovers that Lorelei is dating Josephus. His father has always disapproved of Lorelei. Gus retaliates by dating Gloria Stark, a dancer, promising to make her a star.
Everyone is at a Paris club. Lady Beekman and the two detectives are still trying to recover her tiara. Sir Francis is there with two ladies. Lorelei and Dorothy are there with Josephus and Henry. Gus arrives and nearly comes to blows with Josephus. The floor show includes performances by Gloria ("Mamie Is Mimi") and Coquette. After Lorelei walks around the streets of Paris reflecting singing ("Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend"). Gus tells Lorelei that he loves her so much that he would leave his father's business for her sake. She admits that she shot a man in Little Rock, but it was in self-defense (the man was attempting to rape her), so she was acquitted; they make up.
The Americans miss the United States ("Homesick Blues") and go home. Lorelei delays marrying Gus until his father accepts her. Mrs. Spofford gives Dorothy some advice ("Keeping Cool with Coolidge"). Gus's father, Mr. Esmond, arrives and finds that Lorelei is wearing a dress covered in his buttons and that she knows everything about his business ("Button Up with Esmond"). He is impressed and approves of the marriage.
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| Original Broadway (1949) | Broadway Revival (1995) | Encores! Production (2012) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lorelei Lee | Carol Channing | K.T. Sullivan | Megan Hilty |
| Dorothy Shaw | Yvonne Adair | Karen Prunczik | Rachel York |
| Gus Esmond, Jr. | John McCauley | Allen Fitzpatrick | Clarke Thorell |
| Henry Spofford | Eric Brotherson | George Dvorsky | Aaron Lazar |
| Mrs. Ella Spofford | Alice Pearce | Susan Rush | Deborah Rush |
| Sir Francis Beekman | Rex Evans | David Ponting | Simon Jones |
| Lady Phyllis Beekman | Reta Shaw | Carol Swarbrick | Sandra Shipley |
| Gloria Stark | Anita Alvarez | Megan Sikora | |
| Josephus Gage | George S. Irving | Jamie Ross | Stephen R. Buntrock |
| Robert Lemanteur | Mort Marshall | Craig Waletzko | Brennan Brown |
| Louis Lemanteur | Howard Morris | John Hoshko | Steven Boyer |
| Coles and Atkins | Charles Coles andCholly Atkins | Phillip Attmore and Jared Grimes |
The musical opened on Broadway at theZiegfeld Theatre on December 8, 1949, and closed September 15, 1951, after 740 performances. It was produced byHerman Levin andOliver Smith, directed byJohn C. Wilson, and choreographed byAgnes de Mille, with vocal direction byHugh Martin. Financial backers included Harold M. Esty Jr.[1]
Several blonde actresses, includingBetty Hutton,[2]Jayne Mansfield (Carousel Theater, 1964),[3]Mamie Van Doren,Carroll Baker (Dallas, August 1966),Barbara Eden (Florida, January 1999)[4] andMorgan Fairchild have starred in regional and summer stock productions ofGentlemen Prefer Blondes over the years.Carroll Baker also performed two numbers from the show onThe Ed Sullivan Show on 16 October 1966.
The musical ran in theWest End at thePrinces Theatre, opening on August 20, 1962, for 223 performances, and featuredDora Bryan as Lorelei Lee, Anne Hart as Dorothy, andBessie Love as Mrs. Ella Spofford.[5][6]
A revised version titledLorelei opened on Broadway at thePalace Theatre on January 27, 1974, and ran for 320 performances. This production also starred Carol Channing, who received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.[7][8]
TheGoodspeed Opera House,East Haddam,Connecticut,revival ran in November 1994, and featuredKT Sullivan as Lorelei Lee, Karen Prunzik as Dorothy Shaw,Jamie Ross as Josephus Gage, and Allen Fitzpatrick as Gus Esmond.[9] The production transferred to Broadway at theLyceum Theatre on April 10, 1995[10] and closed on April 30, 1995, after 16 previews and 24 performances.[11]
A concert staging of the musical was mounted as part of the "Discovering Lost Musicals" series directed and produced by Ian Marshall-Fisher atBarbican Cinema 1 in London in 1997, which featuredLouise Gold as Lorelei Lee,Kim Criswell as Dorothy Shaw, andDilys Laye as Mrs Ella Spofford.[12]
TheOpen Air Theatre, Inner Circle,Regent's Park, London, production ran from July 23, 1998, through September 1, 1998, and featuredSara Crowe as Lorelei Lee andDebby Bishop as Dorothy.[5]
42nd Street Moon theatre company,San Francisco, California, presented the musical in April 2004.[2]
A staged concert production was presented in theEncores! series of Great American Musicals in Concert at the New YorkCity Center May 9–13, 2012 withMegan Hilty as Lorelei Lee andRachel York as Dorothy, directed byJohn Rando and choreographed byRandy Skinner.[13]
In October 2019, theUnion Theatre in London staged a production of the musical, directed and produced bySasha Regan.[14]
A 1953 film adaptation, released by20th Century Fox studios, wasdirected byHoward Hawks and starredJane Russell andMarilyn Monroe.
