| Mr. President | |
|---|---|
 Original Cast Recording | |
| Music | Irving Berlin |
| Lyrics | Irving Berlin |
| Book | Howard Lindsay Russel Crouse |
| Productions | 1962Broadway |
Mr. President is amusical with a book byHoward Lindsay andRussel Crouse and music and lyrics byIrving Berlin. The story focuses on fictionalUS President Stephen Decatur Henderson, who runs into political trouble following a disastrous trip to theSoviet Union, and his problems with his children. Bored with life as a civilian after his presidency ends, he decides to return to political life.
The original 1962Broadway production ran for 265 performances and starredRobert Ryan andNanette Fabray. The show was Irving Berlin's last musical.
President Stephen Decatur Henderson is a true patriot and loves his family. His daughter Leslie has recently had a series of romantic liaisons, some liberal and some conservative. Her newest romance is with Youssein Davair, the son of a Middle Eastern ruler; the sincerity of his affection is questionable. Pat Gregory, a Secret Service agent, has watched Leslie grow up and has fallen in love with her but doesn't believe that she could be interested in a simple guy like him. With theCold War as a backdrop, Henderson, together with Nell, his First Lady, and their children go on a "good-will tour" of Europe, including the Soviet Union. Henderson gets in trouble for jokingly comparing the Soviet leader to a "wild cat". But the President lands in Moscow anyhow and gives a conciliatory and humanizing speech, assisted by his Russian-speaking son Larry, that earns the respect of the Soviets. Nevertheless, back at home, the gaffe plagues him and hurts his party's popularity. Larry is a bit of a hot-head and punches the party chairman on TV to defend his father. The presidential term of office ends, and the Hendersons leave the White House.
In Act II, Henderson finds his post-politics life in Ohio mundane. The family is invited to a party at the White House, and there Leslie finds that Youssein is now interested in Betty Chandler, the daughter of the new president, and so they break up. Leslie leaves the party with Pat. Meanwhile, one of Ohio's senators dies, and the governor asks Henderson to finish his term of office. Henderson yearns to return to public life, but he questions the governor's motives and declines the job. Soon afterwards, however, another opportunity comes: the new president asks Henderson to attend an international summit meeting on behalf of the US, because of the respect that he commands in the Soviet Union.
| Character | Broadway (1962)[1] |
|---|---|
| President Stephen Decatur Henderson | Robert Ryan |
| First Lady Nell Henderson | Nanette Fabray |
| Leslie Henderson (First Daughter) | Anita Gillette |
| Harmon Bardahl / Manager; Governor | David Brooks |
| Youssein Davair (Son of a Middle Eastern ruler) | Jack Washburn |
| Pat Gregory (of the Secret Service) | Jack Haskell |
| Charley Wayne (of the Secret Service) | Stanley Grover |
| Larry Henderson (First Son) | Jerry Stickler |
| Betty Chandler (new First Daughter) | Carol Lee Jensen |
| Tippy Taylor (a secretary) | Charlotte Fairchild |
| Princess Kyra | Wisa D'Orso |
| Chester Kincaid | John Cecil Holm |
| Deborah Chakronin (East Indian Marching Team Leader) | Baayork Lee |
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The musical had its first out-of-town tryout in Boston beginning on August 27, 1962, and was coolly received.[2] After extensive cuts and revisions, it was given another tryout at theNational Theatre inWashington, DC, on September 25, 1962, which was attended by PresidentJohn F. Kennedy andFirst LadyJacqueline Kennedy. The first couple congratulated Berlin on a hit. Kennedy later sent his aides,Kenneth P. O'Donnell andDavid Powers, to apologize to Berlin for his having to leave the performance early.[3] This day of Kennedy's presidency is the one featured in an exhibit at the JFK Museum and Library.[citation needed] The Washington reviews "were lukewarm and even negative. The word 'corny' stuck, and was repeated again and again."[2]
After four previews, theBroadway production, directed byJoshua Logan and choreographed byPeter Gennaro, opened on October 20, 1962, at theSt. James Theatre, where it ran for 265 performances. The cast includedRobert Ryan,Nanette Fabray,David Brooks,Jack Haskell,Anita Gillette,John Cecil Holm andBaayork Lee. The musical premiered in a Broadway season dominated by hits likeOliver!,A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum andStop the World – I Want to Get Off.Mr. President received unenthusiastic reviews. Although Berlin's score was praised, the show "was just too old-fashioned and out of date."[2] Berlin continued to work, revisingAnnie Get Your Gun and writing songs, such as for the film projectSay It With Music (which was never produced), but "Broadway would never again see a truly Berlin work on the stage".Mr. President was the final Lindsay and Crouse collaboration.[4]
In 1964, former PresidentHarry S. Truman made an opening night cameo appearance in a production of the show at theStarlight Theatre in Kansas City. He left by ambulance at intermission due to anappendicitis attack.[5]
Gerard Alessandrini extensively revised the book and converted the plot into aspoof of the 2000 Presidential election debacle. After thirty previews, it opened on August 2, 2001, at theOff-Broadway Douglas Fairbanks Theater where, hampered by reviews worse than those received by the original, it closed after only ten performances.[6]Ben Brantley, in his review forThe New York Times, wrote that the musical "feels tired".[7][8] However, theTheaterMania reviewers noted that, while "the overall tenor of the satire here is soft," it has "surprisingly buoyant appeal. It remains bubbly and effervescent thanks to the peppy, imaginative direction supplied by the team of John Znidarsic and Alessandrini."[9]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical | Nanette Fabray | Nominated |
| Best Conductor and Musical Director | Jay Blackton | Nominated | ||
| Best Stage Technician | Solly Pernick | Won |