Camden New Journal - Letters: A history of a Night on the Town

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Camden New Journal - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 10 May 2007

A history of a Night on the Town

• I WAS interested to read Sam Jones’s review of ENO’s production of On the Town, having seen and enjoyed the musical during its previous run at the Coliseum.
However, I feel it only right to correct a number of factual errors in Ms Jones’s piece.
Fancy Free was not as she describes it a “musical playlet” but a ballet by Jerome Robbins made for American Ballet Theatre and premiered by that company in 1944 – and coincidentally performed by that company during their season at Sadler’s Wells earlier this year.
The idea came from Robbins and it was not until his scenario had been approved by the management of American Ballet Theatre that he began looking for a composer.
He was introduced to Bernstein, then about to take up a post as asistant conductor at the New York Phillharmonic orchestra, by Oliver Smith who designed the ballet.
After the hugely successful premiere of Fancy Free, it was Oliver Smith’s idea to expand the basic idea into the stage musical On the Town, and Betty Comden and Adolph Green joined the original team as scriptwriters.
Bernstein wrote more music, Robbins choreographed (he was later to become a highly successful Broadway producer himself – West Side Story was just one among many successes) and George Abbot produced.
Robbins’ name appeared on the posters not just as choreographer; in programmes and on posters, On the Town was “based on an idea by Jerome Robbins”.
Most of Bernstein’s music was dropped from the film version, replaced by a score by Roger Edens, Comden and Green wrote new lyrics and the production was a collaboration between Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, who was also responsible for the choreography.
JUDITH CRUICKSHANK
Great James Street, WC1

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, Camden New Journal, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@camdennewjournal.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Tuesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number. Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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