DuBarry Was a Lady is a Broadway musical, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, and the book by Herbert Fields and B.G. DeSylva. The musical starred Bert Lahr, Ethel Merman and Betty Grable, and the song "Friendship" was one of the highlights. The musical was made into a 1943 Technicolor film, DuBarry Was a Lady, starring Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, and Gene Kelly.
Plot
A washroom attendant, Louis Blore, has won a sweepstakes, and subsequently quits his job. He is in love with the nightclub singer May Daly, but she is in love with Alex Barton. Alex is the brother of her friend Alice, who is in love with Harry Norton. Meanwhile, Alex is unhappily married to Ann. Charley, Louis's replacement, suggests that Louis slip Alex a
Mickey Finn. While trying to do so, Louis inadvertently drinks the Mickey Finn, falls asleep, and dreams he is King
Louis XV of France, and that May is
Madame du Barry. In his dream, Charley becomes the
Dauphin (later
Louis XVI) and Harry becomes the captain of the guard, with Ann as Du Barry's
lady-in-waiting, and Alex as a peasant who wrote a rude song about The King and Du Barry (the title song:
Du Barry Was A Lady). Eventually after various entanglements (including the Dauphin shooting the King in the posterior with a bow and arrow), Louis wakes up and realises that Alex is the man for May. He uses the last of his winnings to pay for Alex's divorce from Ann, and (with Charley having just quit his job) goes back to being a washroom attendant.
Productions
;1939 Broadway
The show opened on
Broadway at the
46th Street Theatre on December 6, 1939 and closed December 12, 1940, running for 408 performances. It was directed by
Edgar MacGregor, choreographed by
Robert Alton, with the orchestrations of
Robert Russell Bennett and
Ted Royal.
Broadway cast
Bert Lahr as Louis Blore
Ethel Merman as May Daly
Betty Grable as Alice Barton
Benny Baker as Charley
Ronald Graham as Alex Barton
Charles Walters as Harry Norton
;London
The show opened at His Majesty's Theatre on 22 October 1942 and ran for 178 performances. It was directed by Richard Bird.
West End cast
Arthur Riscoe as Louis Blore
Frances Day as May Daly
Frances Marsden as Alice Barton
Jacky Hunter as Charley
Bruce Trent as Alex Barton
Teddy Beaumont as Harry Norton
;Later revivals
The show has been produced in concert form several times, in both the US and the UK. The two UK productions, in 1993 and 2001 were by the "Discovering Lost Musicals Charitable Trust" and featured Louise Gold as May Daly with Barry Cryer as Louis in 1993 and Desmond Barrit in 2001. The May 1993 production was at "The Barbican", but the November 2001 concert was (like the original London production) at Her Majesty's Theatre, recorded for radio by the BBC (it was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 during Christmas 2002).
In the US, New York City Center Encores! presented a staged concert in February 1996, with Robert Morse (Louis) and Faith Prince (May).
Songs
In an early shared credit, the songwriting duo of
Hugh Martin and
Ralph Blane handled the vocal arrangements for the original Broadway production.
;Act I
Where's Louie? - Ensemble
Ev'ry Day's a Holiday - Harry Norton, Alice Barton and Ensemble
It Ain't Etiquette - His Most Royal Majesty, The King of France and Vi Hennessey
When Love Beckoned - Mme. La Comtesse du Barry
Come On In - Mme. La Comtesse du Barry and Ensemble
Dream Song - Four Internationals
Mesdames and Messieurs - Dames de la Coeur
Gavotte - Alice Barton and Ensemble
But in the Morning, No! - Mme. La Comtesse du Barry and His Most Royal Majesty, The King of France
Do I Love You? - Alex Barton and Mme. La Comtesse du Barry
Do I Love You (Reprise) - Mme. La Comtesse du Barry and Zamore
DuBarry Was a Lady - Entire Company
;Act II
Give Him the Ooh-La-La - Mme. La Comtesse du Barry
Well, Did You Evah! - Alice Barton and Harry Norton
It Was Written in the Stars - Alex Barton and Ensemble
L'Apres Midi d'un Boeuf - Charley and Zamore
Katie Went to Haiti - Mme. La Comtesse du Barry and Ensemble
Katie Went to Haiti (Reprise) - Alex Barton and Mme. La Comtesse du Barry
Friendship - Mme. La Comtesse du Barry and His Most Royal Majesty, The King of France
Film
The film was released by MGM on May 30, 1943. It was directed by
Roy Del Ruth. It used very little of the original Cole Porter score.
References
External links
The Shelf: Review of Du Barry Was a Lady
Category:1939 musicals
Category:Broadway musicals
Category:Compositions by Cole Porter
