Oh, Captain!
Oh, Captain! is a musical comedy based on the film The Captain's Paradise with music and lyrics by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans and the book by Al Morgan and José Ferrer. The basis of the musical was the 1953 film The Captain's Paradise, which had been written by Alec Coppel and Nicholas Phipps.
The musical updated the film's Gibraltar and Algiers setting to London and Paris. The production was dismissed by the critics as a "tired businessman's show", but the cast and choreography were much praised. The highlight of the show was an extended dance sequence between Tony Randall (in the title role) and prima ballerina Alexandra Danilova that has been referred to by musical theatre historians as perhaps the best number ever staged in a post-war musical.
Productions
Oh, Captain! opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon Theatre) on February 4, 1958 and closed on July 19, 1958 after 192 performances. The musical was directed by José Ferrer, with set and lighting design by Jo Mielziner, costumes by Miles White, hair design by Ernest Adler, dances and musical numbers created by James Starbuck, and musical director Jay Blackton. The original cast included Tony Randall as Captain Henry St. James, Abbe Lane, Susan Johnson, Jackie McKeever, Edward Platt, Paul Valentine, and Stanley Carlson.
Oh Captain!
Your ship has sailed. Your ship is gone.
Your ship has sailed and it's time to move on.
This fear you feel controls everything.
Your eyes, your arms, they're all migrating.
Your heart, your head, they're all declaring war,
You can't be, you can't be, the god you thought you were.
Time is up now, end the excuse.
Their eyes, their mouths, they're all watching you.
Slow down your breath, it's time to hesitate.
We all know, we all know, forgiveness can wait.
This traitor's pact, so steeped in bad faith.
They're plotting, they're coming, your smile is in vain.
Oh captain, dear captain, they're all declaring war.
This can't be, this can't be, they're right outside the
door.
The moment, the truth, burns you inside.
They're stomping, they're screaming, this turn of the
tide.
You cannot run, you cannot hide.