218. Dream with Music 1944
Musical Comedy in Two Acts and Fourteen Scenes
- Music
Music by Clay Warnick (based on themes from Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto in B minor, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Schéhérazade, Schubert’s Symphony No. 9, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, Weber’s Oberon, Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1, Borodin’s Prince Igor, Moussorgsky’s A Night on Bald Mountain, Wagner’s ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ from Die Walküre, Chopin’s Twenty-four Preludes, Gluck’s ballet music, Schumann’s Piano Concerto, Dvořák’s ‘New World’ Symphony, Haydn’s Symphony No. 1, and Tschaikovsky’s The Nutcracker.) Lyrics by Edward Eager. Book by Sidney Sheldon, Dorothy Kilgallen, and Ben Roberts. Orchestrations by Russell Bennett, Hans Spialek, Ted Royal, and Clay Warnick. Vocal arrangements by Clay Warnick.
- Choreography
Ballet choreography by George Balanchine.; tap routines by Henry Le Tang
- Production
Produced and directed by Richard Kollmar. Scenery by Stewart Chaney. Costumes by Miles White. Scenery built by Martin Turner and painted by Kaj Velden; costumes executed by Brooks Costume Company, Karinska, and others.
- Premiere
May 18, 1944, Majestic Theatre, New York. Conductor: Max Meth. (Out-of-town preview: April 17, Shubert Theatre, Boston.)
- Cast
Dinah, Vera Zorina; Michael, Ronald Graham; Marian, Joy Hodges (June Knight, Boston). IN THE DREAM: Scheherazade, Zorina; Jasmin, Hodges; Sultan, Robert Brink; Aladdin, Graham; Sinbad, Leonard Elliott; and others. Dancers: Peter Birch and corps de ballet of 9 women and 4 men, 6 tap dancers.
SCHEHERAZADE’S DANCE (Act I, Scene 2): Vera Zorina, singing ensemble.
BE GLAD YOU’RE ALIVE (Act I, Scene 2): Alex Rotov, Peter Birch, ensemble.
I’LL TAKE THE SOLO (Act I, Scene 4): Betty Allen, Tap Specialty Girls, Barnes Twins, corps de ballet.
BATTLE OF THE GENIE (Act I, Scene 6): Rotov, Dave Ballard, ensemble.
BALLET IN THE CLOUDS (Act I, Scene 7): Zorina, Birch, Sunny Rice (tap), corps de ballet, singing ensemble.
THE LION AND THE LAMB (Act II): Donna Devel (singer), Zorina, ensemble.
MOUSE MEETS GIRL (Act II, Scene 2): Buddy Douglas, Zorina.
WOMAN AGAINST THE WORLD (Act II, Scene 6): Zorina, Jerry Ross, Barnes Twins, Tap Specialty Girls
DINAH’S NIGHTMARE (Act II, Scene 7): Entire company, singing girls.
Performance Type
Musical Theater
Note
28 performances. Reviews imply that Ballet in the Clouds was Balanchine’s principal contribution.
Additional information about dance numbers provided by Balanchine, Claude Conyers, Doug Fullington
