Goldilocks book is by Jean and Walter Kerr with the lyrics by the Kerrs and Joan Ford.
A parody of the silent film era when directors made quickie one-reelers overnight, it focuses on Maggie Harris, a musical comedy star retiring from show business in order to marry into high society, until producer-director Max Grady arrives to remind her she has a contract to star in his film Frontier Woman. The two battle and slapstick situations ensue as the movie evolves into an epic about Ancient Egypt and filming extends well beyond the amount of time Grady promised it would take to make the movie.
Following tryouts in Boston and Philadelphia, the Broadway production, directed by Walter Kerr and choreographed by Agnes de Mille, opened on October 11, 1958 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, where it ran for 161 performances, closing on February 28, 1959. The cast included Elaine Stritch, Don Ameche, Russell Nype, Margaret Hamilton, Pat Stanley, and Patricia Birch.
Musicals Tonight! presented the musical in concert in June 2000 in New York City. 42nd Street Moon, San Francisco, California presented the show in a staged concert in 2001.
An original cast recording, orchestrated by composer Anderson and Philip J. Lang, was released by Columbia Records.
Jean Kerr later recounted the trials and tribulations of creating a new musical in her books Please Don't Eat The Daisies, The Snake Has All the Lines, and Penny Candy.
It's no wonder the musical had such a short run. Also playing in New York a the time was The Music Man and West Side Story!
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