Emerson Colonial Theatre Official Blog

Jennie

JENNIE  is a musical with a book by Arnold Schulman, music by Arthur Schwartz, and lyrics by Howard Dietz, and starred Mary Martin. The pre-Broadway tryout began performances ran for 5 weeks from July 29 - August 31, 1963.

The plot focuses on actors and married couple Jennie Malone and James O'Connor, who tour the country in popular melodramas. Much of the action consists of elaborate spoofs of the type of entertainment offered to audiences in the early 20th century.

JENNIE  was plagued with problems from the start. In Boston, the major character of Jennie's second husband was eliminated, and Carol Haney replaced Matt Mattox as choreographer. Schwartz sued The Boston Globe and its critic Kevin Kelly, on the basis that his review implied the composer had "stolen or plagiarized" from other composers. In summarizing the Boston reviews, The New York Times noted that while the critics unanimously praised Martin, they were "disappointed" in the show. It was "too long, too cultured, and sometimes even too solemn for its own good", according to Elliot Norton.

With positive feedback on the show's score and Martin's performance, the musical went on to open on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre on October 17, 1963 and closed on December 28, 1963, after 86 performances. 

Photo 1: Jennie Sheet Music
Photo 2-3: Jennie Playbill
Photo 4-5: Jennie Cast Recording session. Credit: Sony Music Photo Archives