The run closed February 22, 1958
- Opened
- February 21, 1958
- Closed
- February 22, 1958
- Performances
- 3
- Previews
- —
- Theatre
- Adelphi Theatre
Of the 705 productions we hold that opened in the 1950s and record a performance count, this is the 682nd longest. That is a rank within what we hold, not within everything that was staged.
This is a New York theatre. The address is Manhattan and the former names are Broadway names, but the record is filed as West End and its coordinates, architect and history were taken from the London theatre of the same name. Every one of these names exists on both streets. Reported to broadway-data as issue #97.
Who was in it33 named
Diki Lerner
Joy Marlene
Mitchell May
Roy Palmer
Louise Pearl
Hilbert Rapp
Darryl Richard
Barbara Richman
Bill Ryan
Karen Sargent
Joy Lynne Sica
Leslie Snow
Gerrie Still
Robert Strauss
Lynne Stuart
Pat Tolson
Patricia White
Sally Wile
15 of these 33 names have a person record behind them and link to one. The other 18 are set from the identifier in the cast list, which is a slug of the name — so hyphens and full stops are lost and a few come out wrong. We hold nothing else about them. Nobody here is matched to a character: the cast list records who was in the company and not what they played.
Creative team
- Director
- Karl Genus
- Choreographer
- Charles Weidman, Ray Harrison
- Producer
- Richard Ney
- Orchestrations
- Philip Lang
A producer is one string on this record, however many people or companies it names. Directors and choreographers are held both as text and as identifiers; where an identifier exists the name links to a page.
Around this production
"Nor will I say that Portofino is the worst musical ever produced, because I've only been seeing musicals since 1919."
Portofino (book musical with new music) Complete Book of 1950s Broadway Musicals the Dan Dietz, p. 868
- The musical had two distinctions: it was the first to open on Broadway in the 1950s, and along with Portofino was the decade’s shortest-running musical, chalking up just three performances. Complete Book of 1950s Broadway Musicals the Dan Dietz, p. 8
- Portofino [1958], which tied with Happy as Larry as the shortest running musical of the decade). But like Fabray, Guetary enjoyed a fabulous MGM musical moment, when he was cast in Complete Book of 1950s Broadway Musicals the Dan Dietz, p. 30
- There have been a few exceptions, such as A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962) and Nine (1982), but the odds are against success: over three dozen musicals set wholly (or partially) in Italy have floundered on Broadway, Off-Broadway, or on the road. Seven alone opened during the 1950s; besides The Liar… Complete Book of 1950s Broadway Musicals the Dan Dietz, p. 61
- When it comes to the hallowed flops of the 1950s, Buttrio Square is spoken of in the same hushed and solemn tones as Hit the Trail and Portofino. Complete Book of 1950s Broadway Musicals the Dan Dietz, p. 282
- Bock had also been one of the composers of Mr. Wonderful , and the month following the premiere of The Body Beautiful Harnick was represented on Broadway with a few lyrics for the misbegotten Portofino . Complete Book of 1950s Broadway Musicals the Dan Dietz, p. 675
Passages naming this production, found by keyword across 178 books. Where it turns up in the literature, not curated notes about it.
What this page does not know
- No photograph of this staging. 48 of 13,459 productions hold one.
- No character names. We can say who was in the company and not who they played.
- No recording is held for Portofino at all.
- Reviews, box office, running order, understudies and designers: none of it is held for any production.