Productions1 on Broadway
| 1952 | New Century Theatre Original. October 14, 1952 · Maurice Levine Cast: David Kurlan (Michelino), Vincent Barbi (Padre), Rina Falcone (Angela), Joan Morton (Maria), Ann Needham (Elizabetta), Lionel Ames (Dominic), Ernest Sarracino (Baron D’Alessandro), Ferdinand Hilt (Rocco), James MacCracken (Vittorio), Orville Sherman (Cassio), Ted Thurston (Pietro), Jane Harven (Emelia), Marie Gibson (Francesca), Billy Gilbert (Pappa Mario), Charlotte Jones (Norina), Henry Hamilton (Carlo), Walter Black (Sergeant McKenzie), Lawrence Brooks (Captain Steve Dickson), James Tarbutton (Private Poole), Leon Daniels (Tabulator), Lois Hunt (Marisa D’Alessandro), Joe Mantell (Private Burns), Al Checco (Corporal Gower), George Reeder (Private Whitfield), Don (Donn) Driver (Private Webster), Susan Johnson (Terry Patterson), Marti Stevens (Joan Wellington) | 7 performances |
Every Broadway staging held in broadway-data, sourced to IBDB. West End runs are not yet held.
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In the literature15 passages
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… book:complete-book-of-1950s-broadway-musicals-the-dan-dietz#p61
The Broadway dancer was seen in a number of the era’s musicals, including the notorious Buttrio Square and Hit the Trail, and in 1968 made his mark as the author of the book Your Own Thing, which won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Musical of the 1967–1968 season and played for 933 performances. book:complete-book-of-1950s-broadway-musicals-the-dan-dietz#p154
He also mentioned that after this scene, there was no stopping My Fair Lady , even if the authors of Buttrio Square , Hit the Trail , and Carnival in Flanders had been invited to “work over” the second act. book:complete-book-of-1950s-broadway-musicals-the-dan-dietz#p524
Musicals such as Hairpin Harmony, Louisiana Lady, Buttrio Square, Hit the Trail, and Portofino have become legendary for their stultifying mediocrity. book:complete-book-of-1950s-broadway-musicals-the-dan-dietz#p690
Seven alone opened during the 1950s; besides The Liar, there were Shuffle Along of 1952 (1952), Buttrio Square (1952), Ankles Aweigh (1955), Candide (1956), Portofino (1958), and At the Grand (1958). book:the-complete-book-of-1950s-broadway-musicals-dan-dietz-hardcover-2014-rowman-lit#p62
*BUTTRIO SQUARE (October 14, 1952; 59th Street Theatre; 7 performances). Director/Choreographer: Eugene Loring; Composer: Arthur Jones and Fred Stamer; Lyricist: Gen Genovese; Librettists: Billy Gilbert and Gen Genovese; Choreographer: Eugene Loring. Billy Gilbert headed a show about U.S. soldiers in an Italian village… book:the-golden-age-of-american-musical-theatre-1943-1965-naden-corinne-j-rowman-litt#p65
Passages naming this show, found by keyword across 178 books. Where this show turns up in the literature, not curated trivia about it.