Liza Minnelli - FLORA THE RED MENACE
"At age 19, LIZA MINNELLI is a star to be, a performer of arresting presence who does not merely occupy a stage but fills it." -- TIME MAGAZINE
Book by GEORGE ABBOTT & ROBERT RUSSELL
Opened May 11, 1965 at the Alvin Theatre and played for 87 performances.
Music by JOHN KANDER
Lyrics by FRED EBB
Dance and Musical Numbers Staged by LEE THEODORE
Orchestrations by DON WALKER
Production Directed by GEORGE ABBOTT
LIZA WON THE TONY FOR HER PORTRAYAL OF FLORA!
Initially Eydie Gorme was sought for the role but she turned it down. Ms. Minnelli had auditioned a number of times, and directo/co-author George Abbott wasn't entirely convinced that she was right for the role. However, thanks to the resoluteness of Kander, Ebb and Prince-and Mr. Abbott's apathy-the role was given to her.
WHAT FRED EBB & JOHN KANDER HAD TO SAY ABOUT LIZA'S AUDITION!
FRED EBB: I was sure Flora, the red Menace would be a hit. George Abbott was directing. Hal Prince was producing. Those shows don't fail.
Liza Minnelli came up to my apartment to hear the score. She was seventeen years old, her hair was long and stringy; she was wearing funnylooking clothes. She sat down on the couch, took off her shoes, and tucked her legs under her. I was reminded of my mother's horrified reaction when a girl I was was seeing had done that.
JOHN KANDER: Liza sang through some of the numbers. We saw at once she was very talented. Fred and I wanted her, but Mr. Abbott did not. She had the curse of being Judy Garland's daughter. But as it turned out, the performer Mr. Abbott wanted was not available. "Get the Minnelli girl," he said. and then we fell completely in love. On her birthday he came waltzing in with a cake, which is something he would never ordinarily do.
FRED EBB: We wrote a lot of music FOR Liza, and it was great to have a voice you can always count on. But once we got on the road with Flora, we could tell it wasn't going well.
-quoted from "It Happened On Broadway" by Myrna & Harvey Frommer
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Kander: In writing for [Liza], I don't think we ever thought in terms of her mother. We only thought of Judy as a kind of specter hanging over Liza. She was a controversial figure, and I guess in some ways still is. People would cruelly write that she was only getting work because she was her mother's daughter. That was always there, and I think Liza was terribly aware of it.
Ebb: Judy came to the opening night of Flora. We had written the song "You Are You," and one of the lyrics was "You are not Myrna Loy, Myrna Loy is Myrna Loy. You are you." After the show, Judy came backstage and said to me, "Listen, I have suggestion for that song. 'You are not Judy Garland, Judy Garland is Judy Garland. You are you.' That's what it should be." Then she turned around and walked away. I thought, my God, how amazing that she would say a thing like that. I later told Liza, and she was humiliated.
Kander: She had the curse of being Judy Garland's daughter. She was always afraid that her mother would be in the audience and overshadow her. With the first nightclub act that she did, there was a question whether Judy was going to be there or not, and as I recall, Liza tried to get you to make sure she wasn't there. But her mother did show up, and that night Liza sat in front of her dressing mirror just shaking. Ebb: She was torn — "Do I introduce her? Do I not introduce her?" There were a couple of incidents. At the Waldorf-Astoria, Liza leaned down to her mother in the audience, and Judy literally grabbed her off the stage, then got up there with her. Liza sat on the side of the stage while Judy did two or three numbers, with the audience going crazy.
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ACT I:
"Overture"...............................Orchestra.
SCENE 1: A Street in New York and the High School of Commercial Art
"Prologue"....................................Ensemble
"Unafraid".......................Flora, Students & Ensemble
SCENE 2: The advertising office at Garrett and Mellicks Department Store
"All I Need (Is One Good Break)".....................Flora, Harry & Artists
SCENE 3: The Park
"Not Every Day of the Week"............Flora & Harry
SCENE 4: Flora's studio
"All I Need Is One Good Break" (Reprise) .................................Flora, Elsa and The Lady
"Sign Here"..............................Harry & Flora
SCENE 5: The Party Meeting
"The Flame"...............................Ada, Harry & Comrades
SCENE 6: Flora's studio
"Palomino Pal"...........................The Lady and Cowboy
SCENE 7: Mr. Stanley's office at Garrett and Mellicks Department Store
"A Quiet Thing"..............................Flora
SCENE 8: Flora's studio
"Hello, Waves".............................Harry & Flora
SCENE 9: Union Square and the street in front of Harry's apartment
"Dear Love".................................Flora and Ensemble
ACT II
SCENE 1: Harry's apartment
"Express Yourself"........................Charlotte & Harry
SCENE 2: The Park
"Knock Knock".........................Ada & Cowboy
SCENE 3: Flora's studio
Comrade Charlotte's ballet - "The Tree of Life"..................Charlotte, Ada, Harry & Ensemble
SCENE 4: Mr. Stanley's office at Garrett and Mellicks Department Store
"Sing Happy"...............................Flora
SCENE 5: Flora's studio
"You Are You"........................Mr. Weiss and Elsa, Flora, Mr. Stanley, Lulu, Katie, Joe
Finale...................................Entire Company
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