Dames at Sea is a 1966 musical with book and lyrics by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller and music by Jim Wise.
The musical is a parody of large, flashy 1930s Busby Berkeley-style movie musicals in which a chorus girl, newly arrived off the bus from the Midwest to New York City, steps into a role on Broadway and becomes a star. It originally played Off-Off-Broadway in 1966 at the Caffe Cino and then played Off-Broadway, starring newcomer Bernadette Peters, beginning in 1968 for a successful run. The show has enjoyed a London run, a television adaptation and a number of revivals, before its Broadway premiere in October 2015.
Production history The musical was originally a short sketch, based loosely on the Gold Diggers movies, written by George Haimsohn, Jim Wise, and Robin Miller. The character of "Ruby" was suggested by the Ruby Keeler-type from those early movies. It was lengthened to a 50-minute production, and director Robert Dahdah prepared it for its first staging. After the original actress who was to play "Ruby" withdrew during rehearsals, choreographer Don Price recommended newcomer Bernadette Peters for the role. The show opened in May 1966 as Dames at Sea, or Golddiggers Afloat at the Caffe Cino, a small coffee house/performance space in New York City's Greenwich Village, where it continued for 148 performances. The original Caffe Cino cast featured Peters as Ruby, Joe McGuire as Frank, David Christmas as Dick, Jill Roberts as Joan, Norma Bigtree as Mona and Gary Filsinger as the Director and Captain. Peters was replaced by her sister, Donna Forbes (now DeSeta) during the run.Stone, Wendell C. (2005). Caffe Cino: The Birthplace of Off-Off Broadway. Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press, pages 62, 121-24.
Retitled simply Dames at Sea, the musical re-opened at the Bouwerie Lane Theatre on December 20, 1968," 'Dames at Sea', Bouwerie Lane Theatre" Internet Off-Broadway Database, accessed August 20, 2013 and transferred to the larger Theater de Lys on April 22, 1969, and closed on May 10, 1970, after a total of 575 performances." 'Dames At Sea' Listing" Internet Off-Broadway Database, accessed August 20, 2013 Directed and choreographed by Neal Kenyon, the show again featured Peters in the role of Ruby and David Christmas as Dick. The cast also featured Steve Elmore as the Captain, Tamara Long as Mona Kent, Joseph R. Sicari as Lucky, and Sally Stark as Joan. After Peters left the show, the role of "Ruby" was played by Loni Ackerman, Bonnie Franklin, Janie Sell, Barbara Sharma, and Pia Zadora.Jones, Kenneth. "George Haimsohn, Co-Writer of 'Dames at Sea', Dead at 77" Playbill, January 25, 2003
On August 27, 1969, the show opened at London's Duchess Theatre,The New York Times, "Dames At Sea" Gets Split London Vote", August 29, 1969, p.24 where it ran for 127 performances. The West End production was filmed for the television program Theatre Date, and was broadcast on BBC1 on November 4, 1969.
Peters appeared in a regional production at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey in early 1973."About Paper Mill: History" , papermill.org, accessed February 8, 2010 In July 1973, Peters appeared again as Ruby at the Academy Playhouse, Lake Forest, Illinois."Dr. Morris Binder Playbill Collection, Box 2, Volume 11" Chicago Public Library, retrieved February 14, 2018 Subsequent revivals have been staged at the Lamb's Theatre in Manhattan (1985) (with Stephen Flaherty playing the piano),Gussow, Mel. The New York Times, June 13, 1985, Section C, p.33 the Haymarket Theatre, Leicester, London (1989),Young, B. A. Financial Times (London), "Crazy About the Navy", July 22, 1989, Sec. I, p.17 and at the theater where the musical first played off-Broadway, the Bouwerie Lane Theatre, produced by Jean Cocteau Repertory and directed by David Fuller, from September 3, 2004, to November 28, 2004.Sommers, Elyse."Review. 'Dames at Sea' " curtainup.com, September 2004
The show began previews on Broadway on September 24, 2015, and officially opened on October 22 at the Helen Hayes Theatre, with direction and choreography by Randy Skinner.Staff. "The Verdict: Read Reviews of 'Dames at Sea' Starring Lesli Margherita, Eloise Kropp and Mara Davi" Playbill, October 22, 2015Chow, Andrew. Dames At Sea The New York Times, June 2, 2015Gans, Andrew. "'Dames at Sea' Taps Its Way Onto Broadway Tonight" Playbill, September 24, 2015 A workshop for this production was held in January 2014 with Laura Osnes, Rachel York, Mara Davi, John Bolton, Cary Tedder, and Danny Gardner.Blank, Matthew and Sims, Joey. "Schedule of Upcoming Broadway Shows" Playbill, June 5, 2014 The Broadway cast featured John Bolton as The Captain/Hennesey, Mara Davi as Joan, Danny Gardner as Lucky, Eloise Kropp as Ruby, Lesli Margherita as Mona Kent and Cary Tedder as Dick.Gans, Andrew. "Stars Revealed for Broadway Debut of 'Dames at Sea'" Playbill, July 21, 2015 The show is described as "a tap-happy gem of a show that celebrates the golden era of movie musicals". Among the producers are Infinity Theatre Company and Perry Street Theatricals. The show was produced in 2012 by Infinity Theatre Company, Annapolis, Maryland with direction and choreography by Randy Skinner."Flashback: Randy Skinner's 2012 'Dames At Sea' at Infinity Theatre Company" broadwayworld.com, August 20, 2013 This production closed on January 3, 2016, after 85 performances and 32 previews.Gans, Andrew. "Broadway's 'Dames at Sea' Sails Away Today" playbill.com, January 3, 2016"'Dames at Sea' Broadway" playbillvault.com, accessed January 4, 2016Cox, Gordon. "Broadway's 'Dames at Sea' to Close in January" Variety, November 23, 2015
The musical is popular for schools and has been produced in many countries.Saxon, Wolfgang. "George Haimsohn, 77, Dies; a Writer of 'Dames at Sea'" The New York Times, January 25, 2003
Plot In the early 1930s, a Broadway musical is in rehearsal. Mona Kent is its temperamental diva star, Joan a wise-cracking chorus girl, and Hennesy the producer/manager/director. The naive Ruby arrives from Utah, with "nothing but tap shoes in her suitcase and a prayer in her heart",Kerr, Walter. The New York Times, January 5, 1969, p. D1 determined to be a Broadway star. She promptly faints into the arms of Dick, a sailor and aspiring songwriter ("It's You"). Ruby gets a job in the chorus, but Hennesy informs the cast that the theater must be torn down, and they must find another place, which turns out to be a ship, for the show. Joan and Lucky, another sailor and her former boyfriend, renew their romance ("Choo-Choo Honeymoon") while Ruby admits her feelings for Dick ("The Sailor of My Dreams"). Dick and Lucky persuade their Captain to volunteer the use of their ship ("Dames at Sea"). Mona recognizes the Captain as a former boyfriend ("The Beguine"). When Mona kisses Dick, to persuade him to give her one of his songs, Ruby notices and becomes despondent ("Raining In My Heart"). Dick explains the misunderstanding and the couple make up ("There's Something About You"). While rehearsing on the actual ship, Mona becomes seasick ("The Echo Waltz"); Ruby steps in to save the show and becomes a star ("Star Tar"). The three couples decide to marry ("Let's Have A Simple Wedding").
Other elements John Wilson in The New York Times pointed out that the music is a mixture of parody, such as the torch song "That Mister Man", pastiche ("Raining in My Heart"), and the real thing. Wilson wrote that "The pastiche songs, built around phrases borrowed from or close to actual songs of the genre, usually project an appealing period flavor."Wilson, John. The New York Times, "Happily Afloat with 'Dames at Sea' ", July 6, 1969, p. D24 The joke was that, while spoofing the large, lavish movie musicals, Dames at Sea did it with a cast of six, two pianos and percussion, and a tiny stage.Mordden, Ethan. Open a New Window: The Broadway Musical in the 1960s (2002), p. 184, Palgrave Macmillan,
In the 2015 Broadway production, director Randy Skinner noted that this was "the first time in New York that 'Dames at Sea' will be heard with an orchestra, and the show will have more dancing than ever before with all new dance and vocal arrangements by Rob Berman". This production opened with movie credits projected onto a screen, reproducing exactly the font used by Warner Bros. in the early 1930s. Skinner received a 2016 Tony Award nomination for his choreography.
Musical numbers Original 1968 cast recording amazon.com
Act I "Overture" "Wall Street" - Mona "It's You" - Dick and Ruby "Broadway Baby" - Dick "That Mister Man of Mine" - Mona and Company "Choo-Choo Honeymoon" - Joan and Lucky "The Sailor of My Dreams" - Ruby "Singapore Sue" - Lucky and Company "Broadway Baby" (reprise) - Hennesey "Good Times Are Here to Stay" - Mona, Joan and Company
Act II "Dames at Sea" - Company "The Beguine" - Mona and Captain "Raining in My Heart" - Ruby and Company "There's Something About You" - Dick and Ruby "Raining in My Heart" (reprise) - Ruby "The Echo Waltz" - Mona, Joan, Ruby and Company "Star Tar" - Ruby and Company "Let's Have a Simple Wedding" - Company
Major casts Character Original Off-Off-Broadway (1966) Original Off-Broadway (1968) TV movie (1971) Workshop (2014) Original Broadway (2015)RubyBernadette PetersAnn-MargretLaura OsnesEloise KroppDickDavid ChristmasHarvey EvansCary TedderJoanJill RobertsSally StarkAnne MearaMara DaviLuckyJoe McGuire*Joseph R. SicariDick ShawnDanny GardnerMonaNorma BigtreeTamara LongAnn MillerRachel YorkLesli MargheritaHennessy/The CaptainGary FilsingerSteve ElmoreFred GwynneJohn Bolton *In this production, Lucky was called "Frank".
Critical response In his review in The New York Times of the 1968 production, Clive Barnes wrote Dames At Sea' is a real winner, a little gem of a musical. The show is wonderfully helped by its cast. The star I suppose is Bernadette Peters as the wholly sweetly silly small-town chorine who taps her way from the bus station to stardom in 24 hours."Barnes, Clive. The New York Times, December 22, 1968, p. 54 Walter Kerr, in his Sunday Times feature article, added "You'll find the show cheerful and ingratiating, I think ... Miss Peters is a real find ... She is extremely funny, and endearing on top of that." The Time magazine review noted that the show had "three thoroughly engaging stars and some of the most ingenious staging currently on or off Broadway. Tamara Long, as the slinky heavy, brandishes a flaming Morganitic torch for her Mister Man, and Sally Stark, as Ruby's peroxided pal, belts a note almost as plangent as the great Merman's. The comic delight of the show, though, is Bernadette Peters, whose Ruby can simultaneously sing and dance up a storm that puts all New York (including Queen Mane of Rumania) at her feet.""Friends from the '30s" Time, January 3, 1969
The review of the production at the Off-Broadway Bouwerie Lane Theatre (2004) in the Gay City News:Director David Fuller has filled his production with such subtle touches, which make the show seem intriguingly contemporary, and far from the saccharine and serious treatments this chestnut usually receives, he's restored the true Off-Broadway spirit that used the establishment's own forms to tweak its foibles. First staged during the Vietnam War era, the musical seems more relevant than ever as it takes precise aim at the sunny outlook that comes from near-psychotic denial of reality. The review praises the cast: "The cast does a great job ... Individually, Kathleen White as Ruby is deliciously comic, with expressions and physical comedies that recall Lucille Ball ... Chrysten Peddie as Joan has the tough dame attitude down cold. She's got a warm presence, is a great dancer and has a strong voice."Gay City News, Vol. 3, Issue 339, September 23–39, 2004