The Most Happy Fella

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The Most Happy Fella is a theater musical (labelled an opera by various commentators [1] [2]) with music, lyrics and book by Frank Loesser. The story is based on the play They Knew What They Wanted by Sidney Howard.

1 Songs
2 Broadway production
3 London production
4 Other productions

[edit] Songs

"Abbondanza"
"Aren't You Glad?"
"Benvenuta"
"Big D"
"Don't Cry"
"Fresno Beauties"
"Goodbye, Darlin'"
"Happy to Make Your Acquaintance"
"Hoedown"
"How Beautiful the Days"
"I Don't Like This Dame"
"I Know How It Is"
"I Like Everybody"
"I Love Him"
"I Made a Fist"
"Joey, Joey, Joey"
"The Letter"
"Like a Woman Loves a Man"
"Love and Kindness"
"Mama, Mama"
"The Most Happy Fella"
"My Heart Is So Full of You"
"Ooh, My Feet"
"Please Let Me Tell You That I Love You"
"Plenty Bambini"
"Rosabella"
"Seven Million Crumbs"
"She's Gonna Come Home with Me"
"Somebody, Somewhere"
"Song of a Summer Night"
"Soon You Gonna Leave Me, Joe"
"Special Delivery"
"Sposalizio"
"Standing on the Corner"
"Tony's Thoughts"
"Warm All Over"
"Young People"

[edit] Broadway production

The show opened at the Imperial Theatre on May 3, 1956 and ran for 676 performances. It was directed by Joseph Anthony.

Cast:

Robert Weede as Tony
Jo Sullivan as Rosabella
Art Lund as Joey
Susan Johnson as Cleo
Shorty Long as Herman
Mona Paulee as Marie
Zina Bethune as Tessie

[edit] London production

The show opened at the London Coliseum on April 21, 1960 and ran for 288 performances. It was directed by Jerome Eskow.

Cast:

Inia Wiata as Tony
Helena Scott as Rosabella
Art Lund as Joey
Libi Staiger as Cleo
Jack De Lon as Herman
Nina Verushka as Marie

[edit] Other productions

The show was produced for television in 1980. It starred Giorgio Tozzi as Tony, Sharon Daniels as Rosabella and Richard Muenz as Joe.

A Broadway revival opened at the Booth Theatre on January 13, 1992 and ran for 229 performances. It was directed by Gerald Guttierrez, with musical direction by Tim Stella.

Cast

Spiro Malas as Tony
Sophie Hayden as Rosabella
Charles Pistone as Joe
Claudia Catania as Marie
Liz Larsen as Cleo
Scott Waara as Herman

Baritone Rod Gilfry starred as Joe in a recent Los Angeles production, and in the spring of 2006 New York City Opera presented the show with Paul Sorvino as Tony and Lisa Vroman as Rosabella.

Frank Loesser musicals
Where's Charley? • Guys and Dolls • The Most Happy Fella • Greenwillow • How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying • Pleasures and Palaces