Darling of the Day (musical)

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Original cast recording

Darling of the Day is a musical with a book by Nunnally Johnson, lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, and music by Jule Styne. It is based on Arnold Bennett's novel Buried Alive and his play The Great Adventure. Styne is supposed to have called this musical his "Lerner and Loewe" score, and the play can indeed be seen as an "upsidedown" My Fair Lady.

The musical starred Vincent Price as Priam Farll (in his first and only stage musical) and Patricia Routledge as Alice Challice. In spite of a score still held by many critics to be one of Styne's best, the show's pre-Broadway run was plagued by problems, with three directors and five librettists attempting to whip it into shape. Johnson, upset with all the changes, demanded his name be removed from the credits. The show limped into New York City where, following three previews, it opened on January 27, 1968 at the George Abbott Theatre, also featuring Brenda Forbes and Peter Woodthorpe. Reviews were mixed. Price was cited by some critics as woefully miscast, but there was unanimous praise for Routledge, whose performance earned her the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. The book, however, was criticized, and Darling of the day closed after only 31 performances.

A original cast recording was released by RCA Victor. This, and the CD re-release, are both rare and sought after.

Subsequent attempts at revival have made little headway, in spite of the belief of many students of musical theatre that the show had all the ingredients of success, and that the score is one of Styne's best.^[1]

1 Synopsis
2 Song list
3 Notes
4 Reference
5 External links

[edit] Synopsis

In 1905 London, Priam Farll is an artist, brilliant, unconventional and shy, although he can be violently outspoken. He once offended Queen Victoria and was exiled to the South Pacific (shades of Gauguin), but Edward VII has succeeded to the throne, and Farll has been recalled to London to receive a knighthood.

Appalled by "society's" expectations of its "darling of the day" (a common Victorian/Edwardian term meaning something like "fashionable celebrity") Farll seizes the chance to "get out of the world alive" when his faithful butler, Henry Leek, suddenly dies en route to England, and their identities are confused. Farll assumes the identitly of the deceased, claiming that the famous artist has been buried at sea, and is officially buried in Westminster Abbey (in the person of his butler).

He soon finds himself married to Alice Challice, a bright, well-to-do Cockney widow who had been corresponding with the real Henry Leek - and settles down to a happy "upper working class" life. She brings joy into his grim life. Farll continues to paint, and when his wife runs into financial difficulties he sells a few paintings. Complications naturally ensue, and his "cover" becomes increasingly flimsy. It takes a piece of truly Gilbertian nonsense to bring all to a satisfactory conclusion.