Kenneth Tynan "OH! CALCUTTA!" LeRoy Neiman 1969 Original Cast Souvenir Program

Description

This is a beautiful souvenir program from the Original Off-Broadway production of the controversial musical revue "OH! CALCUTTA!" at the Eden Theatre in New York City. (The original production opened June 17th, 1969 at the Off-Broadway Eden Theatre, transfered to the Belasco Theatre on February 17th, 1971, and closed on August 12th, 1972 after a total of 1,314 performances. A Broadway revival opened September 24th, 1976 at the Edison Theatre and closed August 6th, 1989 after 5,959 performances. The revival briefly became the longest-running show in
Broadway
history and remains Broadway's
sixth longest-running show
and the longest-running revue in Broadway history.) ..... "OH! CALCUTTA!" is an
avant-garde
theatrical
revue
,
created by British drama critic
Kenneth Tynan
.
The show, consisting of sketches on sex-related topics, debuted
Off-Broadway
in 1969 and then in London in 1970. The show sparked considerable controversy at the time, because it featured extended scenes of full-frontal nudity, both male and female. The title is taken from a painting by
Clovis Trouille
,
itself a
pun
on "
O quel cul t'as!
"
French
for "What an
arse
you have!". Tynan had hoped that
Harold Pinter
would direct the production, in order to give it avant-garde legitimacy, but Pinter declined. Sketches in the Original Off-Broadway production were written by, amongst others,
Nobel prize
winner
Samuel Beckett
,
John Lennon
,
Sam Shepard
,
Leonard Melfi
,
Edna O'Brien
,
Jules Feiffer
, Tennessee Williams (whose sketch was cut before opening night)
and Tynan himself.
Peter Schickele
(aka "PDQ Bach"), Robert Dennis and Stanley Walden were the revue's
composers
,
known as "The Open Window". (Wikipedia) ..... The Original Off-Broadway cast included RAINA BARRETT, MARK DEMPSEY, KATIE DREW-WILKINSON, BONI ENTEN, BILL MACY, ALAN RACHINS, LEON RUSSOM, MARGO SAPPINGTON, NANCY TRIBUSH, GEORGE WELBES and THE OPEN WINDOW ..... CREDITS: Devised by KENNETH TYNAN; Contributions by JULES FEIFFER, DAN GREENBURG, LENORE KANDEL, JOHN LENNON, JACQUES LEVY, LEONARD MELFI, DAVID NEWMAN and ROBERT BENTON, SAM SHEPARD, CLOVIS TROUILLE, KENNETH TYNAN and SHERMAN YELLEN; Music and Lyrics by THE OPEN WINDOW (Robert Dennis, Peter Schicklel and Stanley Walden); Sets designed by JAMES TILTON; Costumes designed by KENNETH M. YOUNT; Choreographed by MARGO SAPPINGTON; Conceived and Directed by JACQUES LEVY; Produced by HILLARD ELKINS, NORMAN KEAN and ROBERT S. FISHKO ..... DETAILS: The oversized 28 page program measures 11" X 8 1/4" inches and includes full production credits, photos of each of the leading actors, extensive promotional text, a list of the scenes and musical numbers, a full color rendering by artist LeROY NEIMAN (last scanned image) and several pages of black and white production photos from the Original Off-Broadway production ..... CONDITION: With the exception of a light vertical crease, this rare program is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any musical theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.
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