The 42nd Street Moon, in the business of reviving neglected Broadway musicals, is doing something new, really new, for the first time in its two decades of life: It's presenting a world premiere show using grand old tunes from Oscar Hammerstein, Rodgers and Hart, Johnny Mercer, Dorothy Fields, Frank Loesser, and others. Performances in the Eureka Theater are scheduled April 2-20.
With favorites such as "Jeepers Creepers," "Sing, You Sinners," "Good Morning Glory," "Marahuana," "You Oughta Be in Pictures," and "Dusty Shoes," the production Painting the Clouds with Sunshine tells the story of a jaded newsman and a struggling waitress trying to find romance in glittery Tinseltown as the "talking picture musicals" help the country escape hard times.
The book is by 42nd Street Artistic Director Greg MacKellan and Mark D. Kaufmann, who is also the stage director. Says MacKellan:
During the Great Depression (1929-1939), America’s entertainment industries — particularly radio and motion pictures — played a crucial role in helping citizens keep their spirits up. No genre of film was more popular at this time than the musical.Musical films of the 1930s — the "talking picture" era — existed in a world unto themselves: sometimes kooky, sometimes sophisticated, sometimes bizarre, and almost always persistently upbeat. Once you entered this world, the harsh realities of the Depression were mocked (or more often, simply forgotten) by the happy-go lucky denizens of the talkies ...
After going through a treasure trove of songs that San Francisco’s Bob Grimes gave us, we recorded 35 of them (33 of which made the final album) with a stellar cast including Rebecca Luker, Paige O’Hara, and Jason Graae; releasing the CD in early 1991. The San Francisco Chronicle critic Gerald Nachman gave it a rave review, including the suggestion that "some smart producer should turn this CD into a revue."
Finally, 23 years later, 42nd Street Moon has indeed brought it to the stage. To our surprise, it’s not, in fact, a revue, but a brand-new book musical with a score of wonderful and unique songs from 1930s movies.