High Society (Broadway)
High Society by Cole Porter and Arthur Kopit with additional lyrics by Susan Birkenhead; Book by Arthur Kopit; Based on the play “The Philadelphia Story” by Philip Barry; Also based on the movie “High Society” owned by Turner Entertainment, opened on April 27, 1998 at the St. James Theatre on Broadway and ran for 171 paid performances
Produced by Lauren Mitchell, Robert Gailus, Hal Luftig, Richard Samson and Dodger Endemol Theatricals; Produced in association with Bill Haber; Associate Producer: Kevin C. Whitman. Originally produced by American Conservatory Theatre of San Francisco
Directed by Christopher Renshaw; Musical Staging by Lar Lubovitch; Scenic Design by Loy Arcenas; Costume Design by Jane Greenwood; Lighting Design by Howell Binkley; Sound Design by Tony Meola; Hair and Wig Design by Paul Huntley; Dance arrangements by Glen Kelly; Music orchestrated by William David Brohn; Musical Director & Conducted by Paul Gemignani.
Starring Stephen Bogardus (Mike Connor), Melissa Errico (Tracy Samantha Lord), Daniel McDonald (C.K. Dexter Haven), John McMartin (Uncle Willie), Randy Graff (Liz Imbrie), Lisa Banes (Margaret Lord), Barry Finkel (Chester, House Man), Daniel Gerroll (Seth Lord), Kisha Howard (Sunny, Scullery Maid), Betsy Joslyn (Patsy, Cook), Anna Kendrick (Dinah Lord), Marc Kudisch (George Kittredge), William Ryall (Edmund, Major Domo), Jeff Skowron (Stanley, House Boy), Jennifer Smith (Polly, Downstairs Maid), Dorothy Stanley (Peg Upstairs Maid) and Glenn Turner (Arthur Butler)
Swings: Vince Pesce, and Sarah Solie Shannon
Standby: Stacey Logan (Tracy Samantha Lord) and Richard Muenz (C. K. Dexter Haven, Mike Connor, George Kittredge)
Understudies: Barry Finkel (Seth Lord, Uncle Willie), William Ryall (Seth Lord, Uncle Willie), Holiday Segal (Dinah Lord), Sarah Solie Shannon (Tracy Samantha Lord), Jeff Skowron (Mike Connor), Jennifer Smith (Liz Imbrie, Margaret Lord) and Dorothy Stanley (Liz Imbrie, Margaret Lord)
Associate Choreographer: Marcia Milgrom Dodge; Assistant Director: Anders Cato; Associate Conductor: Nicholas Archer; Assistant Conductor: Thad Wheeler; Associate Scenic Design: Myung Hee Cho; Assistant Scenic Design: Emily Beck, Ann Keehbauch, Russell Parkman, Michael V. Sims and Mikiko Uesugi; Assistant to the Scenic Designer: Anthony Bishop, Andrew Sachs and Matthew Anderson; Assistant Costume Design: MaryAnn D. Smith and Jan Finnell; Associate Lighting Design: Chad McArver; Assistant Lighting Design: Les Dickert; Associate Sound Design: Kai Harada
General Manager: Stuart Thompson; Associate General Manager: Florie Seery; Company Manager: Kimberly Kelley; Assistant Co. Mgr: Thia Calloway; Production Supervisor: Steven Zweigbaum; Technical Supervisor: Gene O’Donovan; Stage Manager: Rolt Smith; Assistant Stage Manager: Tamlyn Freund; Technical Supervision: Aurora Productions; Casting: Jay Binder; Press Representative: Boneau / Bryan-Brown; Marketing: Margery Singer; Online Marketing by Toby Simkin; Dance Captain: Vince Pesce; Assistant to the Director: Jules Ochoa; Press Associate: Amy Jacobs, Susanne Tighe and Jim Sapp
Concert Master: Suzanne Ornstein; Keyboard 1: Nicholas Archer; Keyboard 2: Paul Ford; Guitar / Banjo: Andy Schwartz; String Bass: Peter Donovan; Drums: Paul Pizzuti; Woodwind 1: Scott Shachter; Woodwind 2: Dennis Anderson; Solo Trumpet: Bob Millikan; Solo Trombone: James Pugh; Solo French Horn: Ronald Sell; Violin: Suzanne Ornstein; Violin 2: Martin Agee; Viola: Richard Brice; Cello: Clay C. Ruede; Percussion: Thad Wheeler; Music Contractor: Ronald Sell
As Founder and CEO of Theatre.com and BuyBroadway.com. The pioneer in moving the Broadway industry onto the internet. The theatre press branded me as “Toby is the man pushing theatre, kicking and screaming, into cyberspace.” What started in 1989 as a Broadway industry service called ShowCall via dialup BBS for members of the League of American Theatre Producers evolved onto the world wide web in the early 90’s, and shortly after this, the vast majority of Broadway shows (starting with my production of Victor/Victoria) and theatrical organizations followed. The “Super site of Broadway” became a publicly traded company, prior to my re-branding it as Theatre.com at the Minskoff Theatre.
Described by Variety Magazine as a “marketing powerhouse“, it was the single largest theatre community in the world with over 180,000 active members (in the 1990’s this was massive). From buying official Broadway tickets and souvenirs, providing detailed global show listings, interactive show study & educational guides, live streaming shows and events (including many Opening Nights live broadcasts), industry news from major theatre journalists, pictures and videos, games, messaging directly to Broadway cast’s backstage or even licensing a musical, theatre.com offered it all in a single, easy-to-use interface to theatregoers globally.
High Society
A pretentious Oyster Bay socialite who is planning to wed an equally pretentious executive, when her ex-husband arrives to disrupt the proceedings.
“Broadway is lucky to be illuminated by the distinctive glow of Melissa Errico.”
— The New York Times
“Errico is the real thing – gorgeous to look at, a superb comic actress and singer, and an abundantly confident and authoritative leading lady.”
— InTheater Magazine
“Errico makes HIGH SOCIETY worth the ticket price. She’s all you want Tracy Lord to be: beautiful, haughty, soulful, and musical. And when her inebriated Tracy sings “Let’s Misbehave,” Errico displays a giddy exhilaration too rarely seen on-stage.”
— USA Today
“In her metamorphosis from haughty porcelain perfection to scarred and warm-blooded life, this glowing young Broadway actress gives HIGH SOCIETY its lyrical heart and insouciant comic soul. Her heart-shaped face can shatter and reassemble itself in a single panic-stricken glance. The mastery of her performance comes in the way she’s able to keep two powerful emotions in play at once, whether in speech or song.”
— San Francisco Chronicle
AWARDS
1998 Tony Award Nominations
- Best Featured Actor in a Musical – John McMartin
- Best Featured Actress in a Musical – Anna Kendrick
1998 Drama Desk Award Nominations
- Outstanding New Musical
- Outstanding Actress in a Musical – Melissa Errico
- Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical – John McMartin
- Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical – Anna Kendrick
Musical Numbers
Note: (*) denotes new or additional lyric by Susan Birkenhead; and (^) denotes song was originally introduced in 1956 film High Society.
Act One:
“High Society” (aka “High Society Calypso”) (*) (^) (The Household Staff); “Ridin’ High” (Red Hot and Blue, 1936) (Melissa Errico, The Household Staff); “Throwing a Ball Tonight” (*) (aka “I’m Throwing a Ball Tonight”; Panama Hattie, 1940) (Lisa Banes, Melissa Errico, John McMartin); “Little One” (^) (Daniel McDonald, Anna Kendrick); “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” (^) (Randy Graff, Stephen Bogardus); “I Love Paris” (Can-Can, 1953) (Anna Kendrick, Melissa Errico); “She’s Got That Thing” (*) (originally “You’ve Got That Thing” from Fifty Million Frenchmen, 1929) (John McMartin, Daniel McDonald, Company); “Once Upon a Time” (*) (written for unproduced mid-1930s musical Ever Yours) (Melissa Errico); “True Love” (^) (Daniel McDonald, Melissa Errico)
Act Two:
“High Society” (reprise) (The Household Staff); “Let’s Misbehave” (**) (first introduced at the Ambassadeurs Caf in Paris in 1927 [not introduced in La Revue des Ambassadeurs 1928], and later heard in the pre- Broadway tryout of Paris, 1928) (Melissa Errico, John McMartin, Company); “I’m Getting Myself Ready for You” (**) (The New Yorkers, 1930) (John McMartin, Randy Graff); “Once Upon a Time” (reprise) (Daniel McDonald); “Just One of Those Things” (Jubilee, 1935) (Daniel McDonald); “Well, Did You Evah!” (*) (DuBarry Was a Lady, 1939; song was also interpolated into the 1956 film High Society) (The Household Staff, Melissa Errico, John McMartin, Randy Graff); “You’re Sensational” (^) (Stephen Bogardus); “Say It with Gin” (The New Yorkers, 1930) (John McMartin); “Ridin’ High” (reprise) (Lisa Banes); “It’s All Right with Me” (Can-Can, 1953) (Melissa Errico); “He’s a Right Guy” (Something for the Boys, 1943) (Randy Graff); “Samantha” (aka “I Love You, Samantha”) (^) (Daniel McDonald); “True Love” (reprise) (Melissa Errico, Daniel McDonald)
