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Bells Are Ringing (musical)
Encyclopedia
Bells Are Ringing is a musical with a book and lyrics by Betty Comden
and Adolph Green
and music by Jule Styne
. The story revolves around Ella, who works at an answering service and the characters that she meets there. The main character was based on Mary Printz
, who worked for Green's answering service. Three of the show's tunes - "Long Before I Knew You," "Just in Time
," and "The Party's Over
" - became popular standards.
production, directed by Jerome Robbins
and choreographed by Robbins and Bob Fosse
, opened on November 29, 1956 at the Shubert Theatre
, where it ran for slightly more than two years before transferring to the Alvin Theatre, for a total run of 924 performances. It starred Judy Holliday
as Ella and Sydney Chaplin
as Jeff Moss, as well as Jean Stapleton as Sue Summers, Eddie Lawrence
as Sandor, George S. Irving
, Jack Weston, and Peter Gennaro
.
An original cast album was released by Columbia Records
.
The West End
production opened on November 14, 1957 at the Coliseum, where it ran for 292 performances. The cast included Janet Blair as Ella Peterson, George Gaynes
as Jeff Moss, Jean St. Clair as Sue Summers, Eddie Molloy as Sandor, and Allyn McLerie
as Gwynne Smith.
In 1960, a film adaptation of the same name
was released by MGM.
A Broadway revival, directed by Tina Landau
and choreographed by Jeff Calhoun
, opened on April 12, 2001 at the Plymouth Theatre where, struggling to overcome mediocre reviews and ongoing hostility between the show's producers and its cast and crew, it finally closed after 68 performances and 36 previews. The cast included Faith Prince
as Ella, Marc Kudisch
as Jeff, David Garrison
, and Beth Fowler
.
The Union Theatre
in London staged a revival of Bells Are Ringing in late 2010, with leading lady Anna-Jane Casey
in the role of Ella Peterson. The production was well-reviewed and sold out its brief run.
In November 2010 New York City Center's Encores!
series produced a semi-staged concert of the show starring Kelli O'Hara
, Will Chase
, and Judy Kaye
. Reviews for O'Hara were excellent, but critics felt the show itself was too dated for modern audiences. Ben Brantley
in his New York Timesreview wrote: "Ms. O’Hara is the possessor of a liquid soprano that was made for the shimmering romantic confessions so essential to classic American musicals. Offering sincerity without saccharine, her voice seems to emerge almost involuntarily, as if she just couldn’t help acting on an irresistible urge. Though obviously highly trained, that voice brims with a conversational ease that makes you forget that singing is not usually the form we choose for confiding in others, even in this age of 'Glee'...This 1956 musical ... was revived on Broadway only nine years ago (with Faith Prince), and it seemed irretrievably dated then."
, Dr. Kitchell, a dentist with musical yearnings but lacking talent, and playwright Jeff Moss, who is suffering from writer's block and desperately needs a muse. As suggested by the song title ("It's a Perfect Relationship"), Ella considers the relationships with these clients "perfect" because she can't see them and they can't see her, yet she derives great pleasure from meddling in their lives.
When Jeff Moss pleads with Ella for help in writing, she responds, and a romance ensues ("Long Before I Knew You"). Complications arise when Ella thinks that she does not fit in with Jeff's wealthy friends ("The Party's Over").
Adding complications to the plot are the police, who are certain the business is a front for an "escort service," and Sandor, the owner's shady boyfriend, who unbeknownst to Sue is using the agency as a bookmaking operation ("It's A Simple Little System").
Act II
Note: "Better Than A Dream" was actually written during the broadway run and later incorporated into the 1960 film.
Betty Comden
Betty Comden was one-half of the musical-comedy duo Comden and Green, who provided lyrics, libretti, and screenplays to some of the most beloved and successful Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows of the mid-20th century...
and Adolph Green
Adolph Green
Adolph Green was an American lyricist and playwright who, with long-time collaborator Betty Comden, penned the screenplays and songs for some of the most beloved movie musicals, particularly as part of Arthur Freed's production unit at MGM, during the genre's heyday...
and music by Jule Styne
Jule Styne
Jule Styne was a British-born American songwriter especially famous for a series of Broadway musicals, which included several very well known and frequently revived shows.-Early life:...
. The story revolves around Ella, who works at an answering service and the characters that she meets there. The main character was based on Mary Printz
Mary Printz
Mary Printz was an answering service operator who catered to many of the New York theater and business A-list in the 1950s...
, who worked for Green's answering service. Three of the show's tunes - "Long Before I Knew You," "Just in Time
Just in Time (song)
"Just in Time" is a popular song with the melody written by Jule Styne and the lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. The song was published in 1956....
," and "The Party's Over
The Party's Over (1956 song)
"The Party's Over" is a popular song composed by Jule Styne with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. It was introduced in the 1956 musical comedy Bells Are Ringing by Judy Holliday. Nat King Cole, Smoking Popes and Lonnie Donegan recorded popular versions. Shirley Bassey recorded the song for...
" - became popular standards.
Productions
The original BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production, directed by Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins was an American theater producer, director, and choreographer known primarily for Broadway Theater and Ballet/Dance, but who also occasionally directed films and directed/produced for television. His work has included everything from classical ballet to contemporary musical theater...
and choreographed by Robbins and Bob Fosse
Bob Fosse
Robert Louis “Bob” Fosse was an American actor, dancer, musical theater choreographer, director, screenwriter, film editor and film director. He won an unprecedented eight Tony Awards for choreography, as well as one for direction...
, opened on November 29, 1956 at the Shubert Theatre
Shubert Theatre (Broadway)
The Shubert Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 225 West 44th Street in midtown-Manhattan, New York, United States.Designed by architect Henry Beaumont Herts, it was named after Sam S. Shubert, the second oldest of the three brothers of the theatrical producing family...
, where it ran for slightly more than two years before transferring to the Alvin Theatre, for a total run of 924 performances. It starred Judy Holliday
Judy Holliday
Judy Holliday was an American actress.Holliday began her career as part of a night-club act, before working in Broadway plays and musicals...
as Ella and Sydney Chaplin
Sydney Chaplin
Sydney Chaplin was an English actor. He was the elder half-brother of Sir Charlie Chaplin and served as his business manager, and the half-uncle of the actor Sydney Chaplin , who was named after him.-Early life:...
as Jeff Moss, as well as Jean Stapleton as Sue Summers, Eddie Lawrence
Eddie Lawrence
Eddie Lawrence is an American monologist, actor, singer, lyricist, playwright, director and television personality, whose unique comic creation, the eternally and bizarrely optimistic Old Philosopher, has gained him a devoted, although specialized, cult following for over five decades.-Early...
as Sandor, George S. Irving
George S. Irving
George S. Irving is an American actor, known primarily for his character roles on Broadway. Born George Irving Shelasky in Springfield, Massachusetts, he made his debut in the original 1943 production of Oklahoma!, only to be drafted days later to serve in World War II...
, Jack Weston, and Peter Gennaro
Peter Gennaro
Peter Gennaro was an American dancer and choreographer.-Biography:Gennaro was born in Metairie, Louisiana. He made his Broadway debut in the ensemble of Make Mine Manhattan in 1948. He followed this with Kiss Me, Kate and Guys and Dolls...
.
An original cast album was released by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
.
The West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
production opened on November 14, 1957 at the Coliseum, where it ran for 292 performances. The cast included Janet Blair as Ella Peterson, George Gaynes
George Gaynes
George Gaynes is a Finnish-born American actor of stage, screen and television.He may be best known as Commandant Eric Lassard in the Police Academy series, and to television fans as the curmudgeonly Henry Warnimont on the NBC series Punky Brewster, in which his wife, Allyn Ann McLerie,...
as Jeff Moss, Jean St. Clair as Sue Summers, Eddie Molloy as Sandor, and Allyn McLerie
Allyn McLerie
Allyn Ann McLerie is a Canadian-born, Brooklyn-reared actress, singer and dancer who worked with most of Golden Age musical theatre's major choreographers, including George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, and Jerome Robbins.McLerie made her Broadway debut as a teenager in Kurt Weill's One Touch of Venus...
as Gwynne Smith.
In 1960, a film adaptation of the same name
Bells Are Ringing (film)
Bells Are Ringing is a 1960 romantic comedy-musical film directed by Vincente Minnelli. It stars Judy Holliday and Dean Martin.-Synopsis:Based on the successful 1956 Broadway production of the same name by Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Jule Styne, the film focuses on Ella Peterson, who works in...
was released by MGM.
A Broadway revival, directed by Tina Landau
Tina Landau
Tina Landau is an American playwright and theatre director.Born in New York City to film and television producers Edie and Ely Landau, Landau moved with her family to Beverly Hills, California, where she graduated from Beverly Hills High School before attending Yale University, where she directed...
and choreographed by Jeff Calhoun
Jeff Calhoun (choreographer)
Jeff Calhoun is an American director, choreographer, producer and dancer.As a student at Richland High School, now Pine-Richland High School , Calhoun was interested in both athletics and performance, playing football and studying tap dance. He danced in the ensemble at The Kenley Players in Ohio...
, opened on April 12, 2001 at the Plymouth Theatre where, struggling to overcome mediocre reviews and ongoing hostility between the show's producers and its cast and crew, it finally closed after 68 performances and 36 previews. The cast included Faith Prince
Faith Prince
Faith Prince is an American actress and singer known primarily for her work on Broadway. Prince has won the Tony Award as Best Actress in a Musical and received three Tony nominations.-Life and career:...
as Ella, Marc Kudisch
Marc Kudisch
Marc Kudisch is an American stage actor, who is best known for his musical theatre roles on Broadway.-Early life and education:...
as Jeff, David Garrison
David Garrison
David Gene Garrison is an American actor. His primary venue is live theatre, but he may be more widely known for his numerous television roles, particularly that of Steve Rhoades on Married... with Children...
, and Beth Fowler
Beth Fowler
Beth Fowler is an American actress and singer.Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Fowler was a teacher with a fondness for Broadway theatre when she decided to audition for Gantry in 1970. She was signed for the chorus and as understudy for the lead, but the show unfortunately closed on opening night...
.
The Union Theatre
Union Theatre
The name Union Theatre can refer to either:*The Union Theatre , a theatre in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada*The Union Theatre , a theatre in London, England*The Union Theatre , a theatre in Melbourne, Australia...
in London staged a revival of Bells Are Ringing in late 2010, with leading lady Anna-Jane Casey
Anna-Jane Casey
Anna-Jane Casey is an English singer, dancer and actress best known for her work in musical theatre.-Personal life:Casey was born in Salford, Lancashire, England...
in the role of Ella Peterson. The production was well-reviewed and sold out its brief run.
In November 2010 New York City Center's Encores!
Encores!
Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert is a program that has been presented by New York City Center since 1994. Encores! is dedicated to performing the full score of musicals that rarely are heard in New York City...
series produced a semi-staged concert of the show starring Kelli O'Hara
Kelli O'Hara
Kelli O'Hara is an American actress, singer, and songwriter.O'Hara has been nominated for three Tony Awards: for her performance as Clara Johnson in The Light in the Piazza; for her performance as Babe Williams in the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of The Pajama Game, where she starred...
, Will Chase
Will Chase
Will Chase is an American actor and singer, best known for his work in Broadway musicals.Chase was born in Frankfort, Kentucky to Jerry and Betty Chase and is the youngest of three boys...
, and Judy Kaye
Judy Kaye
Judy Kaye is an American singer and actress. She has appeared in stage musicals, plays, and operas. Kaye has been in long runs on Broadway in the musicals The Phantom of the Opera, Ragtime and Mamma Mia!-Biography:...
. Reviews for O'Hara were excellent, but critics felt the show itself was too dated for modern audiences. Ben Brantley
Ben Brantley
Benjamin D. "Ben" Brantley is an American journalist and the chief theater critic of The New York Times.-Life and career:...
in his New York Timesreview wrote: "Ms. O’Hara is the possessor of a liquid soprano that was made for the shimmering romantic confessions so essential to classic American musicals. Offering sincerity without saccharine, her voice seems to emerge almost involuntarily, as if she just couldn’t help acting on an irresistible urge. Though obviously highly trained, that voice brims with a conversational ease that makes you forget that singing is not usually the form we choose for confiding in others, even in this age of 'Glee'...This 1956 musical ... was revived on Broadway only nine years ago (with Faith Prince), and it seemed irretrievably dated then."
Plot
Ella Peterson works in the basement office of her boss, Sue, of "Susanswerphone", a telephone answering service. She listens in on others' lives and adds some interest to her own humdrum existence by adopting different identities – and voices – for her clients. They include Blake Barton, an out-of-work Method actorMethod Actor
Method Actor is an eponymous album released in 1988 featuring American singer Eva Cassidy. It was re-released on CD in 2002, six years after her death.- Track listing :# "Getting Out" – 4:19# "Look in to My Eyes" – 4:16...
, Dr. Kitchell, a dentist with musical yearnings but lacking talent, and playwright Jeff Moss, who is suffering from writer's block and desperately needs a muse. As suggested by the song title ("It's a Perfect Relationship"), Ella considers the relationships with these clients "perfect" because she can't see them and they can't see her, yet she derives great pleasure from meddling in their lives.
When Jeff Moss pleads with Ella for help in writing, she responds, and a romance ensues ("Long Before I Knew You"). Complications arise when Ella thinks that she does not fit in with Jeff's wealthy friends ("The Party's Over").
Adding complications to the plot are the police, who are certain the business is a front for an "escort service," and Sandor, the owner's shady boyfriend, who unbeknownst to Sue is using the agency as a bookmaking operation ("It's A Simple Little System").
Song list
Act I- Bells Are Ringing--Telephone Girls
- It's a Perfect Relationship--Ella Peterson
- Independent (original title: On My Own) -- Jeff Moss and Ensemble
- You've Got To Do It -- Jeff Moss
- It's A Simple Little System -- Sandor and Ensemble
- Is It a Crime? -- Ella Peterson
- Better than a Dream -- Ella Peterson and Jeff Moss (later addition to original production)
- Hello, Hello There -- Ella Peterson, Jeff Moss and Ensemble
- I Met a Girl -- Jeff Moss and Ensemble
- Long Before I Knew You -- Jeff Moss and Ella Peterson
Act II
- Mu-Cha-Cha -- Carl and Ella Peterson
- Just In TimeJust in Time (song)"Just in Time" is a popular song with the melody written by Jule Styne and the lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. The song was published in 1956....
-- Jeff Moss, Ella Peterson and Ensemble - Drop That Name -- Ella Peterson and Ensemble
- The Party's OverThe Party's Over (1956 song)"The Party's Over" is a popular song composed by Jule Styne with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. It was introduced in the 1956 musical comedy Bells Are Ringing by Judy Holliday. Nat King Cole, Smoking Popes and Lonnie Donegan recorded popular versions. Shirley Bassey recorded the song for...
-- Ella Peterson - Salzburg -- Sue and Sandor
- The Midas Touch -- Dr. Kitchell, Boys and Girls
- Long Before I Knew You (Reprise) -- Ella Peterson
- I'm Going Back -- Ella
Note: "Better Than A Dream" was actually written during the broadway run and later incorporated into the 1960 film.
Awards and nominations
- 1957 Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Musical (nominee) - 1957 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (Judy HollidayJudy HollidayJudy Holliday was an American actress.Holliday began her career as part of a night-club act, before working in Broadway plays and musicals...
, winner) - 1957 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Sydney Earle ChaplinSydney Earle ChaplinSydney Earle Chaplin was a film and theatre actor.-Biography:The third son of Sir Charles Chaplin and the second by his second wife, Mexican-American actress Lita Grey, Sydney Chaplin was named after his uncle Sydney Chaplin .Lita Grey was 16 when she married the 35-year-old Charles Chaplin in 1924...
, winner) - 1957 Tony Award for Best Choreography (nominee)
- 1957 Theatre World AwardTheatre World AwardThe Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
(Chaplin, winner) - 2001 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical (nominee)
- 2001 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (Faith PrinceFaith PrinceFaith Prince is an American actress and singer known primarily for her work on Broadway. Prince has won the Tony Award as Best Actress in a Musical and received three Tony nominations.-Life and career:...
, nominee) - 2001 Drama Desk AwardDrama Desk AwardThe Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for Outstanding Revival of a Musical (nominee) - 2001 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Prince, nominee)