The Mad Show
Encyclopedia
The Mad Show is an Off-Broadway
musical revue based on Mad Magazine. The music is by Mary Rodgers
, the book by Larry Siegel
and Stan Hart
. The show's various lyricist
s include Siegel, Marshall Barer
, Steven Vinaver, and Stephen Sondheim
.
, New York City, and ran for 871 performances. The original cast included Linda Lavin
, Jo Anne Worley
, Paul Sand
, Richard Libertini
, and MacIntyre Dixon. Sam Pottle
conducted the music.
Joe Raposo
, who later became music director for Sesame Street
(a job held still later by Pottle), performed onstage as the Piano Player, who was shot during the course of each performance. He was also bludgeoned with a rubber chicken. The band's drummer was Danny Epstein, who later became Sesame Streets music coordinator from 1969 to 2009.
Act II
The lyrics of "The Boy From...
", a parody of "The Girl from Ipanema
", were semi-anonymously written by Stephen Sondheim. The official songwriting credit went to the linguistically minded pseudonym "Esteban Rio Nido", which translates from the German, via Spanish, to "Stephen River Nest". In the show's playbill
, the lyrics were credited to "Nom de Plume".
was released in 1966 by Columbia Masterworks(OL 2930). The Original cast recording CD was re-released on February 22, 2005 by DRG Theater(ASIN: B0007514HQ).
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
musical revue based on Mad Magazine. The music is by Mary Rodgers
Mary Rodgers
Mary Rodgers is an American composer of musicals and an author of children's books. She is a daughter of composer Richard Rodgers and his wife, Dorothy Rodgers, as is her sister, Linda Rodgers Emory...
, the book by Larry Siegel
Larry Siegel
Larry Siegel is a comedy writer who was one of the "Usual Gang of Idiots" at Mad from 1958 to 1990.At Mad, Siegel had an aggressive writing style that did not shy away from being occasionally provocative or inflammatory to make a point. He was fond of attacking purveyors of bad taste, such as...
and Stan Hart
Stan Hart
Stan Hart is an comedy writer with many television credits. His work also appeared for decades in Mad Magazine. He was closely associated with another MAD writer, Larry Siegel; though the two wrote separately for the magazine, both contributed to the off-Broadway musical The Mad Show, and later to...
. The show's various lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
s include Siegel, Marshall Barer
Marshall Barer
Marshall Barer - Born Marshall Louis Barer, Astoria, New York City, 19 February 1923. Lyricist, librettist, singer, songwriter and director. Died Santa Fe, New Mexico, 25 August 1998....
, Steven Vinaver, and Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
.
Production
The revue opened on January 9, 1966, at the New TheatreNew Theatre (New York City)
The New Theatre was an Off-Broadway theatre in New York City that was active during the 1960s and 1970s. Located at 154 E 54th St, the theatre opened in 1964 with the American premiere of Ann Jellicoe's The Knack...
, New York City, and ran for 871 performances. The original cast included Linda Lavin
Linda Lavin
Linda Lavin is an American singer and actress. She is best known for playing the title character in the sitcom Alice and for her Broadway performances.After acting as a child, Lavin joined the Compass Players in the late 1950s...
, Jo Anne Worley
Jo Anne Worley
Jo Anne Worley is an American actress. Her work covers television, films, theater, game shows, talk shows, commercials, and cartoons. She is best known for her work on the comedy-variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.-Biography:...
, Paul Sand
Paul Sand
Paul Sand is an American comedic actor.-Background:Sand was born Paul Sanchez in Santa Monica, California, the son of Sonia Borodiansky, a writer, and Ernest Rivera Sanchez, an aerospace tool designer. His father was Mexican and his mother of Russian descent.-Career:At the age of 11, he started at...
, Richard Libertini
Richard Libertini
Richard Libertini is an American stage, film and television actor known for playing numerous character roles and his ability to speak in numerous accents....
, and MacIntyre Dixon. Sam Pottle
Sam Pottle
Sam Pottle was an American composer, conductor, and musical director involved in many theatrical and television productions. He is perhaps best remembered for his work on Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, having co-written the now-famous theme song for the latter...
conducted the music.
Joe Raposo
Joe Raposo
Joseph Guilherme Raposo, OIH was a Portuguese-American composer, songwriter, pianist, television writer and lyricist, best known for his work on the children's television series Sesame Street, for which he wrote the theme song, as well as classic songs such as "Bein' Green" and "C is for Cookie"...
, who later became music director for Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
(a job held still later by Pottle), performed onstage as the Piano Player, who was shot during the course of each performance. He was also bludgeoned with a rubber chicken. The band's drummer was Danny Epstein, who later became Sesame Streets music coordinator from 1969 to 2009.
Musical numbers
Act I- Overture
- Academy Awards for Parents
- Eccch!
- The Boy From...The Boy From..."The Boy From..." is a song with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and music by Mary Rodgers. It was originally performed by Linda Lavin in a 1966 Off-Broadway revue entitled The Mad Show....
- Well It Ain't
- Misery Is
- Handle With Care
- Hate Song
Act II
- Entr'acte
- You Can Never Tell
- Real Thing
- Looking for Someone
- Kiddie TV
- Gift of Maggie (And Others)
- Football in Depth
- Finale
The lyrics of "The Boy From...
The Boy From...
"The Boy From..." is a song with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and music by Mary Rodgers. It was originally performed by Linda Lavin in a 1966 Off-Broadway revue entitled The Mad Show....
", a parody of "The Girl from Ipanema
The Girl from Ipanema
"Garota de Ipanema" is a well-known bossa nova song, a worldwide hit in the mid-1960s that won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965. It was written in 1962, with music by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Portuguese lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes. English lyrics were written later by Norman Gimbel.The...
", were semi-anonymously written by Stephen Sondheim. The official songwriting credit went to the linguistically minded pseudonym "Esteban Rio Nido", which translates from the German, via Spanish, to "Stephen River Nest". In the show's playbill
Playbill
Playbill is a monthly U.S. magazine for theatregoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most Playbills are printed for particular shows to be distributed at the door...
, the lyrics were credited to "Nom de Plume".
Recording
The Original cast recording LPLP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
was released in 1966 by Columbia Masterworks(OL 2930). The Original cast recording CD was re-released on February 22, 2005 by DRG Theater(ASIN: B0007514HQ).