Original Listing Description

This is a rare April 5th (1920) program (playbill) from the one-week, National Tour engagement of the First Annual New York Latin Quarter Revusical Comedy "THE GREENWICH VILLAGE FOLLIES" at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut. (The Original Broadway production opened July 15th, 1919 at the Greenwich Village Theatre, transferred to the Nora Bayes Theatre on September 9th, 1919 and ran for 232 performances before going on the road.) ..... The Greenwich Village Theatre was located between Christopher Street and West Fourth Street across from Sheridan Square. The theatre opened as a neighborhood playhouse in November of 1917 and was built by Maguerite Abbott Barker. The first shows were so good that they attracted uptown audiences downtown in droves. The one thing responsible for putting the theatre on the map was "THE GREENWICH VILLAGE FOLLIES", a "Revusical Comedy of New York's Latin Quarter", invented and produced for the stage by JOHN MURRAY ANDERSON. In these Pre and Post World War One days, the lavish Broadway playhouses competed with more and more money to stage the biggest and most dazzling shows. Murray had no money, but all the talent he needed to create the very concept of the intimate revue of New York City. The first "Follies" of Greenwich Village opened in July of 1919, and starred a popular Village artist, singer-musician Bobby Edwards whose hit "Why be an Industrial Slave When You Can be Crazy?" Tony Sarge, who gained a great deal of fame with his marionettes, choreographed a full puppet ballet. His real fame was earned as the person who designed the first giant balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Bessie McCoy Davis sang "I'm the Hostess of a Bum Cabaret!" It wasn't long before a "Sold Out" sign hung in the box office window. After a six week run the show moved uptown to Broadway, which no other Village production had ever managed to do before. A second Follies was spun by Anderson for the 1920 season, and like the first, it also moved to a Broadway theatre. From then on the Follies became a Broadway only production and renewed itself annually throughout the 1920's. (Reprinted in part from the Greenwich Village Gazette website) ..... The touring cast included SUZANNE MORGAN, WARNER GAULT, GORDON DREXEL, JOHN O'DARE, PAUL BURNS, JAMES WATTS, JANE CARROLL, HOMER ROSINE, BILLIE WESTON, ALICE HUMPHREYS, BEVERLY JUNEAV, BERNICE ELMORE, SALLY RUSSELL, LOUISE BLAKELY, LOUISE STRONG, BETTY JONES, GERTRUDE COATES, ELEANORE RYLEY, FRANCES WHITE, IRENE OLSEN, MIRIAM MEDIE, REX STORY, ADA FORMAN, EDMUND MAKALIF, BABETTE BUSEY, BELLE MAUDE, VIRGINIA CURTIS, DOROTHY LEE and MONTE WALSH ..... CREDITS: Music by A. BALDWIN SLOANE; Book by PHILIP BARTHOLOMAE and JOHN MURRAY ANDERSON; Scenery designed by CHARLES B. FALLS; Costumes designed by ANDRE SHERRI and SHIRLEY BARKER; Choreographed by JACK MANNING; Directed by JOHN MURRAY ANDERSON; Produced by THE BOHEMIANS, INCORPORATED ..... DETAILS: The sixteen page program measures 5 3/4" X 9" inches and includes full production credits, cast list, scenes, musical numbers and wonderful vintage advertising, but no cast photos or bios ..... CONDITION: With the exception of light creasing and minor edge wear, 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, carded sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.

Note: This item has been sold and is no longer available. This page serves as a historical price reference for Playbill collectors and appraisers.