208:
has 48 hours to persuade his creator to continue his existence and uses magical tricks on the humans. Anna is another character in the comic strip, Rumple's dumb-blonde girlfriend, who is trying to avoid
Oblivia. The humans other than Nelson cannot see Rumple or Anna (so that when Nelson is talking to them, he appears insane), but the comic strip characters can see and hear the humans. Judy is Nelson's fiancé; Kate is a man-hunting gag writer who pens the stories for Crandal's strip. Dr. Winslow is an understanding psychiatrist. When Rumple is forced by the police to draw a picture of his girl for the missing-person investigation, the two comic strip characters are saved from Oblivia.
177:
207:
Nelson
Crandal, a cartoonist, has been traumatized by an accident and is unable to draw. He decides to discontinue his newspaper feature called Mr. Rumple, but the Rumple character comes to life and objects to being canceled and condemned to Oblivia (the land of forgotten cartoon characters). Rumple
33:
350:
called it “an elaborately dull show that is strangled in plot, and not distinguished musically.” Another commentator wrote that the musical "was predominantly a mess ... in fact, the evening's only asset was that jaunty master of the soft shoe, the dead pan and the faraway smile, Eddie Foy."
120:
on
November 6, 1957, and closed on December 14, 1957, after 45 performances. It was produced by Paula Stone and Mike Sloan. It was directed by Jack Donohue with choreography by Bob Hamilton, settings and lighting by
463:
518:
272:
101:
484:
85:, concerns a comic strip creator and his character, Rumple, who resists the discontinuation of the strip.
513:
458:
188:
81:, music by Ernest G. Schweikert, and lyrics by Frank Reardon. The story, based on Phillips' 1955 play
369:
239:
154:
508:
59:
476:
8:
470:
421:
385:
346:
134:
122:
230:
146:
113:
89:
160:
Phillips, a newspaper cartoonist, based the plot of the musical on his 1955 play,
341:
78:
64:
452:
149:, and included several actors in minor roles who later became famous, including
490:
266:
224:
218:
142:
502:
260:
150:
138:
117:
245:
105:
176:
310:“Gentlemen of the Press” – Nelson, Cartoon characters and Holiday girls
126:
130:
32:
390:, Internet Broadway Database, accessed September 14, 2019
440:
The Burns Mantle
Yearbook: The Best Plays of 1957–1958
256:
Brannigan, Lt. Mallory, Voice of
Oblivia – Ken Harvey
320:“To Adjust Is a Must” – Dr. Winslow and Weird Ones
298:“The First Time I Spoke of You” – Nelson and Judy
500:
407:
405:
259:Photographer, Weird One, He Who Gets Slapped –
402:
304:“Peculiar State of Affairs” – Rumple and Kate
295:“Red Letter Day” – Kate, Ensemble and Barney
442:, Dodd, Mead & Company: New York (1958)
211:
31:
137:was the stage manager. The cast starred
292:“In Times Like These” – Rumple and Anna
265:Weird One, The Powder Room, Ensemble –
501:
381:
379:
326:“All Dressed Up” – Kate and Ensemble
171:
376:
289:“It’s You for Me” – Nelson and Judy
100:After a pre-Broadway tryout at the
77:is a comedy-musical with a book by
13:
14:
530:
446:
175:
307:“How Do You Say Goodbye” – Judy
414:
393:
367:"New Musical at the Shubert",
361:
1:
354:
95:
336:
7:
301:“Oblivia” – Rumple and Anna
253:J. B. Conway – Milo Boulton
235:Judy Marlowe – Lois O'Brien
167:
108:starting October 21, 1957,
10:
535:
459:Internet Broadway Database
438:Kronenberger, Louis (ed.)
432:
271:The Dissenter, Ensemble –
425:, November 7, 1957, p. 42
373:, October 22, 1957, p. 27
370:The Philadelphia Inquirer
244:Dr. Wellington Winslow –
58:
50:
42:
30:
21:
278:
129:, and orchestrations by
519:Musicals based on plays
212:Roles and original cast
250:Barney – Jackie Warner
486:Rumple
481:at BroadwayWorld.com
454:Rumple
399:Kronenberger, p. 299
46:Ernest G. Schweikert
471:The Harvard Crimson
411:Kronenberger, p. 37
88:It was produced on
422:The New York Times
347:The New York Times
332:“Finale” – Company
187:. You can help by
514:Broadway musicals
229:Nelson Crandal –
205:
204:
70:
69:
526:
426:
418:
412:
409:
400:
397:
391:
383:
374:
365:
323:“Coax Me” – Kate
231:Stephen Douglass
200:
197:
179:
172:
147:Stephen Douglass
35:
25:
19:
18:
534:
533:
529:
528:
527:
525:
524:
523:
499:
498:
449:
435:
430:
429:
419:
415:
410:
403:
398:
394:
384:
377:
366:
362:
357:
342:Brooks Atkinson
339:
329:“Wish” – Rumple
281:
214:
201:
195:
192:
185:needs expansion
170:
135:Chester O'Brien
102:Shubert Theatre
98:
79:Irving Phillips
65:Irving Phillips
38:
23:
17:
12:
11:
5:
532:
522:
521:
516:
511:
497:
496:
482:
474:
461:
448:
447:External links
445:
444:
443:
434:
431:
428:
427:
413:
401:
392:
375:
359:
358:
356:
353:
338:
335:
334:
333:
330:
327:
324:
321:
317:
316:
312:
311:
308:
305:
302:
299:
296:
293:
290:
286:
285:
280:
277:
276:
275:
269:
267:Patricia White
263:
257:
254:
251:
248:
242:
236:
233:
227:
225:Gretchen Wyler
221:
219:Eddie Foy, Jr.
213:
210:
203:
202:
182:
180:
169:
166:
143:Gretchen Wyler
125:, costumes by
123:George Jenkins
97:
94:
68:
67:
62:
56:
55:
52:
48:
47:
44:
40:
39:
36:
28:
27:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
531:
520:
517:
515:
512:
510:
509:1957 musicals
507:
506:
504:
495:
493:
488:
487:
483:
480:
479:
475:
473:
472:
467:
466:
462:
460:
456:
455:
451:
450:
441:
437:
436:
424:
423:
417:
408:
406:
396:
389:
388:
382:
380:
372:
371:
364:
360:
352:
349:
348:
343:
331:
328:
325:
322:
319:
318:
314:
313:
309:
306:
303:
300:
297:
294:
291:
288:
287:
283:
282:
274:
273:George Martin
270:
268:
264:
262:
261:Elliott Gould
258:
255:
252:
249:
247:
243:
241:
240:Barbara Perry
237:
234:
232:
228:
226:
222:
220:
216:
215:
209:
199:
190:
186:
183:This section
181:
178:
174:
173:
165:
163:
158:
156:
155:Barbara Perry
152:
151:Elliott Gould
148:
144:
140:
139:Eddie Foy Jr.
136:
132:
128:
124:
119:
118:Alvin Theatre
115:
112:premiered on
111:
107:
103:
93:
91:
86:
84:
80:
76:
75:
66:
63:
61:
57:
54:Frank Reardon
53:
49:
45:
41:
34:
29:
26:
20:
491:
485:
477:
469:
464:
453:
439:
420:
416:
395:
386:
368:
363:
345:
340:
246:Jerome Cowan
223:Kate Drew –
206:
193:
189:adding to it
184:
162:The Funnyman
161:
159:
109:
106:Philadelphia
99:
87:
83:The Funnyman
82:
73:
72:
71:
22:
37:Sheet music
503:Categories
468:review in
355:References
196:April 2023
127:Alvin Colt
96:Production
337:Reception
217:Rumple –
131:Ted Royal
92:in 1957.
492:Playbill
168:Synopsis
114:Broadway
90:Broadway
489:at the
457:at the
433:Sources
238:Anna –
116:at the
16:Musical
478:Rumple
465:Rumple
387:Rumple
315:Act II
145:, and
110:Rumple
74:Rumple
51:Lyrics
24:Rumple
494:Vault
284:Act I
279:Songs
43:Music
153:and
60:Book
344:of
191:.
104:in
505::
404:^
378:^
164:.
157:.
141:,
133:.
198:)
194:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.