2013 New York City Center

Rodgers & HammersteinOn Your Toes

Directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle, with musical direction by Rob Fisher, On Your Toes played a limited run at New York City Center as part of their Encores! series. Susan Pilarre staged the George Balanchine choreography for the “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue” ballet. Opening May 8, 2013, the production featured Christine Baranski, Kelli Barrett, Walter Bobbie, Jeremy Cohen, Joaquin … Read More

1983 Broadway Revival

Rodgers & HammersteinOn Your Toes

The second Broadway revival of On Your Toes, directed by the show’s original director, 95-year-old George Abbott, was a rousing success, winning the Tony Award for Best Revival. The production opened on March 6, 1983 at the Virginia Theatre, where it ran for 505 performances. Natalia Makarova and Lara Teeter starred, with Christine Andreas, George de la Peña, Betty Ann … Read More

1954 Broadway Revival

Rodgers & HammersteinOn Your Toes

The first Broadway revival of On Your Toes, directed by George Abbott and choreographed by Goerge Balanchine, opened on October 11, 1954 at the 46th Street Theatre, where it ran for 64 performances. The show starred Bobby Van and Vera Zorina. Elaine Stritch, playing the role of Peggy Porterfield, sang the newly interpolated song “You Took Advantage of Me,” originally … Read More

1939 Motion Picture

Rodgers & HammersteinOn Your Toes

Though it does not include any singing, the film adaptation of On Your Toes does feature several Rodgers & Hart melodies as background music, and the movie concludes with Rodgers’ jazz ballet “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue.” Directed by Ray Enright, adapted by Sig Herzig and Lawrence Riley and written by Richard Macauley and Jerry Wald, the film stars ballerina Vera … Read More

1937 West End

Rodgers & HammersteinOn Your Toes

After its successful New York opening, On Your Toes opened at the Palace Theatre in London’s West End on 5 February 1937. Jack Whiting and Vera Zorina starred as Junior and Vera.

1936 Original Broadway Production

Rodgers & HammersteinOn Your Toes

Directed by C. Worthington Miner and choreographed by George Balanchine, Rodgers & Hart’s On Your Toes opened on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on April 11, 1936. Later transferring to the Majestic Theatre, the show ran a total of 315 performances. The cast included Ray Bolger, Doris Carson, Luella Gear, Tamara Geva and Monty Woolley.

1983 Broadway Revival Cast

Rodgers & HammersteinOn Your Toes

Released on March 6, 1983, this cast recording from the celebrated 1983 Broadway revival was nominated for a Grammy Award. The cast includes Christine Andreas, George de la Peña, George S. Irving, Natalia Makarova, Dina Merrill and Lara Teeter. Working from the original orchestrations, conductor John Mauceri and coordinator of music materials John McGlinn collaborated with original orchestrator Hans Spialek, … Read More

1954 Broadway Revival Cast

Rodgers & HammersteinOn Your Toes

Released on Decca Records, this cast recording from the 1954 Broadway revival of On Your Toes features Bobby Van and Kay Coulter, along with Ben Astar, Joshua Shelley and Vera Zorina. But it’s Elaine Stritch who steals the show as Peggy, singing two numbers from the original score plus one additional Rodgers & Hart song, “You Took Advantage of Me.”

1952 Studio Cast Recording

Rodgers & HammersteinOn Your Toes

The original 1936 production of On Your Toes was never recorded, so this studio cast album, released in 1952, was the first full recording of songs from the score. Under the musical direction of conductor Lehman Engel, the collection features Jack Cassidy and Portia Nelson in the leading roles, with support from Laurel Shelby, Ray Hyson, Robert Eckles and Zamah … Read More

Glad to Be Unhappy

Rodgers & HammersteinOn Your Toes

Rodgers & Hart’s musical lament over unrequited love has become a beloved standard, recorded by dozens of artists. Introduced by Doris Carson in On Your Toes in 1936, the song was not an instant hit, but over the ensuing decades it achieved success in recordings by many high-profile artists, including Sammy Davis, Jr., Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Barbra Streisand, Nancy … Read More

There’s A Small Hotel

Rodgers & HammersteinOn Your Toes

In this charming love song, two lovers dream of a place where they can escape the troubles of their daily lives. Originally written for Rodgers & Hart’s 1935 musical Jumbo, the song officially debuted in 1936, when Ray Bolger and Doris Carson sang it in On Your Toes. The song became a gem in the Great American Songbook, recorded by … Read More

It’s Got to Be Love

Rodgers & HammersteinOn Your Toes

In Junior Dolan’s music class, Frankie shares a love song she’s just finished composing. Like other comic love songs by Rodgers & Hart, “It’s Got to Be Love” is both a romantic number and a parody of one. The lyric, in which the singer lists all the possible reasons for feeling unwell, regards love as more of an ailment than … Read More