Before making its way to Broadway in 2008, a new production of Pal Joey, with a revised book adapted by Richard Greenberg, premiered at the Huntington Theatre in Boston in 1992 with Donna Murphy as Vera. The same book had been used for the staged concert at New York City Center for its 1995 Encores! presentation starring Peter Gallagher and … Read More

This staged concert, part of New York City Center’s Encores! series, played a limited engagement in May 1995. Starring Peter Gallagher and Patti LuPone, the production also featured Ned Eisenberg, Vicki Lewis and Daisy Prince, with Bebe Neuwirth singing Melba’s show-stopping strip number, “Zip.” The show featured a newly-adapted book by Richard Greenberg, with direction by Lonny Price and musical … Read More

Led by stars of British stage and screen Sian Phillips and Denis Lawson, the West End’s first revival of Pal Joey opened on September 25, 1980 at the Albery Theatre, where it ran for a year under the direction of Rob Walker.

After a limited engagement at City Center starring Bob Fosse, Pal Joey returned to Broadway at the Circle in the Square Theatre, this time presented in the round – a challenging obstacle for shows designed for the proscenium. The rehearsal process was plagued with challenges and conflict; ballet dancer/choreographer Edward Villella, who was originally cast as Joey, struggled to sing … Read More

“From the moment that the orchestra struck up the overture, it was evident that the audience was ready for an evening with an old favorite,” reported The New York Times on May 30, 1963. In a brief, limited-run revival at New York City Center, Bob Fosse starred as the titular cad in Pal Joey, which ran a “bright” production two … Read More

On October 25, 1957, Columbia Studios released the film adaptation of Pal Joey, and it became a box office smash. Starring Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak, the film was set against the romantic, foggy backdrop of San Francisco. Though other leading men – including Gene Kelly, Marlon Brando, Kirk Douglas and Jack Lemmon – had been considered for … Read More

Arriving at the Prince’s Theatre in London after a week of previews in Oxford, Pal Joey offered British audiences a peek into another side of the American character, exploring a cynicism they had not seen in wistfully romantic shows like Oklahoma! or Annie Get Your Gun. The London Daily Herald called it “a musical comedy of real class,” adding “The … Read More

“As an augury of a Happy New Year, the town has inherited a brilliant production of Pal Joey, which opened at the Broadhurst,” wrote The New York Times theatre critic Brooks Atkinson in his review of Broadway’s first revival of the groundbreaking Rodgers & Hart smash. The production played for 540 performances, almost 200 more than its original production. Starring … Read More

On Christmas Day, 1940, Rodgers and Hart’s Pal Joey opened on Broadway at the Barrymore Theatre, featuring a book by John O’Hara, who adapted his stories from The New Yorker. Staged by George Abbott, the show would become a landmark in American theatre history as one of the first to help progress the American musical into a fine art form, … Read More