A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine is a musical comedy consisting of two essentially independent one-act plays, with a book and lyrics by Dick Vosburgh and music by Frank Lazarus. Additionally, songs by other composers are incorporated into the score. The musical premiered in the West End and then ran on Broadway.

Plot overview

The first act, A Day in Hollywood, is a revue of classic Hollywood songs of the 1930s performed by singers and dancers representing ushers from Grauman's Chinese Theatre. The second, A Night in the Ukraine, is loosely based on Anton Chekhov's one-act play The Bear, and is presented in the style of a Marx Brothers movie. We follow Serge B. Samovar, a lawyer based on Groucho Marx, as he attempts to collect a 1,800 ruble fee from Mrs. Pavlenko – a wealthy widow. Other characters in this act include Gino (a Harpo Marx-inspired character), Carlo (a Chico Marx-inspired character), Nina, and Constantine (arguably a character inspired by Zeppo Marx). In a review of a regional production the reviewer from The New York Times commented that the musical "...has a hybrid score that lists music by Frank Lazarus, with book and lyrics by Dick Vosburgh, additional songs composed by Jerry Herman and a solid midsection medley devoted to the prolific composer of popular movie music, Richard A. Whiting. We are treated to a pleasant musical grab bag..."

Productions

The musical premiered in the West End at the Mayfair Theatre on 28 March 1979, where it ran for 168 performances. The musical opened on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre on May 1, 1980, transferred to the Royale Theatre on June 17, 1980, and closed on September 27, 1981, after 588 performances and nine previews. The musical was directed and co-choreographed by Tommy Tune, with Thommie Walsh as co-choreographer, with scenic design by Tony Walton, costume design by Michel Stuart and lighting design by Beverly Emmons. The cast included David Garrison, Priscilla Lopez, Frank Lazarus, Peggy Hewett, Kate Draper, Albert Stephenson, and Stephen James. An Off-Broadway revival premiered in 2022 and ran for 8 performances at Theatre Row. Directed by Robert Schneider and choreographed by Deidre Goodwin, the company included Mike Cefalo (Carlo / Frank), David B. Friedman (David / Samovar), Felipe Galganni (Sascha), Caleb James Grochalski (Male Swing / Dance Captain), Stephanie Israelson (Kate / Nina), Lauren Lukacek (Peggy / Pavlenko), Maria Grace Reginaldi (Female Swing), Suzanne Slade (Pricilla / Gina), Marina Vidal (Masha) and Mark William (Constantine / Stephen).

Casts

*Replaced by Alexandra Sebastian when the show transferred from the New End Theatre to the Mayfair Theatre.

Songs

(Songs are by Vosburgh and Lazarus unless otherwise noted)

London Production

Source:

Broadway Production

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

Lawsuit

Representatives of the Marx Brothers' interests (Groucho Marx Productions, on behalf of Groucho and Chico, and Harpo's widow Susan Marx) sued the musical's producers for violating the Marx Brothers' right of publicity. A lawyer for the plaintiffs said that they were not seeking to shut down the production, but only to demand a license fee for the use of the Marx Brothers characters. The District Court found in favor of the Marx heirs, applying New York law. However, on appeal, the decision was reversed, on the grounds that the Marx Brothers had been residents of California, and, at the time of the lawsuit, California law provided that a person's right of publicity either expired upon the person's death, or possibly, could pass to the person's heirs only under limited circumstances which could not restrict production of this musical. The lawsuit ultimately resulted in favor of the musical's producers.