New To “New Girl In Town”
I have to confess that I’d never heard of this show until today. It premiered exactly 60 years ago — May 4, 1957 — and was based on O’Neill’s “Anna Christie.” Gwen Verdon and Thelma Ritter tied for the Tony award for their performances. Bob Fosse, who choreographed, devised a second act dream sequence that depicted life in a brothel through seductive and suggestive movement. During the tryout run in New Haven, Connecticut, local police closed the show. Fosse restaged the number at director George Abbott’s request, but restored the original version soon after the New York City opening.
