The day I was born ... on Broadway!

 

When I was born, my mountaineering father put a pebble from the top of Mount Egmont in my tiny fingers.

Well, I tried. I climbed Hochstetter Dome when 12 or 13 ... but the magic wore off. Dad ought to have put a quill pen, or the latest theatre listings in that newborn hand.

The listings, on that fatidic 15 February 1946, included -- at New York's New Century Theater -- a musical comedy entitled -- in the revusical manner of the time -- Are You With It? And, in the revusical manner of the time it included a featured vocal quartet, the Plantation Minstrels, five 'arrangers', circus performers et al. It was allegedly based on a novel but I suspect not a lot of plot was left between the turns!

Anyway, it was entertaining enough to get a transfer, after five months, to the Shubert Theater for the last two months of its run, and closed after a brave 267 performances.

Looking down the cast list (courtesy of Richard Norton) I see that much of the score was cornered by two young ladies well-remembered by all: Miss Joan Roberts and Miss Dolores Gray. The titles included 'You Gotta Keep Saying 'No'' sung by Miss Gray as 'Bonny La Fleur' and 'This is My Beloved' duetted by Miss Roberts and Johnny Downs, while June Richmond warbled about 'Just Beyond the Rainbow'. Well-used titles?

Dance was heavily featured, with Kathryn Lee, Buster and Olive Shaver, Ray Arnett, Bunny Briggs and Hal Hunter all having bits of Jack Donaghue's dances. And then there were the choruses

Is that slightly-clad lass Miss Roberts? Is that Miss Gray, with her trademark blonde boucles? ... They don't look like backline babes ... I don't know. I was only four months old when the show closed 

But I'm sure someone will!

Minutes later Stephen Cole came back with ..

So Ms Gray was not yet blonded (I'll bet that's her understudy) and these are, apparently, chorines. Maybe that's Kathryn Lee?