Creative Team

Directed by Lester Malizia
Sets by Bob Fetterman
Music Direction by Terry Tichenor
Costumes by Brian O’Keefe
Choreography by Chuck Hoenes
Lights by Andrew White
Study Guide by Gary Cadwallader

Characters

Baron Rommer: A rich, sophisticated playboy who has grown weary of the game. Continental and “to the manner born.” A rogue with a grand sense of humor.

Gaston: Baron Rommer’s well-trained butler, who more than anything in the world, wants to experience the life of the upper crust. Not particularly skilled in the art of seduction.

Madame Baltin: An elegant lady of high society, unhappily married to Herr Baltin. Charming, witty and poised.

Maria: Madame Baltin’s maid. Pert, saucy, attractive but not typical in any way. Capable of impersonating a woman of society.

Herr Baltin: Madame Baltin’s rich husband. Pompous, Germanic, extremely jealous and intimidating: a man of size and presence.

Ida: Baron Rommer’s current “amour.” A Josephine Baker-like performer headlining at the Folies Bergere, famous for her exotic dancing. Colorful and charismatic but jealous to a fault. Not particularly bright.

Synopsis

Paris: 1929

In his hotel suite at the Ritz Hotel, Baron Rommer has decided he wants nothing more to do with his latest flame, the singer Ida Courtney. The Baron asks his manservant, Gaston, to telephone Ida’s room and cancel their date for the evening. While calling, Gaston is connected to the wrong room, and becomes intrigued with the woman on the other end of the line, Maria.

The Baron has developed an infatuation for Madame Baltin, the wife of a German industrialist, and has sent flowers to her suite. Mme. Baltin confronts the Baron, gently scolding him for his effrontery.

The Baron leaves for an evening at the opera and Maria, the woman on the telephone, turns up at the door. Gaston, disguised as the Baron, romances Maria, and the two develop a fondness for one another. But the Baron unexpectedly returns home, and surprises Gaston in his charade. The Baron is amused and cheerfully reverses roles, taking on the duties of manservant.

Herr Baltin appears and confronts the Baron (actually Gaston) for sending flowers to his wife. When he sees Maria, he realizes he was probably mistaken, and drops the matter. Ida steps into the suite and whisks Baltin away for the evening.

As Gaston and Maria prepare to eat supper (served by the Baron), Mme. Baltin returns and she and the Baron conspire to play a joke on Gaston and Maria. As dinner is served Mme. Baltin, who has retired to her suite to change, arrives dressed as a parlor maid to help serve. Maria is horrified, and it is revealed that she is Mme. Baltin’s maid. After the ruse has been uncovered, Gaston proposes marriage to Maria, and the Baron continues his romance of Mme. Baltin.

History of the Play

Porter’s YOU NEVER KNOW was adapted by Rowland Leigh from Austrian Siegfried Geyer’s play By Candlelight. The play had been adapted once earlier (called Candle Light), by P.G. Wodehouse, which played Broadway in 1929 and starred Leslie Howard and Gertrude Lawrence. It was subsequently adapted into a Viennese musical entitled Bei Kerzenlicht. The Broadway producers, Lee and J.J. Shubert, wanting to expand the intimate drawing-room musical comedy for New York audiences, ordered the writers to expand the show and showgirls and a battalion of tap dancers were added.

Interestingly, Porter was not the only composer to include songs in YOU NEVER KNOW. Additional songs by Robert Katscher and Rowland Leigh, Alex Fogarty and Edwin Gilbert, and Dana Suesse were a component of the complete score.

YOU NEVER KNOW went on an extended pre-Broadway tour, playing in the following theaters:
— March 3, 1938 at the Shubert Theatre, New Haven
— March 7, 1938 at the Shubert Theatre, Boston
— March 21, 1938 at the National Theatre, Washington, D.C.
— March 28, 1938 at the Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
— April 18, 1938 at the Nixon Theatre, Pittsburgh
— April 24, 1938 at the Cass Theatre, Detroit
— May 1, 1938 at the Grand Opera House, Chicago
— May 22, 1938 at the Shrine Auditorium, Des Moines
— May 23, 1938 at English's Theatre, Indianapolis
— May 27, 1938 at the Hartman Theatre, Columbus
— May 29, 1938 at the Erlanger Theatre, Buffalo
— September 16, 1938 at the Bushnell Theatre, Hartford

The show opened on Broadway on September 21, 1938 at the Winter Garden Theater, where the lavish spectacle all but killed the intimate show. It played for only 78 performances.

A 1973 off-Broadway production effectively cut the added spectacle and reduced the show back to it’s intimate origins, in the spirit of Bei Kerzenlicht. This production used only Porter’s songs, interpolating other Porter tunes to fill the gaps. But, it too did not fare well, playing only 8 performances at the Eastside Playhouse.

In 1991, a newly revised YOU NEVER KNOW played the Pasadena Playhouse in Los Angeles. With a refreshed book by Paul Lazarus, the show was not a revival of the Broadway production, but a “rehabilitated” version that captured the romantic farce of the original story. This new version also interpolated additional Porter tunes into the score; some that were cut during the pre-Broadway tour of the original: “By Candlelight,” “I’m Going In For Love,” and “I’m Back In Circulation,” and others from Porter’s song trunk: “I Happen To Be In Love,” which was cut from the film Broadway Melody of 1940, “Ridin’ High” from the musical Red, Hot and Blue, “Let’s Not Talk About Love” which was featured in the musical Let’s Face It, and “Let’s Misbehave,” which was originally heard in La Revue Des Ambassadeurs in Paris, and was subsequently cut from the 1928 Broadway production of Paris. The Pasadena production starred Donna McKechnie (A Chorus Line) as Mme. Baltin, Harry Groener (Crazy For You) as Baron Rommer, and Megan Mullally (Will and Grace) as Maria. A 2001 studio recording of this newly revised version featured McKechnie and Groener, but substituted Kristen Chenoweth (Wicked) as Maria.

Geyer’s play was also the basis for the 1934 film of the same title, which was directed by James Whale (subject of the 1998 film, Gods and Monsters) and starred Paul Lukas and Elissa Landi. There was also an early television adaptation (1949) starring Robert Flemyng and the great Luise Rainer.

Cole Porter Biography

Cole Porter (1891 - 1964) was a true musical genius and a songwriting legend who will be remembered for his catchy rhythms, haunting melodies, and clever lyrics.

Born in Peru, Indiana, Porter was raised amidst wealth and privilege and was encouraged by his mother, Kate, to not only play piano and violin but also to compose music. She helped to solidify his interest in music by "vanity" publishing his compositions and distributing them to family and friends.

After schooling at the Worcester Academy in Massachusetts, Porter headed to Yale University, where he wrote songs and musicals for the Yale Dramat, the Whiffenpoofs, the Glee Club, and for the rowdy crowds at the football games. His popular football fight songs, “Bull Dog” and “Bingo Eli Yale” are still sung at games today.

After graduation, Porter set out for Harvard University to study law, but the music bug bit him hard and he quickly switched his focus to music. Encouraged by friends in the theater, Porter quickly dropped out of Harvard and moved to New York to write musicals.

Porter's first Broadway musical, See America First (starring Clifton Webb), landed on the Great White Way in 1916, but was not a big success, playing only 15 performances. To nurse the wounds of a Broadway failure, Porter decided to travel to Europe. It was there, while living lavishly in Paris, that he met the beautiful and very rich American divorcee, Linda Thomas. The two struck up a close friendship and were married in 1919.

For several years, Porter and his wife mainly traveled around Europe, setting up residences in Paris, Venice, and on the French Riviera. During this time Porter wrote music only sporadically, and occasionally some of his songs were included in Broadway revues.

Encouraged by his friend Irving Berlin, Porter returned more often to the United States and seriously applied himself to writing for the Broadway theater. Slowly and surely Porter's songs and scores achieved success and by the late 1920's he earned a solid reputation with hit shows such as Paris, Wake Up And Dream, and Fifty Million Frenchman.

The 1930's, however, were Porter's best years. Hit Broadway shows such as The New Yorkers, Gay Divorce, Nymph Errant, Jubilee, Red, Hot and Blue, DuBarry Was A Lady, and especially Anything Goes, produced hit songs and long lines at the box office. Bolstered with success, Hollywood beckoned, and Porter traveled to Los Angeles where he helped create the Golden Age of the Hollywood musical. Porter's musicals about rich socialites and gentrified sophisticates did well at the box office and helped America forget its depression woes. Porter's best Broadway scores were gloriously filmed and new original scores such as Born To Dance and Rosalie were given lavish productions. Porter's musicals starred the best of Hollywood: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers, Ethel Merman, Eleanor Powell, Gene Kelly, Nelson Eddy, Gertrude Lawrence, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Jimmy Durante.

After the war, American audiences no longer wanted to see musicals about penthouses, chiffon, and champagne and Porter's stories fell out of favor with the American public. It wasn't until 1948 after several disastrous flops that Porter once again hit it big on Broadway. Kiss Me, Kate starring Alfred Drake opened to enthusiastic response and Porter was back on top with the biggest hit of his career.

Then it was off to Hollywood again where Porter played his part in creating a second musical golden age. Hit movies such as High Society and Les Girls, and film versions of his Broadway successes Can-Can, Silk Stockings, once again featured the biggest Hollywood stars the studios could find: Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly, Don Ameche, Cyd Charisse and Shirley Maclaine.

Porter's last score was for the 1958 television musical, Aladdin. That same year Porter had a leg amputated as a result of a 1937 horse-riding accident. Porter became a recluse and ventured out of his apartment only occasionally. He died in 1964.

Chronology of Cole Porter scores for Broadway and Film

See America First. Opened on March 28,1916 at the Maxine Elliott Theatre. It played for 15 performances and featured Dorothie Bigelow and Clifton Webb.

Hitchy-Koo of 1919. Opened on October 6, 1919 at the Liberty Theatre. It played for 56 performances and featured Porter’s first hit song, “Old Fashioned Garden.”

Greenwich Village Follies. Opened on September 16, 1924 at the Shubert Theater. It played 127 performances and featured the very popular vaudeville stars, The Dolly Sisters, singing “Two Little Babes in the Woods.”

Paris. Opened on October 8, 1928 at the Music Box Theatre. It played for 195 performances and starred Irene Bordoni. This was Cole Porter’s first hit show and featured such hits as “Let’s Do It” and “Let’s Misbehave” (which was actually cut before opening).

Wake Up And Dream. Opened first on March 27, 1929 at the Pavilion Theater in London (263 performances) and then on Broadway at the Selwyn Theatre on December 30, and played for 136 performances. It featured Jessie Matthews and included the hit songs, “I Love Him But He Didn’t Love Me,” and “What Is This Thing Called Love?”

Fifty Million Frenchmen. Opened on November 27, 1929 at the Lyric Theatre. It played for 254 performances, was directed by Monty Wooley, and starred William Gaxton and Helen Broderick. The hit songs in the score included “You Do Something To Me,” and “Find Me A Primitive Man.”

The New Yorkers. Opened on December 8, 1930 at the Broadway Theatre. It played for 168 performances and starred Hope Williams and Jimmy Durante. The hits in the score were “Take Me Back To Manhattan,” “I Happen To Like New York,” and “Love For Sale.”

Gay Divorce. Opened on November 29, 1932 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. It played for 248 performances and starred Fred Astaire, Claire Luce, and Luella Gear. The show featured one of Porter’s best-loved songs, “Night and Day,” as well as “After You, Who?” The 1934 film version’s title was changed to Gay Divorcee.

Nymph Errant. Opened on October 6, 1933 at the Adelphi Theatre in London. It starred Gertrude Lawrence and was never produced on Broadway.

Anything Goes. Opened on November 21, 1934 at the Alvin Theatre. It played for 420 performances, was directed by Howard Lindsay, and featured Ethel Merman, William Gaxton, and Victor Moore. One of Porter’s great shows, the score featured many hits including, “All Through The Night,” “Blow,Gabriel, Blow,” “I Get A Kick Out Of You,” “You’re The Top,” and the title song.

Jubilee. Opened on October 12, 1935 at the Imperial Theatre. It played for 169 performances and featured a book by Moss Hart and a cast that included Mary Boland and Melville Cooper. The score featured the huge hit “Begin The Beguine” (the “long song,” according to Irving Berlin), as well as “Just One Of Those Things.”

Born To Dance. MGM film, released in 1936, starring Eleanor Powell, Jimmy Stewart, and Buddy Ebson. The film featured the huge hits, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” and “Easy To Love.”

Red, Hot & Blue. Opened on October 29, 1936 at the Alvin Theatre. It played for 183 performances and featured a book by Howard Lindsay (who also directed) and Russel Crouse. It starred three heavyweights of entertainment, Ethel Merman, Jimmy Durante, and Bob Hope. The score included the hits, “It’s De-Lovely,” and “Down In The Depths (On The Ninetieth Floor)” The cast of this show also included. future “I Love Lucy” star Vivian Vance.

Rosalie. MGM film, released in 1938, starring Eleanor Powell, Nelson Eddy, Frank Morgan, and Ray Bolger. The film featured the hit songs “In The Still Of The Night,” and the title song.

You Never Know. Opened on September 21, 1938 at the Winter Garden Theatre. It played for 78 performances, and featured Clifton Webb (who starred in Porter’s first Broadway show), Lupe Velez, and Libby Holman. The hit song from the show was “At Long Last Love,” which Porter said he composed after having his legs crushed in a horse-riding accident.

Leave It To Me! Opened on November 9, 1938 at the Imperial Theatre. It played for 291 performances and starred William Gaxton, Sophie Tucker, and newcomers Mary Martin and Gene Kelly. Martin sang the hit song, “My Heart Belongs To Daddy.”

DuBarry Was A Lady. Opened on December 6, 1939 at the 46th Street Theatre. It played for 408 performances and featured Ethel Merman, Bert Lahr, and Betty Grable. The hit songs in the show included “Friendship,” “Well, Did You Evah,” and “Do I Love You?”

Broadway Melody of 1940. MGM film, released in 1940. Starring Eleanor Powell, Fred Astaire, George Murphy, and Frank Morgan, the film featured the hit “I Concentrate On You.”

Panama Hattie. Opened on October 30, 1940 at the 46th Street Theatre. It played for 501 performances and featured Ethel Merman and Arthur Treacher. The hit songs in this show were “Make It Another Old-Fashioned, Please,” and “I’ve Still Got My Health.”

You'll Never Get Rich. Columbia Pictures film, released in 1941, starring Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth. Though there were no hits from the film, Porter’s “Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye” was nominated for an Academy Award.

Let's Face It. Opened on October 29, 1941 at the Imperial Theatre. It played for 547 performances and starred Danny Kaye, Eve Arden, and Nanette Fabray. The score featured the hit “Let’s Not Talk About Love.”

Something To Shout About. Columbia Pictures film, released in 1943. Starring Don Ameche, Janet Blair, and Jack Oakie, the film contained the hit, “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To.”

Something For The Boys. Opened on January 7, 1943 at the Alvin Theatre. It played for 422 performances and starred Ethel Merman and Betty Garrett. Though the show produced no hits, the most popular song became “The Leader Of A Big-Time Band.”

Mexican Hayride. Opened on January 28, 1944 at the Winter Garden Theatre. It played for 481 performances and featured June Havoc and Bobby Clark. The hit song was “I Love You.”

Seven Lively Arts. Opened on December 7, 1944 at the Ziegfeld Theatre. It played for 183 performances and featured Beatrice Lillie, Bert Lahr, and Benny Goodman. This revue had sketches written by George S. Kaufman, Moss Hart, and Ben Hecht and was produced by the great showman Billy Rose. Porter’s hit song was “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye.”

Around The World in 80 Days. Opened on May 31, 1946 at the Adelphi Theatre. The show was written and directed by Orson Welles, and was Porter’s biggest financial failure, losing over $300,000 when most musicals cost $100,000 to produce. It played for 75 performances, and featured no hit songs.

The Pirate. An MGM film, released in 1948. Starring Judy Garland and Gene Kelly, the film was directed by Garland’s husband Vincente Minnelli, and featured the hit song, “Be A Clown.”

Kiss Me, Kate. Opened on December 30, 1948 at the New Century Theatre. It played for 1,077 performances, becoming Porter’s biggest hit. Based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of The Shrew, the show starred Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Harold Lang, and Lisa Kirk. The score featured many hit songs including, “So In Love,” “Wunderbar,” “Too Darn Hot,” and “Always True To You In My Fashion.”

Out Of This World. Opened on December 21, 1950 at the New Century Theatre. It played for 157 performances, was directed by Agnes DeMille, and starred Charlotte Greenwood. The show featured the hit “From This Moment On,” but ironically, it was cut during the pre-Broadway tryout.

Can-Can. Opened on May 7, 1953 at the Shubert Theatre. It played for 892 performances, and was choreographed by Michael Kidd. The show starred Lilo, Peter Cookson, Hans Conried, and Gwen Verdon. The hit tunes include “I Love Paris,” “C’est Magnifique,” and “It’s All Right With Me.”

Silk Stockings. Opened on February 24, 1955 at the Imperial Theatre. It played for 478 performances and featured Don Ameche, Hildegarde Neff, and Gretchen Wyler. This was Porter’s last Broadway musical, and it featured the hit song “Paris Loves Lovers.”

High Society. MGM film, released in 1956. Starring Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly, Celeste Holm, and Louis Armstrong, the film boasted the huge hit “True Love” as well as “You’re Sensational.”

Les Girls. MGM film, released in 1957. Starring Gene Kelly and Mitzi Gaynor, the film featured the songs “High Flyin’ Wings On My Shoes” and “Ca, C’est L’amour.” This was Porter’s last film.

Aladdin. CBS Television musical, aired in 1958. Porter’s last work, Aladdin starred Sal Mineo in the title role, Cyril Ritchard, and Anna Maria Alberghetti. There were no real hit songs in the show, though “Wouldn’t It Be Fun” has become popular after the fact.

Porter had several hit songs that weren’t written for specific shows, but were interpolated into other ventures. They include “Miss Otis Regrets” and “Don’t Fence Me In.”

Porter’s filmed musicals included:
Paris (1929) with Irene Bordoni
Fifty Million Frenchman (1931) with William Gaxton and Helen Broderick
Gay Divorcee (1934) with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
Anything Goes (1936) with Bing Crosby and Ethel Merman
Panama Hattie (1942) with Red Skelton and Ann Sothern
Let’s Face It (1943) with Bob Hope and Betty Hutton
DuBarry Was A Lady (1943) with Gene Kelly, Lucille Ball, and Red Skelton
Something For The Boys (1944) with Carmen Miranda and Perry Como
Mexican Hayride (1948) with Abbot and Costello
Kiss Me, Kate (1953) with Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson
Silk Stockings (1957) with Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse
Can-Can (1960) with Frank Sinatra and Shirley MacLaine

Especially for Students

In live theatre, unlike movies and television, the actors can hear (and often see) you as easily as you can hear and see them. If you comment out loud at a live show, or read or eat, you disturb not only other members of the audience but also the people on stage, thus diminishing the performance and, ultimately, your enjoyment of it.

This doesn't mean you have to remain silent. Actors want you to respond with laughter and applause; but such responses should always be genuine and appropriate to the moment. Such inconsiderate behavior as shouting, catcalling or sustained whispering, even during blackouts, can ruin the concentration of actors and audience members alike. And throwing paper or objects of any kind towards the stage is not only rude, it's also extremely dangerous to the performers.

In the event of any student misbehavior, the relevant school will be contacted and its principal informed.

We want you to enjoy your visit to Seaside Music Theater, and we rely on you to exercise your common sense and mature judgment. Thank you for being a valuable part of our audience this season.