Information

Show Credits: Book by George Abbott
Music and Lyrics by Bob Merrill

Description: Broadway master George Abbott and then-newcomer Bob Merrill (CARNIVAL, FUNNY GIRL) bring O’Neill’s 1921 classic to colorful turn of the century New York in this solid star vehicle which blends the moving tenderness of the original play with appealing melodies and infectious dances.

An old Swedish sailor is overjoyed when his daughter Anna visits him after fifteen years of living in St. Paul, but his crony Marthy realizes she is not the sweet innocent her father imagines, but a former streetwalker come back to reassemble the pieces of her shattered life. Anna gradually fits in with her father’s friends, even falling in love for the first time – until an envious Marthy spills the truth about Anna’s past at a neighborhood ball, nearly destroying her dream of happiness.

Written for the incomparable Gwen Verdon, the show is ideal for a charismatic “triple-threat” performer.

Accolades/
Awards: New Girl in Town was nominated for best Musical . Gwen Verdon and Thelma Ritter tied for the trophy for their performances in the two leading women's roles. The source material, Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie, is recognized as one of the foremost dramat

Insight from the experts Staging Tip: Easily accomplished. The waterfront, a street, a barroom, on the deck of a barge, Chris' room, a warehouse decked out for a ball, the gate of the warehouse, a brewery door flat. No instructions are given for the ballet section. Suffice it to say that it concerns Anna's life as a prostitute, her life on the farm in Minnesota and the events that led her to flee to New York. Use your imagination and let your choreographer go wild. Be prepared for a few chuckles in the audience when they hear that Anna's father's name is "Chris Christophersen." Bear in mind that the "real" Kris Kristoffersen was still a bobbysoxer when this show was packing houses on Broadway.