Chee-Chee (musical)
Chee-Chee is a musical by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart based on the 1927 book, The Son of the Grand Eunuch, by Charles Pettit. Chee-Chee opened on Broadway September 25, 1928, and the show closed after 31 performances.[2][3]
| Chee-Chee (musical) | |
|---|---|
%252C_by_Rodgers_%2526_Hart%252C_original_performance_poster.jpg.webp) Original theater poster of 1928 | |
| Music | Richard Rodgers |
| Lyrics | Lorenz Hart |
| Book | The Son of the Grand Eunuch, by Charles Pettit |
| Setting | China |
| Premiere | September 25, 1928: Mansfield Theatre |
| Productions | 1928 Broadway 2003 14th Street Y, Manhattan[1] |
In 1963 vocalist Betty Comden released an album that included some of the songs from the musical.[4][5]
Synopsis
In 1928 Herbert Fields wrote a libretto based on Pettit's book in which the son of the Grand Eunuch, Li-Pi, and his wife, Chee-Chee, are forced into exile when the Grand Eunuch announces his plan for Li-Pi to become a eunuch and take his father's place as the Grand Eunuch. Chee-Chee is captured and rescued, and Li-Pi is captured and rescued, and finally the musical ends happily.[6]
Musical Numbers
Two acts, seven scenes.[7]
Act I
- We're Men of Brains
- I Am a Prince
- In a Great Big Way
- The Most Majestic of Domestic Officials
- Holy of Holies
- Her Hair Is Black as Licorice
- Dear, Oh Dear
- Await Your Love
- Joy Is Mine
- I Wake at Morning
- I Grovel to Earth
- Just a Little Thing
- You Are Both Agreed
- Owl Song
- I Must Love You
- I Bow a Glad Good Day
- Better Be Good to Me
- The Tartar Song
- Chee-Chee's Second Entrance
- Finale (Act I)
Act II
- Khonghouse Song
- Sleep, Weary Head
- Singing a Love Song
- Monastery Opening
- Chinese Dance
- Living Buddha
- Moon of My Delight
See also
References
- Kenneth Jones (January 31, 2019). "Eunuchs, Concubines and Love Songs Revived in Rodgers & Hart's Chee-Chee, Nov. 12-24". Playbill. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- Mark Miller (November 18, 2002). "Chee-Chee". TheaterMania. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- "VIII. Chee-Chee (09/25/28 – 10/20/28)". THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT!. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- "Chee-Chee". Library of Congress. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- "Betty Comden – Songs From Treasure Girl & Chee Chee". Discogs. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- "Chee-Chee". StageAgent. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- "Chee Chee". Guide to Musical Theatre. Archived from the original on July 25, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
External links
- Dominic Symonds, We’ll Have Manhattan: The Early Work of Rodgers & Hart, chapter 8
- Chee-Chee Theatre Program, New York Public Library Digital Collections
Further reading
- Geoffrey Block, The Richard Rodgers Reader (Oxford University Press, 2006), pp 45–47
- Gerald Bordman, American Musical Theater: A Chronicle (Oxford University Press, 2001), pp 492–493