LADY IN THE DARK (Kurt Weill, Moss Hart, Ira Gershwin) (DVD)

This critically acclaimed 1954 TV production of Lady in Dark was praised by The New York Times as “real theatre. It had vitality, it had mood, and it had illusion – all the way from start to finish.” With a book by Moss Hart, and music and lyrics by Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin, Lady in Dark is one of the legendary musicals of American musical theatre. Inspired by Hart’s personal experience with psychotherapy, its innovative concept was termed a “musical play,” presenting the main character’s therapy sessions and waking life as spoken drama and her dream sequences as musical numbers. The excellent cast features Ann Sothern in the title role, with James Daly, Carleton Carpenter, and Luella Gear. The show’s brilliant score includes “The Saga of Jenny” and “My Ship.” B&W, 79 minutes

LADY IN THE DARK
A Musical Play
Book by Moss Hart
Music and Lyrics by Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin

Cast:
Liza: Ann Sothern
Charlie: James Daly
Maggie: Luella Gear
Kendall: Paul McGrath
Dr. Brooks: Shepperd Strudwick
Randy: Robert Fortier
Russell: Carleton Carpenter
Miss Foster: Stephanie Augustine
Ben: James Congdon
Barbara: Marjorie Barrett
Father: Douglas Reid
Mother: Brook Byron
Liza as a Girl: Adele Newton
Dancers: Bambi Linn and Rod Alexander

Produced and Directed by Max Liebman
Live Telecast of September 25, 1954