Зовите меня мадам: История бродвейского мюзикла

1950 musical by Irving Berlin

Call Me Madam is a Broadway musical written by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. The musical is a satire on politics and foreign policy that spoofs postwar America's penchant for lending billions of dollars to needy countries. It centers on Sally Adams, a well meaning but ill informed socialite widow, who is appointed United States Ambassador to the fictional European country of "Lichtenburg". Signs in Lichtenburg are written in German, and inhabitants wear traditional Bavarian costume. While there, she charms the local gentry, especially Cosmo Constantine, while her press attaché Kenneth Gibson falls in love with Princess Maria of Lichtenburg.

The lead character is based on Washington, D. C. hostess and Democratic Party fundraiser Perle Mesta, who was appointed Ambassador to Luxembourg in 1949. The Playbill distributed at each performance humorously noted that "neither the character of Mrs. Sally Adams nor Miss Ethel Merman resemble any person living or dead." In 1949, Merman and her family were vacationing at the Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs with Howard Lindsay and his wife, Dorothy Stickney. Watching Merman at poolside, while he was reading a magazine article about Mesta, Lindsay was struck by how typically "American" Merman was, and immediately envisioned her portraying a colorful character similar to the newly appointed ambassador. When he proposed the idea to Merman, who had little interest in either society or political news, she responded, "Who's Perle Mesta?" Although Merman had announced she was interested in playing a dramatic role in her next project, Lindsay and Russel Crouse approached Irving Berlin and began working on the book for Call Me Madam when Berlin expressed interest in composing the score. Berlin's last production, Miss Liberty, had failed to recoup its investment, and he was determined to repeat the success he had had with Annie Get Your Gun. The three collaborators agreed they needed to treat their subject with care, to avoid any legal action by Mesta. As the work progressed, Merman conceded she would be willing to sing two or three songs, but eventually accepted the fact she was going to star in a full scale musical comedy, instead of the drama she preferred. as the inaugural production of Encores! second season, Call Me Madam was lauded as the company's first hit production. Encores! would present a fully staged production of Call Me Madam in February 2019, with Carmen Cusack headlining a cast which included Darrell Hammond as Grand Duke Otto, Carol Kane as Grand Duchess Sophie, Stanley Wayne Mathis as Senator Borckbank, Randy Rainbow as Sebastian Sebastian, and Lauren Worsham as Princess Maria. Call Me Madam had its premiere regional theatrical engagement at the Dallas State Fair in August 1952: with Joan Blondell headlining and Russell Nype reprising his Broadway role, the cast also included William LeMassena as Pemberton Maxwell, Michael Pollock as Sebastian Sebastian and Gene Raymond as Cosmo Constantine. In 1959 Constance Bennett would headline a production of Call Me Madam, featuring Wilbur Evans as Cosmo Constantine, which played engagements at the Camden County Music Fair and at the Storrowtown Music Fair. Also in 1959 Penny Singleton would headline a 1959 production by the St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre in which both Russell Nype and Pat Harrington, Sr. reprised their Broadway roles. Wilbur Evans would reprise the role of Cosmo Constantine in a 1963 production headlined by Martha Raye which played engagements at the Valley Forge Music Fair and at the Storrowtown Music Fair, with Kenneth Gibson being played by James Kirkwood. Margaret Whiting, who headlined a 1961 production of Call Me Madam which played engagements in Boston and New Jersey, would in 1966 headline the play's Melody Top summer stock production in Milwaukee which featured Tommy Sands as Kenneth Gibson. Jo Anne Worley, who headlined the 1987 Pasadena Convention Center production of Call Me Madam, would also headline a semi staged concert version mounted in 2001 at the Auditorium Theatre (Chicago) with Malcolm Gets as Kenneth Gibson and Fred Willard. Leslie Uggams would headline a revival of Call Me Madam mounted at the Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, New Jersey, in April–May 1996: the additional cast included J. B. Adams as Henry Gibson/ Grand Duke Otto, Mark Baker as Pemberton Maxwell, and Vanessa Dorman as Princess Maria. In September 2000 Call Me Madam was mounted at the UCLA Freud Playhouse with Karen Morrow headlining a cast which included Robert Mandan as Pemberton Maxwell, Michael Nouri as Cosmo Constantine, Hugh Panaro as Kenneth Gibson, and Michael Tucci as Congressman Wilkins. Other regional productions of Call Me Madam have been headlined by Maxene Andrews (Coachlight Dinner Theater East Windsor CT/ 1976), Klea Blackhurst (42nd Street Moon San Francisco/ 2009), Kim Criswell with Catherine Brunell as Princess Maria and David Hess as Cosmo Constantine (Goodspeed Musicals Middlesex County CT/ 2004), Ruta Lee (Casa Mañana Fort Worth/ 1978), and Helen Reddy with Monte Markham as Cosmo Constantine (Sacramento Civic Light Opera/ 1986). Call Me Madam opened in the West End at the London Coliseum on March 15, 1952, for a run of 486 performances: Billie Worth headlined a cast which included Anton Walbrook as Cosmo Constantine and Shani Wallis—in her first major stage role—as Princess Maria. Noele Gordon—who had understudied Worth during the Coliseum run of Call Me Madam—headlined the production's British touring edition in 1953. A 78 rpm cast recording of this production was released, on the Columbia Records label, (D. B. 3067), in 1952, with Billie Worth and Arthur Lowe, called ' Vocal Gems from Call me Madam'. In 1983 Gordon headlined a West End revival, whose cast also included Jeremy Hawk as Pemberton Maxwell and Basil Hoskins as Cosmo Constantine: opening March 14, 1983, the production was afforded a seven week run at the Victoria Palace. Call Me Madam has since had two evident London fringe productions, the first at Upstairs at The Gatehouse in the summer of 2009 with Thom Southerland directing a cast which included Beverley Klein as Sally Adams, Chris Love as Kenneth Gibson, Kate Nelson as Princess Maria, and Gido Schimanski as Cosmo Constantine. Subsequently, the Union Theatre, London would mount Call Me Madam in the fall of 2012: staged and directed by Michael Strassen, the production—headlined by Lucy Williamson leading as cast which included Gavin Kerr, Leo Miles and Natalie Lipin—received five nominations at the Off West End Awards and was named as one of the productions when the Union won Best Fringe at The Stage Awards in 2013 alongside The Globe (Best Theatre). Call Me Madam began its inaugural Australian engagement on September 5, 1953, at Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne: with Evie Hayes headlining a cast which also included David Cahill as Hugo Tantinnin and Alec Kellaway as Congressman Wilkins, the production would play subsequent engagement in Brisbane and Sydney. Revived in 1985 at the Canberra Theatre with June Bronhill headlining and David Branson featured as Cosmo Constantine, Call Me Madam would in 2000 be mounted at the Arts Centre Melbourne with Geraldine Turner headlining a cast which included Rachael Beck as Princess Maria, Reg Gorman as Congressman Wilkins, and Spencer McLaren as Kenneth Gibson.

A 1953 20th Century Fox film adaptation stars Ethel Merman, George Sanders, Donald O'Connor, Billy DeWolfe, Charles Dingle, and Vera Ellen.

+Original Broadway (1950)Original London (1952)London Revival (1983)Encores! Production (1995)Encores! Production (2019)Sally AdamsEthel MermanBillie WorthNoelle GordonTyne DalyCarmen CusackHenry GibsonWilliam DavidDavid StormMichael HardingJohn Leslie WolfeChristopher GurrCongressman WilkinsPat Harrington, Sr. Sidney KeithBernard MartinChristopher DurangAdam HellerKenneth GibsonRussell NypeJeff WarrenWilliam ReltonLewis ClealeJason GotaySenator GallagherRalph ChambersLaunce MaraschelJohn AronKen PageBrad OscarSenator BrockbankJay VelieArthur LoweDavid AlderMacIntyre DixonStanley Wayne MathisPemberton MaxwellAlan HewittDonald BurrJeremy HawkPeter BartlettMichael Benjamin WashingtonCosmo ConstantinePaul LukasAnton WalbrookBasil HoskinsWalter CharlesBen DavisSebastian SebastianHenry LascoeStanley Van BeersStefan Paul SanchezSimon JonesRandy RainbowPrincess MariaGalina TalvaShani WallisVeronica PageMelissa ErricoLauren WorshamGrand Duke OttoOwen CollFelix KentMichael HardingGordon ConnellDarrell HammondGrand Duchess SophieLilia SkalaMarianne DeemingMoyna CopeJane ConnellCarol Kane

In a highly unusual situation, two LP albums of the score were released. The recording rights had been granted to RCA Victor, which had invested in the show, but Merman was under contract to Decca Records, which refused to allow her to record the original cast album. Decca issued a 10 inch LP featuring Merman singing some of her songs, accompanied by arranger conductor Gordon Jenkins and His Orchestra and Chorus, with vocalizing by Dick Haymes (who joined Merman in the show's biggest hit, "You're Just in Love", their single reaching Billboard magazine's number 30 for a week) and Eileen Wilson (who sang "It's a Lovely Day Today" with Haymes). RCA Victor went ahead with the original cast album, replacing Merman with Dinah Shore. Merman was called back into the Decca studios to record additional songs from the show, and the label quickly re released the album as a 12 inch LP, under the title Ethel Merman: 12 Songs from Call Me Madam. The Victor album sold reasonably well, attaining the sixth spot on the Billboard popular album charts, but the LP was out of print from 1956 until RCA Red Seal reissued it briefly in 1977. Peaking at number two on Billboards popular album charts, Merman's Decca recording, which would appear on MCA Records beginning in 1973, stayed steadily in print until the end of the LP era. Merman's Madam album was most recently available on a Decca Broadway CD, which also features Merman singing four Cole Porter tunes from the stage score of Panama Hattie (1940). A recording of the 1952 London West End production was released of 12 numbers from the show, as Columbia 33SX 1002 ('Vocal Gems from Jack Hylton's production by artists of the original London presentation'), with Billie Worth, Anton Walbrook, Jeff Warren and Shani Wallis in the principal roles, conducted by Cyril Ornadel, and was later reissued on the Sepia label. Merman also is heard on the film soundtrack album (with Donald O'Connor and George Sanders), issued in 1953 as a 10 inch album, also on the Decca label. Scoring fifth position on Billboard's popular albums charts when first released, the soundtrack, taken out of print in 1957, was reissued in 1981 by Stet Records on a 12 inch LP which also contained songs from the film scores of Guys and Dolls (1955) and I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955). The Merman soundtrack has not been legally issued on CD. A 1995 Broadway concert cast album, featuring Tyne Daly, Lewis Cleale, Christopher Durang, Ken Page, and Melissa Errico, is available on the DRG label.

On the premiere episode of NBC Radio's The Big Show on November 5, 1950, original Broadway cast members Ethel Merman, Paul Lukas, and Russell Nype appeared in the first half hour (of the hour and a half program) and performed songs from the score in order of their appearance in the production, while host Tallulah Bankhead filled in story notes between songs (although accidentally missing one story cue). Merman sang "The Hostess With the Mostes' on the Ball," then Lukas sang "Lichtenburg," then Merman sang "Can You Use Any Money Today?" and "The Best Thing for You (Would Be Me)". Finally, Merman sang "You're Just in Love" with Nype.

Known as "Madam Speaker", when United Kingdom's Betty Boothroyd was assigned the chair of Deputy Speaker (1987–1992), backbencher Peter Pike asked her: "What do we call you?" and drawing from her show business years, Boothroyd replied: "Call me Madam."