Seventeen (musical)

Seventeen
MusicWalter Kent
LyricsKim Gannon
BookSally Benson
SettingIndianapolis, 1907
BasisSeventeen by Booth Tarkington
PremiereJune 21, 1951 (1951-06-21): Broadhurst Theatre, New York City

Seventeen is a 1951 American musical that debuted in the United States starring Kenneth Nelson.[1][2][3]

Overview

Set in Indianapolis in 1907, Seventeen is based on Booth Tarkington’s Seventeen: A Tale of Youth and Summer Time and the Baxter Family Especially William, a series of sketches first published in 1914 in Metropolitan Magazine, before being collected into a book two years later.[2] Adapted as a 1916 silent film, then a 1917 stage play,[4] it became a 1926 musical under the title Hello, Lola.[2]

In an adaptation by The New Yorker writer Sally Benson, and music by Walter Kent and lyrics by Kim Gannon, Seventeen opened at the Broadhurst Theatre[1] on Broadway June 21, 1951.[2] The show detailed the puppy-love romance between 17-year-old Willie Baxter and the flirtatious Lola Pratt, portrayed by Kenneth Nelson and Ann Crowley.[2] It ran for 182 performances.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "Broadhurst Theatre (Broadway)". Playbill.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "SEVENTEEN – ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST 1951". Masterworksbroadway.com.
  3. ^ Hischak, Thomas S. (2009). Broadway Plays and Musicals: Descriptions and Essential Facts. McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786453092.
  4. ^ "Willie Baxter in the Flesh". The Indianapolis News. Indianapolis, Indiana. June 19, 1917. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.