Sunny (musical)

Sunny is a musical with music by Jerome Kern and a libretto by Oscar Hammerstein II and Otto Harbach. The plot involves Sunny, the star of a circus act, who falls for a rich playboy but comes in conflict with his snooty family. This show was the follow-up to the 1920 hit musical Sally, both starring Marilyn Miller in the title roles, and it was Kern's first musical together with Hammerstein. Sunny also became a hit, with its original Broadway production in 1925 running for 517 performances. The London production starred Binnie Hale.

Broadway production

The Broadway production (produced by Charles Dillingham and directed by Hassard Short) opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on September 22, 1925 and ran for 517 performances. The cast included Marilyn Miller, Jack Donahue, Clifton Webb, Mary Hay, Joseph Cawthorn, Paul Frawley, Cliff Edwards, Pert Kelton, Moss & Fontana, Esther Howard, Dorothy Francis, and the George Olsen Orchestra.

Songs

• "Sunny"
• "Who?"
• "Let's Say Good Night Till It's Morning"
• "D'Ye Love Me?"
• "Two Little Bluebirds"
• "I Might Grow Fond of You"
• "I've looked for trouble"

Films

The musical was adapted for a 1930 film version directed by William A. Seiter and featuring additional music by Kern. In 1941 a second film version was produced, directed by Herbert Wilcox. The first film starred Marilyn Miller, the second one (with a highly revised plot) starred Anna Neagle, with Ray Bolger in his first film role after playing the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz.

Recreation of scenes in film

In the film Till the Clouds Roll By (1946), a fictionalized biography of composer Jerome Kern, two songs from the show are performed by Judy Garland as Marilyn Miller, representing a performance from "Sunny". They are "Sunny" and "Who?"

External links

• Sunny at the Internet Broadway Database