53. RACHAEL LILLY ROSENBLOOM (AND DON’T YOU FORGET IT) (1973)

For a show that never even made it to opening night, Rachael Lily Rosenbloom (And Don’t You Forget It) attracted a lot of repeat business during its seven previews. This intentionally trashy musical starred Ellen Green as the title character, a poor girl from Brooklyn who idolizes Barbara Streisand.  She goes from working in a fish market to becoming a Hollywood gossip columnist to Oscar winning actress to a mental patient after suffering a nervous breakdown. To get an idea of the tone of the show take the opening Oscar ceremony where the following nominees are announced:

Angela Lansbury for The Rosalind Russell Story.

Goldie Hawn for Via Galactica.

Diana Ross for The Angela Davis Story.

Angela Davis for The Diana Ross Story.

Rachael Lily Rosenbloom, for the only original film made this year, Cobra Godess on Flamingo Road.

The envelope and Cloris Leachman memorial letter opener please?

The winner is, Rachael Lily Rosenbloom!

Rachael Lily Rosenbloom was the brainchild of Paul Jabara, an actor turned songwriter who would go on to write “Last Dance” for Donna Summer and “It’s Raining Men” with Paul Shaffer. Jabara wrote the music, the lyrics and co-wrote the book with Tom Eyen, the future Dreamgirls librettist who at the time was best known for writing the Off-Broadway hit The Dirtiest Show in Town.  Truth is the show really should have been produced Off-Broadway, where such campiness is always welcome.  It was way too off beat for the main stem and producers Robert Stigwood and Ahmet Ertegun realized this early on, thus closing the show in previews. Truth is a whole cadre of theater fans had already discovered the show and made return visits during its brief stay at the Broadhurst Theater.

It should be noted that the show did have some remarkable talent in the cast.  Aside from Ellen Green, who was already making a name for herself as a cabaret performer and would later go on to play Audrey in the New York, London and film versions of Little Shop of Horrors, the cast included future Nine actress Anita Morris, future The Wiz, Ain’t Misbehavin’ and recent Tony winner for Hadestown actor Andre DeShields, and future Wicked choreographer Wayne Cilento.  Though no cast recording was made the shows legend has loomed large among theater geeks and in 2017 a highly acclaimed concert version was staged at Feinstein’s/54 Below.