A Brother, A Beadle, A Brice!

 Carol Burnett was only 26 when she was cast as

Princess Winifred

("Fred" to her friends)

in Once Upon A Mattress

with music by Mary Rodgers and Marshall Barer,

which ran on off, and then ON Broadway in 1959,

for a total of 244 performances.

Below, Carol (who received a Tony nod for her work)

 with Joseph Bova who played

Prince Dauntless.

 When Carol left the show (she was cast in the same year

as a regular on The Garry Moore Show),

Ann B. Davis took over the role of Fred (below).

Touring Freds included

Jane Connell, Dody Goodman, and Imogene Coca.

 Matt Mattox played the Jester,

and got to sing (among other songs)

"Very Soft Shoes."

Matt was a classically trained dancer, and that's him, in air, in 

Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, below.

He was a student of Jack Cole...

and along with Broadway credits in

Jennie and Say, Darling,

Matt danced in a string of movie musicals

(Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Band Wagon, Til The Clouds Roll By,

There's No Business Like Show Business and more!)

and TV variety shows.

He eventually moved to Europe and began his own dance school.

He lived til the age of 91!

 The original production of Sweeney Todd (1979)

had Edmund Lyndeck as Judge Turpin, at left,

and Jack Eric Williams as Beadle Bamford.

Jack, a world-class tenor, made his Broadway debut in 

the revival of The Three Penny Opera,

and he once sang for the King and Queen of Sweden!

However, he considered himself first a composer,

having written scores for off-Broadway shows,

including the musical biography of Frances Farmer,

and his most famous work...Swamp Gas and Shallow Feelings!

He passed away at the age of 49.

 

 Joaquin Romaguera played Pirelli, the Barber (above)...

not much is known about this actor,

other than he was born in Barcelona in 1932,

and performed in Sweeney, Fiorello (the 1997 revival)

and a production of Evita in 2000.

Below, Sarah Rice and Victor Garber (underneath the mutton chops)

as the star-crossed lovers.

 The Grass Harp began life as a novel by Truman Capote,

published in 1951,

all about 2 maiden aunts, herbal medicines, and a 

large tree house in a black walnut tree

(with an antique spiral staircase providing access, no less).

This was right out of Truman's past,

a tree house that Harper Lee 

(his cousin and future Mockingbird writer) 

would occasionally visit. 

It became a play (1952) and finally a musical (1971)

with music by Claibe Richardson and Kenward Elmslie.

 The cast included Carol Brice (above)

who we'll hear sing "Marry With Me"...

and below, Karen Morrow (center), as Miss Baby Love,

an evangelist...

 

 ...and below, Carol with Russ Thacker and Barbara Cook.

Orchestrations were by Jonathan Tunick. 

The show opened during a newspaper strike, 

limiting the advertising and ticket sales.

Seven performances and POOF! It was gone.