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Let’s Go Back…..

….back to Pal Joey, 1940’s…

These beautiful pictures come from the private collection of broadwayworld.com poster, “allofmylife”. I couldn’t identify each picture, so I numbered them for easy reference in discussions. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. And thank you, allofmylife, for sharing your precious collection with other Pal Joey fans.

Eric Sciotto; Pal Joey’s Gypsy Robe Recipient

Tradition has always been a huge part of the theatre. The Gypsy Robe is one of these traditions, and is reserved exclusively for the singing and dancing chorus in a Broadway musical. Members of the singing and dancing chorus, if they are lucky, go from one show to another, never staying in a show forever, reminiscent of the gypsies of old.

GYPSY ROBE HISTORY

The Gypsy Robe tradition started in 1950, when Bill Bradley, in the chorus of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (the long-running smash hit of the day), persuaded a chorus girl to let him have her dressing gown. As a lark, he sent it to a friend on opening night of Call Me Madam (starring Ethel Merman), telling him it had been worn by all the Ziegfeld beauties. The friend added a rose from Ethel Merman’s gown and sent it to a chorus member on the next opening night. It was then passed from show to show in a haphazard way and was often presented to a friend of the previous recipient, or awarded to a chorus member based on popularity. Through the years the passing of the Robe became a specific ceremony with official rules stating how it is presented, worn and paraded on stage.

The ritual begins appropriately, with a cue from the stage manager: “On stage for the Gypsy Robe.” All members of the production (although one story I read stated only members of the chorus – no principals in the “circle”) - some already in make-up and costume - take a place forming a circle on the fringes of the stage. In the center of the circle stand two people; one is a representative of Actors’ Equity, the other, a performer, an honored gypsy, from the previous musical that opened on

Broadway. Those on the fringe listen and watch; for some this is their first experience; for others, it is a ritual they have participated in many times before as they listen anxiously in the event they will be the night’s honoree.

Stockard Channing “Bewitches” in ‘Pal Joey’

Interviews from the Opening Night Celebration

Click here to see contributing correspondent Jimmy Merrill’s interviews with the Pal Joey stars and other celebrities–exclusively on the Pal Joey Blog. The five segments are listed in reverse chronological order based on when they were posted. The total running time is around 25 minutes.

Jimmy Merrill Interviews Jerry Stiller, Cynthia Nixon & Martha Plimpton

Contributing correspondent Jimmy Merrill was at the Opening Night Celebration for Roundabout’s Pal Joey. Here are the first of many interviews.

In this segment, Jimmy talks with Jerry Stiller (Seinfeld, Zoolander), Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City), and Pal Joey star Martha Plimpton (Gladys Bumps). More interviews to come–stay tuned.

Pal Joey Opening Night Celebration

Although the official Opening Night for Pal Joey isn’t until next week, the “Opening Celebration” was held last night. Pal Joey Blog contributing correspondent Jimmy Merrill covered the event, and we will have video up soon. In the meantime, here are some pictures from last night (December 11th).

Great Pal Joey Show Pictures!!

Thank you “mrmidwest” for posting these great photos on livejournal.com.

Share Your Pal Joey Experience

One of our blog readers made a second visit to see Pal Joey, and here are her observations:
** The choreography may have been tweeked a bit…although I cannot say all the dancing was spectacular, it was quite enjoyable - especially dancing on the stairs. (Although I feel Christian Hoff was better on the stairs!)
** Costume glitches were all taken care of.
** The major improvement I was keenly seeking was the chemistry between ‘Vera’ and ‘Joey’…I felt that Stockard Channing did not feel comfortable with Christian…if Vera is supposed to be infatuated with this young song and dance man, I want to see that exhibited throughout the show…now seeing Matthew Risch & Stockard was a completely different FEEL..Stockard seemed to sincerely enjoy touching, embracing and kissing ‘Joey’…my personal thought was that Stockard feels much more in control with a very young protege, sort of a boy-toy!
** Matt’s dancing in the beginning was right on, but he does sweat profusely. The singing was much the same for ‘Vera’ and ‘Joey’.
** Martha Plimpton’s performance throughout the show is still very enticing…and Jenny Fellner still mezmerizing. They are both key characters to the success of this run of Pal Joey.
** Daniel Marcus’s (Ludlow) solo in the second act was a shining star.
** Matthew has clearly captured the “JERK” attitude that ‘Joey” is supposed to exhibit.
** I must say that the whole cast was more than gracious to pose for photos and sign autographs after the show.

The Pal Joey Blog invites you to share your Pal Joey experience! Leave a comment and let us know how you enjoyed the show. If you have pictures you want to share, send them to  admin at paljoeyblog.com, and include captions if you like.

A big thank you to Charly O’Clarit. She combined her pictures with those of Lucy Rochetti and Lori Leone to create this great slide show. Thank you, ladies!

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Shawna, a self-proclaimed Stockard enthusiast, shared this photo from her fabulous evening at Pal Joey. See comments below to read about Shawna’s experience.

Introducing - The Pal Joey Cast

All photos by Aubrey Reuben
Placing your cursor over a picture pauses the picture and reveals the names of the subjects.

Some Cast Photos