Adolphe Adam / Flora the Red Menace

On this day in classical music: French composer Adolphe Adam was born in Paris in 1803. A prolific composer whose output includes numerous ballets and operas, Adam also wrote the Christmas tune “Cantique de Noel” (“O Holy Night”). His ballets “Le Corsaire” and “Giselle” remain staples of the repertoire. Watch an excerpt from “Giselle” performed by the State Ballet of Georgia. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2TC-I1RQiM

On this day in the musical theatre: “Flora, the Red Menace” closed on Broadway in 1965 after a three-month run. The show marked the debuts of composer John Kander, lyricist Fred Ebb and star Liza Minnelli. George Abbott and Robert Russell collaborated on the book and Abbott directed. While the show has largely been forgotten, Minnelli took home a Tony Award as Best Actress for her Broadway debut. It also established a partnership among Kander, Ebb and Minnelli that would continue for decades. Minnelli would appear in several other Kander and Ebb shows: “The Act” in 1978, “The Rink” in 1984 and “Liza’s Back” in 2002. She was also a Roxie Hart replacement in the summer of 1975. The title character (played by Minnelli) in this musical is trying to become a fashion designer during the Great Depression. She falls in love with another struggling designer who tries to convince her to embrace his Communist ideals. Ultimately she has to sacrifice one if she’s to find true happiness. The show’s one familiar musical number is “A Quiet Thing” but it didn’t become well known until it was incorporated into Kander and Ebb’s 1991 musical revue “And the World Goes Round.” Listen to Kander, Ebb and Minnelli discuss “Flora the Red Menace.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsLXnCEXCvk

 Musical musings: (With) “Flora,” one is reminded of the possibilities that were available in the commercial theatre in the early sixties, when a show by a couple of unknown writers with an unknown star could get to Broadway and have a shot at the big time — all they needed was one good break. With “Flora,” Kander, Ebb and Minnelli got theirs. – Bill Rosenfield

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