Billed as 'a new musical of the 40s,' Red White and Boogie is a substantially re-written adaptation of Battye and Pinne's 1968 musical, It Happened in Tanjablanca.
In order to fulfil a request to make the 1973 show workable on a shoestring budget the chorus and two original characters, Rick and Jeanne, were cut from the story. Pinne and Battye also solved the problem of having no chorus by making the rest of the cast act in this role when needed. 'At times [this became] totally incongruous,' writes Pinne in the Introduction to the Yakandandah publication, but [it] only added to the fun" (p v).
Several songs were also reworked. 'Come to the Casbah' became 'Come to the Bijou,' and 'The Nicest People are Spies,' was re-written with a new melody as 'Spies.' Two songs 'Tanjablanca' and 'I'm Glad We Met' were replaced by 'A Front Room Man' (Countess), 'Ali's Song' (Ali) and a new comedy number 'Digger's Song' The last number was written for the work's new and outrageous character, Digger, who is loosely based on the roles usually played by Australian actor Chips Rafferty.
A recording of songs from the production was released on vinyl in 1983 by Trigpoint (TRP 001). Among the performers are Robyn Arthur, Lance Strauss and Peter Casey.
See also It Happened in Tanjablanca for an earlier sound recording.
1973 : Le Chat Noir Theatre, Melbourne ; 27 November 1973 - ca. June 1974. Dir/Design. Jon Finlayson; Music Dir. Marnie Hall. - Cast: Frank Garfield (Ali Mohammed), Judith Roberts (Countess Popesceau), Rod Mullinor (Chuck Wagon, Police Chief), Gil Tucker (Digger), Pamela Gibbons (Viya Condias), Lesley Baker (Miss Fotherington).
1974 : Twelfth Night Theatre, Brisbane ; no details. Dir. Jon Finlayson. - Cast incl. David Walters (Digger), Judith McGrath (Countess Popesceau), Rosalind Muir-Smith (Miss Fotherington).
This entry has been sourced from on-going historical research into Australian-written music theatre being conducted by Dr Clay Djubal.
It Happened in Tanjablanca
Peter Pinne
(composer),
1968
2004
Z1510430
1968
single work
musical theatre
Chamber musical.
A musical spoof of 1940s Hollywoods movies, the story concerns a group of people who are trapped in a seedy, run-down hotel in the imaginary city of Tanjablanca, find themselves suspected of the murder of one Hugo DeWitt.
Songs written for the musical include : 'Come to the Casbah,' 'Tanjablanca,' 'I'm Glad We Met,' 'Wave Your Flag' (Miss Fotherington and company), 'She's Coming to Town Today' (Chuck and company), 'Down South America Way' (Viya and company), 'Wouldn't You Like to Love Me' (Countess and Ali), 'Heaven Bound Choo Choo' (Chuck and company), 'Leicester Square' (Miss Fotherington), 'Wichita Kansas' (Viya), 'The Nicest People are Spies,' 'Wouldn't You Like a Bourbon' (Viya, Miss Fotherington and Countess), 'Shot, Strangled and Stabbed' (Chuck and company), 'Take Me' (Miss Fotherington and Ali) and 'Woman of the World' (reprise).
It Happened in Tanjablanca was later substantially rewritten and re-staged in 1973 under the title of Red, White and Boogie. [see separate entry in AustLit for further details]
