Full Synopsis
The All Night Strut! is a musical celebration of the 1930s and 1940s in America. The concept is simple. The book of the show is the lyrics. The attitude of the characters to these lyrics and the staging is the realization of this concept in active terms. The piece is performed with four actor/singer/dancers: two men and two women. They are a soprano, an alto, a tenor and a baritone. There is also a band, either onstage or in a bandstand. The script includes direction on how to do the show with minimal production values, as well as with more elaborate production values. The songs are done in the following order:
Act One
"Chatanooga Choo Choo"
"Minnie the Moocher"
"Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?"
"In the Mood"
"Gimme a Pigfoot and a Bottle of Beer"
"A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square"
"Crazy Rhythm"
"Java Jive"
The War Medley: "G.I. Jive" / "Shoo Shoo Baby" / "White Cliffs of Dover" / "Rosie the Riveter" / "You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith" / "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" / "Lucky Fellow" / "Wing and Prayer" / "I'll Be Seeing You"
Act Two
"I Get Ideas (When We Are Dancing)"
"Ain't Misbehavin'"
"Operator"
"Dream"
"Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar"
"A Fine Romance"
"Tuxedo Junction"
"Jukebox Saturday Night"
"As Time Goes By"
Finale: "Hit That Jive Jack" / "Billie's Bounce" / "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing"
"Lullaby of Broadway"
Show History
Inspiration
The All Night Strut! is a revue of American music of the 1930s and 1940s. Fran Charnas, a veteran theatre director, saw the enigmatic state of the country near the end of the 1970s and wanted to harken back to a time when the United States was also in a mood of uncertainty. As a residual effect, she would hope that bringing this music to the American stage once again would both inspire nostalgia amongst the older generations and educate the younger generations about this certain style. The music was rearranged slightly to accommodate four-part harmony for a rounder sound.
Productions
The All Night Strut! premiered in a peanut shells-on-the-floor joint on the banks of the infamous Cuyahoga River in the industrial flats of Cleveland, Ohio. The club was named Pickle Bill's and its owner was a wild and crazy, generous and wonderful Irishman, Jerry Powell. The previous tenants were an improvisational show and some Irish rovers. Next, the show was whisked uptown to the grandeur of the art deco muraled State Theatre of Playhouse Square. This revue played to over 100,000 people in less than eight months.
Since that engagement, The All Night Strut! has played to great critical acclaim in theatres, concert halls and cabarets across the United States, Canada and Europe, including critical raves in Los Angeles, the record-breaking run at the Gem Theatre in Detroit and the boffo engagement at the Cabaret of the Casino De Monte Carlo. The All Night Strut! has toured with the Glenn Miller Orchestra and The Inkspots and performed with The Boston Pops. The show was also nationally broadcast on PBS in 1988.
Trivia
- After seeing The All Night Strut! in Toronto, Ella Fitzgerald burst into the dressing room, scatting "It Don t Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing". The cast didn t skip a beat, joining her in an improvised jam.
Critical Reaction
"A bright, tuneful, totally entertaining revue... a rollicking, joyous evening!"
– St. Louis Post Dispatch
"Red hot and cracking, stimulating and irresistable!"
– Detroit Free Press
"Babe-ree-bopping pizzazz, high steppin' swing and slithering jive. It's sensational."
– The Boston Globe
Joseph Jefferson Awards - Chicago
Los Angeles Drama Critics Award
Detroit Free Press Award Nomination
After Dark Award - San Francisco
Connect
Billing
- Music by
- Lyrics by
- Conceived and Originally Directed and Choreographed by
Requirements
As an integral part of this license, licensee further agrees to insert in each program of the Play, the following credit line exactly as listed for each of the following compositions:
MUSICAL NUMBERS
ACT I
"MINNIE THE MOOCHER" (1931)
"BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?" (1932)
"IN THE MOOD" (1938)
"GIMME A PIGFOOT AND A BOTTLE OF BEER" (1939)
"A NIGHTINGALE SANG IN BERKELEY SQUARE" (1940)
"JAVA JIVE"
"SHOO SHOO BABY" (1943)
"WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER" (1942)
"ROSIE THE RIVETER" (1942)
"YOU'RE A LUCKY FELLOW MR. SMITH" (1941)
"PRAISE THE LORD AND PASS THE AMMUNITION" (1942)
"COMIN' IN ON A WING AND A PRAYER" (1943)
"I'LL BE SEEING YOU" (1938)
"AIN'T MISBEHAVIN" (I'm Savin' My Love For You)(1929)
"OPERATOR" (1959)
"DREAM" (1944)
"BEAT ME DADDY, EIGHT TO THE BAR" (1940)
"A FINE ROMANCE" (1936)
"TUXEDO JUNCTION" (1940)
"JUKE BOX SATURDAY NIGHT" (1942)
"AS TIME GOES BY" (1931)
"HIT THAT JIVE, JACK" (1941)
"BILLIE'S BOUNCE" (1945)
"IT DOESN'T MEAN A THING" (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (1932)
"LULLABY OF BROADWAY" (1936)
Included Materials
| Item | Quantity Included |
|---|---|
| LIBRETTO/VOCAL BOOK | 8 |
| PIANO CONDUCTOR'S SCORE ACT 1 | 2 |
| PIANO CONDUCTOR'S SCORE ACT 2 | 2 |
Production Resources
| Resource |
|---|
| HOW DOES THE SHOW GO ON-10/CS |
| HOW DOES THE SHOW GO ON? |
| PRODUCTIONPRO-DIGITAL SCRIPT/SCORE |
| REFERENCE RECORDING |
| STAGE WRITE APPLICATION |
STANDARD ORCHESTRATION
| Instrumentation | Doubling |
|---|---|
| BASS | |
| DRUMS | KIT , WOOD BLOCK |
| PIANO | PIANO |
| REED 1 | ALTO SAXOPHONE , CLARINET , FLUTE |
| TROMBONE | |
| TRUMPET |