The 1937 version of Rodgers & Hart’s BABES IN ARMS is the quintessential ‘Hey, kids, let’s put on a show’ musical, boasting one of the greatest scores ever written.
A group of teenagers are left without adult supervision when their folks hit the vaudeville summer circuit, and the local sheriff is determined to send the loafers to a work farm. But the determined kids talk the sheriff into a two week reprieve, just enough time to produce their own show and prove their mettle. The son of a wealthy Southerner agrees to bankroll the production but only on the condition that the two black kids not appear in the show. The other kids are outraged, but of course the show must go on and does, in a succession of comeuppance, reconciliation and romance. The old-fashioned virtues of a 30’s musical comedy are peppered with socio-political issues which have remained resonant for more than seven decades.
The dazzling score by Rodgers & Hart features many of their most popular songs including My Funny Valentine, The Lady is a Tramp, Where or When and Johnny One Note.