But most of all, when I look back to those days so long ago, most of all, I remember. My big brother Nels, my little sister Dagmar, and of course, Papa. ![]() And I remember my family as we were then. It brings back memories of my cousins, aunts and uncles all the boys and girls I grew up with. San Francisco and the house on Steiner Street where I was born. This old album makes me remember so many things in the past. Katrin would be seen looking through the pages of the family album at the start of each episode with the opening narration: The series was based on Mama's Bank Account by Kathryn Forbes, which was also adapted for the John Van Druten play (1944) and the subsequent film I Remember Mama (1948), and told the ongoing story of a loving Norwegian family living in San Francisco in the 1910s through the eyes of the elder daughter, Katrin Hansen ( Rosemary Rice). The show ran over the Christmas season and garnered rave reviews and tremendous audience reception.Mama was a weekly CBS Television comedy-drama series that ran from Juntil March 17, 1957. This production took a few minor liberties with the script and score (most effectively, adding a reprise of "A Little Bit More" late in Act 2), but was a very big success for the company. Starring Caroline Moro-Dalicandro as Mama, David Haines as Papa, Larry Westlake as Uncle Chris and Andrea Strayer as Katrin. Produced by the Toronto Civic Light Opera Company, the production was designed and directed by Joe Cascone. The first Canadian production of the musical came in 2004. It was Rodgers' last musical.Īn original cast album was never recorded, but a studio recording with Hearn and Irving reprising their stage roles and Sally Ann Howes replacing Ullmann was released in 1985. Show business insiders dubbed the Rodgers' production "I Dismembered Mama." A different musical version starring Celeste Holm played several regional theaters and was better received by audiences and reviewers alike but was prevented from coming to New York.Īdvance box office sales, particularly for matinée performances, had been strong enough to keep the show alive in its early weeks, but attendance quickly dropped in numbers dramatic enough to warrant closing. The New York Times reviewer wrote: "At the end of its much-postponed and choppy progress.this big and expensive musical had buried most of the strengths it possesses under a mass of cliches and a pervading, forced cuteness. Critics found Mama to be old-fashioned and corny, and all were quick to describe the musically disinclined Ullmann as miscast. The spectacular and clever set was designed by the late David Mitchell (of "Annie" fame).īy 1979, Broadway audiences had become accustomed to edgier musicals such as Sweeney Todd and Evita. Directed by Cy Feuer, the opening cast featured Liv Ullmann, George Hearn, Dolores Wilson, and George S. Cohen and Hildy Parks opened on Broadway on May 31, 1979, at the Majestic Theatre, where it closed on September 2 after 108 performances and 40 previews. The original choreographer, Graciela Daniele, was replaced by Danny Daniels. Cohen saying "they had to go 'for radical surgery' ". The original director, Charnin, was replaced by Cy Feuer after tryouts in Philadelphia, with producer Alexander H. Rodgers and Charnin had composed a full score before the libretto was written, so they ended up having to replace a significant number of songs throughout rehearsals. The musical adaptation was beset with problems from the beginning. It is through Katrin's eyes the struggles, hopes, and dreams of the Hansens unfold. At its core is the oldest daughter, Katrin, who yearns to be a published writer and conspires to meet renowned author Dame Sybil Fitzgibbons, a guest at the Fairmont Hotel, for professional advice and guidance. ![]() Every incarnation basically was the same, a series of heartwarming vignettes centering on a family of Norwegian immigrants living in San Francisco in the early 20th century. It was filmed in 1948, and served as the basis for a 1950s television series, titled Mama. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were the producers. It was adapted for the stage by John Van Druten as a play, which ran on Broadway from 1944 to 1946. I Remember Mama originated as a memoir by Kathryn Forbes titled Mama's Bank Account. ![]() I Remember Mama is a musical with a book by Thomas Meehan, lyrics by Martin Charnin and Raymond Jessel, and music by Richard Rodgers.
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