At Home Abroad
Powell, Eleanor
performer
Foy, Eddie, Jr.
performer
Theatrical Performance
1935-09-19
Winter Garden Theater
Musical directed by Vincente Minnelli (his directorial debut) and Thomas Mitchell. Choreographers: Gene Snyder and Harry Losee. Songs by Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz. Opened 19 September 1935 Winter Garden Theatre and closed 19 January 1936; reopened 20 January 1936 at the Majestic Theatre and closed 21 January 1936.
Starring Beatrice Lillie, Ethel Waters, Herb Williams, Eleanor Powell, Eddy Foy, Jr.
Powell's first song, "That's Not Cricket" had her making her entrance leap-frogging over four trousered and top-hatted chorines. When the ladies kicked her in the rear, Eleanor scolded then with a "frisky song-and-tap routine."
In "The Lady with the Tap" she plays a femme spy rifling a desk for secret papers and finally escaping in a tap dance ruse, playing a spy in a tap ballet number: Wearing a fur coat, she crept into a two-story house to look for secret papers. and transmitted their contents by tapping the message in code. The tap/coda idea was later used in "Ship Ahoy."
"Got a Bran' New Suit" describing getting dressed up for a date had Ethel Waters playing maid ; in song, Waters repeated her boyfriend's conversation, then left the stage while Eleanor tap danced; Waters returned in male attire to join the dance and reprise the lyrics.
Powell's last performance was on January 21, 1936 when after the performance she collapsed, claiming exhaustion. Business dropped ten thousand dollars during the first week of her absence. After recovery she returned to Hollywood to begin a long term contract with MGM studios.
Performing Arts Encyclopedia
http://www.loc.gov/performingarts
Schultz, Margie: Eleanor Powell: A Bio-Bibliography. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood (1994).
Tap Dance America
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/html/tda/tda-home.html
Eleanor Powell (biography)
loc.music.tdabio.152
tda
IHAS
151216
loc.music.tda.160