The Pajama Game - History
In 1932 Richard Bissell (of the Bissell Carpet Sweepers' Family, Iowa) wrote a book '7 1/2 Cents' about the struggle of workers in an Iowa Pajama Factory to gain their entitled 7 1/2 cents pay rise. being a subject dear to the hearts of many, this achieved some success and attracted the attention of George Abbott and Richard Adler, who were searching for a new 'angle' on the stage musical. Bissell's book was rewritten as a stage play and Jerry Ross collaborated with Adler on music and lyrics. And so the most unusual musical comedy yet to appear hit the stage.
The Pajama Game had it all: romance, farce, caricatures - a hint of reality and the common touch; the every day familiar problems of post war 1950s workers; and most of all, colour and movement with a few surprises thrown in.
With an unexperienced director, Hal Prince, and a fresh new choreographer, Bob Fosse, The Pajama Game opened in New Haven in Holy Week (not to be recommended) and was an instant sell out. Soon it transferred to Broadway with the original Sid (John Raitt - who recently had Billy Bigelow in Carousel written for him).
In 1955 The Pajama Game scooped Tony Awards both for Best Score and Best Musical. (Cole Porter declared it one of the best written).
The Pajama Game opened in London with a British cast including Max Wall as Hines, Arthur Lowe as Max and Edmund Hockridge as Sid (who achieved a chart topping hit with 'Hey There').
1956 saw the same team making musical theatre history by winning the same two Tony Awards for Damn Yankees (also based on a novel: this time set in the world of baseball, a quirky retelling of the Faust legend).
Sadly, just after Damn Yankees opened, Ross died of respratory failure, aged only 29. Despite encouragement from Cole Porter to attempt both music and lyrics alone ('It's easy - I do it every day!'), Adler never wrote another hit song.
In 1997 The Pajama Game was filmed, keeping Fosse's brilliant choreography, but cutting out much of the parody, farce and raunchiness to suit the censor. Doris Day starred as Babe, with Raitt remaining as Sid. Damn Yankees followed in 1958, also losing it's original 'umph'. Both films were great successes.
In 1958 Bissell collaborated with Abe Burrows to write
The Pajama Game remains a firm favourite in amateur circles, appearing as frequently as Grease in US college listings.
A brilliant new Broadway production has just won the 2006 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.
So it would appear that 'this is a very serious drama' after all!
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