First Impressions: A Broadway Show About Pride and Prejudice That is Barely Remembered

Seen on the blogosphere is this quote from Theater Mania about the 1958-1959 season:

"One of the season's short-lived shows was First Impressions, a musical version of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, in which Polly Bergen took over the lead role of Elizabeth Bennett three weeks before opening. "I replaced Gisele MacKenzie and had to learn the score very fast," she told me. "Farley Granger [who played Mr. Darcy] and Hermione Gingold [who played Mrs. Bennett] were not singers, so I carried the vocal load of the show. It was a vicious dog-eat-dog atmosphere."

The action took place in the early 19th Century, causing one critic to snipe that "Polly Bergen is about as period as Mickey Mantle." She had the critique framed and hung above her desk. "I learn more from bad reviews than good ones. Everything was rushed; the last thing I gave any thought to was that it took place in 1813! It was a horrific experience, and I thought that was what Broadway was. But it's really the medium I love."

"As Darcy, Hollywood's Farley Granger is the stuff telephone poles are made of."

Here's more about Polly Bergen in an interview that Jane Austen would have appreciated for its satiric humor:

Polly Bergen. First Impressions. NYC (Photo: Polly Bergen, Stuart Hodes)
At the first full cast rehearsal, when Polly Bergen came in I recognized her perfume.

"Aah, Vent Vert!"
She stopped. "How come you know?"
"It's my favorite. I bought some in Paris."
I'd bought a bottle in Paris but had first sniffed it on Air France which had a full bottle in every john. I decided not to share that detail with Bergen.
The next day when Bergen arrived she approached, leaned close, and said, "Okay, what's this?"
I had no idea. "Chanel Number 5."
"No."
I took another sniff. "I got it! Pissoir d'amour."
She gave me a faint smile. "You're quite an expert."— Stuart Hodes



One may purchase the cast album on Amazon.com today for around a whopping $90. The following is an Al Hirschfeld cartoon of Polly Bergen in 1958.

• 1959 Time Magazine Review of the Play

• Click here for our other post about First Impressions

Seen on the Blogosphere: Jane Austen Musicals

Rounds enjoy a wonderful tradition in music. One of my favorites is "Row, row, row your boat." My most recent favorite round is the information going around the blogosphere about Jane Austen musicals. Here then are a few items of interest.

• Jane's Austen's Emma Becomes a Musical, San Francisco Chronicle: Pride and Prejudice, the musical is mentioned at the end of this article: In Mill Valley, composer-lyricist Rita Abrams and author Josie Brown have put "Pride and Prejudice" to music and are using their Web site, www.prideandprejudicemusical.com, to attract a theatrical producer. The complete song available this week is Changing World, when Jane falls ill and must stay at Netherfield. The song is sung by Bingley and Jane, who are falling in love, and Darcy, who is bewitched by Elizabeth's fine eyes, and Elizabeth, who is hopeful for Jane. It's a lovely tune, full of the pathos of falling in love with a little fear and trepidation.
  

• Keep Breath to Cool Your Porridge - And I Shall Keep Mine to Swell My Song from Austen Blog. This post about all the recent musicals written from Jane Austen novels contains a comment that there was a Broadway musical made in the 1950's called First Impressions. It starred Farley Granger and Polly Bergen. For more information about this musical and to listen to 30 sec. samples, click on this article at the Jane Austen Center here.
  

First Impressions

First Impressions is a fan listing created for fans of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett. Click here to view the site and join as a fan, or to download a code and link the site to your own website.

The first two rules on the site are explicit:

1. you must be a fan of the relationship between Lizzy and Darcy

2. this is not a fan listing for Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle, Keira Knightley or Matthew Macfadyen