Listening to the original cast album of 1960's âGreenwillowâ you might wonder why this Frank Loesser musical failed to become as popular as his âGuys and Dollsâ, âHow To Succeed In Businessâ, or âThe Most Happy Fellaâ, all of which have remained part of our our musical theatre repertoire. As was his usual practice, Loesser wrote music, lyrics and the book for the show, based on the best-selling novel by B.J. Chute. âGreenwillowâ is the story of a mystical, magical town where the Briggs men are cursed with wanderlust. Vowing to avoid his fate, Gideon Briggs decides he will never marry or have children, despite his obvious infatuation with villager Dorrie. Lerner and Loewe turned down the chance to musicalize the story (too âBrigadoonâ-like?) and Loesser took the opportunity with screenwriter Lesser Samuels. The show would also be the musical theatre debut of actor Anthony Perkins. On the strength of Loesser and Perkins' involvement, the show easily banked a healthy pre-sale. The show also starred Pert Kelton, who was fresh from playing Mrs. Paroo in âThe Music Manâ, a role she would reprise in the film version. Film star Perkins insisted on director George Roy Hill, who he had worked with on Broadway's âLook Homeward, Angelâ three years earlier. Joe Layton took care of the musical staging - strong support as Hill (like Perkins) was new to the genre. The only bump in a Philadelphia try-out was replacement of the leading lady. The show evicted âOnce Upon A Mattressâ to get the Alvin Theatre where it opened to decidedly mixed reviews. As expected, critics were thrilled with the new Loesser score, but less than happy about the fanciful book and its tricky tone. Based on its healthy pre-sale the show ran for 97 performances, scoring six Tony nominations, but taking home none. Interestingly, Perkins was filming âPsychoâ on one coast while rehearsing âGreenwillowâ on the other. While his double was stabbing Janet Leigh in the famous shower scene, Perkins was actually in New York City singing âNever Will I Marryâ. Little did audiences know that Perkins was having a relationship with Grover Dale, who played Andrew in the show. Mirroring his character Gideon Briggs, Perkins did eventually marry and have a family in 1973, the same year Dale married Anita Morris (âThe Best Little Whorehouse in Texasâ). Another talented boyfriend of Perkins' was Stephen Sondheim, with whom he did his second musical, TV's âEvening Primroseâ in 1966.
