Hollywood Pinafore (or The Lad Who Loved a Salary)
(1945)
Book and Lyrics by George S. Kaufman
Music by Sir Arthur Sullivan
Cast size: 10 men, 10 women. Unit set.
Kaufman had always been a Gilbert and Sullivan fan and when a fellow card-player once murmured a bit of doggerel to a bit of HMS Pinafore—”He nodded his head and never said no,/And now he’s the head of the studio”—Kaufman was inspired. He used the tunes of Sir Arthur Sullivan and, for the first time in his career, wrote the lyrics as well as the libretto to a new musical.
For performance rights, contact: Broadway Licensing
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The Plot
In Kaufman’s hysterical reimagining of the world of Gilbert and Sullivan on a Hollywood studio lot, this musical captures the broad personalities, the social satire, the plot contrivances and unforgettable music from the D’Oyly Carte days. Joseph Porter is the bumbling head of Pinafore Pictures wants to be married to screen idol Brenda Blossom, who’d far prefer to marry the poor but well-meaning script writer Ralph Rackstraw.
Faced with the terrible prospect of being poor and having to earn her living acting on a stage—“And should you give a bad performance upon the stage, the critics will actually say so in print,” warns her agent, Dick Live-Eye—Brenda is in despair. But, at the final curtain, all is saved when movie columnist Louhedda Hopsons reveals that through a mix-up in her column, it is Rackstraw who should be studio chief, while Porter is demoted to being a lowly screenwriter. Fade-out, the end.
About the Play
Kaufman had always been a Gilbert and Sullivan fan and when a fellow card-player once murmured a bit of doggerel to a bit of HMS Pinafore—“He nodded his head and never said no,/And now he’s the head of the studio”—Kaufman was inspired. He used the tunes of Sir Arthur Sullivan and, for the first time in his career, wrote the lyrics as well as the libretto to a new musical.
Although Kaufman got some heat from the press for returning the scene of previous Hollywood satires, Pinafore remains fresh and imaginative. A great companion piece to the operettas of G&S, Pinafore works brilliantly for those who know the original pieces and just as well for audiences encountering the songs for the first time.
Stage history
Hollywood Pinafore opened on May 31, 1945 at the Alvin Theater. It ran 52 performances.
Other Plays in the Catalogue
An unusual and sophisticated show, written by some of the finest talents of the musical theater, with material far ahead of its time. Park Avenue is a small-scale farce involving the dangers of apparent serial monogamy among New York's upper classes.
Strike Up the Band opened on January 14, 1930 at the Times Square Theater and ran 191 performances. In 1990, the 1927 book was restored, in collaboration with a Nonesuch/Roxbury recording of all the variants of both versions. The 1927 version was staged by ENCORES! at City Center in 2000 and that version is available for performance.
Throughout his career, Kaufman made a fine art out of the revue sketch, the most popular theatrical form on Broadway in the 1920s and early 1930s. Several of his sketches are absolute classics and they can be singly or as part of a larger evening.
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Contact Us Today
Interested in bringing George S. Kaufman’s timeless plays to your stage?
Please refer to the contact information for each specific play on the various collection pages for direct amateur and professional licensing information.
Plays are represented by Concord Theatricals, Broadway Dramatic Licensing, and Music Theatre International respectively
If you are interested in first-class performance or film/television rights:
In the US, George S. Kaufman’s plays are represented by:
CPK Artists, LLC
In the UK, George S. Kaufman’s plays are represented by:
Alan Brodie Representation
For more information about George S. Kaufman or this website, contact:
Laurence Maslon
Literary Trustee, George S. Kaufman Estate
