Description :

Forty-Sixth Street Theatre Playbill – Finian’s Rainbow Musical Legend

This rare and authentic Playbill from the Forty-Sixth Street Theatre’s celebrated 1947 production of Finian’s Rainbow is a sparkling relic of Broadway’s golden age. The show opened on January 10, 1947, and ran for 725 performances, enchanting audiences with its whimsical narrative and sharp social commentary. The production starred Ella Logan as Sharon McLonergan, Donald Richards as Woody Mahoney, David Wayne as Og the Leprechaun, and Albert Sharpe as Finian McLonergan. Supporting performances came from William LeMassena as Senator Billboard Rawkins, Mabel King as Susan the Silent, and Jane Kean as Miss Duffy. Ensemble contributions included future stage greats Jerry Orbach, Robert Guillaume, Avon Long, and Barbara Cook, adding enduring legacy to this landmark show.

Directed by Bretaigne Windust, with musical staging by the legendary Michael Kidd, the book was penned by E.Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, with music by Burton Lane and lyrics by Harburg. The orchestra was conducted by Don Walker, with orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett and dance music arranged by Ray Cook. Visual splendor was shaped by scenic and costume designer Loudon Sainthill, lighting expert Jean Rosenthal, and wigs crafted by Paul Huntley. Costume designs for Ella Logan were specially created by Irene Sharaff, bringing couture whimsy to Sharon’s character.

Backstage, the production was managed by John Fearnley, with Robert Fryer as stage manager and David Merrick as associate. Producers Lee Sabinson and William Katzell mounted the show with remarkable dedication, supported by casting director Michael Shurtleff, press agents Harvey Sabinson, Lee Solters, and Leo Stern, and advertising services from Lawrence Weiner and Associates. The Forty-Sixth Street Theatre, now known as the Richard Rodgers Theatre, hosted this enchanting blend of music and magic with timeless flair.

Included is a stunning blue Orchestra section ticket for Tuesday Evening, July 1948, marked “P 111”, issued by the N.Y. Globe Ticket Co., Inc., and priced at exactly $6.00—a rare glimpse into the accessible elegance of mid-century Broadway. This ticket, beautifully aged with typographic precision, pairs seamlessly with the monochrome-printed, saddle-stitched Playbill featuring a period-specific illustration that evokes the show’s fantastical themes.

This set is not a reproduction but a genuine, performance-issued artifact, ideal for collectors of Broadway ephemera, admirers of Finian’s Rainbow, and scholars chronicling the socio-cultural textures of 1940s American musical theatre.

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