VICTOR BORGE

papermoon4:

COMEDY IN MUSIC

I love this poster! First because of its aesthetic appeal. This color teal (it photographed slightly more green) is rarely used in design and it is beautifully offset with burgundy text. The layout is also striking in the use of negative space which dominates the top half, and contrasts with the bottom-heavy composition. The black and white caricature of Victor Borge is by George Wachsteter (1911-2014).

About Victor Borge

Børge Rosenbaum (1909-2000), known professionally as Victor Borge, was a Danish-born comedian, conductor, and pianist who achieved great popularity in radio and television in the United States and Europe. His style was epitomized by his audience interaction, his mash-ups of classical and pop songs, and his comedy bits like “phonetic punctuation” and “inflammatory language”. In addition to his Broadway engagements, he toured extensively performing live world-wide as well as doing television and radio. His blend of music and comedy earned him the nicknames “The Clown Prince of Denmark,“ "The Unmelancholy Dane," and "The Great Dane."

About This Poster

Victor Borge’s “Comedy In Music” is the longest running one-man show on Broadway. Between October 1953 and January 1956 (with two summer breaks) he racked up 849 performances! However… this poster is not from that run.

This poster is actually from Victor Borge’s “Comedy in Music Opus 2″ – a new edition – that played at the same theatre from November 1964 to April 1965. I have no idea why they did not bill it as such, but that is how it is distinguished in record-keeping. He brought the show back yet again in 1977, this time at the Imperial Theatre, for a special engagement that lasted just a month.

This 1964-65 engagement was produced by Alexander H. Cohen, who in 1959 founded something called Nine O’Clock Theatre. The goal was to present first class shows and entertainments on Broadway that started at 9:00pm so that theatre-goers did not have to rush through dinner! The endeavor was launched by showman Cohen by hosting a huge carnival in Shubert Alley – complete with a Ferris Wheel, games, prizes, and celebrities. Lucille Ball was one of the ticket-sellers! The experiment lasted until 1968 and featured shows by Nichols and May, “Beyond the Fringe”, Marlene Dietrich, and Maurice Chevalier.

This time, Borge did his one-man show with help from Leonid Hambro (1920-2006), who was an accomplished American pianist.that performed with Borge from 1961 to 1970, and occasionally throughout the remainder of Borge’s career. As with most of the performers Borge worked with (singers included) their job was to serve the music, and leave the comedy to the maestro.

While in the original, lighting and settings were credited to Borge himself – this time noted scenic designer Ralph Alswang (1916-1979) was hired.

From 1942 to 1977, Alswang produced designs for nearly 100 Broadway productions, and even had his hand in architectural design with the Gershwin Theatre.

Alswang also designed several houses in Westport, Connecticut, where he lived, including the home of Paul Newman. In fact, when “I Love Lucy” writers were looking for a Connecticut town to relocate the Ricardos to in 1956, Alswang and his wife Betty volunteered to give them a guided tour of Westport, pointing out the local points of interest as well as historical past of the town. In return for his kindness, the writers named the Ricardo’s neighbors Ralph and Betty in their honor.

About Me & Borge

In 1997, I got to see Victor Borge perform at Paper Mill Playhouse, where I was working at the time, in a one-night concert. He was booked during our production of “Man of La Mancha” so he actually performed in Don Quixote’s dismal cell, his grand piano looking quite out of place among the cold grey stones. Because it was sold out, I was sitting on the stage, out of sight, hidden in one of the crevices of the cell normally occupied by the prisoners of the Spanish Inquisition! It was a bit awkward but Borge was worth it. I can still remember his “phonetic punctuation” routine and how hard it made me laugh.