Production Info

Previews: April 21, 1959 (2 previews)
Opening April 23, 1959
Closing: June 18, 1960
Length of Run: 472 perf.
Run Type: Open-ended

Location Info

Market: Broadway
Location: New York, NY

Credits Highlights

See full list

...

Director and Choreographer

Michael Kidd

Cast

... Frenchy	Dolores Gray
... Wash	Jack Prince
... Gyp Watson (Kent's Gang)	Marc Breaux
... Bugs Watson (Kent's Gang)	Swen Swenson
... Rockwell (Kent's Gang)	George Reeder
... Mayor Slade	Don McHenry
... Kent	Scott Brady
... Chloe	Libi Staiger
... Destry	Andy Griffith
... Clara	Rosetta LeNoire

See full list

Musical Numbers

Act One

Bottleneck .... Patrons of the Last Chance Saloon
Ladies .... Frenchy and Girls
Hoop-de-Dingle .... Wash and Patrons of the Saloon
Tomorrow Morning .... Destry
Ballad of the Gun .... Destry and Wash
The Social .... Townspeople of Bottleneck, Gyp, Bugs and Rockwell
I Know Your Kind .... Frenchy
I Hate Him .... Frenchy
Paradise Alley .... Cowboys and the Rose Lovejoy Girls
Anyone Would Love You .... Destry and Frenchy
Once Knew a Fella .... Destry, Wash and Friends
Every Once in a While .... Gyp, Bugs, Rockwell, Cowboys and Saloon Girls
Fair Warning .... Frenchy

Act Two

Are You Ready, Gyp Watson? .... Friends of Gyp Watson
Not Guilty .... The Jury
Only Time Will Tell .... Destry
Respectability .... Rose Lovejoy and Girls
That Ring on the Finger .... Frenchy and Girls
Once Knew a Fella (Reprise) .... Destry and Frenchy
I Say Hello .... Frenchy

Additional Musical Numbers Lists

These song lists document any changes that the production went through aside from the opening night song list.

Out of Town Song List (4/1/1959)

Trivia & History

On opening night, the only standby or understudy listed in the playbill was Libi Staiger for the role of Frenchy. Staiger’s credit would only have been noticed by people who scoured their playbills. After the bios, on the page with “Staff for David Merrick,” “Staff for ‘Destry Rides Again,” and various other additional credits, her standby assignment was mentioned: “In the event of Miss Gray’s absence, the part of Frenchy will be played by Miss Libi Staiger.”

As the run went on, understudies were listed for other roles. The listings followed the list of musical numbers (the usual place at the time for most Broadway musicals). The same wording quoted above was used for Staiger, and it appeared above the list of understudies for other roles.