John Murray Anderson's Almanac

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Cast Highlights

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Prologue

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Act One

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Act Two

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Additional Musical Numbers Lists

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

• From week of April 5, 1954

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Early in the run, three cast members left the production:

• Harry Mimmo, an eccentric dancer and comedian who had a number in the second act (and was also in the opening number), left at the end of the first week. His second-act numbrer was not replaced; there was simply one less number. On December 14, 1953, it was mentioned in the New York Times that he had left the production because "he wasn't happy with his chores" in the show.
• Next was Kay Medford, who left to appear in a new play, Lullaby. She left by the end of December or in early January. She had appeared in three sketches. She was replaced in two of those by Alice Pearce. In the third, the other woman in the sketch, Colleen Hutchins, took over Medford's role, and Pearce took over Hutchins's role. At some point in the run, Pearce also became the understudy for Hermione Gingold. She got much better billing than Medford had received.
• Third to leave was Polly Bergen, who had the most prominent billing of the three performers who left early in the run. On January 14, 1954, it was reported in the New York Times that Bergen was taking time off to "rest a strained throat," and that Celia Lipton (another cast member) would be replacing her. It's not clear from the article if Bergen had already left, but it seems likely that she had. She never returned to the production. At some point, perhaps when it became clear that she was returning, one of the solos that she had originally sung, "My Love Is a Wanderer," was cut.

Tony Bavaar joined the cast on February 8, 1954. At some point (possibly starting with his first performance), a new number featuring Bavaar, "Anema e Core," was added, perhaps to compensate for the cutting of "My Love Is a Wanderer."

A singer named Judy Lynn joined the cast at some point and was given some of Bergen's material. Two of Bergen's solos, "I Dare to Dream" and "The Earth and the Sky," became duets for Bavaar and Lynn. Lynn also performed "Fini," another song originally performed by Bergen.

Bavaar had still more to do in the production when Harry Belafonte left the production at the end of May. Starting on May 31, Bavaar took over at least some, perhaps all, of Belafonte's numbers.

Main Run

• Imperial Theatre (New York, NY)
  12/10/1953 - 6/26/1954

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Tryout Dates

• S
  Shubert Theatre (Boston, MA)
  11/5/1953 - 12/5/1953

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