The production closed on Broadway on January 6, 1991. As discussed in this article in the New York Times, it was to open in London, with Tyne Daly as Rose (along with at least some other members of the Broadway cast), in late spring 1991. After the Persian Gulf War started, the London production was put on hold. Instead, the production re-opened for a limited run at the Marriott Marquis on April 18, 1991. The hope was that the production would go to London in the fall, but that never happened.
When the production opened, the playbill's cast list did not include The Cow. At some time fairly early in the run, The Cow was added to the list. Listed as playing The Cow were Crista Moore, Barbara Folts, Robin Robinson, Paul Geraci, and Alec Timerman.
There was some staging during the overture in this production. When the overture started, the curtain went up, revealing a scrim, behind which we saw the backstage in a theatre, with a worklight on the stage.
As the transition from “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” to “You’ll Never Get Away from Me” started, a man entered and took the worklight offstage. Then he walked to various parts of the stage, miming that he was checking lights (and the lights cooperated in helping us to undersand what he was doing). He clapped his hands just before the brass started up with “Funny, you’re a stranger who’s come here.” Then another man entered. During the famous horn transition, the first man turned to face the stage-right wings as he walked backward away from stage right toward stage left, gesturing toward someone off stage right. Then he exited stage left.
Meanwhile, the second man (whom we would soon see playing Georgie in the first scene) had been looking at what appeared to be some note cards in his hands. Then Uncle Jocko entered and talked to Georgie, miming a little dance and making a gesture clearly intended to indicate that he was talking about a curvaceous woman. Then Uncle Jocko exited stage left and Georgie exited stage right.
At this point, the strip music began. A little girl (whom we would soon see as a contestant in Uncle Jocko’s show) entered with her mother. They both looked up as the Uncle Jocko's Kiddie Show flat came down from the flies. The little girl mimed getting very excited, jumping up and down. Then the show curtain came down as the orchestra went into “Mr. Goldstone."
