Three O. Henry Stories Merged Into One Musical, O. Henry's Lovers, at Goodspeed

By Kenneth Jones
November 13, 2003

O. Henry's Lovers, a musical merging three short stories by the American writer famed for his surprise twist endings, begins Nov. 13 and continues to Dec. 7 at the Norma Terris Theatre — Goodspeed Musicals' developmental space — in Chester, Connecticut.

The musical by Joe DiPietro (book and lyrics) and Michael Valenti (music) is directed by Gordon Greenberg. O. Henry's Lovers was seen in showcase form at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's Festival of New Musicals five years ago in Manhattan and was subsequently produced at American Stage Festival in Teaneck, New Jersey in 1999 (Angela Christian, who created the role of Miss Dorothy in Broadway's Thoroughly Modern Millie, was part of the company).

The Goodspeed Musicals cast includes John Braden (Broadway's Ah, Wilderness! and Our Town), Emily Rabon Hall (Broadway's Follies), Celia Keenan-Bolger (Summer of '42), Megan Lawrence (Urinetown), Amanda Naughton (Into the Woods, The Secret Garden), Richard Roland (Broadway's Follies revival) and Joe Vincent (Goodspeed's King of Hearts, Broadway's The Elephant Man).

The show draws on O. Henry's "Tobin's Palm," "The Last Leaf" and "Schools and Schools" to ask the question, "If you loved someone — truly loved someone — would you fight to keep them?"

According to Goodspeed production notes, "On the streets of Washington Square in the early 1900s, all is right in Barbara's world until her orphaned cousin comes to town. All is right in Sue's world until illness threatens the love of her life. These women can fight for love, but can they fight fate?"

Christopher Gattelli choreographs. DiPietro is known for his smash-hit revue, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change and the new Off-Broadway musical, The Thing About Men. He's rewriting the libretto of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Allegro for Signature Theatre in Arlingtin, VA.

Valenti is composer, arranger and conductor for the Emmy Award-winning television series "A Walk Through the 20th Century."

For ticket information, call (860) 873-8668 or visit www.goodspeed.org.

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On the stage of Goodspeed Opera House, the flagship theatre of Goodspeed Musicals, in East Haddam, CT, is a revised version of Dorothy Fields and Arthur Schwartz's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.