Coco (musical)

Coco is a 1969

Lerner had assured the designer his book would cover only the early years of her life and career, and she was distressed when the plan was jettisoned to accommodate the older star. The highly fictionalized book and score underwent massive revisions and were far from complete when Hepburn concluded filming on The Madwoman of Chaillot, at which time she was scheduled to begin work on the show, and Coco was postponed a season while its creators worked on it.

The six-week rehearsal period finally began in September 1969. Cecil Beaton's set proved to be a complicated piece of machinery that frequently malfunctioned and was difficult for the cast to maneuver, and the final scene required a troublesome coordination of mirrors, platforms, runways, and flashing lights. Hepburn insisted the theater's thermostat be set at 60 degrees and the exterior doors left open, and most of the cast became ill due to the unusually cold fall weather.

Synopsis

Set between early autumn of 1953 and late spring of 1954, fashion designer

A cast recording was released by Paramount Records in 1970. It was reissued on CD by MCA Records in 1997.

Production

After 40 previews, the Broadway production opened on December 18, 1969, at the

During the autumn of 1971, Ginger Rogers starred in a stock tour of Coco that played the Westbury Music Festival, the South Shore Music Circus and the Valley Forge Music Fair. The tour was directed by Fred Hebert and choreographed by Larry Fuller.^[4]

Coco was produced as a staged concert by 42nd Street Moon in San Francisco in April and May 2008, starring Andrea Marcovicci in the title role. The production played for a total of 16 performances. It was directed by Mark D. Kaufmann and choreographed by Jayne Zaban.^[5] Marcovicci revisited the role in September 2010 for the show's first New York revival as part of the York Theatre Company's Musicals in Mufti.

Coco was presented in London's Sadler's Wells, in 2011, as part of the Lost Musicals project. Ian Marshall Fisher directed, Chris Walker, music director. Coco was played by Sara Kestelman and cast included Edward Petherbridge.^[6]

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

Notes

References

• A Remarkable Woman: A Biography of Katharine Hepburn by
  ISBN 0-688-04528-6
  )

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• Internet Broadway Database listing
• Katharine Hepburn papers -- Letter from Katharine Hepburn about use of bad language in Coco!