About the Play:

On the Twentieth Century is a full-length drama by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, with music by Cy Coleman. A down on his luck Broadway producer struggles to convince his former muse and lover, now a successful film actress, to return to Broadway to star in his latest production, while dealing with her jealous new lover and a religious fanatic aboard a luxury train, in this musical adaptation of the play Twentieth Century.

On the Twentieth Century is a screwball comedy with book and lyrics by the team behind Singing in the Rain. Set in the 1920s, it focuses on egomaniacal theatre producer Oscar Jaffee and his volatile personal and professional relationship with the arrogant film actress Lily Garland. After four flops in a row, Jaffee is facing ruin. He books a suite on the luxury train the Twentieth Century Limited, heading from Chicago to New York City. Also on board are his former flame Garland and her new beau, narcissistic heartthrob Bruce Granit. Jaffee hopes he can lure Garland back to the stage and salvage his sinking career. She is just as determined to escape his charm and a battle of wits begins.

On the Twentieth Century premiered in 1978 on Broadway at the St. James Theatre in New York City, winning five Tony Awards. The show was revived in 2015 to acclaim on Broadway starring Kristin Chenoweth and has become a popular choice for school and community theatre productions.

Cast: 5 women, 12 men

What people say:

"A rare delight: a musical that tells a story and does so with delicious wit. A hilarious American sequel to My Fair Lady." — Hartford Courant

"From harmonizing and tap-dancing porters to elaborately staged numbers and many bits of physical comedy in between, the show is a nonstop delight." — The New York Post

About the Playwright:

In a partnership spanning nearly 60 years, the musical-comedy duo Betty Comden (1917-2006) and Adolph Green (1914-2002) wrote the scripts and lyrics for some of the most beloved and successful Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows of the mid-20th century. They wrote what is possibly the wittiest and most consistently amusing of all musical screenplays, Singin' in the Rain, and their other successes included such shows as On the Twentieth Century.