The original Broadway production of Mame, starring Tony Award winner Angela Lansbury in the title role, opened May 24, 1966, at the Winter Garden Theatre. The musical, an adaptation of the 1955 novel Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis, was directed by Gene Saks and choreographed by Onna White. It played five previews and 1,508 performances before closing on January 3, 1970. The production earned eight Tony Award nominations, including for Best Musical; Lansbury, co-star Bea Arthur, and co-star Frankie Michaels all took home awards for their performances. At age 11, Michaels remains the youngest Tony Award winner in history.
With music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and a book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, Mame tells the story of Roaring Twenties socialite Mame Dennis, who teaches her orphaned nephew the nature of free living and free thinking. She attempts to keep him from the clutches of the uptight world of his late father's estate executor and, later, his fiancée.
Lansbury starred as Mame Dennis, with Arthur as Vera Charles and Michaels as 10-year-old Dennis. For a complete list of the opening night cast and crew, check out PlaybillVault.com/Mame.
Flip through photos of the original production below:
