| Genre: | musical comedy |
| Director: | Joe Layton |
| Starring: | Norman Wisdom Noel Coward |
| Composer: | Richard Rogers |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Executive Producer: | Marc Merson |
| Runtime: | 90 mins |
| Company: | NBC |
| Network: | NBC |
Androcles and the Lion is a 1967 American TV special. It is a musical adaptation of the George Bernard Shaw play Androcles and the Lion.[1]
It was adapted by Peter Stone and directed by Joe Layton. The songs were by Richard Rodgers.
Androcles, a simple-hearted Christian tailor, becomes friends with a lion by removing a thorn from his paw.
Later, the lion saves Androcles and his friends from martyrdom in the Roman Colosseum.
NBC approached Richard Rodgers to write the music and he decided to be his own lyricist. Peter Stone, who wrote the book, said "It is amazing how many opportunities the play offers for musical comedy. I have added no new scenes although there are certain expansions to allow for musicalization. And I have not created any new characters. Shaw, who wrote the play 52 years ago, used contemporary language. There are no anachronisms and the jokes he used were modern."[1]
The Shaw estate had to approve any changes to the text.[2]
The show was taped in a studio in Brooklyn. Peter Stone felt the problem with the production was the direction of Joe Layton, whom Rogers trusted. "He was very gifted and extremely smart and articulate, but what he always wanted was that a show be conceived by Joe Layton, and he came up with a conception that hurt Androcles terribly," said Stone. The writer said "he did it in such a way that there were no close-ups. It was all far away, and somehow it just had no energy. You couldn't cut it, because there was nothing to cut it against. Just these endless long shots, which on television in those days looked like little tiny figures."
The Los Angeles Times called it "toothless".[3] The New York Times said it "took unhappy toll of varied talents" and "wavered disconcertingly in its indecision over whether to be serious or to have fun" with a "lack of light touch in the staging".[4]
Stone said "It was a failure, which was a shame because I thought the show as written was pretty good. First of all, it was a Shaw play, and how wrong can you get? And I thought Dick wrote some pretty good numbers in the Hammerstein mold."[5]
Noel Coward later wrote in his diary "Joe Layton directed it very well, everyone was extremely nice, but I didn't enjoy any of it. I hate television anyway. It has all the nervous pressures of a first night with none of the response. However, I was apparently very good. "[6]
Wisdom wrote in his memoirs, "it was an unusual role for me. No-one in Britain in a million years would have cast me as Androcles, but unexpected things happen in America. I enjoyed it — and I sang several numbers, including ‘Velvet Paws’ which was a nice catchy little piece. The show went out as planned, with an excellent critical reaction."[7]
Richard Rodgers wrote in his memoirs, "The show itself didn't come off well, I'm afraid, but it did give me the chance to be professionally associated with Noel Coward, who played Julius Caesar as a wickedly charming Noel Coward."[8]
A soundtrack album was released.