| Portofino | |
| Music: | Louis Bellson Will Irwin |
| Lyrics: | Richard Ney Sheldon Harnick |
| Productions: | 1958 Broadway |
Portofino is a musical with a book by Richard Ney (who also served as producer), lyrics by Ney and Sheldon Harnick, and music by Louis Bellson and Will Irwin.[1]
In his book on Broadway The Season William Goldman called it a famous flop musical.[2]
Set in a piazza in the Italian resort town of Portofino, the convoluted plot involves auto-racing duke Nicky; his Texan rival Kitty; his granddaughter Angela, a practicing witch; the local padre; and his look-alike Guido, an emissary from the devil.[3]
When critics crucified the show during its Philadelphia tryout, Ney, the producer, democratically left it to the cast to decide if they should continue to New York City. They voted to go.[3]
The Broadway production, directed by Karl Genus and choreographed by Charles Weidman and Ray Harrison with lighting by Lee Watson, opened on February 21, 1958, at the Adelphi Theatre, where it ran for three performances. The cast included Georges Guétary as Nicky, Helen Gallagher as Kitty, Jan Chaney as Angela, and Robert Strauss as both the padre and Guido.[1] [3] It got a number of negative reviews.[4]
Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops by Ken Mandelbaum, published by St. Martin's Press (1991)