LUCKY STIFF

'''Lucky Stiff''' is a farcical musical comedy. It was the first collaboration for the musical theater team of Lynn Ahrens (book and lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty (music). The show is based on the 1983 novel ''The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo'' by Michael Butterworth. It was created and performed at Playwrights Horizons off-Broadway in 1988, and won the Richard Rodgers Award for that year. The original cast included Stuart Zagnit, Mary Testa, and Julie White.
In 1990, the show was presented regionally at the Olney Theater in Maryland, winning the Helen Hayes Award for Best Musical. The production starred Evan Pappas. A 1994 studio cast recording included Judy Blazer as Annabel, Jason Graae as Vinnie, Debbie Shapiro Gravitte as Dominique, Paul Kandel as Anthony, Pappas as Harry, Testa as Rita, Barbara Rosenblatt as the Landlady, Bruce Winant as the Boarder, and Patrick Quinn as the Monte Carlo Emcee.
In 1994, the musical had its British debut at the Theater Royal in Lincoln in the English midlands, and in 1997 it had a West End production, starring Frances Ruffelle, Paul Baker, and Tracie Bennett. It was revived for five performances as part of the York Theatre's ''Musicals in Mufti'' series in 2003, with Zagnit, Testa, and several of the other original Playwrights Horizons cast members, as well as Malcolm Gets as Harry and Janet Metz as Annabelle.
The show is occasionally performed at regional theaters, and the song "Times Like This " has become a standard for cabaret singers.

Contents

Synopsis

Major characters

Musical numbers

References

External links

Synopsis

;Prologue:
Ten characters warn the audience of the numerous plot twists to come. One of them, a man wearing dark glasses and silk pajamas, is murdered.
;Act I
British shoe salesman, Harry Witherspoon, who normally spends his Friday night taking inventory in the shoe shop and dreaming of a better life, suddenly finds himself the recipient of a six million dollar inheritance. Harry learns that an uncle he never met, Anthony Hendon, has left him this fortune on the condition that he take Uncle Anthony’s corpse on one last vacation to Monte Carlo. If Harry is unwilling to do it, the money will go to his Uncle's favorite charity, the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn.
Harry reluctantly accepts the challenge and travels to Monte Carlo with a cassette tape, a heart shaped box, and Uncle Anthony’s corpse. During his travels, he encounters Luigi Gaudi, a flashy Italian who offers to be his tour guide, and realizes that a mysterious young woman, is watching him and taking notes.
Meanwhile, in Atlantic City, an optometrist, Vinnie Di Ruzzio, is visited by his extremely near-sighted sister, Rita La Porta. Rita reveals to her brother that she has accidentally murdered her lover while not wearing her glasses; that the six million dollars in diamonds she and her lover had embezzled from her husband is gone; that her lover was Harry's Uncle Anthony; and that the heart-shaped box full of jewels is now en route to Monte Carlo! Rita also reveals to her shocked brother that she has implicated him in her schemes. Together, they embark for Monte Carlo to find Harry and retrieve the money before Rita's Mafioso husband does something nasty.
When Harry arrives in Monte Carlo and begins to take his uncle around, he realizes that he is being followed by a the young woman from the train. He confronts her and discovers that she is Annabel Glick, a representative of the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn. It appears that there is a loophole in Anthony’s will and she is there to compete with harry for the money. Harry vows not to relinquish it, and Annabel declares war. That same night, the three of them find themselves at a glamorous French nightclub where Uncle Anthony had arranged for a special surprise for Harry in the form of sexy performer Dominique du Monaco.
While Harry is having fun in the casino, Rita La Porta has disguised herself as a maid, and searches Harry's room for the diamonds. When Harry returns with Uncle Anthony, Rita quickly hides in the closet. Harry leaves the corpse in the hotel room, and goes gambling, followed by Miss Glick. Squinting from the closet, Rita can barely make out the shape of a man in a wheelchair. Rita tucks away her unbecoming glasses, and steps out to face Anthony Hendon. Harry Witherspoon is on a winning streak at the casino, when a livid Rita La Porta arrives. She has the corpse with her, as well as a gun. She has discovered that her lover is dead indeed. She wants the diamonds, and she intends to kill for them.
;Act II
Harry manages to break away from Rita. He and Annabel grab Uncle Anthony and run. Rita's gun goes off accidentally as her brother tries to restrain her, but Rita turns the crowd on Vinnie, and escapes after Harry.
Chaos ensues as Harry and Annabel try to hide from Rita and protect Uncle Anthony. In the fray, a drunken maid mistakes Uncle Anthony for the laundry and wheels him away. When Harry and Annabel discover him missing, they're frantic. If they can't find Uncle Anthony they'll lose everything! All around Monte Carlo, Annabel, Harry, Rita and Vinnie search for each other, the heart-shaped box and the missing corpse. During this sequence, Vinnie meets the shapely Dominique du Monaco, who is most interested in his search for the money.
Unable to locate Uncle Anthony, Annabel and Harry return to Harry's room. Their hopes have vanished. Harry and Annabel open a bottle of his Uncle's champagne, and let down their guard. Later that evening, they both wake up and are shocked to find themselves in bed together. Just as Annabel is about to leave, the drunk maid enters with Uncle Anthony. The celebration doesn’t last long as Rita LaPorta enters the room gun in hand. She is now wearing her glasses and realizes that the corpse is in fact not her lover, but a dead stranger.
There is a knock at the door. The mysterious Luigi Gaudi enters and proclaims that he is Uncle Anthony. He explains how the man in the chair was murdered and why Harry was dispatched to Monte Carlo. Uncle Anthony also reveals that the six million dollars in diamonds is actually sewn inside the corpse, and the heart-shaped box contains the heart of the dead man, whose last wish was that his heart be buried at sea. Now, Vinnie bursts into the room with Dominique du Monaco, both dressed as maids. Vinnie demands the diamonds, telling the group that he plans to start a new life in Europe with Dominique. Calmly, Rita hands him the heart-shaped box (containing the dead man's heart), and Vinnie and Dominique exit. Rita and Tony forgive each other; they take the diamond-laden corpse, and depart.
Harry and Annabel are left alone, with only Uncle's infallible system for roulette, an all-expense paid week in Monte Carlo, and each other. Harry locks the door. And in a rare moment for both of them, he and Annabel decide to stay on together for Uncle's all-expense paid week, and see what happens.

Major characters

★ Harry Witherspoon (a shy, British shoe salesman)

★ Annabel Glick (a representative of the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn)

★ Rita LaPorta (a hard-edged and severely nearsighted woman)

★ Uncle Anthony; Luigi Gaudi (Harry's uncle; a mysterious Italian)

★ Vinnie Di Ruzzio (Rita La Porta's brother; an optometrist)

★ Dominique du Monaco (a French nightclub singer)

★ Landlady (of Harry's apartment house)

★ Boarder (A tenant in Harry's apartment house)

★ Monte Carlo Emcee

Musical numbers

;Act ★ Something Funny's Going On ★ Mr. Witherspoon's Friday Night ★ Rita's Confession ★ Good To Be Alive ★ Lucky ★ Dogs Versus You ★ A Day Around Town (Dance) ★ Phone Call ★ Monte Carlo ★ Speaking French ★ Times Like This ★ Fancy Meeting You Here ★ Finale Act One

;Act II ★ Something Funny's Going On (Reprise) ★ Him, Them, It, Her ★ Nice ★ Welcome Back, Mr. Witherspoon (Harry's Nightmare) ★ A Woman In My Bathroom ★ Nice (Reprise) ★ Confession #2 ★ Finale

References

★ Lucky Stiff synopsis

★ Profile of the show

★ Extensive information about the show

★ ''New Yorker''. May 9, 1988, volume 64, no. 12, p.100

★ ''Variety''. May 25, 1988, volume 331, no.5, p.104

★ ''Washington Times''. May 8, 1989 p. E1 ("Musical is Lucky for theatergoers")

★ ''Baltimore Sun''. May 9, 1989. p. 3C. ("Olney's delightfully zany 'Lucky Stiff'")

★ ''Washington Post''. May 12, 1989. p. D4. ("Live Wire 'Lucky Stiff'")

External links

★ Lucky Stiff libretto

★ Program notes

★ Review of the London production