On Broadway

Encountered a photo of Sammy Davis Jr which reminded me I'd seen him on Broadway as a child.  Thought I'd search my memory for the Broadway plays my parents took me to see as a child.  Living an hour train ride from Grand Central made it possible.  Here's what I've been able to come up with.

The first Broadway play I saw was The Music Man which ran from December 1957 to April 1961.  My guess is we saw it late in its run.  I thought the songs were great but have little specific memory of the show.

The next three were all in the 1964-5 time period.

I'm pretty sure Fiddler on the Roof was mandatory attendance for every Jewish family in the New York City metro area.  It was a thrilling, funny and moving show.  I remember some of the musical numbers but most of all the presence of Zero Mostel as Tevye.  We were pretty far back in the theater but he dominated the proceedings even from far away.  Here he is performing If I Were A Rich Man at the 1965 Tony Awards. The original production ran for nearly ten years.

Golden Boy was the show I saw Sammy Davis Jr. perform. A musical with a storyline about an angry young black man who responds to prejudice by becoming a boxer.  Don't remember much about it.

Hello, Dolly! was a show I attended with my mom.  Can't remember if Carol Channing was still playing the lead role (though the play debuted in 1964, this may have been later in its run in the 60s) but remember not caring for it.

The final Broadway show was one I did not see with my parents, instead going with friends into the city - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Tom Stoppard's first play.  We all loved the absurd premise and dialogue: Hamlet told from the viewpoint of two minor characters.  According to Wikipedia its New York run began in January 1968 and continued for 420 performances.  This scene, with Gary Oldman and Tim Roth, is from the movie.

Just realized I forgot the last Broadway show I saw during the 60s - Hair in late 68 or early 69.  I'm embarrassed to admit it but there it is.  Talk about a show that aged quickly and badly.