Who would have thought a play named Pajama Game would be so topical 50 years later

edited by Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady

I wonder if Obama has seen this play, With his busy schedule he probably has little time to sleep. But the conflict between management and union and pajama makers makes me think of some of the cost-cutting measures and negotiations we will all be facing.

High Energy and Hilarious

"Its exuberance and spontaneity make the entire theater crackle with energy," exclaims Variety. "Hilarious and exciting," declares NY Magazine. "THE PAJAMA GAME jumps with joy," proclaims USA Today.

The high-energy score of THE PAJAMA GAME, by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, brims with popular hits and musical theater standards such as "Hey There," "Steam Heat" and the hilarious "Hernando’s Hideaway."

Based on Richard Bissell’s novel, "7 ½ Cents," THE PAJAMA GAME tells the story of Babe, a feisty employee representative who finds her match in the pajama shop superintendent, Sid. Overflowing with pajamas, love, singing and conflicts between the labor union and the management, the real story is the seven-and-a-half-cents-per-hour raise the pajama factory workers are demanding to keep their salaries comparable with other garment-workers pay.

Sid pushes both himself and the workers hard in order to prove himself to the owner, but a visit by the union grievances committee in the form of lovely-but-tough Babe brings out his soft, romantic side. Despite their love, Babe warns Sid that the turmoil between the union and the management will cause problems for them too, and Sid has to juggle his job, his heart and his conscience to find a solution that will solve everything.

This show is a Winner

The Tony® Award-winning Best Musical Revival of 2006, THE PAJAMA GAME comes to the Majestic Theatre in Dallas, TX, March 10-15 for 8 performances only. Hot on the heels of the recent Broadway smash hit, see this nationally touring musical that has audiences laughing in the aisles. Single tickets are on sale now.

Bright and riotously funny, this fast-paced, frisky tale received two Tony® Awards for the 2006 production, including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Choreography. This must-see musical has also received seven Drama Desk Award nominations, as well as eight Outer Critics Circle Award nominations. The original 1954 production of THE PAJAMA GAME was the winner of three 1955 Tony® Awards, including Best Musical, Choreography and Featured Actress in a Musical.

Good then, even better the second time around

The original production of THE PAJAMA GAME had successful pre-Broadway runs in New Haven and Boston, and opened to great reviews at the St. James Theatre in New York on May 13, 1954. The performance starred John Raitt as Sid Sorokin, Janis Paige as Babe Williams, Eddie Foy Jr. as Hines and Carol Haney as Gladys.

The show closed in 1956 after 1,063 performances, becoming only the eighth musical in Broadway history to run over one thousand performances.

In 1957 Warner Bros. released a film version starring John Raitt, Doris Day, Eddie Foy Jr. and Carol Haney. Directed by George Abbott and Stanley Donen, with screenplay written by Abbott and Richard Bissell, the film launched the career of Shirley MacLaine, who had been Haney’s understudy in the on-stage production.

THE PAJAMA GAME was revived on Broadway in 1973 with Hal Linden, Barbara McNair, and Cab Calloway as Hines. The musical was revived again in 2006 starring Harry Connick Jr. and Kelli O’Hara, which took Broadway by storm with a sold-out, smash hit run, earning two Tony® Award wins and nine nominations.

The creative team includes George Abbott (author/director), Richard Pike Bissell (author), and Richard Adler and Jerry Ross (music and lyrics). The original Broadway cast recording was produced by Columbia Records.

The 2008-2009 national Broadway tour of THE PAJAMA GAME is produced by Phoenix Entertainment, in partnership with OD Musical Company of Korea. Now entering its ninth year of operations, Phoenix Entertainment is an international theatrical producing and management enterprise founded by long time colleagues Stephen Kane and Michael McFadden. Over two decades of theatrical success and industry partnership have resulted in the Phoenix team delivering thousands of performances of more than 75 live productions on four continents.

Get your Tickets now

Tickets, priced from $15-$85, are on sale now at The Box Office, 542 Preston Royal Shopping Center, or at any Ticketmaster outlet, including The Majestic Theatre, 1925 Elm Street. Tickets are also available by calling 214-631-ARTS (2787) or online at www.ticketmaster.com. For groups of 10 or more, call 214-426-GROUP. General tour information can also be found by visiting www.phoenix-ent.com/shows-pajama-game.

Put this on your Calendar

All performances will be at The Majestic Theatre, with the following schedule:

     Tuesday March 10     8 p.m.
     Wednesday March 11     8 p.m.
     Thursday March 12     8 p.m.
     Friday March 13     8 p.m.
     Saturday March 14     2 and 8 p.m.
     Sunday March 8     2 and 8 p.m.

What's Next

Frost Nixon April 28-May 3. These productions will be presented at The Majestic Theatre, 1925 Elm Street in Dallas. A subscribers’ special presentation of RENT, starring original Broadway production stars Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp, May 5-10, and Topol in Fiddler on the Roof, May 19-24, will be presented at the Music Hall at Fair Park.
The DSM summer season at the Music Hall at Fair Park kicks off with Happy Days, A New Musical, May 26-June 7; The Wizard of Oz June 9-21; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang June 23-July 5; A Chorus Line July 7-19; Legally Blonde The Musical July 21-August 2; Mamma Mia! August 18-30; and Disney’s Mary Poppins as the State Fair musical September 24-October 18, 2009.
Season sponsors for Dallas Summer Musicals, presented by Comerica Bank, are The Dallas Morning News, WFAA TV Channel 8, and American Airlines. Now celebrating its 69th season, Dallas Summer Musicals, Inc. (DSM) is the largest producer of live theatrical entertainment in the Southwest, the second oldest summer theater organization in the United States, and the sixth largest non-profit theater company.
Dallas Summer Musicals has been entertaining North Texas audiences with the finest in live, musical theatre entertainment since 1941. In addition to presenting national Broadway tours, DSM also produces shows on Broadway, presents and tours local productions, and is involved in developing new works. Dallas Summer Musicals won 2007 Tony Awards® for Jay Johnson: The Two and Only and 2008 Tony and Drama Desk Awards® for Boeing-Boeing. Also in 2008, The Drowsy Chaperone and Jersey Boys each earned a Dallas Fort Worth Theatre Critics Forum Award in the Touring Production category.
Dallas Summer Musicals’ affiliates include DSM Management Group, Inc. (DSMMGI), which manages the Music Hall at Fair Park and the historic Majestic Theatre.

For more information about Dallas Summer Musicals please visit their website at www.dallassummermusicals.org or call (214) 421-5678

Madelyn Miller is a travel and food writer who loves musicals.

Read her stories on www.travellady.com, www.carladynews.com, www.yogayaya.com, www.chocolateatlas.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.teaAtlas.com, www.coffeeatlas.com