Nick and Nora Charles, or Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Charles (which was changed from his father's original Greek name "Charalambides"), are fictional characters created by Dashiell Hammett in his novel The Thin Man. Nick is a retired private detective and Nora a wealthy society woman whose snobbish family thinks she has married beneath herself; Hammett modeled her on his lover Lillian Hellman. Their banter provides comic relief of the type that would later be seen between John Steed and Emma Peel in The Avengers. The couple have a pet dog, Asta, who is a female schnauzer (but became a male wire fox terrier when the book was made into a film)
The film adaptation of The Thin Man was a resounding success, and although Hammett never wrote another novel with Nick and Nora Charles, five movie sequels were produced.
In 1991, the Thin Man motion pictures were adapted into an unsuccessful Broadway musical, Nick & Nora with a book by Arthur Laurents, lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr., and music by Charles Strouse. It opened on December 8, 1991 and ran for just nine performances before closing on December 15. In his memoir Original Story By, Laurents confessed he didn't realize until the show was in previews that the characters of Nick and Nora Charles were identified so closely with William Powell and Myrna Loy that the public would have difficulty accepting anyone else in the roles.
The film adaptation of The Thin Man was a resounding success, and although Hammett never wrote another novel with Nick and Nora Charles, five movie sequels were produced.
In 1991, the Thin Man motion pictures were adapted into an unsuccessful Broadway musical, Nick & Nora with a book by Arthur Laurents, lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr., and music by Charles Strouse. It opened on December 8, 1991 and ran for just nine performances before closing on December 15. In his memoir Original Story By, Laurents confessed he didn't realize until the show was in previews that the characters of Nick and Nora Charles were identified so closely with William Powell and Myrna Loy that the public would have difficulty accepting anyone else in the roles.
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Our family saw NICK & NORA on Broadway in 1991, and we absolutely loved it! Although nobody can replace William Powell and Myrna Loy, we thought Barry Bostwick and Joanna Gleason were delightful, as was Christine Baranski as a Best Supporting Actress Oscar-winner in hot water. The Maltby-Strouse songs were smart and snappy, with "A Busy Night at Lorraine's" being our favorite number. Too bad it didn't stay on Broadway longer, but we were happy to have been there to watch it all live!
ReplyDeleteAnd The Wife and I saw it!
ReplyDeleteBarry Bostwick and Joanna Gleason did a pretty good job at the singing. The drinking jokes were a little weak in the modern age (one of Nick's songs went "You work on your case, I'll drink mine") but ultimately it was more for a select audience, ie, N&N fans, and there weren't enough of them to make the show fly.
It had its moments. One character (If I recall the details correctly) gets his American citizenship and exclaims "I am an expatriate!" The night we saw it they had a minor tech glitch. A scene where N&N are walking Asta was supposed to feature a motorized fire hydrant that would roll up to them (as if they were walking to it), but it kept on going. Joanna calmly said "I told you he didn't have to go" and went on with the scene.
Not a bad show; maybe if it hadn't been so expensive it might have stood a better chance.
DorianTB & Vinnie, thanks for sharing your experiences with me! I envy the opportunity you had to see Nick & Nora set to music on stage. I can see how their quick banter could easily translate to snappy lyrics.
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