In 1971, the revival of the 1925 musical
No, No, Nanette with film star
Ruby Keeler proved to be a hit. Its producer,
Harry Rigby, deciding to cash in on the nostalgia craze by reviving another vintage show with another glamorous movie star as its centerpiece, zeroed in on
Irene, engaging
Debbie Reynolds to make her Broadway debut in the title role. Rigby hired librettist
Hugh Wheeler to rework the show, which retained only five of the original songs and added tunes written by McCarthy with other composers and original numbers by Charles Gaynor and Otis Clements, with additional material written by
Wally Harper and Jack Lloyd for the revival. Actor
John Gielgud was hired to direct. The production was troubled from the beginning.
Billy De Wolfe withdrew due to illness and was replaced by
George S. Irving as Madame Lucy. Reviews in Toronto were mixed, and when Reynolds was stricken with a throat ailment, the producers, rather than cancel the sell-out performances, had her mime her dialogue and songs on stage to Gielgud's reading of them from the wings, much to the dismay of angry audiences. Philadelphia critics were brutal, and Gielgud, an odd choice for a lightweight musical comedy, was replaced by
Gower Champion, who had helmed a Los Angeles revival of
Annie Get Your Gun with Reynolds.
Peter Gennaro was hired to restage the musical numbers, and
Joseph Stein was brought in to doctor the book, which now had Irene posing as a
countess in cahoots with
couturier Madame Lucy (the former Liam O'Dougherty) in a scheme to promote his fashions. Postponing the Broadway opening, the producers brought the work-in-progress to Washington, D.C., where it was seen by
President Nixon and his family. Their declaration that
Irene was a hit made headlines and spurred advance-ticket sales in New York City. After 13 previews, the revival opened on March 13, 1973 as the inaugural production of the
Minskoff Theatre, where it set new box-office records. Reynolds and Kelly were each nominated for a Tony Award; Reynolds for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical and Kelly for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. Reynolds' former
MGM co-star,
Jane Powell, replaced her in February 1974.
New York Times reviewer
Mel Gussow wrote that "even though Miss Reynolds is gone,
Irene survives. The two stars are an equal match for peppiness. Miss Reynolds may score a point for clowning, but Miss Powell wins two for softness." "
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows", which had been cut during the pre-Broadway try-outs (although Reynolds' rendition was included in the cast album), was restored to the score. Reynolds returned to play the final week before the revival closed on September 8, 1974, and then took the show on a national tour, playing for five months and setting new box-office records before being replaced again by Powell. The success of this revival led to a 1973 Australian production with
Julie Anthony, who then went on to star in a 1976 London revival at the
Adelphi Theatre, directed by
Freddie Carpenter and choreographed by
Norman Maen, that lasted 974 performances. The cast also included
Jon Pertwee and
Eric Flynn. Additional changes were made in the song list. ==Synopsis (1973 version)==