Song of the Grasshopper was originally written in Spanish by Spanish playwright
Alfonso Paso. It was adapted into English for the Broadway production by
William Layton and Agustin Penon and was directed by
Charles Bowden, who was also a producer. The Broadway cast starred
Alfred Drake. It also starred Jan Farrand and
Ben Piazza, and featured Michael Enserro, Robin Ponterio, and Diana Davila. Scenic production was done by
Oliver Smith, lighting was designed by
Martin Aronstein, and costumes were designed by
Noel Taylor. The producers had never produced on Broadway before; nor had the translators adapted a Broadway play or had the director directed a Broadway production. Song of the Grasshopper went into rehearsal on August 9, 1967. It had a try-out performance in Wilmington, which only filled 25% capacity of the theatre and received two negative reviews. It opened in Philadelphia a week later, to three negative reviews. Before the production moved to New York, a new writer joined the team to made edits to the script.
The New York Times described the production as a "disaster." == Plot ==