Can-Can

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Can-Can

Full-Length Musical, Comedy  /  2w, 3m plus ensemble

Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter
Book by Abe Burrows
Produced for the Broadway Stage by Feuer and Martin

C'est Magnifique! Lively, funny, and thoroughly entertaining, Can-Can captures the energy and spirit of Bohemian Paris in the late nineteenth century.

Image: 2014 Paper Mill Playhouse Production (Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade)

Can-Can

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 3m plus ensemble
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Period, Romantic Comedy
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for All Audiences
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! Two 1954 Tony Awards, for Best Featured Actress and Choreography
    Winner! 1954 Theatre World Award for Outstanding Stage Performance (Gwen Verdon)
    Nominee: Three 1981 Tony Awards, including Best Choreography
Can-Can

Details

Summary

In 1893 Paris, La Môme Pistache, the proud owner of a Montmartre dance hall, battles with Aristide Forestiere, a self-righteous judge determined to close all establishments featuring the scandalous can-can. Eventually, the two fall in love, and the judge concedes that “obscenity is in the eye of the beholder.”

Cole Porter’s celebrated score features the famous “Garden of Eden Ballet”, along with several entrancing Porter standards, including “C’est Magnifique”, “I Love Paris”, “It’s All Right with Me” and the title number.

History
Can-Can premiered on Broadway  on May 7, 1953 at the Shubert Theatre, where it ran for 892 performances. Directed by Abe Burrows, the production featured Lilo, Hans Conried, Peter Cookson, Erik Rhodes and Gwen Verdon. 
Keywords
Performing Groups
  • Time Period 19th Century
  • Setting
    Paris, 1893.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

Photos

  • Can-Can

    Image: 2014 Paper Mill Playhouse Production (Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade)

Music

  • Musical Style Classic Broadway
  • Dance Requirements Moderate
  • Vocal DemandsDifficult
  • Orchestra Size Large
  • Chorus Size Large

Licensing & Materials

  • Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

Music Rentals

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Authors

Abe Burrows

Abe Burrows

Born December 18, 1910 in NYC, Abe Burrows graduated New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn and later attended both City College and NYU. His career in radio and television writing began with This is New York (1938), followed by the Rudy Vallee Program (1940), Duffy’s Town (1940 ...

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Cole Porter

Cole Porter

Cole Porter was born in Peru, Indiana in 1891 and died in Hollywood 73 years later. In between, he wrote some of the most memorable songs ever heard on stage or screen, among them “Night and Day,” “Begin the Beguine,” “You’re The Top,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “Love For Sal ...

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