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CURTAIN UP: This week we se spotlight the musical Happy Hunting, which starred Ethel Merman as an American widow who travels to Monaco looking for a husband for her daughter and an invitation to Grace Kelly’s wedding for herself. The male lead was Fernando Lamos. Initially Merman was pleased with co-star, but soon after rehearsals began they clashed when he publicly criticized her performance, and as tensions between them escalated they stopped speaking to each other.

The production opened on December 6, 1956, ran for 412 performances. When it closed on November 30, 1957, Merman was very happy to see what she considered “a dreary obligation” finally come to an end. The diva also viewed the production as unsuccessful due to a score by the untested duo of Harold Karr and Matt Dubey. The experience was the reason she later rejected Stephen Sondheim as the composer-lyricist of Gypsy, pairing him as lyricist with more-than-established composer Jule Styne instead.

“Curtain Up” is our weekly program playing a complete cast recording from Overture to Finale. It premieres on Friday at 8pm EST with two re-broadcasts – the following Monday at 2am EST and Wednesday at 11am EST. You can listen online here on our website or via apps and devices (Apple iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Echo/Alexa etc.).