Production information
Production dates: August 18-31, 1969 at the St. Louis Municipal Opera
Crew (1969 St. Louis Municipal Opera)
Stage Manager: William Zalken
Writers: Joe Cook
Producer: Glenn Jordan
Executive Producer:
Director: Glenn Jordan
Choreographer: Jack Beaber
Assistant choreographer: Raymond George
Original Score composers: Jay Blackton, Frank Churchill, Joe Cook, Larry Morey
Musical director: Anton Coppola
Associate Musical Director: Sidney Schwartz
Assistant Musical Director: Alyce Billington
Orchestra Managers: Edward Brauer & Seth Greiner
Music Librarians: Bert Baumgartner & Elmer Gesner
Piano player: George Steck
Production Stage Manager: John Wessel
Assistant Stage Managers: Stephen Jarrett & David Taylor
Assistant Stage Manager: Edward W. Steinhauer
Assistant to Director: James Paul
Production designer: C. Murawski
Assistant Designer: William Moore
Costume Designer: Don Foote & Andrew Geoly
Costume coordinator: Donna Thomas
Publicity director: Jerry Berger
Box Office Manager: George Walsh
Group Sales Representative: Elly Klyman
Program Advertising Managers: Paul I. Talbot
Supervisor of Scenic Construction: James B. Murphy
Master Electrician: Jerry Hurley
Master Scenic Artist: Del Dace
Property Master: Richard M. McCarthy
Wardrobe Mistress: Virginia Keathley
Wardrobe Master: Carroll Wayham
Makeup artists: John Chambers & Lee Baygan
Cast (1969 St. Louis Municipal Opera)
Snow White: Patricia Wise
Prince Charming: Frank Porretta
Queen: Marthe Errolle
King: Laurie Maine
Mirror: Cornel Richie
Witch: John Mintun
Huntsman: James Paul
Luna: Joan Schiller
Prime Minister: Jim Lynch
Doc: Don Potter
Happy: Emory Souza
Grumpy: Robert Weil
Sneezy: Samuel Goldstein
Bashful: Frank Delfino
Sleepy: Jerry Maren
Dopey: Billy Barty
Sir Henry: David Alt
Lady Anne: Livia Genise
Lady Sybil: Pat Rossiter
Lady Elizabeth: Diane Rygh
Pierrot: Spencer Henderson
Pierrette: Shelley Rayburn
Greta: Mary Carr
Greta’s Mother: Paula Essex
Juggler: Jack Parker
Fire Eater: Satani Demon
A Woman: Sherri Collins
Dwarf understudy: Geri Wolcott
Pages: Jon Adams, Kelly Donnell, Keith Dyvig, Jim Pailer
Animals: Barbara Alexander, Laurie Bartram, Colleen Denny, Christine DuFrenne, Julie Forshee, Terrye Freeman, Debbie Hughes, Colleen Leach, Laura Lutz, Lisa McFarland, Greg Moore, Linda Pailer, Kathy Perry, Carol Reis, Mary Frances Roberts, Carol Rusche, Donna Shipp, Pina Taormina, Renee Vosevich, Russell Weilandich
Singers: Mary Burgett, Sherri Collins, Julia Lee Conwell, Laurie Eldredge, Paula Essex, Livia Genise, April Kaul, Marty Morris, Lani Novak, Janice Owen, Pat Rossiter, Diane Rygh, David Alt, Charles Collins, Pat Cook, Patrick Courtney, Tilman King, Jim Lynch, R. R. Lynn, Marcus A. Monroe, Michael Reinhart, Paul Renaud, Cornel Richie, Richard Walker
Dancers: Anita Colombo, Judith Kay Jostrand, Christine Knoblauch, Kathleen Kornfeld, Mary Meyer, Julie Pars, Shelley Rayburn, Robin Rice, Mark Bugler, Mark Diamond, Tom Fowler, Spencer Henderson, Lawrence Hughes, Mike Rozow, Rich Schneider, Mike Tevlin, Edmond Wesley
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Live! In Person! On Stage!
This is how Joe Cook & Jay Blackton’s stage musical version of the Walt Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was advertised in St Louis, Missouri where it ran from August 18 until August 31, 1969 at the Municipal Opera. It starred Patricia Wise as Snow White and Frank Porretta as the Prince, both of the New York City Opera Company, and incorporated new songs to the Frank Churchill standards.
It also introduced plot points and characters absent from the film, such as the Princess’s father or a female companion named Luna.
The August 17, 1969 edition of the St Louis Post announced its eighteenth premiere, their costliest production yet, with this “first Disney cartoon ever adapted for the stage”, which was obviously not true. Composer Jay Blackston also conducted the orchestra.
The dwarfs’s makeup was the work of John Chambers, fresh out of his Academy Award for his work on Planet of the Apes.
The 1969 Program
This program and additional information can originally be found on the St. Louis Muny website.
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Production information
Production dates: October 18, 1979 – November 18, 1979 & January 11, – March 9, 1980 at Radio City Music Hall, touring on other dates
VHS and Betamax release date: 1981
Crew (1979 Radio City Music Hall)
Stage Manager: Jeff Hamlin
Writers: Joe Cook
Producer: Robert F. Jani
Executive Producer: John J. Moore
Director and Choregrapher: Frank Wagner
Staff choreographers: Dru Davis, Howard Parker
Original Score composers: Jay Blackton, Frank Churchill, Joe Cook, Larry Morey
Musical director: Donald Pippin
Orchestrator: Philip J. Lang
Arranger of Queen’s presentation music: Ronald Melrose
Conductor: Don Smith
Associate conductor: Elman Anderson
Set Decorator: John William Keck
Costume Designer: Frank Spencer
Mask and animal designer: Joe Stephen
Lighting director: Ken Billington
Special effects: John Lovelady
Assistant to the director: Marcia Wagner
Special coaching for puppets: Nick Cappolla
Special coaching for Seven Dwarfs: Joe Cook
Designer of the raven puppet: Michael Baroto
Cast (1979 Radio City Music Hall)
Snow White: Mary Jo Salerno
Prince Charming: Richard Bowne
Queen: Anne Francine
King: Thomas Ruisinger
Mirror: Charles Hall
Witch: Charles Hall
Huntsman: Bruce Sherman
Luna: Yolande Bavan
Chamberlain: David Pursley
Doc: Don Potter
Happy: Rick Davis
Grumpy: Benny Freigh
Sneezy: Louis Carry
Bashful: John Edward Allen
Sleepy: Jerry Riley
Dopey: Michael King
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Rescuing Radio City Music Hall
The 1969 production was later revived in an even more prestigious venue with a different cast, although actor Don Potter remained as Doc.
This 1979 stage production of Snow White is far from the first adaptation of the film, but it is fondly remembered to this day. First of all because it was recorded on video, aired on TV and released on VHS and Betamax, a piano songbook, and a record album was also issued during the original run.
It also marked a milestone in the history of the theater where Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs original premiered in New York City: Radio City Music Hall. As Greg Erhbar reminds us, the venue in 1979 was about to close and was placed in the National Registry of Historic Places just in time.
Robert F. Jani turned to the first and fairest one of all to produce this lavish musical which contained the original songs of the film, but also newly composed material, courtesy of Jay Blackton for the music and Joe Cook for the lyrics.
The HBO special
This is the edited HBO recording of the musical.
The documentary
This YouTube documentary offers insight on the Radio City Music Hall version of this musical.
