Homework (no, seriously, it's homework)

Ronnie Blackburn
Flower Drum Song1

The musical Flower Drum Song written by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joseph Fields graced Broadway twice, once from 1958 to 1960 and again from 2002 to 2003. It is based on the book by C.Y. Lee, was produced by Rogers & Hammerstein in association with Joseph Fields, and was directed by Gene Kelly. The music was written by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and orchestrated by Robert Russell Bennett. The choreographer was Carol Haney, and dance arrangements were done by Luther Henderson, Jr.
Flower Drum Song is about a young woman named Mei Li who comes to California from China to enter an arranged marriage. Her to-be husband is already involved with a showgirl named Linda Low, and as the two attempt to dissolve their marriage contract, difficulties arise when Linda tries to screw Mei over with her newfound love interest, her temporary landlord’s son, Wang Ta.
The main cast in the original production consisted of Larry Blyden as Sammy Fong, Pat Suzuki as Linda Low, Miyoshi Umeki as Mei-Li, Juanita Hall as Madam Liang, Arabella Hong as Helen Chao, Ed Kenney as Wang Ta, Keye Luke as Wang Chi Yang, Patrick Adiarte as Wang San, and Peter Chan as Professor Cheng, as well as a dance ensemble and other small parts.
The Tony Award nominations for the original production were: Best Musical 1959, Best Actor in a Musical 1959, Miyoshi Umeki for Best Actress in a Musical 1959, Irene Sharaff for Best Costume Design 1959, and Carol Haney for Best Choreography 1959. The award winners were Salvatore Dell’lsola for Tony Awards’ Best Conductor and Musical Director 1959 and Pat Suzuki for Theatre World Award 1959 (not associated with Tony Awards).
The revival of the musical in 2002 ran in the Virginia Theatre, as opposed to the original’s St. James’ Theatre. 2