Character guide
Chip
from On the Town
Chip is a supporting character in On the Town, Leonard Bernstein's 1944 musical, playing one of three sailors on a whirlwind twenty four hour shore leave in New York City.
- Show
- On the Town
- Broadway premiere
- 1944
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- Leonard Bernstein
Chip on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 1949 film
Frank Sinatra played Chip in MGM's 1949 film, and Chip is one of the few characters who keeps a Bernstein song: Come Up to My Place, his duet with the cab driver Hildy (Betty Garrett), survived the cut when the film dropped most of the stage score. The film adds a new Chip and Hildy duet by Roger Edens, You're Awful, while Chip's stage share of Ya Got Me and Some Other Time is gone.
Cris Alexander originated Chip on Broadway in 1944.
Who is Chip?
Chip is one of Gabey's two sailor friends on shore leave, an eager tourist determined to see every landmark in his guidebook during their brief time in New York. His sightseeing plans get derailed almost immediately when he meets Hildy, a forward and enthusiastic cab driver who has other ideas about how he should spend the day.
Chip's storyline provides much of the show's comic energy, contrasting his earnest, list making approach to the city with Hildy's spontaneous, flirtatious pursuit of him.
Chip's role in On the Town
Chip is a supporting role featured in the comic duet Come Up to My Place, sung with Hildy as she tries to redirect his sightseeing plans toward her apartment. The part calls for strong comic timing and chemistry with his sailor companions as well as with Hildy.
Cris Alexander originated the role on Broadway in 1944. Audiences remember Chip as the more innocent, easily flustered member of the sailor trio, whose earnest tourist enthusiasm makes him an easy comic target for Hildy's more assertive pursuit.
Chip: frequently asked questions
What show is Chip from?
Chip is a supporting character in On the Town, which opened on Broadway in 1944.
Is Chip a lead or supporting role?
Chip is a supporting role, one of the three sailors on shore leave.
Who wrote the music for On the Town?
Leonard Bernstein composed the music for On the Town, with book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green.
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