Show guide
Mame
Mame is a 1966 musical about a flamboyant, free spirited New York socialite who takes in her orphaned nephew and raises him through decades of adventure, upheaval, and unconditional love.
- Broadway premiere
- 1966
- Music by
- Jerry Herman
- Genre
- Golden Age
- Setting
- 1920s
Mame: quick answers
What is Mame about?
- Mame follows Mame Dennis, a glamorous, free-spirited Manhattan eccentric who takes in her orphaned nephew Patrick and raises him with her motto that life is a banquet, through the Depression and beyond.
When did Mame open on Broadway?
- Mame opened on Broadway on May 24, 1966, at the Winter Garden Theatre, starring Angela Lansbury, and later moved to the Broadway Theatre, closing on January 3, 1970, after 1,508 performances.
Is Mame a Golden Age musical?
- Yes, at its tail end. Mame opened in 1966 and is a traditional star-vehicle book musical with a Jerry Herman score, adapted from Patrick Dennis's 1955 novel Auntie Mame and the 1956 play based on it.
Where and when is Mame set?
- Mame is set mainly in New York City, from the 1920s through the Great Depression and into the 1940s.
Has Mame played in London's West End?
- Mame opened in London in 1969 at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, starring Ginger Rogers, and ran for 14 months.
Is there a Mame movie?
- Two films tell the story: the 1958 non-musical Auntie Mame, starring Rosalind Russell, and the 1974 film of the musical, starring Lucille Ball with Bea Arthur and Robert Preston.
The story of Mame
Set beginning in the 1920s, the show follows Mame Dennis, an eccentric and endlessly optimistic Manhattan socialite, after her young nephew Patrick Dennis is sent to live with her following his father's death. Mame raises Patrick with an unconventional, live for today philosophy, exposing him to her wild social circle even as the family's fortunes rise and fall through the Depression and beyond.
Along the way, Mame's devoted actress friend Vera Charles, her overwhelmed secretary turned unlikely bombshell Agnes Gooch, and her genteel Southern husband Beauregard Burnside all pass through her orbit. The story is ultimately about the bond between Mame and Patrick, and about her insistence on living boldly no matter what circumstances throw at her.
The music and the makers
Jerry Herman wrote the music and lyrics, with a book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee adapted from their own play Auntie Mame, itself based on Patrick Dennis's novel. Herman's score is built around big, brassy, immediately memorable title songs and character numbers, a style that became his signature across several Broadway hits.
Signature numbers include the rousing title song Mame, the comic duet Bosom Buddies between Mame and Vera, and the later ballad If He Walked Into My Life, all of which combine old fashioned Broadway showmanship with genuine emotional warmth underneath the glamour.
Mame on Broadway
Mame opened on Broadway on May 24, 1966, at the Winter Garden Theatre, starring Angela Lansbury in the title role, and ran for 1,508 performances. Lansbury won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the role, and the production also won Tonys for Bea Arthur as Vera Charles and for young Frankie Michaels as Patrick, though it lost Best Musical to Man of La Mancha.
The show was adapted into a 1974 film starring Lucille Ball, which was less well received than the stage original. Mame remains one of Jerry Herman's most beloved scores and a defining star vehicle role for the actress playing its title character.
Mame: frequently asked questions
Is Mame based on a true story?
Loosely. Patrick Dennis, author of the 1955 novel Auntie Mame that the musical adapts, based the title character on his father's sister, Marion Tanner, but the story is fictionalized rather than a factual account.
Is Mame a Golden Age musical?
Yes. Mame opened in 1966, near the end of Broadway's Golden Age of roughly 1943 to the mid 1960s, and follows that era's traditional book musical style built around a single star performance.
Did Mame win the Tony Award for Best Musical?
No. Mame lost Best Musical to Man of La Mancha at the 1966 Tony Awards, but it won three Tonys: Best Actress in a Musical for Angela Lansbury in the title role, plus featured acting awards for Beatrice Arthur and Frankie Michaels.
Is Mame still running on Broadway?
No. The original production closed on January 3, 1970, after 1,508 performances. A 1983 Broadway revival with Angela Lansbury lasted only 41 performances.
When did Mame open on Broadway?
Mame opened on Broadway on May 24, 1966, at the Winter Garden Theatre.
Who composed Mame?
Jerry Herman wrote the music and lyrics for Mame.
What is Mame about?
It follows Mame Dennis, a free spirited socialite who raises her orphaned nephew Patrick through decades of change while living life to the fullest.
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