With a colorful story set in a time period rarely visited in musicals, the Herbert Fields book for DEAREST ENEMY takes its inspiration from an incident that Fields and Rodgers found recorded on a 37th St. historic plaque. Set in the midst of Manhattan forest during the American Revolution, DEAREST ENEMY follows the sly, "good Whig woman," Mrs. Murray, who skillfully kept British Revolutionary War officers in her mansion -- and thus off the battlefield -- by plying them with cake, wine and conversation. Due to her hospitality, the enemy was detained long enough for American General Putman's embattled division to escape to the Heights of Harlem, sparing three thousand lives. Declared the New York Times, DEAREST ENEMY blooms with a fresh charm . . . richer than the average musical comedy stories."

DEAREST ENEMY was Rodgers and Hart's first Broadway show. Beginning their twenty-four year collaboration in 1919 at Columbia Univeristy, Rodgers and Hart prefaced their first commercial success with contributions to varsity shows, amateur theatrics, and occasional songs in scores by other songwriters. With Rodgers' lilting melodies tempering Hart's bittersweet cynicism, the two rose to prominence six years later with the Theater Guild Revue GARRICK GAIETIES (1925), a surprise hit compiled as a benefit to help purchase tapestries for the new Garrick Theatre in New York. Their entree onto Broadway soon followed, with DEAREST ENEMY opening five months later, on September 18, 1925, to overwhelmingly enthusiastic respnse from audiences and critics.

The show ran through May 1926, taking to the road in a tour of twelve cities. Rodgers and Hart followed this hit in 1926 with THE GIRLFRIEND, GARRICK GAIETIES of 1926 the London opening of LIDO LADY, and A CONNECTICUT YANKEE in 1927. Together they went on to write some of American theatre's most enduring hits, a total of 28 musical comedies, including THE BOYS FRM SYRACUSE, BABES IN ARMS, and PAL JOEY.

Also marking the start of Helen Ford's Broadway career, DEAREST ENEMY cinched Rodgers and Hart's place as masters of musical comedy, and was praised by the New York Evening World as having "a book which is wise, truly witty, and genuinely romantic, verses that take rippingly to every move and turn, melodies that laugh and sing, and dance, and love radiantly. It is decidedly first rate!"

Citing "a delectable score, minus molasses and devoid of that insipid saccarinty so in vogue," the New York World enthused about the first production of DEAREST ENEMY, starring Ford and Charles Purchell, and more than a few critics raved about the operatic qualities of the score. Accoridng to the New York Times, because "of the full-toned qualities off the music and the richly colored design of the plot, DEAREST ENEMY is an operretta, with more than a chance flavor of Gilbert and Sullivan." With songs noted as "uncommon as they are beautiful," the sore, composed by Richard Rodgers, echoes the sound of the spinet, harp and string in such numbers as the delicate "Here in My Arms," "Where the Hudson River Flows," and "Bye and Bye." In 1955, the musical was made into a TV program starring Anne Jeffries, Robert Sterling, and Cornelia Otis Skinner.

42nd St. Moon's production of DEAREST ENEMY will be the show's first since it was performed twenty years ago at the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut. The production will be directed by Roy Casstevens in his fourth show with 42nd St. Moon.

SAN FRANCISCO (18 April 1996) -- Rodgers and Hart's first Broadway hit, DEAREST ENEMY, receives its San Francisco premiere May 9 - May 26, 1996 (preview May 8), at the New Conservatory Theatre, 25 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. The award-winning 42ND ST. MOON presents the 1925 musical comedy in concert form, as part of its 1996 Lost Musical Series celebrating songwriters of the Golden-Age of Broadway music.

42ND ST. MOON is one of only three companies in the world exclusively devoted to presenting the "lost" treasures of musical theatre. This year, the company received a special award from the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle acknowledging its presentation of classic American musical theatre.

With a colorful story set in a time period rarely visited in musicals, the Herbert Fields book for DEAREST ENEMY takes its inspiration from an incident that Fields and Rodgers found recorded on a 37th St. historic plaque. Set in the midst of Manhattan forest during the American Revolution, DEAREST ENEMY follows the sly, "good Whig woman", Mrs. Murray, who skillfully kept British Revolutionary War officers in her mansion--and thus off the battlefield--by plying them with cake, wine, and conversation. Due to her hospitality, the enemy was detained long enough for American General Putnam's embattled division to escape to the Heights of Harlem, sparing three thousand lives. Declared the New York Times, "DEAREST ENEMY

DEAREST ENEMY was Rodgers and Hart's first Broadway show. Beginning their twenty-four year collaboration in 1919 at Columbia University, Rodgers and Hart prefaced their first commercial success with contributions to varsity shows, amateur theatrics, and occasional songs in scores by other songwriters. With Rodgers' lilting melodies tempering Hart's bittersweet cynicism, the two rose to prominence six years later with the Theatre Guild Revue GARRICK GAIETIES (1925), a surprise hit compiled as a benefit to help purchase tapestries for the new Garrick Theatre in New York. Their entree onto Broadway soon followed, with DEAREST ENEMY opening five months later, on September 18, 1925, to overwhelmingly enthusiastic response from audiences and critics. The show ran through May 1926, taking to the road in a tour of twelve cities. Rodgers and Hart followed this hit in 1926 by THE GIRLFRIEND, GARRICK GAIETIES OF 1926, the London opening of LIDO LADY, and A CONNECTICUT YANKEE in 1927. Together they went on to write some of American theatre's most enduring hits, a total of 28 musical comedies, including THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE, BABES IN ARMS, and PAL JOEY.

Also marking the start of Helen Ford's Broadway career, DEAREST ENEMY cinched Rodgers and Hart's place as masters of musical comedy, and was praised by the New York Evening World as having "a book which is wise, truly witty, and genuinely romantic, verses that take rippingly to every move and turn, melodies that laugh and sing, and dance, and love radiantly. It is decidedly first rate!"

Citing "a delectable score, minus molasses and devoid of that insipid saccarinity so in vogue," the New York World enthused about this first production of DEAREST ENEMY, starring Ford and Charles Purcell, and more than a few critics raved about the operatic qualities of the score. According to the New York Times, because "of the full-toned qualities of the music and the richly design of the plot, DEAREST ENEMY is an operetta, with more than a chance flavor of Gilbert and Sullivan." With songs noted as "uncommon as they are beautiful", the score, composed by Richard Rodgers, echoes the sound of the spinet, harp and string in such numbers as the delicate "Here in My Arms," "Where the Hudson River Flows," and "Bye and Bye." In 1955, the musical was made into a TV program starring Anne Jeffries, Robert Sterling, and Cornelia Otis Skinner.

42ND ST. MOON's production of DEAREST ENEMY will be the show's first since it was performed twenty years ago at the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut. The production will be directed by Roy Casstevens, in his fourth show with 42ND ST. MOON. Previously, he directed VERY WARM FOR MAY, AMERICA'S SWEETHEART, and the musical revue THE SONG IS YOU. Kathy Sneider makes her debut with 42ND ST. MOON as Musical Director.

Marsha Mercant hits the boards as the mischievous, young American, Betsy Burke. Marsha's credits include 42ND ST. MOON's THE SONG IS YOU, AS THOUSANDS CHEER, plus BROADWAY BABIES, and the Los Angeles production of LES MISERABLES. The scheming hostess, Mrs. Robert Murray, will be portrayed by Lois Saunders. Ms. Saunders has previously appeared with 42ND ST. MOON in THREE SISTERS and in TheatreWorks' THE SECRET GARDEN. Clay Crosby will take the role of Sir John Copeland. An actor and cabaret singer, Crosby performed with 42ND ST. MOON in ONE TOUCH OF VENUS, last summer's AMERICA'S SWEETHEART, and has appeared in his own cabaret act in New York, Los Angeles, and at San Francisco's Plush Room. His first CD is soon to be released. In the role of Mrs. Murray's daughter Jane will be Helene Davis, with Brett Owen as Captain Tryon and Marc Chambers as General John Tryon, leader of the British forces.

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