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Bells Are Ringing

A delightful showcase for a singing comedienne, Bells Are Ringing is a charming musical comedy about the romantic exploits of a telephone answering service operator.

More information

Description

  • Full Length Musical
  • Comedy
  • 120 minutes

  • Time Period: 1950s
  • Target Audience: Appropriate for all audiences
  • Set Requirements: Unit Set/Multiple Settings
  • Orchestra Size: Large

  • Performance Group:
  • High School/Secondary, College Theatre / Student, Community Theatre, Professional Theatre

  • Accolades:
  • Winner! Two Tony Awards for Best Actress and Best Featured Actor (1957)
    Winner! Theatre World Award for Sydney Chaplin (1957)
    Nominee! Two Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical (2001)
    Nominee! Two Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Revival of a Musical (2001)
This charming romantic comedy follows the exploits of Ella, a telephone answering service operator with a fascination for her client's private lives. At Susanswerphone, Ella uses a variety of voices and personae to keep herself entertained. As she follows the lives of her customers, Ella becomes inextricably involved with a handsome playwright, a fledgling record company, and a dangerous crime ring.

Bells Are Ringing is a delightful showcase for a singing comedienne, filled with heart and humor. The tuneful score, with lyrics by Comden & Green, features some of Jule Styne's most popular songs, including "Just in Time," "The Party's Over," "Long Before I Knew You" and "Better Than a Dream."
REVIEWS:

"A bonafide hit!! It doesn't get much better than this."

 The Berkshire Edge

"Terrific songs and a fantastically kooky heroine."

 The Guardian

"Still holds up as smart, funny, and great fun… makes you wonder why it has not been revived more often… This is a show you can take everyone you know to see and feel certain they’ll walk out smiling."

 ArtsFuse

"Charming… an entertaining window onto what the traditional American musical looked and sounded like at the moment in time when rock ’n’ roll was muscling its way to permanent cultural primacy."

 Boston Globe

"[A] tuneful gem… Styne's “up” music for Bells is jazzy with a whiff of Gershwin, and the melodious ballad ‘The Party's Over’ has become a late standard in the American Songbook."

 Houston Press


Premiere Production: Bells Are Ringing opened at Broadway's Shubert Theatre on November 29, 1956, starring Judy Holliday and Sydney Chaplin. It later transferred to the Alvin Theatre, running for a total of 924 performances. In 2001, the show was revived on Broadway starring Faith Prince.

Characters

  • Casting: 3M, 3F
  • Casting Attributes: Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle), Room for Extras, Flexible casting, Expandable casting
  • Chorus Size: Large

SUE
GWYNNE
ELLA PETERSON
CARL
INSPECTOR BARNES
FRANCIS
SANDOR
JEFF MOSS
LARRY HASTINGS
TELEPHONE MAN
LUDWIG SMILEY
CHARLES BESSEMER
DR. KITCHELL
BLAKE BARTON
ANOTHER ACTOR
JOEY
OLGA
MAN FROM CORVELLO MOB
OTHER MAN
CAROL
PAUL ARNOLD
MICHELLE
MASTER OF CEREMONIES
SINGER AT NIGHTCLUB
WAITER
MAÎTRE d'HÔTEL
POLICE OFFIER
MADAME GRIMALDI
MRS. MALLET

Available Material

Name Price
Perusal Material Shipped immediately. This is optional. Order Now

1 x Prompt Book & Vocal Chorus Book

$24.00
Rehearsal Material Shipped a minimum of 3 months before the last performance. This must be hired as a condition of the License to produce this show.

20 x Libretto/Vocal Books
1 x Piano-Conductor's Score

$550.00 +$135.00/pm
Orchestral Material Shipped a minimum of 1 month before the last performance. This is optional.

2 Violin AC
1 Violin BD
1 Viola
1 Cello
1 Bass

1 Reed I: Clarinet & Alto Saxophone (optional Flute)
1 Reed II: Clarinet & Alto Saxophone (optional Flute & Piccolo)
1 Reed III: Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone (optional Oboe & English Horn)
1 Reed IV: Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone & Bass Clarinet (optional Baritone Saxophone)
1 Reed V: Clarinet & Baritone Saxophone (optional Bassoon)

1 Horns I & II
1 Trumpets I & II
1 Trumpet III
1 Trombone I
1 Trombone II

1 Percussion:

Timpani (2 Drums)
Snare Drum (Brushes & Sticks)
Deep Pitch Snare Drum
Bass Drum
Tom-Toms (3 Pitches)
Bongo Drums
Suspended Cymbals
Hi-Hat
Glockenspiel (Soft & Hard Mallets)
Telephone Bells (3 Pitches)
Triangle
Cowbell
Ratchet
Wind Whistle
|Maracas
Temple Blocks
Castanets
Sand Paper
Wood Block

1 Harp

Piano-Celeste (Piano-Conductor's Score sent with rehearsal material)

1 Guitar

$350.00 +$135.00/pm

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