by Chip Deffaa
Featuring the 2012 New York Fringe Festival Cast!
The story of “THE SEVEN LITTLE FOYS” inspired a classic film musical (starring Bob Hope and James Cagney), and then later also a TV special (starring Eddie Foy Jr. and the Osmonds). Now ASCAP award-winner Chip Deffaa has adapted this heart-warming saga for the stage, portraying a master entertainer, struggling to keep his family together after the death of his wife.
Eddie Foy was a beloved song-and-dance comedian, and he was also a bit of a rogue. For the most part, he left the responsibilities of parenting to his wife. But when his wife died, he took their seven high-spirited children on the road with him. They created a family act–“Eddie Foy and the Seven Little Foys”–that became the top family act of the era, an American institution.
“The Seven Little Foys” is one of the few musicals in which young people are stars. Audiences and listeners love seeing and hearing children sing and dance. Every member of the cast gets some solo vocal exposure, as well as singing in group numbers. This lively two-act musical comedy mixes oldtime favorites introduced and popularized by Eddie Foy and his family with infectious new originals by Deffaa. The score – rich with sentiment – includes such enduringly popular songs as “Chinatown, My Chinatown,” “Row, Row, Row,” “Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland,” “ Shine On, Harvest Moon,” “Some of these Days,” “The International Rag,” and “ Moonlight Bay.” As the theatre critic of Time-Out New York noted: “The audience loved it–singing along, and at times moved to tears.” Both the musical and its cast album (on Original Cast Records) have received glowing reviews. Scott Siegel and Barbara Siegel (TalkinBroadway.com) called the show “a delightful charmer.” Joe Franklin (Bloomberg Radio, WBBR-AM) raved: “I have rarely been so riveted to a stage…. This is what show business is really all about.”
DETAILS:
- UPC: 644167101523
- List Price: $14.99 (from us)
- 37 Tracks
- 75 minutes
- Issued by Original Cast Records, Georgetown, Connecticut (MML-0032)
SONG LIST
ACT ONE
1. “SMILES” (words by J. Will Callahan, music by Lee S. Roberts, 1917)
2. “SINGIN’ THE BLUES” (words by Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young, music by Con Conrad and J. Russel Robinson, 1920)
3. “I WANT TO BE A POPULAR MILLIONAIRE” (words and music by George M. Cohan, 1905)
4. “IF I WAS A MILLIONAIRE” (words by Will D. Cobb, music by Gus Edwards, 1910)
5. “SHINE ON, HARVEST MOON” (words by Jack Norworth, music by Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth, 1908, with revisions by Chip Deffaa)
6. “EVERYBODY WORKS BUT FATHER” (words and music by Jean Havez, 1905)
7. “SOME OF THESE DAYS” (words and music by Shelton Brooks, 1912, with revisions by Chip Deffaa)
8. “THE YANKEE DOODLE BOY” (words and music George M. Cohan, 1904)
9. “MOONLIGHT BAY” (words by Edward Madden, music by Percy Weinrich, 1912, with revisions by Chip Deffaa)
10. “OH! MR. MOON” (words and music by George M. Cohan, 1901, with revisions by Chip Deffa)
11. “MEET ME TONIGHT IN DREAMLAND” (words by Beth Slater Whitson, music by Leo Friedman, 1908)
12. “ROW, ROW, ROW” (words by William Jerome, music by Jimmie V. Monaco, 1912)
13. “BALLIN’ THE JACK”/Music & Gags Sequence (“Ballin’ the Jack”–words by Jim Burris, music by Chris Smith, 1913)
14. “YOU CAN TELL THAT I’M IRISH” (words and music by George M. Cohan, 1916; introduction by Chip Deffaa)
15. “FORTY-FIVE MINUTES FROM BROADWAY” (words and music by George M. Cohan, 1906, with revisions by Chip Deffaa)
16.. “SMILES”-Reprise (words by J. Will Callahan, music by Lee S. Roberts, 1917)
17. “OH! MR. MOON”–Reprise (words and music by George M. Cohan, 1901, with revisions by Chip Deffaa)
18. “MEET ME TONIGHT IN DREAMLAND”-Reprise (words by Beth Slater Whitson, music by Leo Friedman, 1909)
ACT TWO
19. “EVERYBODY WORKS BUT FATHER”-Reprise (words and music by Jean Havez, 1905)
20. “AN EDDIE FOY SOFT SHOE” (words and music by Chip Deffaa)
21. “I’M TIRED” (words by William Jerome, music by Jean Schwartz, 1901, with revisions by Chip Deffaa)
22. “SECOND-HAND ROSE” (words by Grant Clarke, music by James F. Hanley, 1921)
22a. “SMILES”-Underscoring (music by Lee S. Roberts, 1917)
23. “SINGIN’ THE BLUES”-Reprise (words by Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young, music by Con Conrad and J. Russel Robinson, 1920)
24. “WHEN IRISH EYES ARE SMILING” (words by Chauncey Olcott and George Graff Jr., music by Ernest R. Ball, 1912)
25. “SOME SUNNY DAY” (words and music by Irving Berlin, 1922)
26. “SOMEDAY” (words and music by Chip Deffaa)
26a. “SOMEDAY”-Instrumental Tag (music by Chip Deffaa)
26b. “SOMETIMES I MISS NEW ROCHELLE”-Underscoring (music by Chip Deffaa)
27. “ONE MORE CHRISTMAS” (words and music by Chip Deffaa)
28. “SOMETIMES I MISS NEW ROCHELLE” (words and music by Chip Deffaa)
29. “PLEASE WAIT FOR ME” (words and music by Chip Deffaa)
30. “ONE MORE CHRISTMAS”–First Reprise (words and music by Chip Deffaa).
31. “YOU REMIND ME OF MY MOTHER” (words and music by George M. Cohan, 1922)
32. “STRUTTIN’” (words and music by Chip Deffaa)
33. “CHINATOWN MY CHINATOWN” (words by William Jerome, music by Jean Schwartz, 1910)
34. “THE INTERNATIONAL RAG” (words and music by Irving Berlin, 1913)
35. “ONE MORE CHRISTMAS”–Second Reprise. (words and music by Chip Deffaa)
36. “SILENT NIGHT, HOLY NIGHT” (original words by Joseph Mohr, music by Franz Gruber, early 19th century)
WORLD WAR ONE MEDLEY, introducing…
37. “AMERICA I LOVE YOU” (words by Edgar Leslie, music by Archie Gottler, 1915)
38. “GOODBYE BROADWAY, HELLO FRANCE” (words by C. Francis Reisner and Benny Davis, music by Billy Baskette, 1917)
39. “PACK UP YOUR TROUBLES IN YOUR OLD KIT BAG, AND SMILE SMILE SMILE” (words by George Asaf, music by Felix Powell, 1915, with revisions by Chip Deffaa)
40. “WHEN YOU COME BACK” (words and music by George M. Cohan, 1918)
41. “BLUE BELL” (words by Edward Madden and Theodora Morse, music by Theodore Morse, 1904)
42. “POPULARITY” (excerpt) (music by George M. Cohan, 1906)
43. GOODBYE BROADWAY, HELLO FRANCE”-Reprise (words by C. Francis Reisner and Benny Davis, music by Billy Baskette, 1917)
43a. “GOODBYE BROADWAY, HELLO FRANCE”–Instrumental Tag (music by Billy Baskette, 1917)
44. “ONE MORE CHRISTMAS”– Finale Reprise (words and music by Chip Deffaa)
45. “SOMEDAY”-Finale Reprise. (words and music by Chip Deffaa)
46 BOWS MUSIC–“SOMEDAY” (words and music by Chip Deffaa)
47. EXIT MUSIC–“MOONLIGHT BAY” (music by Leo Friedman, 1909)
* * *
APPENDIX: OPTIONAL EXTRA SONGS
48. “MUSICAL MOON” (words and music by George M. Cohan, 1911)
(Note: This optional song may, if desired, be performed as part of the benefit-show scene in Act One, performed immediately following song #15, “Forty Five Minutes from Broadway”; or else it may be used as part of the performance montage in Act Two, preceding, replacing, or following song #33, “Chinatown My Chinatown.” )
49. “DADDY, YOU’VE BEEN A MOTHER TO ME” (words and music by Fred Fisher, 1920,
with revisions by Chip Deffaa)
(Note: This optional song may, if desired, be used as part of the performance montage in Act Two, preceding, replacing, or following song #33, “Chinatown My Chinatown.” )
DEMO CUTS
from the Original Cast Album
PURCHASING OPTIONS:
- You can purchase this CD directly from us for $13.99 plus shipping and Maine Sales Tax. Be sure to enter your zipcode where prompted on the PayPal order form. It will automatically calculate the shipping for your order. (This is a safe and secure site by using your Debit or Credit card)
- The Original Cast Album from Original Cast Records is available at Amazon.com HERE for $22.67 (inc s&h)
REVIEWS:
- The review by Rob Lester in SOUND ADVICE on Talking Broadway (Talking Broadway CD review)
- The review by John Hoglund for AFTER DARK (AfterDarkFOY CD REVIEW)
The CAST of the 2012 New York Fringe Festival production:
(Recording Photos in a PDF available 7LFOYSRecording)
- Michael Townsend Wright
- Beth Bartley
- Jon Peterson
- Devon Eddy
- Jillian Wipfler
- Peter Charney
- Alex Craven
- Emily Bordonaro
- Tyler DuBoys
- Maxwell Beer
- Zachary Riopelle
- Bailey Cummings
- Emma Czaplinski
- Ben Orlando
- Emmaleigh Pepe-Winshell
- (NOTE: Additional talent was hired for the recording that did not appear onstage in the production.)