{"id":1503,"date":"2014-03-17T16:07:16","date_gmt":"2014-03-17T16:07:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leicesterbaytheatricals.com\/?p=1503"},"modified":"2025-01-13T16:44:33","modified_gmt":"2025-01-13T16:44:33","slug":"the-seven-little-foys-a-fable-of-vaudeville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leicesterbaytheatricals.com\/?p=1503","title":{"rendered":"The Seven Little Foys — A Musical Fable of Vaudeville"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Chip Deffaa<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The story of \u201cTHE SEVEN LITTLE FOYS\u201d 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).\u00a0 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.
\nEddie 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\u2013\u201cEddie Foy and the Seven Little Foys\u201d\u2013that became the top family act of the era, an American institution.
\nIt was out on the road, Foy said, that he and the kids came to fully understand, through their hardships and challenges, the importance of family. They all grew up\u2013the father, as well as the kids, Eddie Foy later acknowledged\u2013while entertaining the nation.
\n\u201cThe Seven Little Foys\u201d is written for 10 (or possibly 11) players\u2013the seven Foy children (who appear to range in age from about 5 to 15 years of age, the actors themselves can be a little older than their characters), their parents, and family-friend George M. Cohan. There is also the role of a judge which can be \u201cdoubled,\u201d if desired, by the actor playing Cohan.\u00a0 (For those desiring a show with a larger cast. Deffaa has also written another version of the story of the Seven Little Foys, \u201cSong-and-Dance Kids<\/a>\u201d\u2013also available from Leicester Bay Theatricals–with 38 roles; it may be performed by anywhere from 24 players to 40 or more players.)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Seven Little Foys\u201d is one of the few musicals in which young people are stars. Audiences love seeing children sing and dance.\u00a0 Every member of the cast gets some solo vocal exposure, as well as singing in group numbers.\u00a0 This lively two-act musical comedy mixes oldtime favorites introduced and popularized by Eddie Foy and his family with infectious new originals by Deffaa.\u00a0 The score \u2013 rich with sentiment \u2013 includes such enduringly popular songs as \u201cChinatown, My Chinatown,\u201d \u201cRow, Row, Row,\u201d \u201cMeet Me Tonight in Dreamland,\u201d \u201c Shine On, Harvest Moon,\u201d \u201cSome of these Days,\u201d \u201cThe International Rag,\u201d and \u201c Moonlight Bay.\u201d As the theatre critic of Time-Out New York noted: \u201cThe audience loved it\u2013singing along, and at times moved to tears.\u201d\u00a0 Both the musical and its cast album (on Original Cast Records) have\u00a0 received glowing reviews. Scott Siegel and Barbara Siegel (TalkinBroadway.com) called the show \u201ca delightful charmer.\u201d 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.”<\/p>\n

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MORE REVIEWS<\/strong><\/h2>\n

in PDF form (Can be read online or downloaded) SLF REVIEWS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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The REAL Seven Little Foys:<\/strong> (from L to R)<\/em> Irving, Eddie Jr, Madeline, Mary, Richard, Charlie, Bryan,<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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PLAY DETAILS<\/strong><\/h2>\n