The Dancing Years

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The Dancing Years
Music Ivor Novello
Lyrics Christopher Hassall
Book Ivor Novello
Productions 1939 West End

The Dancing Years is a musical with book and music by Ivor Novello and lyrics by Christopher Hassall. The piece is one of Novello's most popular musicals. It was first produced in London's West End on 23 March 1939.

Contents

[edit] Production

Novello starred in the lead part. The story, set in Vienna in pre-1914, shifting to 1938, follows the life of a pennyless composer and his love for two women. The women are completely different in their social classes, one being an innkeeper's daughter and the other an opera singer. The background of Nazi persecution was very topical in 1939 when the musical was first played. The opening night was 23 March 1939 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. After a closure at the start of the Second World War in September 1939, it reopened at the Adelphi Theatre on 14 March 1942 and ran there until July 1944, for a total of 969 performances. It was the most popular show of WW2, having similar attraction as Chu Chin Chow had in the First World War.

A televised production was aired by United Kingdom channel ITV in the 1980s.

[edit] Cast

  • Ivor Novello
  • Mary Ellis
  • Olive Gilbert
  • Dunston Hart
  • Roma Beaumont

[edit] Songs

  • Waltz of My Heart
  • Wings of Sleep
  • My Life Belongs to You
  • Three Ballet Tunes
  • I Can Give You the Starlight
  • My Dearest Dear
  • Primrose
  • Leap Year Waltz

[edit] References