The Marx Brothers
Marxology - Animal Crackers - On Stage

Mikael Uhlin's Marxology @ marx-brothers.org

On Stage

Over the years, Animal Crackers have been revived on stage on several occasions. The most recent performances were in the summers of 2002 and 2003.

In August 2002, the Oxford University Dramatic Society performed the play in Edinburgh, Scotland under the direction of Sam Leifer. Leifer's production was totally in black & white with a vaudevillian touch to give the background as to who the Marx Brothers actually were - New York Jewish kids forced onto the stage by their proud mother. The play kicked off with a 1920s New York theatre manager and his secretary (both played by seasoned stand-up comics) having a conversation that introduced the Marx Brothers. Hooray for Captain Spaulding announced the classic entrance on Sudan chair by Captain Spaulding, played with gusto and enthusiasm by James Wilton. He got well into his stride with "Hello I must be going" before going into the opening dialogue with Mrs Rittenhouse (played by Jessie Burton, diminutive in stature and full of the necessary pomposity). The original dialogue mixed pieces of the opening of Duck Soup (like the business with the vaccination with the phonograph needle). Ravelli (played by rock band drummer Johnny Lewsley) and The Professor (played by the amazingly accurate Andy King) joined in the nonsense and basically followed the plot through to the sleepy conclusion. King pulled of the Gookie and cutlery dropping well, although the piano and harp solos were dropped. There were some greatest hits thrown in, like the exchange of contracts between Groucho and Chico and Everyone says I love you. Also, the famous painting (the "Pictch") on exhibition in Mrs Rittenhouse villa was substituted for a statue (or "Statch") which worked in well with the ending. At 60 minutes, the show was described as a great reconstruction of the madness of the Marxes.

Animal Crackers of 2003 - Lippe, Doyle and Barto

The show was recreated twice during the summer of 2003. First by the Actors Net of Bucks County in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, then by The Riverwalk Theater in Lansing, Michigan. Again, the famous painting was changed into a new sculpture but they re-introduced a character from the original show that was omitted in the Marxes' film version, i.e. the young gossip columnist who becomes the love interest of Arabella Rittenhouse. In this show, Spaulding was played by Curt Lippe, while Susan Ferrara Barto played Ravelli. Barto reportedly stole the show with her combination of terrible Italian and superb piano playing (for example playing Grieg's piano concerto with style and feeling). Joe Doyle played the silent Professor with his ever-present horn with which to chase the beauties and, finally, Chuck Donnelly as appeared as Jamison, Spaulding's secretary. This version of the show also included the DuBarry scene and The Musketeers.
In an e-mail, Lippe informed me that this "was the toughest scene in the show to do, to make it move and be funny. A lot of the jokes are really subtle ("The last window I jumped out of I forgot to open. I'd show you the scars, but I know you don't smoke"). Something funny that happened on opening night in that scene. Spaulding keeps getting interrupted trying to make time with DuBarry on the couch. While I'm sitting on her lap, Harpo is supposed to come in chasing a girl and switch the empty wine bottle he stole earlier in the scene with a full one. As he leaves with the girl Spaulding says "Say, just a minute, you've got a nickel coming to you for the empty bottle". Well, the girl missed her cue and wasn't ready, and Harpo didn't make his entrance. So I was sitting on DuBarry's lap, looking over my shoulder, and no Harpo. Bewildered, I started saying things to her like "Do you think you could grow a little more lap" and "Hey, feel like singing one of those songs we sang earlier tonight?". The audience started picking up that it was a mess-up and started howling, and things just got crazier. Finally Harpo came on alone and we continued - but that might have been the closest real "Marx moment" we had - knowing what we do of their improvisational skills! I found out later that the girl in the scene had gone outside behind the theater for some unexplained reason."