No, No, Nanette

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Introduction to "No, No, Nanette"

"No, No, Nanette" premiered in London’s West End at the Palace Theatre on March 11, 1925, running for an impressive 665 performances until July 31, 1927 one of the longest-running musicals of the 1920s in London. With music by Vincent Youmans, lyrics by Irving Caesar and Otto Harbach, and a book by Harbach and Frank Mandel, this musical comedy evolved from Mandel’s play "My Lady Friends." Directed by Harry Frazee, who also produced, it starred Binnie Hale as Nanette, Joseph Coyne as Jimmy Smith, and George Grossmith Jr. as Billy Early. Revived at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 1973 with Anna Neagle, it ran 333 performances until January 19, 1974. Featuring hits like "Tea for Two" and "I Want to Be Happy," its tale of flappers and frolic uniquely adding "Take a Little One-Step" for London captured the Jazz Age spirit, cementing its status as a Roaring Twenties classic seen by over 500,000 in its original run.

The Creative Team Behind the Show

Vincent Youmans composed the buoyant score, with Irving Caesar and Otto Harbach crafting lyrics Harbach co-writing the book with Frank Mandel, rooted in "My Lady Friends." Harry Frazee, famed Boston Red Sox owner, produced and directed the 1925 debut, with Sammy Lee’s choreography sparking dance crazes like "The Varsity Drag." Binnie Hale’s vivacious Nanette, Joseph Coyne’s genial Jimmy, and George Grossmith Jr.’s suave Billy led, joined by Irene Browne as Lucille and Seymour Beard as Tom. The 1973 revival, directed by Burt Shevelove who adapted the book featured Anna Neagle, Anne Rogers, and Tony Britton, with Ralph Burns’ orchestrations. P. Dodd Ackerman’s 1925 sets and Raoul Pène Du Bois’ 1973 designs framed the fun, a team blending American pizzazz with British polish to deliver a tap-happy hit that danced across decades.

A Flapper’s Frolic in Atlantic City

In 1920s New York, Jimmy Smith, a Bible-publishing millionaire, secretly funds three charming women Betty, Winnie, and Flora despite his frugal wife Sue’s thrift ("I Want to Be Happy"). Their ward Nanette, eager to ditch propriety for fun, heads to Atlantic City against Sue’s “No, No,” bankrolled by Jimmy’s $200 ("No, No, Nanette"). Lawyer Billy Early, Jimmy’s pal, aims to hush the trio, joined by his spendthrift wife Lucille ("You Can Dance with Any Girl"). Nanette’s beau Tom follows, sparking a spat then a dreamy reunion ("Tea for Two"). Chaos peaks as Sue and Lucille catch Billy with the girls, but explanations clear the air Jimmy’s platonic, Nanette weds Tom, and Sue splurges to keep Jimmy in line ("Take a Little One-Step"). A bubbly romp of mistaken motives, it ends in a tea dance of love and laughter.

Performance and Reception

The 1925 Palace debut, post-Chicago triumph, ran 665 performances, outpacing its 321-show Broadway twin Variety dubbed it “a joyous hit,” with Hale’s Nanette and Coyne’s Jimmy sparking dance fever. The Times praised its “tuneful zest,” drawing 500,000, though some sniffed at its fluff. The 1973 Drury Lane revival, opening March 27, logged 333 shows nostalgia fueled Neagle’s “graceful” return, per The Stage, though The Guardian found it “datedly cute.” Audiences adored the tap and tunes Grossmith’s ad-libs and Burns’ orchestrations shone yet critics split: Punch lauded its “sheer fun,” others its “thin” plot. A 1925 cast recording topped charts, with "I’ve Confessed to the Breeze" a London bonus. Facing "The Boy Friend"’s dazzle, both runs thrived on escapism, cementing its Jazz Age glow over deeper fare.

Legacy in West End Theatre

"No, No, Nanette"’s 998 total West End performances across 1925 and 1973 dwarf many 1920s peers, its four 1971 Tonys including Best Choreography echoing from Broadway’s 861-show revival. A 1930 film with ZaSu Pitts, a loose 1950 "Tea for Two" with Doris Day, and 2008 Encores! staging with Sandy Duncan spread its reach seen by millions globally. Youmans’ hits Ella Fitzgerald covered "Tea for Two" and Caesar’s lyrics endure via Concord Theatricals, with amateur runs thriving. The 1925 "Lambeth Walk"-style craze and 1973’s nostalgia wave influenced jukebox musicals like "Mamma Mia!" No Oliviers, but its Roaring Twenties tap and flapper flair from Palace to Drury Lane mark it a West End staple, less epic than "Les Mis," yet a timeless bubble of Jazz Age joy in Theatreland’s canon.