Show Tunes S4 EP16 "Mame" (1966)

Freewheeling, bohemian Mame Dennis finds herself raising her nephew Patrick. Now a parental type, she decides to raise him her own way and sweeps him into her eccentric lifestyle. Thanks to the Wall Street Crash of 1929, they go from riches, to rags and (thanks to Mame's machinations) back again.

Music and lyrics are by Jerry Herman.

Tony Awards (1966):

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Angela Lansbury)
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Frankie Michaels)
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Bea Arthur)

Biggest Hits:

• We Need a Little Christmas
• Bosom Buddies
• If He Walked Into My Life
• Mame - much covered, but a bit dubious (see "Cringe alert" below)

Honorable Mentions:

• Gooch's Song (a reminder - Mame tells the prim Gooch to "go out and live" - but didn't warn her of the potentially...maternal...consequences)
• The Man in the Moon
• That's How Young I Feel

Cringe alert/That's the joke, though:

"Mame" - in which folks celebrate how Mame exemplifies the virtues of the good Ol' South. This is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, as she's really laying it on thick to impress a Southern aristocrat.

Musical numbers:

1. Overture
2. St. Bridget
3. It's Today
4. Open A Window
5. The Man in the Moon
6. My Best Girl
7. We Need a Little Christmas
8. Mame
9. The Letter
10. Bosom Buddies
11. Gooch's Song
12. That's How Young I Feel
13. If He Walked Into My Life
14. Finale