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Pins and Needles
Pins and Needles (1937) is a musical revue with a book by Arthur Arent, Marc Blitzstein, Emmanuel Eisenberg, Charles Friedman, David Gregory, Joseph Schrank, Arnold B. Horwitt, John Latouche, and Harold Rome, and music and lyrics by Rome. The title Pins and Needles was created by Max Danish, long-time editor of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU)'s newspaper Justice.
It ran on Broadway from 1937 to 1940, and was revived in 1978. It was produced again in London in 2010 to positive reviews. In 2016, the show ran at the Provincetown Playhouse in New York City, where it was produced by the Steinhardt School at New York University. The revue was also performed in 1938 in the White House for President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor.
The International Ladies Garment Workers Union used the Princess Theatre in New York City as a meeting hall. The union sponsored an inexpensive revue with ILGWU workers as the cast and two pianos. Because of their factory jobs, participants could rehearse only at night and on weekends, and initial performances were presented only on Friday and Saturday nights. The original cast was made up of cutters, basters, and sewing machine operators.
Pins and Needles looked at current events from a pro-union standpoint. It was a "lighthearted look at young workers in a changing society in the middle of America's most politically engaged city." Skits spoofed everything from Fascist European dictators to bigots in the Daughters of the American Revolution society. Word-of-mouth was so enthusiastically positive that the cast abandoned their day jobs; the production expanded to a full performance schedule of eight shows per week. New songs and skits were introduced every few months to keep the show topical.
According to John Kenrick, Pins and Needles "is the only hit ever produced by a labor union, and the only time when a group of unknown non-professionals brought a successful musical to Broadway."
Originally written for a small theatrical production with music and lyrics by Harold Rome, the first production of Pins and Needles was directed by Samuel Roland. After a two-week professional run, it was adapted for performances by members of the then-striking International Ladies Garment Workers' Union as an entertainment for its members. Because Roland was associated with left-wing causes, he was asked by ILGWU president David Dubinsky to withdraw.
The better-known ILGWU production was directed by Charles Friedman and choreographed by Benjamin Zemach. It opened on November 27, 1937, at the Labor Stage Theatre and transferred to the Windsor Theatre on June 26, 1939, finally closing on June 22, 1940, after 1,108 performances. The cast included Harry Clark. The production was directed by the African-American dancer Katherine Dunham.
The revue was performed in 1938 in the White House for President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Brooks Atkinson, perhaps the most important theater critic at the time, wrote that "Pins and Needles is a gay, satirical revue, which is amusing, as Mrs. Roosevelt knows, for she has recently sealed it with the cachet of the White House".
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Pins and Needles
Pins and Needles (1937) is a musical revue with a book by Arthur Arent, Marc Blitzstein, Emmanuel Eisenberg, Charles Friedman, David Gregory, Joseph Schrank, Arnold B. Horwitt, John Latouche, and Harold Rome, and music and lyrics by Rome. The title Pins and Needles was created by Max Danish, long-time editor of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU)'s newspaper Justice.
It ran on Broadway from 1937 to 1940, and was revived in 1978. It was produced again in London in 2010 to positive reviews. In 2016, the show ran at the Provincetown Playhouse in New York City, where it was produced by the Steinhardt School at New York University. The revue was also performed in 1938 in the White House for President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor.
The International Ladies Garment Workers Union used the Princess Theatre in New York City as a meeting hall. The union sponsored an inexpensive revue with ILGWU workers as the cast and two pianos. Because of their factory jobs, participants could rehearse only at night and on weekends, and initial performances were presented only on Friday and Saturday nights. The original cast was made up of cutters, basters, and sewing machine operators.
Pins and Needles looked at current events from a pro-union standpoint. It was a "lighthearted look at young workers in a changing society in the middle of America's most politically engaged city." Skits spoofed everything from Fascist European dictators to bigots in the Daughters of the American Revolution society. Word-of-mouth was so enthusiastically positive that the cast abandoned their day jobs; the production expanded to a full performance schedule of eight shows per week. New songs and skits were introduced every few months to keep the show topical.
According to John Kenrick, Pins and Needles "is the only hit ever produced by a labor union, and the only time when a group of unknown non-professionals brought a successful musical to Broadway."
Originally written for a small theatrical production with music and lyrics by Harold Rome, the first production of Pins and Needles was directed by Samuel Roland. After a two-week professional run, it was adapted for performances by members of the then-striking International Ladies Garment Workers' Union as an entertainment for its members. Because Roland was associated with left-wing causes, he was asked by ILGWU president David Dubinsky to withdraw.
The better-known ILGWU production was directed by Charles Friedman and choreographed by Benjamin Zemach. It opened on November 27, 1937, at the Labor Stage Theatre and transferred to the Windsor Theatre on June 26, 1939, finally closing on June 22, 1940, after 1,108 performances. The cast included Harry Clark. The production was directed by the African-American dancer Katherine Dunham.
The revue was performed in 1938 in the White House for President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Brooks Atkinson, perhaps the most important theater critic at the time, wrote that "Pins and Needles is a gay, satirical revue, which is amusing, as Mrs. Roosevelt knows, for she has recently sealed it with the cachet of the White House".