Pipe Dream Memories

In 1985, I appeared in a production of Arsenic and Old Lace at the Forestburgh Playhouse in New York that starred Jayne Heller as one of the kindly, murderous old ladies. When I encountered Jayne at a reunion of actors who'd worked at Forestburgh recently, we shared stories of what we'd been working on and what jobs were in the offing. I told her about "Steinbeck and the Land," a piece I had put together to help commemorate the centennial of Steinbeck's birth and that I hoped to develop into an educational piece that I could tour to schools. Jayne listened, smiled, and said, "Oh, I really liked John Steinbeck."

"Did you know him?"

She nodded.

"How?"

"Have you ever heard of a musical called Pipe Dream?"

"Of course."

"Well, I was in it."

"Tell me about your experience," I asked. But it was impossible to talk in-depth at the party and we made arrangements to get together in the near future when we could speak without interruption. Meeting several months later at her Manhattan Plaza apartment in New York, we sat down with her husband, Les, who accompanied her to many of the rehearsals and performances, and talked about the show.

With book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, Jr. and music by Richard Rodgers, Pipe Dream is the musical version of John Steinbeck's novel Sweet Thursday. It opened at the Shubert Theatre on 30 November 1955, ran for 246 performances, and had the shortest run of any Rodgers and Hammerstein show. Starring in the production was the Wagnerian soprano Helen Traubel as Fauna, William Johnson as Doc, Judy Tyler as Suzy, Mike Kellin as Hazel, and G.D. Wallace as Mac. Directed by Harold Clurman, the production had sets and lighting by Jo Mielziner and costumes by Alvin Colt.