# Woman of the Year (musical)

Woman of the Year is a musical with a book by Peter Stone and score by John Kander and Fred Ebb.
Based on the Ring Lardner Jr.-Michael Kanin written, Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy starring 1942 film, the musical changes the newspaper reporters of the original to television personality Tess Harding and cartoonist Sam Craig, who experience difficulty merging their careers with their marriage. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1981 and starred Lauren Bacall.

## Plot

Just before Tess Harding, a nationally known television news personality, comes on stage to receive an award as "Woman of the Year", she reminisces about an on-air editorial that she gave denigrating newspaper comic strips. The article offended the cartoonists who frequent the Ink Pot saloon and inspired syndicated cartoonist Sam Craig to publish a caricature depicting her as a snob in his strip Katz. Tess is annoyed, but when the handsome and charming Sam shows up at her office, she apologizes and invites him to dinner. At the Ink Pot, she charms Sam and his colleagues by revealing her knowledge about comic art.
Tess and Sam begin a romance, move in together, and finally marry, but their busy careers leave little time for them to spend together, and their big egos pose problems in their marriage. In one of his comics, Katz quips that marriage is a breeze - it's the living together that's so damned hard. Tess is offended, an argument ensues, and Sam announces he no longer can deal with the couple's fraying love life. The time moves forward to the present, and it's time for Tess to accept her award, just as she has lost the man she loves.
Several weeks later, Tess is conflicted about her role as a powerful newswoman versus her role as a wife. She seeks advice from Russian ballet dancer Alexi Petrikov, whom she helped to defect. He tells her that he is returning to Russia, because the wife he left behind is more important than his career. Tess travels to visit first husband Larry Donovan and his wife Jan to discover why their marriage is a success. She decides to concentrate on her marriage and announces that she is resigning from her show. But Sam tells her that he wants her to keep her career; he just wants to be involved in the decisions in their relationship. They decide to work things out.

## Original cast and characters

| Character | Broadway (1981) | 1st National Tour |
| Tess Harding | Lauren Bacall | Barbara Eden |
| Sam Craig | Harry Guardino | Don Chastain |
| Pinky Peters | Gerry Vichi | Steven Kosinski |
| Phil Whittaker | Tom Avera | Larry Hansen |
| Ellis McMaster | Rex Hays | Mace Barrett |
| Gerald Howe | Roderick Cook | Edward Conery |
| Abbott Canfield | Lawrence Raiken | Tom Flagg |
| Alexi Petrikov | Eivind Harum | Alexander Kramarevsky |
| Helga | Grace Keagy | Dolores Wilson |
| Chip Salisbury | Daren Kelly | Lee Chew |
| Floor Manager | Michael O'Gorman | David Reitman |
| Chairperson | Helon Blount | Irma Rogers |
| Maury | Rex Everhart | Ken Ellis |
| Larry Donovan | Jamie Ross | Jered Holmes |
| Jan Donovan | Marilyn Cooper | Marilyn Cooper |

## Productions

The Broadway production opened on March 29, 1981, at the Palace Theatre, where it ran for 770 performances and eleven previews. Directed by Robert Moore, the cast included Lauren Bacall, Harry Guardino, Marilyn Cooper, Grace Keagy, and Roderick Cook. Raquel Welch filled in for Bacall during her two-week vacation and later replaced her in the run. Debbie Reynolds replaced Welch in February 1983. Barbara Eden played Tess in the 1984 national tour.
Sets were designed by Tony Walton and costumes were by Theoni V. Aldredge, and choreography was by Tony Charmoli. Michael Sporn created an animated cat that danced and sang with Guardino.
The New York Times provided considerable information about the original production’s finances: 10% of gross receipts to Bacall; 9% split by Stone, Kander, and Ebb; 4% to the producers; nearly 3% to Stone, 2% to MGM, 1.5% to choreographer Charmoli, smaller royalties to the scene and costume designers; the Palace theater’s owners received operating costs and a ticket share averagine 6% of the gross.
Porchlight Music Theatre presented this show in November 2017 as a part of their "Porchlight Revisits" season in which they produce three forgotten musicals per year. This production was in Chicago, Illinois. It was directed by Artistic Director, Michael Weber, choreographed by Florence Walker Harris, and music directed by David Fiorello.

## Awards and nominations
### Original Broadway production

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
| 1981 | Tony Award | Best Musical | Best Musical | Nominated |
| 1981 | Tony Award | Best Book of a Musical | Peter Stone | Won |
| 1981 | Tony Award | Best Original Score | John Kander and Fred Ebb | Won |
| 1981 | Tony Award | Best Actress in a Musical | Lauren Bacall | Won |
| 1981 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Marilyn Cooper | Won |
| 1981 | Tony Award | Best Direction of a Musical | Robert Moore | Nominated |
| 1981 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Marilyn Cooper | Won |