Half a Sixpence (1965 Original Broadway Cast)
Expressly created for Brit pop starTommy Steeleand based on H.G. Wells's novelKipps: The Story of a Simple Soul,Half a Sixpenceis pure English corn syrup, circa 1965. Steele plays Arthur Kipps, an orphan who climbs the social ladder before losing it all and realizing that you just can't buy happiness (the stuff musical theater is made of, to be sure).David Heneker(who had also worked onIrma La DouceandCharlie Girl) wrote both music and lyrics, but what really sold the show (and it did well indeed) was Steele's outsize presence. Indeed, he appeared in every song except for the overture and a solo by Polly James.Half a Sixpencegained its footnote in Broadway history by being the last West End show to transfer successfully to New York before the late-'70s and early-'80s Lloyd Webber musicals.--Elisabeth Vincentelli