Hot Spot (musical)

Hot Spot is a musical with the book by Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, lyrics by Martin Charnin, music by Mary Rodgers, and additional lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim. It had a brief run on Broadway in 1963. The musical is a political satire.

Background

A Peace Corps volunteer in newly-independent Nigeria, Marjorie Michelmore, caused a furor because she had written a postcard on October 13, 1961, describing the primitive living conditions there. Nigerians were indignant, and some accused the volunteers of being American spies. This led to a public relations crisis for the fledgling Peace Corps.

Production

Hot Spot began out-of-town try-outs on February 11, 1963 at the National Theater, Washington, D.C., and on February 28 at the Shubert Theatre, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Suskin, Steven. The Sound of Broadway Music: A Book of Orchestrators and Orchestrations (2009). Oxford University Press US, ISBN 0-19-530947-2, p. 432

The musical premiered on Broadway at the Majestic Theater on April 19, 1963 and closed on May 25, 1963 after 43 performances and 5 previews. (Although reporting 5 "official" previews, according to The New York Times, "the musical expects to run up 36 at the Majestic by the time it opens".Taubman, Howard. "In and Out Of...
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