The whole Gene de Paul issue is not that strange. The Wiki thing is worded very badly but 7 Brides was made into a stage musical and played on Broadway in 1982. It was, shall we say, a weak season that year. The show was nominated for Best Score but nothing else.
Here are the nominees for Best Musical for the 1983 Tony Awards
Cats (Winner)
Blues in the Night (Directed by Bruce's friend Sheldon Epps)
Merlin (with Nathan Lane)
My One and Only (with Tommy Tune and Bruce's friend Twiggy)
7 Brides starred Debby Boone and David Carroll and was not treated especially well by the critics.
It began previews on June 25, 1982, it opened on July 8, 1982 and it closed on July 11, 1982 for a total of 15 previews and 5 performances.
It opened in 1982 but because the Broadway season now goes from May to May, the July 1982 opening put the show into the 1983 Broadway season. It was one of the first shows to open in that season, along with Blues in the Night which opened on June 2nd 1982. It was also not successful, running for only 53 performances at the now demolished Rialto Theatre but besides being directed by Bruce's friend Sheldon Epps, one of it's stars is also an FOB (Friend of Bruce) Debbie Shapiro (as she called herself then).
Enough Broadway history.
This afternoon we are going to the Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center to see Syd Chaplin's silent movie, The Missing Link.
