Scope and arrangement
The Cyma Rubin papers document the producer's two Broadway productions of the early to mid-1970s: the highly successful 1971 revival of No, No, Nanette, which ran for over 800 performances over two years and spawned several touring productions, and the original musical Doctor Jazz, which closed in 1975 after only five performances and 42 previews. Rubin's papers hold correspondence, production and casting files, business papers, programs, publicity material, clippings and photographs documenting both shows, and the music scores for Doctor Jazz. Though the papers for No, No, Nanette are far more voluminous and detailed than those for Doctor Jazz, the majority of the collection is composed of the Doctor Jazz scores.
The collection also contains a DVD produced in 2011 commemorating the 40th anniversary of the 1971 production. It features production photographs and audio interviews with Ruby Keeler, Bobby Van, Patsy Kelly, Helen Gallagher, and Irving Caesar, and footage of the production.
Inquiries regarding video material in the collection may be directed to the Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound (rha@nypl.org). Video material will be subject to preservation evaluation and migration prior to access.
The Cyma Rubin papers are arranged in two series:
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1972-197525.5 boxes
Doctor Jazz was composed by Buster Davis and Luther Henderson, with lyrics and book by Buster Davis, orchestrations by Dick Hyman and Sy Oliver, and vocal arrangements by Buster Davis. Additional songs were adapted from various other songwriters and composers.
This series contains papers documenting the production of the show, but the bulk of it is composed of scores and parts used in its creation and performance.
The papers hold correspondence between the producer, authors, directors and other production personnel; incorporation papers for the Doctor Jazz production company and limited partnership, and a file of permissions from the copyright holders of songs used in the show.
The scores contain full orchestrated scores for all the material composed for the show, including some which did not survive to the final version; orchestrations by Dick Hyman for a 1974 taping of the show's arrangements; piano-conductor scores; piano-vocal scores; part books used in the production (often labeled with the name of the musician playing the book); and rehearsal piano-conductor scores and parts. Some of this material is duplicative because there are clean score masters as well as copies with rehearsal and performance notes. The rehearsal and piano-vocal scores may be different arrangements than those used in the final show. Most (but not all) full scores, piano-conductor and piano-vocal scores are labeled with an arranger or orchestrator credit.
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1969-199213.5 boxes
No, No, Nanette was originally composed in 1925 by Vincent Youmans with lyrics by Irving Caesar and Otto Harbach, and a book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel. The 1971 revival was conceived by Harry Rigby and had a book adapted by Burt Shevelove, music orchestrated by Ralph Burns, incidental music by Luther Henderson, and vocal arrangements by Buster Davis. The production supervisor was Busby Berkeley.
This series has two divisions: one for the Broadway run of the show, and the other for that production's pre-Broadway runs and later touring companies. Contents include contracts, casting and production files, correspondence, photographs, legal and insurance papers, house attendance and financial tallies, and publicity materials including press releases, advertising files, clippings, and correspondence with publicists and media.
The casting files mostly contain actor resumes and headshots, and some have correspondence. They include cast from both the Broadway production and from the pre-Broadway or touring companies of the show. Major actors such as Helen Gallagher, Ruby Keeler, Benny Baker and Bobby Van appeared in the various versions of the show.
The production files document the show's pre-production and the day-to-day issues of running a Broadway musical. The contracts, with the exception of Buster Davis's file, are arranged by job title. These files also contain correspondence, as well as separate folders of cancelled contracts.
The correspondence files under the Broadway production hold letters to and from every conceivable person or entity associated with the show: actors and their representatives, publishers, directors, choreographers, publicity agents, lawyers, the 46th Street Theatre, the actors' and stagehands' unions, media, etc.
Other files for the Broadway production document the 46th Street Theatre, rehearsals, scripts, Playbill copy and production, the souvenir program, television and film appearances and proposals, and the 1971 Tony awards ceremony.
The files for pre-Broadway and touring versions of the show consist primarily of information on those productions as they appeared in major cities in the United States, Canada and England. They do not include files for the dozens of other locations the touring companies visited across the U.S. The files hold correspondence, publicity materials, programs, clippings, cast information, and a framed poster for the Cleveland production. The Japan file contains a proposal, not an actual production.