|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
SynopsisAct I In a cheap night-club, Joey auditions for the job of M.C. and gets it by his self-confidence and cockiness with the owner Mike. Later, outside a pet shop, Joey chats up Linda. He tells her his "life-story" - a pack of lies about lost fortunes and playing polo. She falls for this and they realise their mutual attraction. A month later, in the club, Mrs "Chicago Society" - Vera, an experienced woman of about 35, saunters in with friends and soon eyes Joey up and down. Linda is there with a boyfriend and Joey is somewhat curt to her. Vera makes it clear to Joey that he attracts her, but when he gets too fresh, she and her friends flamboyantly walk out. Mike is furious and gives Joey till the end of the week to get her back. Joey then calls Vera and insults her for costing him his job; this is done in a state of some panic, but it evidently works. A couple of nights later, Vera unexpectedly turns up at the club, drawn by Joey's charm, thus saving him his job. They go off together to her apartment. A few days later, in a tailor's shop, Vera smothers Joey (whom she is obviously now keeping) with new clothes: evidently she has fallen for him. But Linda, who works there, comes in, much to Joey's surprise and Vera's jealousy. She puts on a tough act with poor Linda, pretending to be Joey's second wife. Joey hears this from the tearful girl, but admits 'What do I care for a dame?' The act ends with a ballet, which is Joey's fantasy of what the night-club of his own that Vera has promised him will be like. Act II At Chez Joey's, Victor prepares the floor-show as Melba Snyder, a fast-talking reporter, interviews Joey about his new club. Egged on by Joey's fantasising, she contrives to make his history more interesting in order to get a good column. And she has plenty to tell about her own interview scoops. Ludlow Lowell breezes in, claiming to be a top agent, and with the help of the dancer Gladys (an old accomplice), cajoles Joey into signing a contract with him, which robs Joey of his independence. Later, these two plot a neat triple blackmail - on Vera, by revealing her affair with Joey to her husband; on her husband, to 'protect' his business from scandal; and of course on Joey, for obvious reasons! They try to enlist Linda, as the 'woman scorned', but she refuses. Gladys doesn't think it's going to be easy, but Ludlow is ready to do it the hard way. At Joey and Vera's love-nest, Linda tells her about the plot: Vera senses scandal, graciously 'returns' Joey to Linda and phones the Commissioner of Police. She tells Joey of the plot before Ludlow and Gladys arrive but they are thwarted by the Commissioner, who bundles them off. Vera realises that the affair is over, tells Joey and closes the Chez Joey bank account. As she leaves, the rent-collector arrives, but Joey still sweet-talks his way out of trouble. Linda and Joey then part, again outside the pet shop where they met. As she exits left, another girl crosses the stage and exits right - and she is the one that our incorrigible Pal Joey follows as the curtain falls.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Characters
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Musical NumbersBewitched, Bothered and Bewildered ORCHESTRATION
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Recordings
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
PAL JOEY 