Finian's Rainbow | |
---|---|
Music | Burton Lane |
Lyrics | E. Y. Harburg |
Book | E. Y. Harburg Fred Saidy |
Productions | 1947 Broadway 1947 West End mid-1950s animated film (unfinished) 1955 Broadway revival 1960 Broadway revival 1967 Broadway revival 1968 Film 2004 Off-Broadway 2009 Encores! concert 2009 Broadway revival 2014 Off-West End revival |
Finian's Rainbow is a musical with a book by E. Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, lyrics by Harburg, and music by Burton Lane, produced by Lee Sabinson. The original 1947 Broadway production ran for 725 performances, while a film version was released in 1968 and several revivals have followed.
An elderly Irishman, Finian McLonergan, moves to the southern United States with his daughter Sharon, to bury a stolen pot of gold near Fort Knox, in the mistaken belief that it will make him prosperous, as he imagines that the gold which he thinks has been buried at Fort Knox has made America prosperous. Og, a leprechaun, follows them, desperate to recover his treasure before the loss of it turns him permanently human. Complications arise when a bigoted and corrupt U.S. senator gets involved, and when wishes are made inadvertently over the hidden crock. The Irish-tinged music score includes gospel and R&B influences.