New Faces of 1952, also known as Leonard Sillman's New Faces of 1952, is a 1952 musical revue with songs and comedy skits, produced and conceived by Leonard Sillman. It was the fourth of Sillman's seven New Faces revues, each intended to showcase the rising stars of that time; the other years for which "New Faces of ..." revues were produced were 1934, 1936, 1943, 1956, 1962, and 1968. New Faces of 1952 was the most successful of the series, and is generally considered the best, for both the talent of the performers and the quality of the writing.[1] The show ran on Broadway for nearly a year in 1952, and helped launch the careers of Paul Lynde, Alice Ghostley, Eartha Kitt, Robert Clary, Carol Lawrence, Ronny Graham, performer/writer Mel Brooks (as Melvin Brooks), and lyricist Sheldon Harnick.
Songs from the show include "Monotonous", sung by Eartha Kitt in the show and identified with her throughout her career; "Guess Who I Saw Today", sung by June Carroll in the show and subsequently recorded by numerous singers, most notably Nancy Wilson; and "Love is a Simple Thing", sung in the show by Rosemary O'Reilly, Robert Clary, Eartha Kitt, and June Carroll and later recorded by artists including Sauter-Finegan Orchestra,[2] Debbie Reynolds, Arthur Siegel, Jane Morgan, Carmen McRae and the Muppets.[3]
New Faces of 1952 was adapted as a 1954 film, titled simply New Faces, which included the original cast. In 1982 the revue had an off-Broadway revival at the Equity Library Theatre.
- ^ Green, Kay. Broadway musicals, show by show (1996), Hal Leonard Corporation, ISBN 0-7935-7750-0, p. 154
- ^ "Love is a Simple Thing", RCA Victor 47-5065 45rpm
- ^ Original Cast, ‘’Leonard Sillman's "New Faces of 1952",RCA Victor LOC 1002 LP