Johnny One Note

Johnny One Note

From: Babes In Arms
By: Rodgers
Voice Type(s): Alto,Mezzo,Belt

Full
F
Melody
F

Show Synopsis:
Seymour Fleming is running the apprentices of the Surf and Sand Playhouse into the ground, but they want to raise money with their own revue so that the playhouse's kind co-owner Bunny can pay Seymour the money her father owed him. Terry and Gus have recently broken up and Terry is trying to seduce the playwright Lee. Susie is pining for Val, who has fallen in love with Jennifer, whose stage mother Phyllis disapproves of the romance. Phyllis gets the apprentices' revue cancelled, but they vow to fight back. They lock Lee in a cellar, but he escapes after he hears that Jennifer is planning faking sick to avoid acting in his play, and goes to tell Seymour. Seymour announces that a famous producer named Steve Edwards is coming to see Lee's play, and both Susie and Terry go to his hotel room to see him - Susie because Steve is her brother and Terry because she wants to seduce him to advance her career. Gus gets Terry to leave and Val gets angry at Susie, not knowing that Susie and Steve are related. The apprentices intentionally mess up much of Lee's play so that they can start performing their revue for Steve, and he gives Bunny the money she needs to own the playhouse herself without Fleming. Val and Susie reconcile, as do Gus and Terry.	

Character:
Bunny Byron, a young woman who wants to be an actress, and wants to pay off her father's debt to Seymour so that she can own the playhouse herself; very kind and witty; does not care what others think of her; loyal to the apprentices.

Song Context:
The apprentices and Bunny have succeeded in taking over Lee's terrible play and putting on their own revue, and Bunny is playing an old woman telling a story to a bunch of children about a man who could only sing one note. It is cute, a little over-the-top, and pure fun.	

Fun Facts:
1) This musical was the basis of the famous 1948 Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney film Babes in Arms, which also focuses on a group of kids trying to put on a revue. 
2) This musical was considered innovative because it focused on and celebrated a group of young performers with futures in show business. 
3) The role of Bunny was not written until the musical was rewritten into a few different versions in 1959.
    

"Johnny could only sing one note
And the note he sings was this
Ah!

Poor Johnny one-note 
Sang out with ""gusto""
And just overlorded the place.
Poor Johnny one-note 
Yelled willy nilly
Until he was blue in the face,
For holding one note was his ace.

Couldn?t hear the brass,
Couldn?t hear the drum.
He was in a class
By himself, by gum!

Poor Johnny one-note
Got in Aida,
Indeed a great chance to be brave.
He took his one note
Howled like the North Wind
Brought forth wind that made critics rave,
While Verdi turned round in his grave!

Couldn?t hear the flute
Or the big trombone.
Ev?ry one was mute
Johnny stood alone.

Cats and dogs stopped yapping.
Lions in the zoo - 
All were jealous of Johnny's big trill.
Thunder claps stopped clapping,
Traffic ceased its roar,
And they tell us Niag?ra stood still.
He stopped the train whistles,
Boat whistles, 
Steam whistles,
Cop whistles, 
All whistles bowed to his skill

Sing Johnny One-Note,
Sing out with ""gusto"" and
Just overwhelm all the crowd
Ah!
So sing Johnny One-Note, out loud!!
Sing Johnny One-Note
Sing Johnny One-Note out loud!"