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Wodehouse, P(elham) G(ranville)

The Oxford Companion to American Theatre | 2004 | 700+ words | Copyright

Wodehouse, P[elham] G[ranville] (1881–1975), lyricist and librettist. After making a name for himself as a novelist and humorist, the writer, who was born in Guildford, England, came to America and served as drama critic for Vanity Fair. In 1916 he wrote lyrics for Miss Springtime, then joined composer Jerome Kern and librettist Guy Bolton to work on the book and lyrics for the Princess Theatre shows. His 1917 credits included Have a Heart, Oh, Boy!, Leave It to Jane, The Riviera Girl, Miss 1917, and Kitty Darlin'. Among his later contributions were those as lyricist and/or co‐librettist for Oh, Lady! Lady!! (1918), Sitting Pretty (1924), Oh, Kay! (1926), Rosalie (1928), and Anything Goes (1934), although his shipwreck plot had to be jettisoned after the sinking of the Morro Castle. Wodehouse may well be considered the first truly great lyricist of the American musical stage, his easy, colloquially flowing rhymes deftly interwoven with a sunny wit. Biography: P. G. Wodehouse, Frances Donaldson, 1982.

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Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Wodehouse, P(elham) G(ranville)." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Wodehouse, P(elham) G(ranville)." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-WodehousePelhamGranville.html

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