After seven previews, the Broadway production, directed by Harold Prince, opened on April 26, 1970 at the Alvin Theatre, where it ran for 705 performances. The set design by Boris Aronson consisted of two working elevators and various vertical platforms that emphasized the musical’s theme of isolation. The opening night cast included Dean Jones (who had replaced Anthony Perkins early in the rehearsal period when Perkins departed to direct a play),[3] Donna McKechnie, Susan Browning, Pamela Myers, Barbara Barrie, Charles Kimbrough, Merle Louise, Beth Howland, and Elaine Stritch. Musical staging was by Michael Bennett, assisted by Bob Avian.
Shortly after opening night, Jones withdrew from the show, allegedly due to illness, but actually due to stress he was suffering from ongoing divorce proceedings.[4] He was replaced by his understudy Larry Kert, who had created the role of Tony in West Side Story. Kert earned rave reviews for his performance when the critics were invited to return.[5] In an unusual move, the Tony Awards committee deemed Kert eligible for a nomination, an honor usually reserved for the actor who originates a role.[6]
A documentary of the recording of the original cast recording was created by D. A. Pennebaker shortly after the show opened on Broadway.[7] In the film, Stritch struggles to record the song "The Ladies Who Lunch."
The first national tour opened on May 20, 1971 at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, California with George Chakiris as Bobby, and closed exactly one year later at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C..
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