This is a rare November 19th, 1923 program (playbill) from the Original Broadway production of the Fifth Annual Revusical Comedy "THE GREENWICH VILLAGE FOLLIES" at New York's Winter Garden Theatre. (The production opened September 20th, 1923 and ran for 140 performances.) ..... The Greenwich Village Theatre was located between Christopher Street and West Fourth Street across from Sheridan Square. The theater opened as a neighborhood playhouse in November of 1917 and was built by Maguerite Abbott Barker. The first shows were so good that they attracted uptown audiences downtown in droves. The one thing responsible for putting the theatre on the map was "THE GREENWICH VILLAGE FOLLIES", a "Revusical Comedy of New York's Latin Quarter", invented and produced for the stage by JOHN MURRAY ANDERSON. In these Pre and Post World War One days, the lavish Broadway playhouses competed with more and more money to stage the biggest and most dazzling shows. Murray had no money, but all the talent he needed to create the very concept of the intimate revue of New York City. The first "Follies" of Greenwich Village opened in July of 1919. It wasn't long before a "Sold Out" sign hung in the box office window. After a six week run the show moved uptown to Broadway, which no other Village production had ever managed to do before. A second "Follies" was spun by Anderson for the 1920 season, and like the first, it also moved to a Broadway house. From then on the "Follies" became a Broadway only production and renewed itself annually throughout the 1920's. (Reprinted in part from the Greenwich Village Gazette website) ..... The Fifth Edition featured an opening curtain painted by artist REGINALD MARSH (eleventh scanned image) and the cast included AL SEXTON, MARTHA GRAHAM (making her Broadway debut), JEAN LA MARR, ASTRID OHLSON, MAXINE WILSON, MORETTA HALE, JOSEPHINE McMAHON, LILLIAN MOREHOUSE, MARIE BAUDOUX, BETTY HILL, GERTRUDE CAHILL, ANNA MAE CLIFT, GRACE RIVERS, ELAINE ARDEN, BETTY LINN, RUTH CONLEY, DOLLY DONNELLY, TOMMY TREMAINE, GERTRUDE WALKER, MILDRED LUNNAY, GWENDOLYN GORDON, FLORENCE MOORE, JOE LYONS, WALTER CRAIG, TOM HOWARD, IRENE DELROY, the TWO BRIANTS, WILLIAM MANDEL, JOSEPHINE ADAIR, TOM BURKE, GREGORY SAFRONIC, MARION DABNEY, JOHN MARSHALL, BUSTER WEST and JOHN WELLS ..... CREDITS: Music by LOUIS A. HIRSCH and CON CONRAD; Lyrics by IRVING CAESAR and JOHN MURRAY ANDERSON; Incidental Music arranged by ALFRED NEWMAN; Scenery and Costumes designed by MAX REE, NORMAN LEVINSON, Mrs. INGEBORG HANSEL and HOWARD GREER; Opening Curtain designed and painted by REGINALD MARSH; Modern Dances arranged by LARRY CEBALLOS; East Indian Dances by MICHIO ITOW; Orchestra conducted by ALFRED NEWMAN; Sketches Directed by LEW FIELDS; Production Devised and Staged by JOHN MURRAY ANDERSON; Produced by THE BOHEMIANS, INC. ..... DETAILS: The 50 page program measures 5 3/8" X 7 3/4" inches and includes full production credits, cast list, scenes, musical numbers and wonderful vintage advertising, but no cast photos or bios ..... CONDITION: With the exception of light edge wear, this rare program is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any musical theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective, carded sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.