Broadway is taking a hit with the suffering economy. Shows are closing left and right, so it’s time to echo the artistic movement of the Great Depression and bring more optimistic shows to Broadway.
Flora the Red Menace is such a show. It develops its optimistic themes against the historical backdrop of the Great Depression, which is why now would be the perfect time to reprise the show.
Written by John Kander and Fred Ebb, the composer/lyricist team behind Cabaret and Chicago, Flora the Red Menace is about overcoming insurmountable odds and discovering oneself in the process. Flora, first played by a very young Liza Minelli, is a spunky artist seeking work during the Great Depression. She meets a guy—of course—and they have an adorably awkward courtship... until he tries to convince her to join the American Communist Party.
Driven by her unemployment, and the seemingly reasonable goals of the party, Flora accepts the invite, further underscoring the political element of the show. But remarkably, the show never loses its humor as Flora attempts to impress her love interest by being a “good Communist.” In the end, she realizes she doesn’t need a party label to stick up for her beliefs, an empowering message especially in the present-day political context.
In 1965, Flora opened on Broadway to poor reviews. The New York Times predicted that the show’s star, a young Liza Minelli, would become a popular singer, but the show itself was “a promising idea [that] has not been enlivened by a creative spark.”
Time described the show as “plotless,” but said that Minelli “is a star-to-be, a performer of arresting presence who does not merely occupy the stage but fills it.” True to the predictions of the press, Minelli won the Tony in 1965 for Best Leading Actress, becoming the youngest recipient of the award at age 19.
The show had potential, but needed work. The 1987 off-Broadway revival—with Veanne Cox as Flora—did just that, adding a new book by David Thompson, two new songs, and a play-within-a-play frame. The actors in this version played actors from the ’30s putting on a show through the Federal Theatre Project of the New Deal. Sets became creatively used wooden boxes and clothing hangers, and a stage manager-type character announced the historical context to the audience, requesting that they use their imagination.
Flora the Red Menace’s new parallel construction improved upon the original by emphasizing its hopeful message. Just as Flora overcomes the obstacles set in her path, the actors of the FTP put on a show with little or no money. The show’s message especially resonants today. Audience members should take a break from the depressing shows on Broadway and find a little optimism in Flora.
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