FLASH FRIDAY: Barbara Cook, Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick Discuss SHE LOVES ME in 1978

With all the cheers and accolades greeting Roundabout's newest Broadway revival of SHE LOVES ME, it's hard to believe that Jerry Bock (music), Sheldon Harnick (lyrics) and Joe Masteroff's (book) musical comedy masterpiece was left pretty much forgotten after its disappointing original 1963 Broadway run and even more disappointing West End reception in 1964.

Regulated to cult status by connoisseurs who adored the original Broadway cast album, interest resurged with a 1977 concert performance at New York's Town Hall, starring Madeline Kahn, Barry Bostwick, Rita Moreno, Laurence Guittard and George Rose.

The next year, BBC-TV premiered an abridged film version of the musical, seen below, which starred Gemma Craven and Robin Ellis and was broadcast in America on PBS.

While no substitute for the new live production, the very well done television production renewed interest, and SHE LOVES ME was soon popping up far more frequently in college and regional theatre productions.

At the 1:47 point of the video an interview commences with Bock, Harnick and the musical's original leading lady, Barbara Cook. Asking the questions is a young Craig Zadan, who would go on to produce the film versions of CHICAGO and HAIRSPRAY, the television series SMASH, television movies of GYPSY, ANNIE and THE MUSIC MAN and live television presentations of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, PETER PAN and THE WIZ.

They discuss the show's status as a cult musical, the writing process with Masteroff and Harnick's surprise in finding out that his ingénue wasn't quite as sweet and gentle offstage as she was onstage.

Laura Benanti (Amalia), Zachary Levi (Georg), Gavin Creel (Kodaly), Michael McGrath (Sipos), Jane Krakowski (Ilona) and Byron Jennings (Maraczek) star in Roundabout's new Broadway production of SHE LOVES ME, directed by Scott Ellis, choreographed by Warren Carlyle with musical direction by Paul Gemignani. SHE LOVES ME officially opened last night, March 17, 2016, and runs through July 10, 2016 at Studio 54 on Broadway.

The cast also features Nicholas Barasch (Arpad) and Peter Bartlett (Head Waiter) and ensemble members Cameron Adams, Alison Cimmet, Justin Bowen, Preston Truman Boyd, Benjamin Eakeley,Sara Edwards, Michael Fatica, Gina Ferrall, Jenifer Foote, Andrew Kober,Laura Shoop, Jim Walton.

This classic musical comedy features a book by Joe Masteroff, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and music byJerry Bock. SHE LOVES ME returns to Broadway in a new production led by Roundabout's Associate Artistic Director Scott Ellis, who directed Roundabout's ten-time Tony-nominated revival of SHE LOVES ME in 1993, which marked the first Broadway musical in the company's history.