At the Drop of Another Hat

At the Drop of Another Hat is a musical revue by Flanders and Swann, similar in format to its long-running predecessor, At the Drop of a Hat (1956). In the show, they both sang on a nearly bare stage, accompanied by Swann on the piano. The songs were linked by contemporary social commentary, mostly by Flanders. Highlights included "Ill Wind", in which Flanders sings rapidly about a pilfered horn to the tune of the Rondo from Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 4 and "New Built Up Area", a soliloquy by Flanders in which a disgruntled resident of Salisbury Plain complains of the newly erected Stonehenge.[1]

At the Drop of Another Hat
Flanders (left) and Swann during their American tour, September 1966
MusicDonald Swann
LyricsMichael Flanders
BookMichael Flanders
Donald Swann

The revue premiered at the Haymarket Theatre in London on 2 October 1963 and ran until 21 March 1964. It was revived on the West End, at the Globe Theatre, from 29 September 1965 to 19 February 1966.

The show toured widely, including tours in Australia (1964), Hong Kong and England (1965) and in 1966 Canada[2] and the US.[3] A Broadway production played at the Booth Theatre from 31 December 1966 to 9 April 1967.

Songs (includes all versions)

Flanders and Swann's Bestiary

Included in the performance of At the Drop of Another Hat were several songs about animals. Most of the following songs were not included in the original cast recording, but issued with additional songs on a separate disc:

  • "The Warthog"
  • "The Seahorse"
  • "The Chameleon"
  • "The Whale (Mopy Dick)"
  • "The Sloth"
  • "The Rhinoceros"
  • "Twosome - Kang and Jag"
  • "Dead Ducks"
  • "The Elephant"
  • "The Armadillo"
  • "The Spider"
  • "Threesome"
    • "The Duck-Billed Platypus"
    • "The Hummingbird"
    • "The Portuguese Man-of-War"
  • "The Wild Boar"
  • "The Ostrich"
  • "The Wompom"

Note that many of the songs were originally from At the Drop of a Hat

Recordings
  • Parlophone #PCS 3052, recorded live at The Haymarket Theatre on 2 October 1963 (released in 1964), containing fourteen selections (ASIN B003UJF6EI). EMI re-released this on compact disc in 1991 and included three more selections (ASIN B00004SE0Q). The album was produced by George Martin, and has been described as an "enjoyable smorgasbord of early- to mid-'60s British humor".[1]
  • Angel Record #PMC1216, At the Drop of Another Hat
  • Angel Record #PMC1164 (Parlophone #PCS 3026 in the UK), The Bestiary of Flanders and Swann

Notes
  1. Flanders & Swann: At the Drop of Another Hat. Allmusic, accessed 19 July 2011
  2. Billboard, 17 December 1966, p. 56
  3. At The Drop of Another Hat Archived August 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Flanders & Swann Online, accessed 19 July 2011

References
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