Half a Sixpence

This utterly delightful musical was a smashing success in London and then ran nearly two years before enchanted audiences at the Broadhurst Theatre on Broadway. The score utterly captivates everyone who hears it and the original cast album, available from RCA, is a joy. The time is the turn of the century and the place is an attractive seaside resort in the south of England. Young Kipps and his fellow apprentices work for a businessman whose tightfistedness inspires the song, "All in the Cause of Economy." Kipps' main concern is his girl, Ann, to whom he gives half a sixpence as a lover's token. At this happy moment, they sing the lilting title song. Their romance is upset when Kipps suddenly inherits a large fortune and is swept away by new friends. Asked what he'll do with his fortune, Kipps sings an exciting song entitled "Money to Burn." As he is about to marry a society girl, he encounters his first girl and she offers him back the half sixpence. Kipps comes to a maturity out of his true love and finds both happiness and himself.