I Remember Mama (musical)

I Remember Mama
1985 Studio Recording
Music	Richard Rodgers
Lyrics	Martin Charnin Raymond Jessel
Book	Thomas Meehan
Basis	Memoir by Kathryn Forbes Mama's Bank Account
Productions	1979 Broadway

I Remember Mama is a musical with a book by Thomas Meehan, lyrics by Martin Charnin and Raymond Jessel, and music by Richard Rodgers. The musical ran on Broadway in 1979.

I Remember Mama originated as a memoir by Kathryn Forbes titled Mama's Bank Account. It was adapted for the stage by John Van Druten as a play, which ran on Broadway from 1944 to 1946.Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were the producers. It was filmed in 1948, and served as the basis for a 1950s television series, titled Mama. Every incarnation basically was the same, a series of heartwarming vignettes centering on a family of Norwegian immigrants living in San Francisco in the early 20th Century. At its core is the oldest daughter, Katrin, who yearns to be a published writer and conspires to meet renowned author Dame Sybil Fitzgibbons, a guest at the Fairmont Hotel, for professional advice and guidance. It is through Katrin's eyes the struggles, hopes, and dreams of the Hansens unfold.

The musical adaptation was beset with problems from the beginning. Rodgers and Charnin had composed a full score before the libretto was written, so they ended up having to replace a significant number of songs throughout rehearsals. The original director, Charnin, was replaced by Cy Feuer after tryouts in Philadelphia, with producer Alexander H. Cohen saying "they had to go 'for radical surgery' ". The original choreographer, Graciela Daniele, was replaced by Danny Daniels.