Show Plot On the Twentieth Century

Authors: Adapted by Bruce Milholland, book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, music by Cy Coleman

Time Period: The early 1930s (specifically March 1933).

Summary: On the Twentieth Century is part operetta, part farce and part screwball comedy. The story follows the behind-the-scenes relationship between Lily, a temperamental actress and Oscar, a bankrupt theatre producer. On a luxury train traveling from Chicago to New York in the early 1930s, Oscar tries to cajole the glamorous Hollywood star into playing the lead in his new, but not-yet-written drama, and perhaps to rekindle their romance.