Jun 20, 2024 10:00 EST
Stage & Screen
522
The original Joe Eula costume designs for Got Tu Go Disco, the 1979 Broadway disco musical
Estate / Collection: Collection of author Owen Levy
GOT TU GO DISCO
Archive of items including Joe Eula's original costume designs for Got Tu Go Disco. New York: 1979. A fun group of items comprising the full set of original pencil and watercolor costume designs by Joe Eula, 15 of which are mounted to card with fabric swatches and 9 are loose drawings, each with character names and other notations, the mounted designs 9 x 7 inches, the others smaller, some wear from use. Also present is an original poster for the show designed by Joe Eula, 22 x 14 inches, two t-shirts with designs from the show, and an envelope of original color slides of a Broadway performance.
Got Tu Go Disco opened on Broadway on June 25th, 1979 and ran for nine previews and eight performances. The short-lived show attempted to grab the momentum of the disco era, the plot of which was described by the New York Times as "A young woman named Cassette sells clothes by day and turns into the queen of a nightclub by night — think Cinderella on the dance floor." The show was created by promoter Jerry Brandt, who was quite successful working for the William Morris Agency and was responsible for bringing The Rolling Stones to the United States and opening clubs such as The Electric Circus. In the 1970s, he promoted the pioneering glam rocker Jobriath before turning his attention to Got Tu Go Disco which featured colorful costumes designed by Halston designer Joe Eula. A notorious flop, New York Magazine wrote that the production was put on by "an inexperienced staff, two unknown stars, the real-life doorman and bartender of Studio 54, two directors, three scriptwriters, three choreographers, eleven composers, a cast of 36, and a $500,000 set with a dance floor that fills with 3000 gallons of water and jackknifes toward the audience." Surely a spectacle worthy of consideration for revival today, Got Tu Go Disco was a notorious flop and closed after only eight performances.
Sold for $3,840
Estimated at $3,000 - $5,000
Includes Buyer's Premium
Estate / Collection: Collection of author Owen Levy
GOT TU GO DISCO
Archive of items including Joe Eula's original costume designs for Got Tu Go Disco. New York: 1979. A fun group of items comprising the full set of original pencil and watercolor costume designs by Joe Eula, 15 of which are mounted to card with fabric swatches and 9 are loose drawings, each with character names and other notations, the mounted designs 9 x 7 inches, the others smaller, some wear from use. Also present is an original poster for the show designed by Joe Eula, 22 x 14 inches, two t-shirts with designs from the show, and an envelope of original color slides of a Broadway performance.
Got Tu Go Disco opened on Broadway on June 25th, 1979 and ran for nine previews and eight performances. The short-lived show attempted to grab the momentum of the disco era, the plot of which was described by the New York Times as "A young woman named Cassette sells clothes by day and turns into the queen of a nightclub by night — think Cinderella on the dance floor." The show was created by promoter Jerry Brandt, who was quite successful working for the William Morris Agency and was responsible for bringing The Rolling Stones to the United States and opening clubs such as The Electric Circus. In the 1970s, he promoted the pioneering glam rocker Jobriath before turning his attention to Got Tu Go Disco which featured colorful costumes designed by Halston designer Joe Eula. A notorious flop, New York Magazine wrote that the production was put on by "an inexperienced staff, two unknown stars, the real-life doorman and bartender of Studio 54, two directors, three scriptwriters, three choreographers, eleven composers, a cast of 36, and a $500,000 set with a dance floor that fills with 3000 gallons of water and jackknifes toward the audience." Surely a spectacle worthy of consideration for revival today, Got Tu Go Disco was a notorious flop and closed after only eight performances.
Auction: Stage & Screen, Jun 20, 2024
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Successful Stage & Screen Auction on June 20, 2024 Surpasses Expectations!
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Fans and Collectors Drove Strong Prices for Memorabilia, Autographs, Artwork & Photographs of the Theater, Hollywood, Music and Dance
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Consignments Are Currently Being Accepted for Future Auctions
NEW YORK, NY -- Doyle's fourth Stage & Screen auction on June 20, 2024 attracted determined competition from collectors and fans around the world resulting in a sale total that surpassed expectations. Held in collaboration with the Entertainment Community Fund, these popular auctions offer artwork, memorabilia, props, autographs and photographs celebrating the performing arts of Theater, Hollywood, Music and Dance.
Recognizing the importance of the performing arts to the fabric of New York, Doyle is proud to donate 10% of our profit from this auction to the Entertainment Community Fund.
Sale highlights include the 1953-54 Tony Award for Best Musical presented to Charles Lederer and Luther Davis for Kismet that achieved $15,360, far surpassing its $3,000-5,000 estimate. A writer associated with the Algonquin Round Table, Charles Lederer (1910-1976) was raised in Hollywood's inner circle and worked as a journalist for Hearst Newspapers before turning his talents to Broadway. Kismet won three Tony Awards that year and ran for a successful 583 performances.
The Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund)
Featured in the sale was a group of celebrity memorabilia presented by the Entertainment Community Fund. While a portion of proceeds from every item in the auction benefited the Fund, 100% of the hammer price of these lots goes entirely to the Entertainment Community Fund.
Highlighting the group was the heavily annotated master script for the 1972 first Broadway production of Pippin that soared past its $800-1,200 estimate to realize $6,080. The winner of five Tony Awards, Pippin opened at the Imperial Theater on Broadway on October 23, 1972 and ran for nearly two thousand performances before closing in June 1977. The show was directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse with stage direction by Kathryn Doby who also served as Dance Captain and performed as a Player in the show.
Founded in 1882, the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund) is a national 501(c)(3) charitable organization for performing arts and entertainment professionals. The Fund helps address the specific needs of those in the industry, with a unique understanding of the challenges involved in a life in the arts. For further information on the Entertainment Community Fund, visit EntertainmentCommunity.org
We Invite You to Auction!
Consignments are currently being accepted for future auctions. We invite you to contact us for a complimentary auction evaluation. Our specialists are always available to discuss the sale of a single item or an entire collection.
For information, please contact
Memorabilia: Peter Costanzo, 212-427-4141, ext 248, Peter.Costanzo@Doyle.com
Artwork: Milan Tessler, 212-427-4141, ext 266, paintings@Doyle.com
