Two By Two: by Two

Yesterday, I posted a song, "Poppa Knows Best," from the musical Two by Two, which is about Noah and the ark and has a score by Richard Rodgers and Martin Charnin.  In telling the story that leads up to the song, I mentioned that it concerns a conflict that Noah has with his sons, led by the rebellious Japheth about not building a rudder for the boat since God didn't specifically tell Noah to do so -- all of which becomes the song, "You've Got to Have a Rudder on the Ark."

I figured that I should complete the circle, so here is that song.  It's actually a pretty fun number and has clever lyrics. 

​Noah is performed here by Danny Kaye, and his sons are Walter Willison (who got a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor as Japheth), Harry Goz (who had been one of the string of actors to play 'Tevye' in the original production of Fiddler on the Roof after Zero Mostel left the show), and Michael Karm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzm1aJqkq-w

As a bonus, for those interested in such things, I found a video of this done done in a college production of Two by Two at Mars Hills College.  In the character of Noah looks a bit cartoonishly elderly here, know that in the show he starts out as 600 years old, which I believe he was in the Bible, which might explain that a bit.  It's only later that God does the sort of thing that God can do and helps out a bit, making Noah quite a ways younger, leading Danny Kaye into the song, "90 Again."

At one point in this video we lose sight of the performers as they go racing around the stage and the camera doesn't follow.  Don't to worry, they get back!

But here's how the number looks when staged, at least by Mars Hills College.  Starting a little bit into the song...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeF0pYStCFA