Annamary Dickey
She was a soprano in mainly secondary roles at the Met from 1939 to 1944; appearing in productions of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, Massenet's Manon, Delibes' Lakmé, Charpentier's Louise, Bizet's Carmen, Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss, Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, and Smetana's The Bartered Bride.
She created roles in the original productions of Kreisler's Rhapsody (1944, as Empress Maria Theresa), George S. Kaufman's Hollywood Pinafore (1945, Brenda Blossom), and Rodgers and Hammerstein's Allegro (1947, Marjorie Taylor); the latter of which was the pinnacle of her career.
She also portrayed Anna Leonowens in the original Broadway run of The King and I, initially serving as the standby actress for Constance Carpenter.
[15] Dickey went with the Juilliard School production of Garrick to the Worcester Music Festival, Massachusetts, where Stoessel conducted performances of his opera at Mechanics Hall.
[20] She made her professional debut in July 1937 with the SLMO in the world premiere of Frederick Loewe and Earle Crooker's 1937 musical, Salute to Spring, at The MUNY in the supporting role of Splaster with Bernice Claire starring.
[23] Other works she performed in with the SLMO included De Koven's Robin Hood (1937);[24] the world premiere of Bruno Hardt-Warden's Wild Violets (1937, as Mitzi[25]); Bedřich Smetana's The Bartered Bride (1939, as Esmerelda[26]); and Victor Herbert's Babette (1939, as Vinetta[27]).
[33] This win also led to an invitation to perform songs at the Central Park Mall in June 1939 for a "New Citizens Day" event, attended by more than 5,000 people, which also featured comedian and singer Eddie Cantor and a speech by Justice John C.
[38][39] Other roles she performed on the Met stage included Poussette in Jules Massenet's Manon (1939–1941, with Bidu Sayão[40][41][38]); Ellen in Léo Delibes's Lakmé (1940, with Lily Pons[42]); the Newsgirl in Gustave Charpentier's Louise (1940–1941, with Grace Moore[43][38]); Frasquita in Georges Bizet's Carmen (1942, 1944[44][38]); the Milliner in Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier (1940–1942[45][38]); Barbarina in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro (1941, 1943[38]); and Esmeralda in The Bartered Bride (1942[38]).
Her 91st and final performance at the Met was as Musetta on April 7, 1944, with Licia Albanese as Mimì, Armand Tokatyan as Rodolfo, and John Brownlee as her Marcello with Cesare Sodero conducting.
[38] As part of her work for the Metropolitan Opera, Dickey was often utilized for publicity or charity events on radio, television, and in the community.
[50] In the summer of 1944 she was committed to performing on cruise ships with Helen Hayes and Bert Lytell for the United States government, as means of encouraging the sale of War bonds to raise capital for the military.
[64][65] This was followed by the role of Brenda Blossom in another Gilbert and Sullivan musical adaptation, Hollywood Pinafore by George S. Kaufman, which premiered at Ford's Grand Opera House in May 1945 before transferring to the Alvin Theatre on Broadway the following June.
[69] Dickey had the biggest success of her career when she originated the role of Marjorie Taylor in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Allegro at the Majestic Theatre on October 10, 1947.
[73][74] Dickey left the National tour of Allegro following the production's stay in Los Angeles in February 1949; citing the desire to return home to her family.
[46][72] She had married the New York businessman Arthur E. Laue in Richmond, Virginia, on April 6, 1940;[75] and they had recently had a daughter in June 1947, just three months before Allegro had opened on Broadway.
[76][77] After this decision, Dickey continued her association with Rodgers and Hammerstein through appearing in their annual summer concerts with the New York Philharmonic at Lewisohn Stadium from 1948 to 1957 singing works from the shows Carousel, Oklahoma!, South Pacific, Allegro, and The King and I with crowds as large as 20,000 in attendance.
[89] In 1950 she starred in the title role of Harry Tierney Rio Rita at the Bucks County Playhouse with David Atkinson as Captain Jim Stewart.
[95] In September 1952 Dickey was engaged as the standby actress for Constance Carpenter as Anna Leonowens in the original Broadway production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I after the death of Gertrude Lawrence.
[105] In 1966 Dickey's husband, Arthur E. Laue, who was president of a furnishings company in New York, died suddenly of heart failure.
