She is courted by two men, the already-married publisher Kendall Nesbitt who is trying to divorce his wife for Liza, and the film star Randy Curtis, and cannot decide whom to choose.

In one dream, she believes she is being put on trial for her indecision in a circus setting, with her marketing manager Charley Johnson acting as prosecutor, Kendall as chief witness, and Randy as her defense attorney, in which she defends her refusal to make up her mind ("The Saga of Jenny").

She eventually comes to realize that the root of her trauma is having been repeatedly rejected in her youth due to her plain appearance; as she makes this breakthrough, she remembers the mysterious song ("My Ship").

Direction was by Hart, produced by Sam H. Harris, with musical staging by Hassard Short, who also was the production designer, and choreography by Albertina Rasch.

The original cast included Gertrude Lawrence in the role of Liza Elliott, alongside Danny Kaye, Bert Lytell, Victor Mature, Donald Randolph, Margaret Dale, Davis Cunningham and Macdonald Carey.

[7] Kendall Nesbitt was Jeremy Hawk, Robert Swales played Randy Curtis and Kenneth Nelson appeared as Russell Paxton.

[9] The musical opened on the West End at the Royal National Theatre, London, on March 11, running through August 2, 1997, directed by Francesca Zambello and starring Maria Friedman.

A production by MasterVoices, directed and conducted by Ted Sperling, choreographed by Doug Varone, and starring Victoria Clark as Liza Elliott took place at New York City Center on April 25, 26, and 27, 2019.

[14][15] A production was staged in China at Beijing’s Century Theatre in April 2003, directed by Jennifer Schwerin, conducted by Nicholas Michael Smith and produced by Nancy Fraser, Andrew Andreasen and Jiang Shan.

The film cut most of the Weill/Gershwin songs, though "The Saga of Jenny" and "Girl of the Moment" remained, and part of "This Is New" is played by a nightclub band in the background.

[20] The musical was broadcast on NBC Television on September 25, 1954, as part of an irregularly scheduled series under the umbrella title Max Liebman Presents.

[24] Life Magazine wrote that "with its unique blend of serious drama, musical comedy and pageantry, Lady in the Dark is a grand-scale smash hit.