The original 1967 Los Angeles and 1968 Broadway productions were directed and choreographed by Gower Champion, who won Tony Awards in each category.

Producer David Merrick had initially asked Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields to write the songs and Yves Montand to play the lead, but they were all busy with other projects and declined to participate.

His stories of his travels have a profound effect on his nephew Bibi, who is having trouble at school and going through an especially rough puberty, inspiring the boy to want to live life to the fullest.

When Bibi takes Grandpere's "naughty" pictures to school and is discovered, his stern father Philippe forces him to apologize to his school-mates.

The couple finally realize that they have opposite ideas about life and the future ("Seeing Things"), with Laurie understanding that Jacques is emotionally a boy, like her students.

The production was revised, by rewriting the book "so that it no longer changes its tune in the second act", eliminating photographic projections and adding four songs that had been dropped.

"They were here a few weeks ago for rehearsals and thought the show was just beautiful..."[12] Most notably, they incorporated five songs, originally cut from the musical, into the production, as well as making a few other minor changes.

"This NU Theatre production, with Kander and Ebb's blessing, has reinstated several songs and restored text, prompting them to label this version 'definitive.

", as part of their season long tribute to George S. Irving, who returned to the show, this time playing Jacques' father, Grandpere.

"[citation needed] The musical was profiled in the William Goldman book The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway (Hal Leonard Corporation, 1984; ISBN 0879100230).