"It never became an act in the sense of an act. It was always, no matter where we worked, little revues"
About this Quote
In context, Green is speaking out of the Comden-and-Green tradition that helped define mid-century American musical theater: smart, urban, gag-driven, deeply aware of show business as a machine. Their work often turned that machine into material. So the subtext here is both artistic and political: dont trap us inside a single shtick; dont confuse a signature voice with a fixed routine. He frames consistency not as repetition but as method - the ability to build a fresh evening out of small, precise units.
Theres also a quiet manifesto about collaboration. A revue is porous: it invites performers to shape it, lets new songs slip in, old jokes fall out. Green's phrasing demotes ego (the "act") and elevates craft (the ongoing assembly of "little" things that, together, make theater). Its modest language masking an ambitious claim: the work stayed alive by staying divisible.
Quote Details
| Topic | Art |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Green, Adolph. (2026, January 16). It never became an act in the sense of an act. It was always, no matter where we worked, little revues. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-never-became-an-act-in-the-sense-of-an-act-it-108457/
Chicago Style
Green, Adolph. "It never became an act in the sense of an act. It was always, no matter where we worked, little revues." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-never-became-an-act-in-the-sense-of-an-act-it-108457/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"It never became an act in the sense of an act. It was always, no matter where we worked, little revues." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-never-became-an-act-in-the-sense-of-an-act-it-108457/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
