Gertrude Lawrence Hammerstein II quoted from an essay on death written by poet and novelist Rabindranath Tagore. Lawrence was buried in the champagne-coloured gown worn for the "Shall We Dance?" number in the second act of "The King and I", and she was interred in the Aldrich family plot in Lakeview Cemetery in Upton, Massachusetts. She was the first person for whom the house lights were dimmed in all Broadway (Manhattan) theatres due to her death. In early 1953, Lawrence's name was included on a list of Columbia University professors who had died the previous year and were honoured with a memorial
Pipe Dream (musical) farce "Charley's Aunt", they produced it as the musical comedy "Where's Charley?", with a score by Frank Loesser. Among the backers of "Where's Charley?" were Rodgers and Hammerstein, which helped secure additional investment. The show was a hit and helped establish Feuer and Martin on Broadway—they would go on to produce "Guys and Dolls". In the aftermath of "Guys and Dolls"'s success, Feuer and Martin were interested in adapting John Steinbeck's 1945 novel "Cannery Row" into a musical. They felt that some of the characters, such as marine biologist Doc, would work well in a musical, but that many of