Vera Zorina

Lore & Background

Zorina was born in Berlin to a German father and Norwegian mother, both professional singers. She was brought up in Kristiansund, Norway, where she debuted as a dancer at the local theatre. She trained in dance under Olga Preobrajenska and Nicholas Legat. At age 12, she was presented to Max Reinhardt, who cast her in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1929) and Tales of Hoffmann (1931). A performance at London's Gaiety Theatre won her an invitation to join the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1933, at which time she adopted the stage name Vera Zorina from a list of 20 Russian names. She attained a lead role in the London production of On Your Toes (1937), choreography by her husband George Balanchine, and was signed to a seven-year film contract by Samuel Goldwyn. She appeared in seven Hollywood movies between 1938 and 1946.

Reader's Guide

Vera Zorina's significance lies in her bridging of classical ballet and popular entertainment, particularly through her collaborations with George Balanchine. Her film work brought Balanchine's choreography to a wide audience, most notably in the Slaughter on Tenth Avenue sequence. On stage, she originated roles in Rodgers and Hart's I Married an Angel and played Ariel in Shakespeare's The Tempest on Broadway. She also performed the title role in Arthur Honegger's Joan of Arc at the Stake multiple times, including a recording with the London Symphony Orchestra under Seiji Ozawa. Later in her career, she directed Cabaret at the Oslo Nye Teater and was appointed director of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, though she withdrew due to her husband's illness. Her autobiography, Zorina, was published in 1986. Her legacy includes her influence on dance in film and her contributions to opera and ballet administration.

Did You Know?

• She adopted the stage name Vera Zorina because the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo required Russian names; she chose the last name on a list of 20 because she could pronounce it.
• She lost the role of Maria in the 1943 film adaptation of For Whom the Bell Tolls to Ingrid Bergman after only a few days of shooting due to her appearance not fitting the role.
• Her second husband was Columbia Records president Goddard Lieberson, and her son Peter Lieberson became a composer.
• She was a Christian Scientist later in life, with no evidence of being an Oblate of the Benedictine Order.

The Ballerina in Dream with Music

Vera Zorina appeared as a ballerina in the cast of Dream with Music, a fantasy musical that opened on Broadway on May 19, 1944. The production was both produced and directed by Richard Tompkins Kollmar, an American entertainer whose career spanned stage, radio, film, and television. The story behind the show was a collaborative writing effort, crafted by Kollmar's wife Dorothy Kilgallen—a prominent journalist and newspaper columnist—together with Sidney Sheldon and Ben Roberts. Although the production received largely negative reviews from critics, the ballet sequences were specifically singled out for praise, distinguishing them as a standout element within an otherwise poorly received show. Zorina's participation as a dancer placed her at the center of those very sequences that reviewers highlighted. The musical ultimately closed after 28 performances, a brief run that underscored the production's inability to sustain audience interest beyond its initial weeks on the Broadway stage.

A Collaborative Creative Team

Behind the scenes of Dream with Music was a creative team that reflected the collaborative spirit of mid-1940s Broadway. Richard Kollmar served as both producer and director, a role consistent with his broader career in which he mounted multiple stage musicals. The narrative was written by a trio: Dorothy Kilgallen, a well-known journalist and newspaper columnist who was also Kollmar's wife; Sidney Sheldon; and Ben Roberts. This unusual combination of a journalist alongside two other writers, working with a producer-director, gave the fantasy musical a distinctive creative texture. The inclusion of ballet sequences, featuring Zorina in the cast, added a classical dance dimension to what was otherwise a theatrical fantasy. Kollmar's production track record at the time included the 1943 musical Early to Bed, which featured Fats Waller's compositions, as well as later hits like By Jupiter and Plain and Fancy. Dream with Music, despite its talented assembly, proved to be one of his less successful ventures.

Praise Amidst Criticism

The critical response to Dream with Music was predominantly negative, yet within that wave of unfavorable reviews, the ballet sequences earned specific commendation. For Zorina, whose role as a ballerina placed her squarely within those dance numbers, this meant that her contribution was the element reviewers most positively acknowledged. The show opened on May 19, 1944, and closed after 28 performances—a brief run that signaled the production's struggle to connect with sustained audiences. The contrast between the praised ballet and the panned overall production highlights how a single artistic component can shine even when the surrounding theatrical framework fails to cohere. The writing team of Dorothy Kilgallen, Sidney Sheldon, and Ben Roberts crafted the story, while Kollmar handled production and direction. Despite the strong individual talents assembled, the fantasy musical could not overcome its critical reception, and its short Broadway life ended without the longevity that Kollmar's other productions, such as Plain and Fancy, would later achieve.

A Production Within a Prolific Career

Dream with Music existed as one entry in a longer sequence of Broadway productions mounted by Richard Kollmar throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Immediately before it, Kollmar had produced Early to Bed, a 1943 musical that ran from June 17, 1943, to May 13, 1944, and featured the compositions of Fats Waller. That production had its own complications, including Waller's brief dual role as performer and composer before Kollmar limited him to writing the music. After Dream with Music's short 28-performance run, Kollmar went on to produce shows that found greater commercial success, including By Jupiter, Are You With It?, and Plain and Fancy, the latter enjoying a run from January 27, 1955, to March 3, 1956. Zorina's appearance in the cast of the fantasy musical thus situated her within a prolific producer's output during a period of active Broadway creation. The show's inclusion of ballet sequences, praised by critics even as the rest of the production drew fire, marked it as a distinctive entry in Kollmar's catalog of stage work.

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