 Kanin wrote the musical's book; the music was by Larry Grossman, who had written music for Prince's previous Broadway musical, 1982's "A Doll's Life", and the lyrics were by Ellen Fitzhugh, who had written lyrics for Off-Broadway musicals such as 1982's "Herringbone" and 1984's "Diamonds".During pre-production, the show was titled "Century of Progress".According to "New York Daily News" columnist Douglas Watt, the show was in "serious trouble" during its out-of-town tryout in Baltimore.