When the play "Sextet" debuted in Chicago in 1961, it was riddled with disasters. Mae West came down with laryngitis and had to cancel the first three performances. Sound problems rendered portions of the premiere inaudible, and a supporting player kept flubbing his lines. During the second performance, Alan Marshal, playing Sir Michael Barrington, suffered a heart attack. He died a few days later, which led to the cancellation of the next performance. With a script in-hand, producer Henry Guettel awkwardly took over the role for several performances. Tom Conway flew in from New York to provide a reprieve, but he read the script, then promptly returned home. Francis Bethencourt ultimately took the part, and remained with the production as it toured the country. West revised the script numerous times, and while the show ultimately garnered acclaim, it never opened on Broadway.
