What a Life

About the show

What a Life is a 1938 Broadway play by Clifford Goldsmith. What a Life is set in Central High School, with action primarily occurring in the principal's office. The main character, Henry Aldrich, "thinks he is dumb because his father won a Phi Beta Kappa key at college." During the play, Aldrich faces charges that he caused a disturbance in class and that he stole brass instruments from the band. He also has to deal with a student who bullies him. It languished for more than one year, but things changed when producer George Abbott took charge.