Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday! (This post was scheduled weeks ago, but I suppose now it’s even more timely…) We’re rounding out this month’s series of bonus Musical Theatre Mondays with a preemptive celebration of the Fourth of July. This time I have an appropriately themed patriotic rarity, for subscribers who comment below to alert me of their interest: access to a bootleg audio of Teddy & Alice, the 1987 Broadway musical about Teddy Roosevelt and his daughter Alice. The tunestack was comprised of melodies by American legend John Philip Sousa and tonally similar efforts by composer Richard Kapp, all with lyrics by Hal Hackady. Len Cariou was Teddy — in a cast that included Nancy Hume, Ron Raines, and Beth Fowler — but reviews were unkind and the production closed in two months.

Nevertheless, I’m fond of much of the score, both the recognizable Sousa classics and the new discoveries (be they Kapp’s or Sousa’s), like the big Act One dance number at Alice’s coming-out party: “Leg O’Mutton.” It’s got the ragtime flare of many Fourth of July staples, so this — and many other tunes here — are perfect additions to your Independence Day rotation! (Also, check out this studio recording, with Ron Raines, of some of the show’s highlights.)

Come back next week for another Wildcard! And stay tuned Tuesday for Andy Griffith!