Nelson Barclift

Edgar Nelson Barclift was born on September 14, 1917, in Hopewell, Virginia, and went on to work as a dancer and choreographer in American theater. He died on March 11, 1993, in Palm Springs, California, aged 76, following a long illness.

Barclift's Broadway career began with Kurt Weill's 1937 opera The Eternal Road, though the production faced delays when designer Norman Bel Geddes struck water while constructing a replica of a mountain at the Manhattan Opera House. During the postponement, Barclift attended the Bennington School of the Dance in 1937, where he studied under Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman, and Martha Graham. He returned to New York City that autumn to resume work on the production. In 1939 he danced at the World's Fair in New York, and that same year appeared in his first solo work, Rodgers and Hart's Too Many Girls. He subsequently appeared in the musical Right This Way and, later, the musical Lady in the Dark.

Dancer Dorothy Bird recalled her experiences with Barclift in her 2002 memoir Bird's Eye View, describing him as very proud of his Native American Indian heritage and noting his tall, loose-limbed physique. Bird recounted that she and Barclift auditioned for Lady in the Dark together, performing a prepared act for choreographer Albertina Rasch, who then incorporated their dance into the show without seeking their permission. Barclift was drafted into the United States Army during the run of Lady in the Dark and on one occasion returned during a temporary leave to take his place dancing alongside Bird in the production.

Following the United States' entry into the Second World War, Barclift joined the Army in 1942 and was stationed at West Point and Fort Jay as part of the Army's Theatre Section. He contributed an article titled "Dancer – In the Army" to The American Dancer magazine in 1942 describing his military service. He served as both principal dancer and co-choreographer of Irving Berlin's This Is the Army, which ran at the Broadway Theater and was subsequently adapted into a film of the same name. Barclift also played the dancer Zorina in the production. He was later stationed in Italy during the war.

It was during this period that a romantic relationship developed between Barclift and composer and songwriter Cole Porter, who was then working on the 1942 musical Something for the Boys. Porter wrote regularly to Barclift, often at two or three o'clock in the morning while composing songs, and his letters included Hollywood gossip and flirtatious language, with Porter addressing Barclift as his "cute little nose." Porter also wrote to Barclift while Barclift was stationed in Italy, sending gossip and recommendations of friends to visit. Barclift later identified "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" as the song he and Porter considered their own.

After the war, Barclift choreographed the 1946 musical Around the World, which was produced and directed by Orson Welles, who also wrote the book, with music composed by Porter. Barclift is also mentioned in a diary entry by Christopher Isherwood dated April 15, 1968, in which Barclift visits Isherwood and asks him to participate in a television program with Laura Huxley.