The title is a pun on the French phrase, "Oh, quel cul t'as!", meaning, "Oh, what a cute bum you have!" It is taken, pun and all, from a painting Clovis Trouille (1889-1975) "Oh! Calcutta! Calcutta!". The title is written on the original painting at the right on the lower edge. The image of the painting appears in the background in the beginning.
The stage version of 'Oh! Calcutta!' opened at the Eden Theater on June 17, 1969, and ran for 1,314 performances. A revival opened at the Eden Theater on September 24, 1976, and ran for 5,959 performances. As of February 2013, this is the seventh longest-running show on Broadway.
The DVD version is a special performance staged and recorded for pay-per-view TV (which was in its infancy) in 1971, at Reeves Tele-Tape, where Sesame Street (1969) was recorded. The stage manager was Chet O'Brien, who was the floor manager for Sesame Street (1969).