Month: August 2009

iPod Shuffle Answers

How well did you do? Some were ridiculously tough, I know. Others not so bad…

1. “Chicago’s eleven below and the forecast is snow” – “Sun on My Face,” Sugar
2. “You know that our parting breaks my heart” – “All the Love I Have,” The Beautiful Game
3. “I once loved a girl out in Flatbush” – “The Trouble with Women,” One Touch of Venus
4. “A man is a fool to lose his temper” – “Staying Young,” Take Me Along
5. “The strongest thing in the world is not made of steel” – “That Ring on the Finger,” Destry Rides Again
6. “Now I see you in the window of a carriage then a train” – “Where in the World?”, The Secret Garden
7. “Somehow the ceiling seems a little higher” – “When Mabel Comes in the Room,” Mack & Mabel
8. “In all the famous love affairs the lovers have to struggle” – “How Can Love Survive?”, The Sound of Music
9. “In the Tiber there sits a boat gently dipping its bow” – “Pretty Little Picture,” A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
10. “I slipped out this afternoon and bought some love insurance” – “Paris Original,” How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
11. “It’s crazy. Ridiculous. It doesn’t make sense” – “It’s a Perfect Relationship,” Bells Are Ringing
12. “Every man has a job to do” – “Doing Good,” It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman
13. “How can people be so heartless? How can people be so cruel” – “Easy to Be Hard,” Hair
14. “The wonders of the world are said to stop at seven” – “Only in New York,” Thoroughly Modern Millie
15. “My daughter is marrying an idiot” – “The Father of the Bride,” I Do! I Do!
16. “Nobody home come spring. Nobody home come fall” – “What Do I Do Now?”, The Grass Harp
17. “Girls have come and gone, Papa” – “With Anne on My Arm,” La Cage Aux Folles
18. “I should never have gone to the theatre” – “It Would Have Been Wonderful,” A Little Night Music
19. ‘Please let me say from the start I don’t pretend to be smart” – “The Best Thing for You,” Call Me Madam
20. “When the clock goes off and I rub my eyes” – “Talking to You,” High Spirits
21. “We’re the perfect loving family so adoring” – “Just Another Day,” Next to Normal
22. “Who writes the words and music for all the girlie shows” – “Dames,” 42nd Street
23. “I love my wife and I love her more than the way I used to love her before” – “Lud’s Wedding,” 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue/A White House Cantata
24. “Why did she die in the spring? Roses bloom and robins sing” – “Cry for Us All,” Cry for Us All
25. “If music is no longer lovely, if laughter is no longer lilting” – “I Don’t Want to Know,” Dear World
26. “When you feel you’ve gone to hell in a hand basket” – “Where You Are,” Kiss of the Spider Woman
27. “Last night I met a man beneath a pale and haunted moon” – “What Was a Woman to Do?”, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
28. “There once lived a wonderful woman…” – “My Husband’s First Wife,” Sweet Adeline
29. “What is the curse that makes the universe so all bewilderin’?” – “Necessity,” Finian’s Rainbow
30. “When she mentioned how her aunt bit off the spoon…” – “On the Street Where You Live,” My Fair Lady
31. “I’ve wined and dined on Mulligan stew and never wished for turkey” – “The Lady is a Tramp,” Babes in Arms
32. “March went out like a lion, a-whippin’ up the water in the bay” – “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over,” Carousel
33. “His going in the Army is the best thing he could do” – “An English Teacher,” Bye Bye Birdie
34. “Plenty of times I been in plenty of jams” – “I Get Myself Out,” Grind
35. “Ella, look at me. This way, Ella. Ella concentrate hard.” “When?”, Evening Primrose
36. “I trust he really is what I think he is” – “A Proper Man,” Lock Up Your Daughters
37. “These are very popular in Italy” – “The Beauty Is,” The Light in the Piazza
38. “At the villa of the Baron di Signac” – “Liaisons,” A Little Night Music
39. “Oh, what a bevy of beauties. Oh, what a school of fish!” – “They Couldn’t Compare to You,” Out of this World
40. “The sea and sky are blue here. The air is warm and sweet” – “Po, Po, Po,” Illya Darling

Bonus: “Look at all the immortal works of art” – “The Touch of Magic,” She Loves Me (cut)

I Got Melba

Melba Moore first hit the Broadway scene as Dionne in the original cast of Hair. During her run in the show, she would also become the understudy for and eventually assume the lead role of Sheila. However, it was the musical Purlie which gave Moore what probably her greatest success onstage. Purlie was a musical adaptation of Ossie Davis’ racial satire Purlie Victorious about a black preacher who goes head to head with an old racist landowner. Cleavon Little was Purlie, and the cast consisted of Linda Hopkins, Sherman Hemlsey (it was his appearance in this role that got him noticed by Norman Lear to play George Jefferson) and Helen Martin. Director-choreographer George Faison was in the ensemble.

As Purlie’s sweetheart Lutiebelle, Melba made a huge impression on audiences, often stopping the show with her first act delivery of the title song. The authors and directors sensing they had a tremendous performance on their hands immediately went to work writing another number for her. The song was “I Got Love” and if “Purlie” had stopped the show, this new song practically flattened the theatre. Moore won the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, besting Penny Fuller and Bonnie Franklin in Applause and Melissa Hart in the 4 performance flop Georgy.

There was a TV production of Purlie that aired in 1981 starring Robert Guillaume, who had replaced Cleavon Little in the original production and had become a star with his portrayal of the title role on Benson. This version made its way to VHS in the late 80s, but has yet to have a DVD release. Here is Melba Moore delivering the title song from the TV version:

Here’s a TV performance of “I Got Love”

Now for the random/bizarre entry. This is a television performance from 1980 The Beatrice Arthur Special. Bea is leading a revival (under the name Sistah Luv) with Rock Hudson, Melba with “Madame” on the organ. It has to be seen to be believed:

Casting complete for "Ragtime"

Casting for the highly anticipated Broadway revival of Ragtime was announced yesterday. Many of the principal actors from the sold out Kennedy Center production will be transferring to NY, including Christiane Noll as Mother, Quentin Earl Darrington as Coalhouse Walker, Jr., Ron Bohmer as Father, Bobby Steggert as Mother’s Younger Brother and Donna Migliacco as Emma Goldman. New to the cast are Robert Petkoff as Tateh, Savannah Wise as Evelyn Nesbitt and Stephanie Umoh as Sarah.

The show begins previews at the Neil Simon Theatre on October 23, with an opening night set for November 15. The original Broadway production ran for two years at what is now the Hilton Theatre, overshadowed by The Lion King and done in by criminal producing, it closed in the red after only 834 performances (in an ideal world, a show like Ragtime should have had the success of The Lion King). The revival won’t be as expensive to produce as the original (I doubt we’ll ever see anything near the likes of Garth Drabinsky’s spectacles ever again), and has already been acclaimed for its emphasis on the story and characters over scenography. Plus, the revival will be using the entire original 28 piece orchestration.

My only qualm with the production has been the artwork – the new window card art has been released and while some find it superb, I find it rather lacking. Then again, I guess it would be hard to top that iconic image of the title emblazoned across the Statue of Liberty from 1998. However, I’ve never judged a musical by its poster; no matter my thought about the artwork, it’s what’s onstage that counts. And what Broadway has at the Neil Simon this fall is likely to be an epic win.

Here are a couple of brief interviews with Christiane Noll, Quentin Earl Darrington and director-choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge from earlier this year:

What’s My Line: Greer Garson as Mame

Most people identify the role of Auntie Mame with either Rosalind Russell or Angela Lansbury (and the occasional philistine will mention Lucille Ball). However, there were three notable actresses who played the part in the original Broadway production of the play. Russell opened the show to rave reviews and she was the toast of the town for over a year. When Russell departed the NY production to make the film version of Auntie Mame, her replacement was none other than Oscar-winning British actress Greer Garson, in her one and only appearance on Broadway (Bea Lillie then took over for the last four weeks of the NY run before opening the play in London). During Ms. Garson’s stay at the Broadhurst Theatre, she made an appearance my youtube obsession “What’s My Line?” all dolled up as Mame, complete with cigarette holder. The actress, who seemed to channel Garbo in her answers, proceeded to stump the entire panel including guest Orson Welles. Enjoy.

"They’re down on steel and carbon and high on UFOs…"

To be honest, I didn’t think anyone would be interested in reviving How Now Dow Jones, but much to my surprise, I received a press release regarding the revised version being presented at the Fringe Festival. Then Sarah asked if I’d like to go and I said yes. The show has been rarely performed since the late 60s, so there has been little opportunity (aside from a 2002 Mufti concert) to see it.

While hardly a bomb like Here’s Where I Belong, the show is an established failure with a notoriously poor libretto done in by one of the flimsiest plots since the Princess musicals. Kate, the Dow Jones girl (who announces the progress on the stock exchange on the hour) is engaged to a man who won’t marry her until the DJIA hits 1,000 (oh, those were the days, huh?). When the girl has a one night stand with our hero, a suicidal failure named Charlie who finds his greatest success selling stocks to widows and orphans, she finds herself pregnant. In a desperate ploy to get married to avoid the scandal (after all, the musical opened in 1967), she announces the Dow has hit the millenium mark.

I know. The plot is absolutely preposterous. And believe me, Max Shulman’s original book didn’t go unscathed when the show opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in 1967. In fact the show was troubled from the start. The show went out on the road and it was just not working. Choreographer Gillian Lynne found herself out in the cold while Michael Bennett on his ascent to auteurism came in to fix the show. Madeline Kahn had a featured role that was written out in Boston. (Kahn would find her character written out of Promises, Promises only a year later). Tommy Tune (who was in attendance at the performance I attended) would join the cast.

The show ran 220 performances in NY, a financial and artistic failure. However, it had the good fortune to open in a dreary season and was nominated for a slew of Tonys, including Best Musical. The show would win one, and that was Best Featured Actor for Hiram Sherman (as Wingate). The song “Step to the Rear” would continue to have a life outside of the show, but other than that it was basically long forgotten.

Director Ben West has streamlined a good chunk of the libretto, cutting dialogue, characters and numbers bringing the originally 2 1/2 hour, two act musical comedy to a brisk intermissionless 80 minutes. The cast has gone from 40 to 8, and there were several songs restored, including the gorgeous “Where You Are” which was dropped in Boston. The staging and production values are simple, allowing us to look deeply into the text to see where it succeeds, and inevitably where it fails.

The show can never really work, thanks to Shulman. In spite of the flaws and some uneven casting, the result is rather entertaining. Mr. West makes a gallant effort and offers a rather entertaining way to spend an hour and a half. Much as the case with the underrated revival of Old Acquaintance, SarahB and I found ourselves quite amused, and enjoying ourselves immensely. The jokes and references are archaic and dated, the characters little more than caricatures, but there was a feeling of familiarity – almost as if watching one of those 60s sitcoms on TVLand. (Some might argue that it’s as relevant as ever given our financial chaos – not really. But I also don’t buy that argument for Finian’s Rainbow either).

Where How Now Dow Jones does not fail is in its score. The music of Elmer Bernstein is entertaining; however, it is Carolyn Leigh’s lyrics that standout above all else. Witty, intelligent and clever, Leigh creates a level of satire and sophistication that is lacking in every other department of the musical. The opening number “ABC” has fast become one of the most listened to songs on my iPod. The showstopping “Step to the Rear” has been moved from the first act to the finale, and is a fun way to send the crowd out into the streets (even if I missed the matchmaking Jewish widows leading the parade).

Two names I want you to remember: Colin Hanlon and Cristen Paige. Mr. Hanlon, late of Rent and I Love You Because, is Charlie and plays him with considerable charm, affable presence and a mega-watt smile that is poised for stardom. Ms. Paige, who has been seen in The Visit and the national tour of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, is lovely, sweet and utterly captivating as Kate, the lovelorn heroine. Paige also gets the bulk of the show’s ballads whose lyrics give us a greater glimpse into the character than any single line of dialogue.

The rest of the company was amiable enough, but none shone as bright as the two stars. The one weak note in the casting was Cori Silberman as Cynthia, a role originated by Brenda Vaccaro. Cynthia is Kate’s best friend and sidekick (though Vaccaro got nominated for a Leading Actress Tony and her costar Marlyn Mason did not) and the Dow Jones tour guide. She’s a lovably brash New York girl in search of Mr. Right (in this case, she’s looking to become a kept woman). Silberman appeared mannered, amateurish and out of her element, failing to score until “He’s Here” toward the end of the show.

Credited in the playbill is UnsungMusicalsCo, which is a non-profit production company “dedicated to the preservation of musical theatre through the presentation of infrequently performed works.” Director Ben West is the company’s Artistic Director and they are currently at work on revising Platinum, Lend an Ear and Rock ‘N Roll! The First 5,000 Years. I find the idea of the group rather exciting, as they look at the musicals anew and make an effort to fix the shows and offer musical theatre aficionados not unlike myself the opportunity to see something like How Now Dow Jones onstage. My question for Mr. West: can we expect Lolita, My Love or Prettybelle?

Variety take a glimpse at "Nine"

There was an interesting article on the upcoming film adaptation of Maury Yeston & Arthur Kopit’s Nine in this week’s Variety. The 1982 musical, which won several Tony Awards including Best Musical, was itself a loose adaptation of Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2. Included in the article were some tidbits about casting, Daniel Day-Lewis’ singing and his on-set Method existence, director Rob Marshall’s concept (which isn’t far removed from what he did in Chicago) and the new songs Yeston wrote for the film. Here is the information on the three new songs as reported by the trade (with my thoughts in post-script).

“Guarda la Luna” (Look at the Moon), sung by [Sophia] Loren. “We were lucky enough to have someone who was part of that great period of Italian cinema, who knew Fellini, who knew Marcello Mastroianni (Guido in the Fellini film),” Yeston says. So he tailored a lullaby specifically for Loren’s voice (but based the melody on the song “Nine” from the Broadway score).

— Having seen Man of La Mancha, I am aware of Loren’s vocal limitations. The title song of Nine is sung by Guido’s mother, and is a showcase for a mature soprano. Taina Elg introduced the song in the original cast, and it was sung by Mary Beth Peil and Marni Nixon in the Broadway revival with Antonio Banderas. I’m curious to see how this new song works within the context of the musical, and am glad to see at least some element of the original song will remain.

“Cinema Italiano,” for Hudson as a Vogue writer in Rome to interview the director. “Italian movies also communicated lifestyle and fashion for the world,” Yeston says, so [Kate] Hudson sings and dances to a number with “a retro feel, elements of ’60s pop” that is designed to illustrate to younger audiences how important Italian cinema was in that era.

— Nothing like trying to pander to that coveted youth bracket, which seems to be the only reason this song exists. Stephanie Necrophorus is a rather small part in the stage show, so this would seem like an opportunity to give Hudson more to do, especially since Liliane La Fleur (played by Judi Dench) is no longer a producer, but Contini’s costume designer. However, if the message boards on IMDb are to be trusted, most people who have been to screenings feel this song is out of place. My curiosity is piqued. (Speaking of Nine screenings, Roxie and I were approached prior to Mary Stuart to see if we’d like to go to one, but unfortunately we both had prior engagements).

“Take It All,” originally written as a trio for [Nicole] Kidman, [Penelope] Cruz and [Marion] Cotillard but, just before shooting, rearranged as a solo for Cotillard, according to music supervisor Matt Sullivan. “Heart-wrenching” is how Yeston describes the performance by Cotillard (who won an Oscar playing Edith Piaf).

— This one better be good. “Simple” and “Be On Your Own” were cut to make way for this new song, probably a ploy to garner some Oscar attention in the Best Song category. As much as I enjoy Maury Yeston and Marion Cotillard, I cannot imagine Luisa having a more effective song than “Be On Your Own.”

I’ve also been told that “The Bells of St. Sebastian” and the entire “Grand Canal” sequence have been cut, so it should be interesting to see what director Rob Marshall has come up with. Word is that Stacy “Fergie” Ferguson delivers a dynamite performance of “Be Italian.” Regardless, I love Nine and I look forward to seeing it (all those Oscar winners!). My real curiosity is seeing if the stage show translates well to the screen.

Original Cast Album: "Mame"

Was introduced to Bleecker Bob’s yesterday afternoon by SarahB. While down to catch the Fringe production of How Now Dow Jones, we found ourselves with some time to browse through the cast album bin ($2 special on many popular favorites). As you may recall, I am a huge fan of record shopping. Not only do I enjoy the browsing, but I am always excited at the potential of finding a forgotten gem. I picked up Ballroom, Shenandoah, Coco, and the original off-Broadway cast of Hair. Now, not only do I like to collect the records, but I also like to play them. I sound older than my 26 years, but there is just something so incredibly satisfying about the sound of the needle hitting the vinyl. So while I played through a few platters, I decided to pop on Mame, just because. What I had never done before was read the back of the sleeve. I discovered here the most amusing artist biographies I think I’ve ever read and thought I’d share:

ANGELA LANSBURY (Mame) can do anything but wrong. She can be the good girl (The Picture of Dorian Gray), the bad girl (Gaslight), villainous mother (The Manchurian Candidate) or Elizabeth Taylor’s sister (National Velvet). Those were films. On stage she has ranged Bert Lahr’s farcical playmate in Hotel Paradiso to the dramatic demands of A Taste of Honey. Her previous musical outing, Anyone Can Whistle, proved that she can handle parades and miracles. MAME proves she can handle anything. And not only sing it, dance it and act it, but wear it, too. And beautifully.

JERRY HERMAN (Music and Lyrics) is a blooming Broadway industry. With four previous scores to his credit (two revues, plus Milk and Honey and Hello, Dolly!) he has a Tony Award, a gold record, a Grammy Award, 1964 citation from Variety as both the year’s “Best Composer” and “Best Lyricist,” and from station WPAT, for the song “Shalom,” a Gaslight award (no connection with Miss Lansbury’s movie). On top fo this he was chosen one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men by the United States Chamber of Commerce in 1965. Yes, he seems to have the knack of things, all right.

JEROME LAWRENCE and ROBERT E. LEE (Authors) began on Broadway with a musical, Look Ma, I’m Dancin’, starring Nancy Walker. But then they wrote a play, called Inherit the Wind, and the success of that classic theater piece kept them thinking in dramatic terms for some time. (Having a work translated into Urdu and Serbo-Croatian and twenty-six other languages can do that). But one of their subsequent plays was a masterful comedy named Auntie Mame from PATRICK DENNIS’ brilliantly funny novel. And now, with the musical MAME, they are bringing it all back home.

SYLVIA and JOSEPH HARRIS and ROBERT FRYER and LAWRENCE CARR (Producers) are a kind of musical Quartet. Each comes to production with significant individual credits. Fryer and Carr produced the original Auntie Mame, Desk Set, Advise and Consent and Gwen Verdon’s Redhead. Sylvia Harris coproduced Make a Million and Tovarich, and her husband Joseph has conquered virtually every known aspect of theatrical business management. Together the four launched their firstborn, Sweet Charity, and resuscitated not only the old Palace Theatre but an entire New York theatrical season. And here they come again.

GENE SAKS (Director) is a reformed actor. Since his first job as director, Enter Laughing, there’s been no time for acting, enviable as his reputation was. In the short time since that smash hit there have been Nobody Loves an Albatross, Generation and Half a Sixpence. In this last he worked with ONNA WHITE, reformed dancer, who has here staged the musical numbers and dances, as she did there. Miss White had previously been applauded for her assignments in The Music Man and Irma La Douce. From the look of it, mutual success makes happy collaborators.

And so we have the Fryer, Carr, Harris, Lansbury, Lawrence, Lee, Herman, Dennis, White, Saks ensemble. Enough to make up one of Mame’s posher, more intimate parties. Cheers!

Name That Tune – iPod shuffle style

I haven’t put up an iPod shuffle quiz since December and felt like doing another. There’s no rhyme or reason to it, but here are the first lines of forty musical theatre songs. For the sake of keeping it interesting, I skipped anything with the title in the first line. Name the song title and show. I’m curious to see if anyone will take the challenge and if they do, see just well they do. Some answers are easy, others not so much. There’s no prize other than bragging rights, but it could be fun way to pass a little time. I’ll be posting the answers in one week.

1. “Chicago’s eleven below and the forecast is snow”
2. “You know that our parting breaks my heart”
3. “I once loved a girl out in Flatbush”
4. “A man is a fool to lose his temper”
5. “The strongest thing in the world is not made of steel”
6. “Now I see you in the window of a carriage then a train”
7. “Somehow the ceiling seems a little higher”
8. “In all the famous love affairs the lovers have to struggle”
9. “In the Tiber there sits a boat gently dipping its bow”
10. “I slipped out this afternoon and bought some love insurance”
11. “It’s crazy. Ridiculous. It doesn’t make sense”
12. “Every man has a job to do”
13. “How can people be so heartless? How can people be so cruel”
14. “The wonders of the world are said to stop at seven”
15. “My daughter is marrying an idiot”
16. “Nobody home come spring. Nobody home come fall”
17. “Girls have come and gone, Papa.”
18. “I should never have gone to the theatre”
19. ‘Please let me say from the start I don’t pretend to be smart”
20. “When the clock goes off and I rub my eyes”
21. “We’re the perfect loving family so adoring”
22. “Who writes the words and music for all the girlie shows”
23. “I love my wife and I love her more than the way I used to love her before”
24. “Why did she die in the spring? Roses bloom and robins sing”
25. “If music is no longer lovely, if laughter is no longer lilting”
26. “When you feel you’ve gone to hell in a hand basket”
27. “Last night I met a man beneath a pale and haunted moon”
28. “There once lived a wonderful woman…”
29. “What is the curse that makes the universe so all bewilderin’?”
30. “When she mentioned how her aunt bit off the spoon…”
31. “I’ve wined and dined on Mulligan stew and never wished for turkey”
32. “March went out like a lion, a-whippin’ up the water in the bay”
33. “His going in the Army is the best thing he could do”
34. “Plenty of times I been in plenty of jams”
35. “Ella, look at me. This way, Ella. Ella concentrate hard.”
36. “I trust he really is what I think he is”
37. “These are very popular in Italy”
38. “At the villa of the Baron di Signac”
39. “Oh, what a bevy of beauties. Oh, what a school of fish”
40. “The sea and sky are blue here. The air is warm and sweet”

Bonus:

“Look at all the immortal works of art”