Ginger Rogers as Mame

While watching this clip, I realized that Angela Lansbury never transferred any of her Tony award winning performances to London’s West End. She starred in the original London production of Gypsy in 1973, but that production transferred to Broadway the following year. Sheila Hancock would be the West End’s first Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd. While Lansbury was appearing on Broadway in Dear World, an Oscar winning Hollywood legend was opening in Mame in the West End: Ginger Rogers. A few years earlier, Rogers had been a Broadway replacement in Hello, Dolly!

The production ran for a little over a year at the Drury Lane Theatre. Lawrence Kasha restaged Gene Saks’ direction while Onna White recreated her own choreography. No original London cast album was made (though there are rumors that one was recorded but never released, as singing was never Rogers’ strongest suit). The show was less rapturously received in London than it was on Broadway, with many of the critics agreeing that the evening hinged on Rogers’ personality and star quality (for better or for worse). Margaret Courtenay was Vera, Burt Kwouk (from The Pink Panther films) was Ito and Julia McKenzie was Gloria Upson. Ms. Rogers was supposed to star in a French version of the show, but that fell through. She later appeared in the role again in Houston (in the round, no less) in late 1971, about the same time she toured in Coco.

This is a performance of the show’s famed title song on the Royal Variety Performance. Ginger doesn’t sing or speak a single word, but dances up a storm. She brings glamour and beauty to the part, even if it’s not quite the real thing.(Special thanks to Steven C. Cates for bringing this clip to my attention).

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Here’s a short newsreel covering the pre-production and opening night, with some color film of Ginger looking quite stunning in Robert MacIntosh’s fabulous costumes.

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Funny Women: Patricia Routledge

One of the joys of Netflix (and possibly its downfall as well) is finding shows streaming in their entirety. One of these shows is the British hit Keeping Up Appearances starring the one and only Patricia Routledge as the one and only Hyacinth Bucket, the irrepressible social climbing snob. While the writing is rarely up to the quality of the cast, the show is often quite funny with Hyacinth getting carried away with herself and foiled by her down-to-earth relatives and friends. One of my favorite episodes is the one where she was desperate to get a part in a local production of The Boy Friend and spontaneously burst into song at the drop of a hat.

Routledge was the subject of an episode of the BBC series Funny Women, which profiled some of the funnier female stars of British stage and television, including Maureen Lipman and Prunella Scales. I relish in every opportunity I have to see Routledge’s film and TV work, as I was not yet born when her stage career was at its peak in the mid-70s and early 80s. Even if the shows themselves failed (as was the case with her Broadway career), critics and audiences fell in love with the vivacious comic soprano. She won a Tony for Darling of the Day, which lasted 31 performances in 1968 (and should be the next Jule Styne score heard at Encores!). The star could have taken the audience home in her pocket after her memorable “Duet for One” in the otherwise loathed 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (which ran only 7 performances).

The half hour episode briefly touches on her whole career, but focuses mostly on her TV work featuring interviews with the Ms. Routledge, Alan Bennett, Michael Frayn, Nigel Hawthorne and TV leading men Clive Swift and Dominic Monaghan. One of the things I especially loved was that people came up to Hawthorne after a gala performance and exclaimed “I never knew Patricia Routledge could sing!” I’ve had the same conversation myself many, many times. (And I would just love to have the entire clip of her singing “I Want to Sing in Opera”). Enjoy.

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Three from the “Applause Libretto Library Series”

While the American musical was at the peak of its popularity, the publishing industry took notice and would publish libretti, especially Random House. Released in hardcover editions, the books presented the entire text of the musical play (spoken and sung) with simplified stage directions to help maintain the narrative. I have a few of these – and in some cases (Candide, Follies), these editions are the only window original script.

It didn’t seem to matter whether the show was a mammoth or minor success, and in some cases even a failure. I have copies of Gypsy, New Girl in Town and The Apple Tree and whenever I can find these vintage copies I pick them up. When I was in college I got to read Anyone Can Whistle’s hot mess of a book thanks to the published copy sitting in the stacks of our library. Many of my first experiences with a stage musical’s text came from these editions. While I was introduced viscerally through film adaptations, I was curious enough to venture to my library to find the book form. The first libretti I read were The Music Man and The Sound of Music and as someone who was unaware of how a show was adapted (and in some cases bowdlerized and bastardized – I’m looking at you Freed Unit), I was surprised to see how different the shows were in their original stage incarnations. Having not seen some of the productions myself, these texts filled in the gaps between songs on many an original cast album.

As the musical fell out of vogue, it seems that the major publishers lost interest. Where Random House has lost interest (major publishers tend to take on smash musicals in lavish and expensive special coffee table editions), Applause Theatre and Cinema Books and Theatre Communications Group have taken up the effort. Between the two of them, many contemporary musicals have been published in text form. (Dramatist’s Play Service and Samuel French also publish libretti, but those are more detailed copies specifically designated for actors).

Recently Applause released three new editions. Classic Rodgers and Hammerstein shows Oklahoma! and The Sound of Music have rarely been out of print, but receive new trade paperback editions as part of the Applause Libretto Library Series. There are new introductions from R&H’s Ted Chapin, who comments that the text is taken verbatim from the original Random House editions. While Oklahoma! will continue to be performed as it was originally written, it is not the same for The Sound of Music, as all subsequent revivals have been influenced by the immensely popular film adaptation and incorporating those changes. Rereading The Sound of Music, there is one way in which the stage show intrigues me – there is no rivalry between Maria and Elsa. In the stage show, Elsa (not a baroness, but a shrewd, stylish CEO) has far more interesting dimensions and for one thing actually likes Maria. The break-up has more to do with the differences between her and the Captain over the impending Nazi takeover. Both editions contain photos from their various productions, revivals and film adaptations.

The third entry is the recent smash Avenue Q, the little off-Broadway musical that could (and did). The 2004 Best Musical winner was previously published as part of a lavish (by puppet standards) hardcover book, but this new edition is text only and a little easier on the budget.  The tongue is still planted firmly in cheek, even in book form: there’s a Puppet Police warning in lieu of the regular disclaimer about performance rights (which, incidentally, are available from MTI). Librettist Jeff Whitty has written an afterword in which he discusses the changes that have been made since the show’s original off-Broadway run, including those for the London run, the aftermath of Gary Coleman’s untimely death and the famous George Bush shout out in “For Now.” More enigmatically, Whitty mentions that he deleted one word from this published script, but won’t elaborate what it is. (Perhaps there are some Q aficionados out there who could figure out what it is?)

The Libretto series continues with two more contemporary entries: The Last Five Years and Memphis. I can tell you, it makes this musical theatre nerd a happy camper.

“How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying originally opened in 1961 to across the board raves, a slew of Tony Awards and a rare Pulitzer win. A satire of corporate America, the show featured a book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert about an ambitious window-washer as he climbs the corporate ladder at the World Wide Wicket Company. The musical is based on an unlikely source: Sheperd Mead’s same-titled send-up of “How to” books published in 1952. The show was a mammoth success, running 1417 performances at the 46th Street Theatre and made Robert Morse a star. The musical also featured the last score from veteran composer Frank Loesser. The show is vibrant and funny, a clever send-up of social and gender mores of the Eisenhower era with an endearingly spry and morally unscrupulous hero. While the men connive and scheme their way to the top, the women connive and scheme to land a well-to-do husband – with all tongues firmly planted in cheek. The show is back on Broadway, this time at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in a highly entertaining revival that is destined to make it a hit show once again.

When it was announced that Daniel Radcliffe would be starring in a 50th anniversary revival, I think most people were curious whether Harry Potter can sing and dance. And I am sure there are some who wondered if the young actor, who had never done either before could carry a show. And carry it he does with considerable energy and likability. The young star makes an instant connection with the audience and sings with a pleasant, if light, tenor. I’ve noticed some criticism about his singing but I have to counter that Finch was never written to be a singer’s role. Morse (original Broadway and film), Warren Berlinger (original London) and Matthew Broderick (1995 revival) were never noted for great singing either. It’s the character and how he’s played that counts especially with this show and Mr. Radcliffe is superb (and his American accent is exceptionally good). Oh, and he is also one hell of a dancer.

Co-starring with Radcliffe is five time Emmy winner John Larroquette making a smashing Broadway debut as J.B. Biggley. His singing is more of a bluster, but his comic creation works exceptionally well. Christopher J. Hanke was a more low-key nemesis than usual as Bud Frump, but not without some humorous moments (giving him the last cup of coffee in “Coffee Break” was inspired) but his singing voice sounded quite ragged. Robert Bartlett scores big in double duty roles as Mr. Twimble and Wally Womper. Michael Park offered stolid support as Mr. Bratt, who leads “A Secretary is Not a Toy” which contains one of my favorite theatre lyrics: “Her pad is to write in and not spend the night in.” CNN journalist Anderson Cooper makes a Broadway debut of sorts, voicing the unseen narrator (Walter Cronkite did the honor in 1995) but it doesn’t land as well as it could or should.

As for the ladies, Rose Hemingway makes her Broadway debut as Rosemary Pilkington, Finch’s love interest. Ms. Hemingway is pleasant but lacks that something extra special that sets Rosemary apart from the rest of the secretarial pool. Tammy Blanchard is an absolute riot – I think I laughed at every single line she delivered – stealing every one of her scenes as bombshell cigarette girl turned secretary Hedy LaRue. Mary Faber’s Smitty made for a charming sidekick. The fabulous Ellen Harvey as the no-nonsense, takes-no-guff Miss Jones skyrockets into the operatic stratosphere on the “Brotherhood of Man” counterpoint. I’d never heard of Ms. Harvey before last night’s performance, but now I’ll never forget her.

Director-choreographer Rob Ashford has created some memorable moments, particularly his new take on “Coffee Break” and the mammoth showstopper “Brotherhood of Man” (one of the most fool proof eleven o’clock numbers). He cleverly inverted the elevator-based “Been a Long Day” to amusing effect. An added football divertissement after “Grand Old Ivy” was amusing, but entirely superfluous. (Every time I’ve seen the show, this spoof of college fight songs has always proven a crowd favorite – it doesn’t really need help). I was at first worried, because he’s overdone the choreography for the opening number: too busy, too frenetic and unnecessary. But things improved almost immediately. As for tone, the satiric element was there but could have been taken up a notch. This is especially evident with the female characters and their act two opener ‘Cinderella, Darling” which director Des MacAnuff cut from the 1995 revival.

At intermission while waiting on what must have been the longest men’s room line in the history of the amenity, I noticed a great number of the other theater-goers were children. I saw teens and pre-teens almost every place I looked, no doubt brought in by Mr. Radcliffe’s affiliation with the Harry Potter films. (Then again, I can see How to Succeed as a better selling point than Equus). Much to my surprise and elation I noticed how much these kids were enjoying the production – and also how dapper they were all dressed – putting most of the adults in the house to stylistic shame. My slight reservations about the production aside, these kids are in for a real treat: a big old Broadway show executed with style and charm.

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Angela Lansbury sings “Liaisons”

My friends and regular readers are aware of the cool reception I gave Trevor Nunn’s revival of A Little Night Music that played the Walter Kerr last year. I don’t want to rehash all that again as the production is now closed and we can look forward to a better and brighter future as a result, but the highlight of that production to me was Angela Lansbury’s Tony nominated performance as Madame Armfeldt, a performance that I think was the only Tony-worthy aspect of the entire production (and her across the board rave notices seem to match my sentiments). Her character, Madame Armfeldt, has only one song in the show, “Liaisons,” but it is one of the most memorable of the entire score and one of my personal favorite Sondheim songs.

Ms. Lansbury made a special appearance in London at this weekend’s Olivier Awards to help present Stephen Sondheim with a special lifetime achievement award. Having seen this little news item on Twitter, I made it a point to tune in. The awards ceremony, which until this year had been an industry banquet, made significant changes and was televised for the first time in years (while simultaneously airing on BBC Radio 2, which is how I was able to chime in). There were some kinks in the format, as the early half of the evening relied far too heavily on colorless color commentators interviewing winners in lieu of focusing on the stage, but the performances were all quite interesting to hear, as were the incredibly brief but pitch-perfect acceptance speeches.

The award for Sondheim was saved until the very end of the evening, following the presentations of Best Musical and Best Play. Adrian Lester started the tribute by reprising “Being Alive” from his Olivier Award winning performance of Bobby in the Donmar Company of 1996. Cameron Mackintosh spoke at length about Sondheim’s work as well as their personal relationship before the impresario introduced Lansbury, who received a thunderous standing ovation on her entrance.

It seemed for a few moments that Lansbury was only there to present Sondheim with the award, but following his acceptance speech she delivered a staggering performance of “Liaisons.” Enjoy:

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“The Ballad of the Shape of Things”

I have been quite obsessed with this song since I heard Kate Baldwin sing it the other night at Feinstein’s to hilarious effect. The song was written for the fearless comedienne Charlotte Rae by her friend Sheldon Harnick for The Littlest Revue, which played the Phoenix Theatre in 1956. While the show lasted only 32 performances, it also boasted the talents of Joel Grey, Tammy Grimes and Larry Storch and yielded an original cast album. “The Ballad of the Shape of Things” was also later recorded by Blossom Dearie and The Kingston Trio.

Here is Rae recreating the number at a 2007 CD signing (for the reissue of her 1950s album “Songs I Taught My Mother”) at the Lincoln Center Barnes and Noble.

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Kate Baldwin: “She Loves Him”

Picking a favorite Sheldon Harnick song is nearly impossible for me. If I tell you “Ice Cream” or “If I Were a Rich Man” give me a few seconds and I’ll start rattling off practically every other song he’s written. When picking songs for a Broadway itunes playlist, I couldn’t just pick one song and found myself placing every original cast album of his material into mix. That said, I can’t imagine how difficult it was for the divine Kate Baldwin to make the selections for her utterly charming tribute to Mr. Harnick, simply titled She Loves Him, playing Feinstein’s at the Regency from March 8-12, with the 86 year old lyricist appearing as her special guest.

Out of the seventeen selections, all but four had music by the late, great Jerry Bock, Harnick’s long-time collaborator. Together they wrote some of Broadway’s best scores including Fiorello!, Fiddler on the Roof, The Apple Tree and my personal favorite She Loves Me, racking up a few Tony Awards and a Pulitzer. Mr. Harnick has also collaborated with Joe Raposo on the musical version of A Wonderful Life, Richard Rodgers on Rex and others. On top of all this, he contributed his own material (words and music) to many off-Broadway and Broadway revues of the 1950s. Harnick’s lyrics are among the best ever written: character specific, vibrant and literate, brimming with wit and panache.

Kate started off with a bit of a tease, making her way to the microphone with a pad and pencil. Suddenly from the piano came a familiar four note introduction to “Ice Cream.” However, instead of writing a letter to “Dear Friend,” she wrote a letter to “Dear Sheldon,” asking him to be a part of her show with a specialized “He Loves Me.” Other gems soared: “When Did I Fall in Love?” stopped this show of showstoppers,” Ilona took us on “A Trip to the Library” and “I Couldn’t Be with Anyone But You” from A Wonderful Life was just beautiful.

The Tony-nominated soprano also happens to be very pregnant with her first child and her impending motherhood informed many of the selections made throughout the evening, most affectingly in her rendition of She Loves Me’s “Will He Like Me?” With utmost subtlety and without changing a single word, the song — which is in context Amalia’s admitting her apprehensions before her first date with “Dear Friend” — was suddenly a new song entirely. I know it’s Kate’s favorite Harnick song and hers may well be the definitive rendition (all due respect to the delightful Barbara Cook, who was also in the house).

Charlotte Rae’s name came up several times throughout the evening. Like Baldwin and Harnick, Ms. Rae is also an alumnus of Northwestern University. While studying, Rae played Harnick the original cast album of Finian’s Rainbow and encouraged him to be a musical theatre writer. Two specialties he wrote for Rae were on the program, which were of particular interest as Harnick also wrote the music. The first was the clever “The Boston Beguine” from New Faces of 1952, about a sexless romp between a bachelor stenographer and a Harvard Man. (Rae opted to do Three Wishes for Jamie instead and the song put the brilliant Alice Ghostley on the map). The other is the madcap “The Ballad of the Shape of Things,” a devilishly subversive number that was the comic highlight – and a song I’ve been unable to get out of my head all day. (Incidentally, Harnick told the enraptured opening night crowd that it was one of the easiest songs he’d ever written).

Usually when I’m at a show where there is a special guest, the individual might make an appearance for a song or two. Kate brought Sheldon onstage halfway through her set to a tumultuous ovation and much to our delight incorporated him into the rest of the show, starting with a spirited “To Life!” from Fiddler. One of the great memories I’ll always treasure was the opportunity to see Sheldon bring down the house with his own “If I Were a Rich Man” (aside from being a terrific writer, he’s a terrific performer). Together, they also shared the lovely “Dear Sweet Sewing Machine,” a gentle waltz that was taken out of Fiddler during the pre-Broadway tryout. They finished with a stirring duet of “In My Own Lifetime,” a haunting anthem from The Rothschilds. For their encore they shared “Sunrise, Sunset” from Fiddler.

The evening was directed by Diana Basmajian, Kate’s frequent collaborator who also did magnificent work on the star’s first appearance at Feinstein’s, helping to shape Kate’s vibrant patter and find the story in every song. They devised an amusing framing device with Kate finding (and in some cases facetiously stretching for) parallels between herself and Sheldon with an unbelievable combination of poise and self-effacing humor. Scott Cady served as musical director and pianist, Andrew Sherman was on woodwinds (apparently almost all of them) and John Beale was on bass; a perfect trio.

I simply cannot stress how magical this night this was; a joyous occasion that you secretly wished would never end. If anyone from PS Classics is paying attention, this must be Kate’s follow up recording to “Let’s See What Happens.” She Loves Him belongs on CD for everyone to hear. In the meanwhile, I have a ticket for the last show on Saturday night and I hope you’ve gotten your tickets as well. You don’t want to miss the best show in town.

And while I’m at it, Kate Baldwin needs to be Broadway’s next Amalia in She Loves Me. It’s been 18 years since the last revival — and we’re long overdue.

Bell Ringing Monks

There were three musicals nominated for Best Musical at the Tony Awards in 1959. The winner was the Gwen Verdon vehicle Redhead, which went home with a total of 5 awards. One of the nominees was Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song. But there was a third nominee that was an even bigger hit than these two shows. It was a French revue imported from London called La Plume de Ma Tante (translated: “The pen of my Aunt.” Don’t worry, it doesn’t mean a thing). The book was written by Robert Dhery with music by Gerard Calvi and English lyrics by Ross Parker (who wrote the words for the WWII standard “We’ll Meet Again). La Plume is pretty much unlike any other show Broadway has seen before or since. David Merrick and Joseph Kipness (who plugged the revue as “a French Hellzapoppin’) brought the show to the Royale (now Jacobs) Theatre, where it a total of three Tony nominations and ran for 835 performances, longer than any other musical nominated that year.

La Plume de Ma Tante was different from other revues in that relied more on visuals (sight gags, leers, double-takes) than text. There were songs and some dialogue, but it was very sparse and could be described from all accounts as Frenglish. Most of the evening was presented in pantomime, with a lot of old-fashioned bits pulled from Dhery’s background in circus and music hall. He and his company (which included his wife and the show’s choreographer Collete Brosset) had fine-tuned their material through many venues in France before bringing this particular show to London.

Though somewhat underwhelmed by the material, critics raved for the company and the staging. One of the things that made the show so successful was its ability to surprise the audience with its Gallic charm, madcap sensibility and utter unpredictability. The cast, which included Pierre Olaf (Carnival) and Yvonne Constant, was rapturously received and awarded a special Tony for “contribution to the theatre.” However, the show didn’t receive an original Broadway cast album and has since slipped into obscurity.

The moment that was mentioned in all reviews and is most talked about was the show’s act one finale. Four monks (in full regalia) came out onstage and started ringing the monastery bells by simply pulling on four long ropes that extended up into the flies. When left unsupervised, they start losing their inhibitions and begin to dance. This builds and builds to a brassy, jive variation on “Freres Jacques” in which the men turn the ropes into a maypole. The last sight the audience saw as the curtain came down for intermission were these four men leaping about fifteen feet into the air on these ropes with reckless abandon. Apparently Dhery originally created this for the Crazy Gang and later interpolated it into the London show.

This scene was recreated for the 1984 Royal Variety Performance and I think is without a doubt one of the rarest and most obscure – and dare I say oddest – things I have ever blogged about. You have to see it to believe it.

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Coming Soon: Kate Baldwin & Sheldon Harnick at Feinstein’s!

Next week I’ll be making my first trip of the season to Feinstein’s at the Regency to see the delightful Kate Baldwin in a return engagement. I was there for her debut last December as she sang the songs associated with Burton Lane and Yip Harburg (also on her fabulous solo CD “Let’s See What Happens”). I last heard Kate sing at the NY Pops Sondheim Birthday Bash at Carnegie Hall back in November. Most recently, the expecting star sang as part of Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series.

For Feinstein’s, the Tony-nominated soprano will be performing She Loves Him, a celebration of lyricist Sheldon Harnick’s songs. Harnick is most famous for his indelible collaboration with the late Jerry Bock, writing Fiorello!, She Loves Me, Fiddler on the Roof and The Apple Tree (winning Tonys, a Pulitzer and ardent fans along the way. It’s no secret that I am a major Bock and Harnick fan and also hope that someone will have the foresight to produce a Broadway revival of She Loves Me starring Kate. Mr. Harnick, whose lyrics are among the finest written in musical theatre, will be Kate’s special guest for the seven shows between March 8-12. Tickets are available via the Feinstein’s website or by calling 212-339-4095 ($50.08-71.86 with a food/beverage minimum of $25). I cannot wait!

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