I knew that Rodgers and Hart wrote clever, tuneful musicals, and it's about time I encountered one in my Year. Here at last is recorded proof that the songs of the other R & H were good, too. Boys from Syracuse is based on Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors and its story follows two sets of twins separated at birth.
A childhood crush of mine, Stuart Damon, stars as Antipholus of Syracuse. He's best known to viewers of General Hospital and the 1960s version of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella with Lesley Ann Warren. Here, Damon gives good examples of fine singing--particularly in the standard "This Can't Be Love" sung in duet with Julienne Marie, and in his one solo number, "Dear Old Syracuse" where he handles a rangy, swinging melody. Damon is the reason I plucked this recording out of the bin at the library.
I had previously heard a version of "Sing for your Supper", but the original trio version presented here is terrific and terrifically sung by Ellen Hanley, Julienne Marie and Karen Morrow. Actually harmonies!
The whole score is lively, and varied, and tuneful, even in the slightly Gilbert & Sullivan-inspired chorus numbers. I must make a point of listening to more Rodgers and Hart on CD, which seems to be the only way to find these scores in their original swinging versions.
The Boys From Syracuse
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Lorenz Hart
Book by George Abbott
Off-Broadway Revival Cast Recording from 1963
Released on CD in 1993
Cast: Stuart Damon, Rudy Tronto, Danny Carroll, Karen Morrow, Ellen Hanley, Clifford David Julienne Marie, Cathryn Damon
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Lorenz Hart
Book by George Abbott
Off-Broadway Revival Cast Recording from 1963
Released on CD in 1993
Cast: Stuart Damon, Rudy Tronto, Danny Carroll, Karen Morrow, Ellen Hanley, Clifford David Julienne Marie, Cathryn Damon
No comments:
Post a Comment