Me and Juliet original cast album on CD

Well, I've missed the opportunity to have something Halloween-related today; I don't know maybe The Phantom of the Opera, or the musical version of Lestat the Vampire (has that opened yet?). Instead we have the scenery that ate the musical by Rodgers & Hammerstein. That's basically how the informative notes to this CD reissue describe Me and Juliet.

It's a show-within-a-show. Am I in a rut with those? Well, apparently this one takes place in just about every place within a theatre, including the lighting catwalk. No wonder the set took over.

The only song I had heard from this score is "No Other Love" and it's a wonderful song presented in duet. Bill Hayes has a nice tenor voice. Isabel Bigley a lightish soprano that gets a bit covered in the upper reaches. Of course, it sounds as if this cast album was not remastered before being transfered to CD, so that may be partly to blame.

A couple of the songs about the theatre milieu approach funny without really getting there. The "Intermission Talk" has some hysterical references to which I laughed out loud, but the music is all over the board and doesn't settle on any one style long enough to make an impression. "It's Me" is also funny, about how an actor is no one until she takes on a role. This song could easily be arranged for one women and would be a good cabaret addition. "The Big Black Giant" about the audience is a good idea, again with too many musical styles to really sink my ears into.

The two songs from the show-within are blah, although the singing of baritone Mark Dawson is very good. I must check him out to see if he can reappear in my Year.

ps. It turns out, Mr. Dawson has already appeared in my Year, having been in the original cast of Fiorello, although I didn't list him in my cast list or labels as he didn't have much solo work.

Me and Juliet
Music by Richard Rodgers
Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Opened May 28, 1953 and ran fro 358 performances
Cast: Barbara Carroll, Isabel Bigley, Bill Hayes, Arthur Maxell, Mark Dawson, Joan McCracken, Bob Fortier