Julie Andrews: A Little Bit of Broadway compliation on Cd

In response to something I recently stated about Julie Andrews, a reader pointed out that as a young singer, Ms. Andrews had a freakishly high voice that she used in her English Music Hall performances. I decided I needed to get over some unwarranted bent I have against Ms. Andrews and give her another chance in my Year. I was glad to come across A Little Bit of Broadway in the bin at the library and to give another listen to some of Ms. Andrews' performances.

This compilation disc was released in 1988 and contains tracks from cast albums that featured Andrews, along with some studio recordings she made in 1961 and 1962. The cast album cuts come from the television production of Cinderella (1957), Camelot (1960), and the London version of My Fair Lady (1959).

I enjoyed listening to some of Andews's most famous recordings along side songs not associated with her career, but deserving of her attention. I particularly liked her renditions of "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" from Kismet, "A Little Bit in Love" from Wonderful Town, and "How are Things in Glocca Morra" from Finian's Rainbow. Even this early in her career (she would have been between 22 and 27 when she recorded these tracks), Ms. Andrews is an accomplished performer, with a malleable voice that can caress a phrase and communicate a lyric very well.

None of her early "freakishly high" soprano singing is on display in this recording, however, and even the final high notes of songs like "I Could Have Danced All Night" and "I Feel Pretty" are only Fs or Gs by my (perhaps faltering) ear. Her real money range, if I can use such a vulgar phrase to describe such a polished singer, is the octave from F1 to F2, not what I would categorize as a soprano range.

Perhaps I'm over-Thinking the case, though. Why don't I just shut up and listen...

Julie Andrews: A Little Bit of Broadway
Compilation released in 1988
From recordings made in 1957-962

Best Foot Forward--Off-broadway Cast Album on CD

The liner notes are rather skimpy with the CD reissue of this 1963 off-Broadway remount of the 1941 show Best Foot Forward, so I may get a lot wrong in my assessment of this recording. Its difficult to tell who is singing when, as there is not printed libretto, as many recordings have.

I was intrigued by this recording for several reasons--primarily it was the New York stage debut of Liza Minnelli. Also, Christopher Walken is in this production, along with his brother Glenn. The Walken Bros.'s bios say they modeled for the Conover Agency. Sadly a google image search did not reveal a photo for my use with this entry.

According to the liner notes, composer Hugh Martin is credited with the wonderful three-part arrangement of "Sing for you Supper" from Rodgers and Hart's Boys From Syracuse. So I was looking forward to the women's trio "The Three B's" from this score. While the song is generally wonderful, and well sung by Minnelli, Kay Cole and Renee Winters, it doesn't contain a lot of the the tight, three-part Andrews Sisters-like harmonies I was expecting.

The act one "Ev'ry Time" should be a cabaret or big band standard. Maybe it it, although I had never heard it. Several songs form act two deserve some continued life: "You're Lucky is a great ballad tune that suffers from some pedestrian lyrics; "What Do You Think I Am?" and "A Raving Beauty" are both fun duets; "You are for Loving" is also a nice ballad in the big band style.

The score is performed on "twin" pianos--which seems like an odd phrase two me--giving the music a slight cabaret feel, which didn't bother me too much, although I'm certain some of the lusher songs suffered from this reduced instrumentation.

Two bonus tracks on the CD are songs from the score that Liza recorded on her debut 1963 album, which was released about the time of the stage production. While these versions of "You Are For Loving" and "What Do You Think I Am?" have a fuller accompaniment, their arrangements suffer from sounding rather dated at this point. In each case I prefer the version from the show.

Best Foot Forward

Music and lyrics by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane
Opened on Broadway in 1941
Off-Broadway remount opened in 1963
Cast: Liza Minnelli, Christopher Walken (billed as Ronald Walken), Paula Wayne, Glenn Walken, Karin Wolfe, Grant Walden, Kay Cole, Renee Winters,

The Drowsy Chaperone--Original Broadway Cast Album

Perhaps I've listened to this cast album a little too soon after listening to The Boy Friend or too soon after seeing Curtains, but during a lot of the time I spent listening to The Drowsy Chaperone, I felt like I had been there, done that already. 

Like The Boy Friend, this show's score harkens back to the sounds of the 1920s; like Curtains, this is a musical that lovingly mocks other musicals.

There is likable stuff in this score, though, and I bet I would like it if I saw it on stage.  Sutton Foster's song "Show Off" is very funny and well-sung.  Everything in this score is purposely a little fluffy, as our Host, the Man in the Chair, often reminds us.  Mrs. Tottendale's song "Love Is Always Lovely in the End" has some funny lyrics.  I also like the bonus track "I Remember Love" which was cut from the show. The very politically-incorrect "Message from A Nightingale" was funny, too, but I can understand why it didn't make the final version.  The songs for the male characters don't stand up favorably next to those of the women.

I didn't know that Georgia Engel had ever appeared on Broadway.  According to www.ibdb.com, this was her fourth show on Broadway--all musicals.  Also according to the Broadway database, Ms. Engel was replaced during the run of Chaperone with Cindy Williams and Joann Worley.  While all three are primarily known as television actresses, I can't think of three more differing performance styles than those three. 

The Drowsy Chaperone

Music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison

Book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar

Opened in 2006

Cast: Danny Burstein, Sutton Foster, Bob Martin, Troy Britton Johnson, Eddie Korbich, Beth Leavel, Georgia Engel, 

Allegro--Studio Cast Recording

I've had this CD sitting for a while waiting for me to pick it up and listen to it.  It is a bit daunting even to look at--a two-disc set with an hour and forty minutes of music and dialogue and an 80-page booklet of synopsis, libretto, and multiple articles on the history of this challenging show While there are many performers I greatly anticipated hearing in this studio recording, I was a little bit afraid of Allegro. 

Turns out, I was afraid with good reason.  There is a lot to digest in what is billed as the first complete recording of this score and not a lot to hold on to.   I think that is part of the plan of this cradle-to-midlife show, though; life offers us a lot to digest, and just a few things to hold on to during the journey.   But the theme doesn't translate into a listenable score.

Baritone Nathan Gunn has been a favorite singer of mine for several years, since I discovered his debut recital disc on EMI.  While he makes most of his appearances in opera houses, he is increasingly entering the world of the Broadway musical--most notably a semi-staged performance of Camelot with Marin Mazzie and Gabriel Byrne, where Mr. Gunn sang the role of Lancelot.  Here, Gunn has the role of the elder Dr. Joseph Taylor.  He's given little to sing. Audra McDonald, in the role of the elder Taylor's wife is given a bit more. 

The challenge in listening to this score is that much of the action is described by sung and spoken choruses and there are few full songs given to the primary characters.  It almost feels like much of the first act is exposition, rather than action.

There were a couple of songs I had heard before, but didn't know they were from this show. I think  "What a Lovely Day for a Wedding" was in the Richard Rodgers concert I listened to several months ago.  The song "Mountain Greenery" is from Rodgers' time with Larry Hart and is used here to evoke the 1920s era--when it was written, of course.  There was little or nothing in first act of the score that really grabbed my attention.  In the second act "The Gentleman is a Dope" is a fun song and well sung here by Liz Callaway.  The title song "Allegro" is lively and tells me this show is also about the speed of our lives. "Come Home" is lovely and well sung by Audra McDonald, but seems weird sung by a character who is dead--if a jilted wife were singing it, it would hold more emotional punch, I think.

The articles in the booklet all talk about how Allegro was an early experimental musical and how the production concept used scenic pieces to suggest locations rather than using full sets.  I found it interesting that R and H were inspired in part by Our Town, and there are certainly similarities is style and content.  However, this show and recording leave me thinking the score is only musical bits, too.

Allegro

Music by Richard Rodgers

Book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

Opened in 1947

Cast: Nathan Gunn, Audra McDonald, Judy Kuhn, Laura Benanti, Patrick Wilson, Norbert Leo Butz, Liz Callaway

She Loves Me--Original Broadway Cast Album

This show has had a bit of a cult following, I believe, although I've not been part of it up to now. I may need to give in and drink the kool-aid, though, because I found much of the cast album of She Love Me to be delightful.

This is really a chamber musical, or perhaps chamber operetta, with 7 or 8 primary roles and a few actors who float through the show as various other characters. I'd like to see it on stage as I think it could be cleverly staged in a space with cabaret tables, since one key scene of the show takes place in a restaurant.

On display again is the lovely voice of Barbara Cook, who I have talked about enough for two Years. But its interesting to listen to Ms. Cook right after listening to Julie Andrews in The Boy Friend. The two singers are within 6 or 7 years of each other, and both came to Broadway prominence in the early 1950s. While we think of Ms. Andrews being a soprano, she's a very different type of soprano that Barbara Cook. I've referred to Andrews being a soubrette, but I don't know if I'm using that term correctly; I think of a soubrette having a lower singing register than a true soprano and only occasionally reaching into the upper notes. Well, maybe that's over-Thinking things. I like the singing of both performers, so let's leave it at that.

Also in the cast of She Loves Me is Jack Cassidy--husband of Shirley Jones, father of David, Shaun and Patrick--all of whom have been on Broadway, I believe. The senior Mr. Cassidy had been in 8 Broadway musicals or revues by the time he starred in She Loves Me, and I can hear why. He has a lovely lyric voice, which doesn't strain too much in the upper reaches.

Barbara Baxley, the so-called "other Barbara" from this cast, is also a delightful find. While she is more of a character singer than possessing a traditional type of voice, her number "I Resolve" is funny and she is a nice contract to the more legit style of Barbara #1.

Music by Jerry Bock
Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
Book by Joe Masteroff
Opened in 1963
Cast: Barbara Cook, Barbara Baxley, Daniel Massey, Jack Cassidy, Nathaniel Frey, Ludwig Donath,

The Boy Friend--Original Broadway Cast Album

Musicals with book, lyrics and music by the same person seem to be bit of a rarity. And rightfully so, musical-making should be a team effort. The Boy Friend is the exception that makes the rule, though. With music, lyrics and book by Sandy Wilson, those attributes on display in the original Broadway cast album seem charming.

This is also one of the few musicals of the 1950s that I've encountered that jumped the pond the other way, starting life in London before being imported to New York. The liner notes for the CD reissue give a bit of the story of the creation of this musical--from cabaret act to full-blown show on the West End and Broadway, but doesn't say if Julie Andrews was part of the importation or if she was just in the Broadway incarnation. Regardless, this show was Ms. Andrews Broadway debut, and already on display is the 19 year-old's trademark crisp enunciation and lovely soubrettish voice. The vocal demands on her are not great in The Boy Friend (a few high notes, a bit of low-lying coloratura) but she delivers them with charm.

The music in this score is uniformly delightful, capturing every aspect of the 1920s era it seeks to evoke. The funny "Safety in Numbers" song deserves life outside the show. Actually, the show deserves a continued life, although I never see notice of it being produced. Given the young ages of the cast of characters and the several good roles for young women, I can't imagine why high schools and colleges don't produce this all the time. Maybe they do and I've just never noticed.

The Boy Friend
Music, lyrics and book by Sandy Wilson
Opened on Broadway in 1954 and ran for more than a year
Cast: Julie Andrews, Ann Wakefield, John Hewer, Eric Berry, Ruth Altman, Dilys Lay,

Sweet Smell of Success

In reading the long, complicated synopsis of this show in the cast album booklet, I can't help but wonder if the story of Sweet Smell of Success just didn't lend itself to being a musical. Certainly, it's not a musical comedy. I can imagine that a brass-knuckle type of story wouldn't appeal to a New York audience less than 6 months after the World Trade Tower attacks.

Too bad, because I really like the score to this show, with its strong supper club/jazz club-infused music. The voices, too, are all first-rate as I suspected they would be with talents like Brian d'Arcy James and Kelli O'Hara in the cast. Jack Noseworthy is a new name to me, and I must try to find out more about him, because he has a lovely tenor voice that seems to caress his songs in just the right way. His song "I cannot hear the City" deserves a life outside the show.

I do have a problem with the chorus music in this score--they seem to comment more on the action than to be part of it. And while there is some lively, syncopated rhythms for the chorus, it's all in unison.

Can't we all get get along in harmony?

Sweet Smell of Success
Music by Marvin Hamlisch
Lyrics by Craig Carnelia
Book by John Guare
Cast: John Lithgow, Kelli O'Hara, Brian d'Arcy James, Jack Noseworth, Stacey Logan

The Fantasticks--live performance at the Library Theatre at Feltre

I've seen about 10 live shows now during my Year of Thinking--several commercial Broadway tours, a community theater production, a high school production, and a couple shows at larger non-profit theater companies in Chicago--but I had not seen a show produced by a small company in town, and that is really the richest part of the theater community in Chicago.

Well, I fixed that oversight yesterday by seeing The Fantasticks in a small production by a company associated with an adult learning school. The theater is called the Library Theatre because the performance takes place in the school's library. A square room with bookshelves along the sides of the room, the theater configuration used for this production held about 40 people, there may have 30 at the performance I attended.

Given the scale of the production, it may be easy to think that you'll miss a lot from the physical production and have a second rate cast. Well, I'm pleased to say that neither of those assumptions were true in this production.

This production, as directed by Jason Harrington, cleverly and effectively used the small space, which was basically set up with two seating areas facing one another and the actor's playing area between them--like a tiny basketball court. During the scenes when characters were on opposite sides of the wall between the two families' yards, a fabric fence was erected right down the middle of the playing area. At times the actors stood on boxes so we could see both of them (one over the fence), but often we only saw the actor on our side of the fence, which made the point about the two young lovers being separated. The petite space meant that each actor could easily project their speaking and singing voices without strain and reminded me how wonderful it is to hear a show without electronic amplification.

The depth of actors in the Chicago area must be a boon for small companies like The Library Theatre. For this show, every part was cast with age-appropriate actors who had the skills and charms their roles required. This was particularly true of El Gallo; this is a difficult role that needs a charismatic, accomplished performer. Fortunately, one was available in the person of Jason Bowen who possessed all the swagger and sex-appeal needed for the role. He sang well, too. Everyone sang well, actually. I was particularly taken with the baritone of Kent Joseph as Huckabee, the father of Matt.

I was surprised by the poetry evident in the book of this show and the many literary references--particularly to Shakespeare. How had I missed that before? Probably from being turned off by over-amplified actors.

The Fantasticks
Music by Harvey Schmidt
Lyrics and book by Tom Jones
First opened in 1960
This production at the Library Theatre at Feltre has now closed
Cast: Jason Bowen, Trisha Hart Ditsworth, Ian Daniel McLaren, Kent Joseph, Michael A. Gavame, Andey Gwyn, Nathaniel Niemi

Mame--OBC album

Is there a show with more infectious music that Jerry Herman's Mame? Well, if so, please suggest it, because I have always loved this musical and would love to hear what you think compares with it. I've never listened to the original Broadway cast album, but have seen the film version many times and seen it on stage at least once, when my high school performed it when I was in 8th grade. I remember being jealous of the 7th grader who played Young Patrick. The next year, he and I were in Sound of Music together.

I'm surprised by how much I like the singing on this album, even though Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur (RIP) are hardly my usual types of singers. I think that is a component of having really infectious songs in the score--although I like this score more than others by Jerry Herman. Ms. Lansbury displays a lot of good legato singing and breath control, even if her sound is not traditionally beautiful. I'm shocked to discover that his entry is the first in my Year to feature Ms. Lansbury. I must do something to make up for that.

Its easy for me to picture the deadpan delivery and double takes of Ms. Arthur (RIP), as she is in the film version.

The women really rule the roost in this show, with the men as secondary characters--especially in the singing department. Charles Braswell as Mame's hubby Beau has little to sing except in the big Act I Finale. I was surprised by the voice of Jerry Lanning who plays the elder Patrick--it's a very nice voice, even if I found it a bit too mature-sounding for the character. I must check out more of Mr. Lanning.

Mame
Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman
Book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee
Opened in 1966
Cast: Angela Lansbury, Beatrice Arthur, Jane Connell, Willard Waterman, Charles Braswell, Jerry Lanning

Porgy and Bess--Studio recording with many original cast members

I very much wanted to see the production of Porgy and Bess that the Lyric Opera of Chicago presented this year, but the cost of a Lyric ticket is a little prohibitive for me, and none of my usual suspects who unload unwanted opera tickets on me complied--a testament to how much interest this production garnered, I believe. So in lieu of seeing the show live, I'll have to settle (for now) to listening to a 1942 recording of the score with many of the original performers recreating their vocal performances--including Todd Duncan and Anne Brown (shown, right) as the title characters.

Ms. Brown passed away in March of this year, and I was surprised to know she was still living--after all Porgy premiered in 1935--74 years ago. Ms. Brown was 96 at the time of her death, which means she debuted as Bess at age 22--remarkable.

A lot of people talk about the two "personalities" of George Gershwin--his popular, tin-pan-alley songs (including his Broadway scores), versus his classical compositions. Leonard Bernstein is another composer who seemed to have more than one musical voice. Does that really happen these days? Many composers have written so-called cabaret songs--Benjamin Britten comes right to mind--but are there composers crossing the great divide between the classical concert stage and the Broadway theater? Perhaps we are too much a society of specialists to allow much of that today.

No one ever talks about the lyrics of Porgy. Poor Ira Gershwin must have spent the 51 years after the premiere of the show until his death in 1983 hearing about what a genius his dead brother was and how P & G epitomized that genius. Well, Ira deserves some praise, too. Certainly he got help from DuBose Heyward, who is credited with the libretto and shares credit for the lyrics, but what in Ira's resume prior to 1935 gives any indication he can write the lyrics to a serious-themed opera/musical, let alone one that is set in the South among poor Black Folks?

Granted, Ira had lyrics on display in a remarkable 31 Broadway productions before Porgy premiered, but is there anything in Oh, Kay! or Of Thee I Sing that shouts "Yes, let's trust the New York Jew to write words that won't sound silly or offensive coming out the mouths of these characters." Remember, this is the era before Broadway had book musicals--so while Ira's musical lyrics are rightfully remembered as tremendously clever, they weren't expected to necessarily drive the plot forward--as the lyrics in an opera must do, at least some of the time.

Well, Ira, hats off to you for what must have often felt like being second fiddle. You kept going after George left you and wrote lyrics with an A-list of Broadway composers--Kurt Weill, Arthur Schwartz, and Jerome Kern.

I haven't Thought about nearly enough Gershwin this Year.

Porgy and Bess
Music by George Gershwin
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Libretto by Dubose Heyward (based on his novella and play)
Opened 1935
Cast (in this studio recording from 1942): Anne Brown, Todd Duncan, Avon Long, Edward Matthews, Eva Jessye Choir

Ghost Light Monday--Tribute to Byron Hanson

When I visited my alma mater of Interlochen Arts Academy last Thursday, it was ostensibly to attend the farewell concert and retirement tribute to Byron Hanson, who has lead the band program at Interlochen for 44 years. When I realized that the theater department was also performing Seussical, I went to that performance, but made it over to the concert hall for most of the tribute, although I missed the band performance of music from Schwanda the Bagpiper, which was a disappointment. How often does one get the chance to hear music from Schwanda the Bagpiper performed live? Not often enough, I can tell you.

Well, the tribute to outgoing music director Byron Hanson was interesting and I'm glad I got the chance to hear most of it. Among the many people speaking tributes was Elaine Douvas, who is the principal oboist of the Met Opera Orchestra and a teacher and head of the woodwinds department at The Juilliard School. While I had never met Ms. Douvas (or even seen her) before, she was involved with a competition I managed a few years back. She nominated a couple of oboists for the competition. While I do remember that the winner was not from Ms. Douvas's studio, I don't recall if one of her students was a finalist. I was interested to know Ms. Douvas's connection to Interlochen--she is a Michigan native and attended both summer camp and the Academy at Interlochen.

I was not an instrumental person at Interlochen, I was in the theater division, but Mr. Hanson is a bit of a living legend at the school. One of those encyclopedic types who seems to have endless energy, and the ability to play excerpts from any piece of music; name your theme, he can play it. It was interesting to hear again and again at this tribute, the same comments, about how Mr. Hanson could inevitably fit in one more coaching or accompanying session--from students he had thirty years ago to students of today. I find that kind of longevity amazing, and am envious of it. I'm also envious of the focus that one must have to achieve the depth of knowledge Mr. Hanson displays.

Fortunately for the institutional history of Interlochen (as well as for many of those instrumentalists look for an accompanist, I'm sure) Maestro Hanson is not leaving Interlochen, but will become the school's first archivist--a task that has been much neglected, I can tell you from first hand experience.

I wish Mr. Hanson well in his new position, and while I am sorry I didn't work with him personally, I am glad he has been and will continue to be such a valued resource for the school.

Girl Crazy--Studio Cast recording on CD

According to the very good notes to the 1998 CD reissue of this 1951 studio recording of the 1930 Gershwin show, Girl Crazy owed its relatively modest original Broadway run of 272 performances to the state of the economy at the time. No matter how much changes, some things stay the same. The notes are by Didier C. Deutsch, and I must make a point to find out more about him, as he has written interesting and informative notes for many CDs I've encountered this Year.

This studio recording was produced by Goddard Lieberson (another name I've come across often) as part of a project to capture previously unrecorded musicals using musical stars of the day. In 1951 Mary Martin had just hit with South Pacific when Girl Crazy was recorded.

Since this recording hoped to capitalize on the popularity of Ms. Martin, that was the motivation behind who was chosen to sing which selections of songs. Hence, Martin sings songs of a couple of different characters from the stage show and is featured more than she would have been on a traditional production cast album. This also accounts for the crooning nature of much of the singing on the album--it's probably not the style that would have been recorded if this cast had prepared the work for the stage.

This score features one of my favorite Gershwin tunes--"Sam and Delilah" is a kind of vampy, trampy story song that Ethel Merman introduced in the original cast (along with "I Got Rhythm". As presented on this recording, the tune is played much more "straight" and isn't as effective as other versions I've heard.

Girl Crazy
Music by George Gershwin
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Book by Guy Bolton and John McGowen
Opened in 1930
Cast of this studio recording: Mary Martin, Eddie Chappell, Louise Carlyle,

Seussical--Live performance at Interlochen Arts Academy

They say you can't go home again, and perhaps they are right. I am in Michigan for a long weekend visiting my parents for Mother's Day, and decided to visit the campus of my alma mater Interlochen Arts Academy, which is a couple hours' drive my parents' home. I thought I was going to Interlochen to attend a farewell concert and tribute to Byron Hanson, who is retiring after having led the instrumental and band division there for 44 years. But when I arrived on campus, I realized that the theater department was also presenting Seussical, so clearly that is why I was called up to visit, so that an IAA theater company production could be part of my Thinking this Year. After all, I was in four musicals at Interlochen, performed in three Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, as well as singing in my first large-scale choral work (Vivaldi Gloria), taking voice lessons, and singing original songs written for a production of As You Like it. But enough of my waxing historical, on to Seussical the Musical...

This show and score have a lot of charm, like the other Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens shows I've listened to, Ragtime and Lucky Stiff. It also offers a lot for a large cast to do, a good thing for a show presented in an educational setting. The chorus has several big numbers and there are various small ensembles that have their own moments in the spotlight. There are just four or five roles that handle the bulk of the solo singing.

The plot of the show basically follows Horton and the people of Who on the speck of dust, a separation which was cleverly handled in this production by having the Who only appear on a series of platforms behind and above Horton and the other characters with whom he interacts.

The best voice of this student production was Horton, befitting the amount of music for this character. The young man playing Horton possesses a lovely lyrical baritone voice that he used well and didn't have to strain to get into his upper register. His understated playing of Horton was right on the mark and offered all the charm you could want in this unassuming character. The Cat in the Hat, who serves as a bit of a narrator for the show, is a much more showy role, although lacks the emotional connection to the audience that Horton makes. I feel compelled to brag that the young man playing The Cat in The Hat is Interlochen's 40th Presidential Scholar, a record unmatched by any other school, public or private, in the nation.

The female roles ask for mostly character voices, rather than legato singing. I wished that one of the women's role would ask for a true soprano voice. The closest we get is Gertrude McFuzz, who at times dropped the cupie doll affectation in her singing to allow for her real voice to be heard. I should note that this version of Seussical is from the Theater for Young Audiences collection, which I think means it is slightly shortened and in a simplified arrangement.

The largest beef I have with this production is in the staging as done by Robin Ellis, who is listed on Interlochen's website as a theater instructor at the Academy. This show was presented in a thrust theater (built long after I was a student), with steeply raked seating in three sections and two vomitoria that function as entrance points for both audience and actors. Well, as staged by Ms. Ellis, most of the action was blocked as if in a proscenium house, with primary characters facing the center section of the theater. I was fortunately seated in the center section, but I would have felt at a disadvantage if I had been in the right or left sections. One of the few staging rules I remember from my undergraduate directing course is that in a thrust theater you primarily stage things on the diagonal facing the vomitoria. This would seem particularly crucial in a presentational show like Seussical.

But then, no one is hiring me to direct anything, so I'll just be glad to know that my alma mater's theater department is going strong, presenting shows written after I was there, in a theater built after I was there, performed by kids born long after I was there.

Oy, I'm old.

Seussical
Music by Stephen Flaherty
Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Book by Ahrens and Flaherty
Based the writings of Dr. Seuss
Opened on Broadway in 2000
Cast: the theater department students at the Interlochen Arts Academy, classes of 2009-2012.

Over Here! OBC album on CD

When I Thought about Mary Poppins about a month ago, I noted that the songwriters of the original film, Richard and Robert Sherman, had written the music for a show that starred the Andrews Sisters. When I saw the cast album for Over Here! in the bin at the library, I grabbed it immediately.

I was gleefully delighted to note that John Travolta, Marilu Henner, and Treat Williams were all in the cast of this show. Although they are ensemble players, the booklet with the CD reissue is sure to make use of photos of these three famous cast members, though.

I have actually seen a production of Over Here! as performed by the Kalamazoo Community Theater some time in the mid-1980s. I recall be rather charmed by the show when I saw it live, even without the Andrews Sisters in their roles, but the recording wore a little thin with me in listening to it now. The pastiche 40s numbers are fun at first, but then you want something else. In the live performance I remember a character singing the third verse of the American National Anthem (which is a plot point in the rather silly spy story of the show) and that moment being very well done, moving and a nice contrast to all the big-band stuff; well if that moment was in the Broadway original, it didn't make it onto the cast album.

Over Here!
Music and Lyrics by Richard and Robert Sherman
Book by Will Holt
Opened in 1974
Cast: Patty Andrews, Maxene Andrews, John Travolta, Treat Williams, Marily Henner,

They're Playing our Song--OBC album on CD

I've heard the title song from this show so many times, but didn't really know what the show was all about. Turns out its about songwriters, pop songwriters, which explains the variety of pop genres that the score covers. I suppose the variety makes sense given the world of the show, but They're Playing our Song didn't keep me humming along. Pop songs don't have much of a shape or a climax often, where in the theater we're all about building toward that big moment; perhaps that is why this score just left me lying there.

This is basically a two-person show, although the male and female leads each have a back-up group that functions as a sort of Greek Chorus, or The Chorus of Inner Thoughts. I hear voices in my head sometimes, too.

For a two-person show, I wanted some better singing. Lucie Arnaz (in her Broadway debut) has a pleasant voice, but it is rather characterless--neither a pop voice nor a musical theater voice. Robert Klein has a pop voice with a decent range, but he does sound a bit like an aging heavy metal band singer, all rasp and cigarettes.

Music by Marvin Hamlisch
Lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager
Book by Neil Simon

Opened 1979 and ran for more than 1,000 performances, so some one must have liked it.
Cast: Robert Klein, Lucie Arnaz

Titanic--Original Broadway Cast album on CD

This show really reminds me of Ragtime for some reason. I think it might be the historical setting of the show, the range of social and economic levels it tries to portrays and the fluidity with which both shows move from setting to setting--very film-like. While I generally liked, Ragtime, however, Titanic left me a little cold.

The opening is very well constructed, introducing us in succession to the crew and each class of passengers, and building into a climax as the ship sets sail (do you still call it that when there is no actual sail?). From then on, however, the score and the characters left me flat.

One wonderful discovery is the singing of Brian d'Arcy James, who had not appeared as yet in my Year, but who has a wonderful voice. Mr. James has loads of Broadway credits (including the current Shrek), so I hope to squeeze him into my Year again before the 12 months end on May 31.

Titanic
Music and lyrics by Maury Yeston
Book by Peter Stone
Opened in 1997
Cast: Brian D'Arcy James, Martin Moran, John Cunningham, Ted Sperling, Allan Corduner, Michael Cerveris

Curtains--Live performance at Drury Lane Oak Brook

Since the Broadway production of Curtains didn't tour (at least to Chicago), the production at Drury Lane Oak Brook is the regional premiere of the show and my first chance to see or hear it. Given this is a show created by Kander and Ebb (Cabaret, Chicago), with a book by Rupert Holmes (The Mystery of Edwin Drood) and originally conceived by Peter Stone (1776) I had high expectations for this show. Given the venerable 60 year history of the Drury Lane Theater and the experienced cast of Chicago veteran musical performers, I had high expectations for this production.

Both show and cast lived up to my expectations and provided an hysterical evening of murder, mystery, music and spoof. This is a show not only of the theater by set in the theater, as a Broadway-bound musical (Robbin' Hood) gets its out-of-town tryout in Boston. No one is disappointed when the faltering leading lady collapses on stage, but everyone is under suspicion when it turns out she was poisoned. I won't give away any more of the plot, because its zaniness and twists and turns deserve to be experienced first hand.

The book for this show is the brightest point, with more cutting remarks about the theater, actors, directors, critics and the audience than space or my memory will allow me to quote. Two veterans of the Chicago musical stage get the bulk of the zingers--Nancy Voigts (above left) as Carmen Berstein, and John Reeger as the stage director with British biting sarcasm, Christopher Belling. Both Ms. Voigts and Mr. Reeger are pitch perfect in their deliveries. On the musical front, the characters of Georgia Hendricks (portrayed by Christine Scherill, above right) and Aaron Fox (James Rank) take on much of the music. Mr. Rank is an accomplished baritone who works regionally and often crosses over into operetta or light opera; he deftly handles the bari-tenor ranged song "I Miss the Music."

If I have one criticism of the show it is in the score. I felt as if there were not enough songs, and too often those songs were about the musical-within-the-musical rather than being character-based. That was particularly true for me in the first act finale "Thataway." While Ms. Sherill deliveres the song with every bit of gusto needed, the song doesn't hold any great meaning for her character and therefore it was just a song.

I loved all the only slightly inside jokes about the show-within-the-show spoofing Oklahoma, complete with sunset over the prairie and dream ballet with ladder and stairs to nowhere.

Curtains
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Book by Rupert Holmes
Conceived by Peter Stone
Opened in 2007
Cast: Nancy Voigts, Sean Fortunato, James Rank, Jim Corti, John Reeger, Paula Scarfano, Christine Sherill
Continues at The Drury Lane Oak Brook Theater in Oak Brook, Illinois through May 17

Triumph of Love--OBC album

The title of this show says a lot about it, I think. Could there be a more trite and derivative title than Triumph of Love? Even the library worker when I checked out this cast album commented that this wasn't the experience he had had (poor, lonely man--well, really me in about 25 years). Much of the rest of the listening experience with this show was equal to the title.

Who knew that F. Murray Abraham could sing? Well, he can't. He does a sort of Rex Harrison, Richard Burton (pick your Lerner and Loewe sing-speak role) thing. And it wouldn't be awful, except that the role is not written to be done that way, and Mr. Abraham is often teamed up in duets with real singers.

I also took issue with the style of music and style of singing of this show. Both music and voices are very modern sounding and American to me, yet the story is historical and European, or maybe even Classically Greek--I couldn't quite tell, which should point out a problem with this show as presented on disc. In the photos, the costumes are European 18th Century, but the libretto mentions places like Sparta. If I've missed something from the liner notes, I'm sure you'll point it out.

The music by Jeffrey Stock is rather bland and all sounded the same to me after a while, some songs a little faster, some a little slower. The two exceptions to that may be "Mr. Right", which I thought was funny and could have a life outside the show, and "Henchman are Forgotten" which is a sort of "Brush up your Shakespeare"-like song.

Part of the problem for me with the music maybe that Susan Egan and Betty Buckley are very similar in styles of singing. While they sound different, both have strong chest voices and little or no head voices. Couldn't one of the women in the show be a soprano? I need to check out Susan Egan's history; in her singing voice she sounds like any number of Disney heroines (Belle, Ariel, pick your animated story).

Triumph of Love
Music by Jeffrey Stock
Lyrics by Susan Birkenhead
Book by James Magruder

Opened in 1997
Cast: Susan Egan, F Murray Abraham, Betty Buckey, Roger Bart, Kevin Chamberlin, Nancy Opel, Christopher Sieber