Do Re Mi--1999 Encores Cast on CD

For a while in Chicago there was a series of musical concerts based on the Encores Series in New York. Ovations (as the Chicago incarnation was called) lasted one season, maybe two. Listening to this recording of an Encores production of Do Re Mi has made me miss the Chicago version.

I didn't know anything about this show until I bought this recording probably 5 years ago. I'm sure I bought it because Nathan Lane starred in it. While the talents of Mr. Lane are ably on display on this disc, there is a lot of other stuff to appreciate here, too.

Let's start with the singing of Brian Stokes Mitchell. Yes, I know I've gone on and on about Mr. Mitchell before, but this is some of his finest singing, in my humble opinion. He taps into all of his baritonal colors and richness and still has the ability to reach into his upper register. His Act I "I Know about Love" shows off all of Mr. Mitchell's abilities and is a wonderful song to boot. I don't know why I had never heard it before; it deserves a life outside the show. I will add it to my list of "lonely" songs for my one-man show in my head.

The most recognizable song from this score is "Make Someone Happy". But that song doesn't interest me nearly as much as others from the show--"It's Legitimate" (a Politics and Poker-type quartet), "All of My Life", "Cry Like the Wind", even the kitschy "That's What's new at the Zoo" are fun in their own ways.

The original cast for this show was also interesting--Phil Silvers, John Reardon, Nancy Walker and Nancy Dussault. I wonder if I can find that recording?

Do Re Mi

Music by Jule Styne

Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green

Book by Garson Kanin

Opened on Broadway in 1960

This cast from 1999

Cast: Randy Graff, Heather Headley, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Nathan Lane

Try to Remember: The Fantasticks documentary on DVD

Having recently seen a delightful production of The Fantasticks, I was glad when Netflix delivered to my door Try to Remember: The Fantasticks, an hour-long documentary about the phenomenal 42-year New York run of the show. The documentary was made in 2002, just as the show was closing.

I didn't realize that the original version of this show was produced in such a small theater on such a postage stamp-sized stage. The 50 seat theater where I recently saw the show actually had a larger playing area than the New York version. Perhaps scale is part of the charm of this show. Certainly the close connection between audience and performer must be part of the reason of the show's longevity. How often in a New York theater can you be within 20 feet of the stage for a musical?

This documentary offers a lot of talking heads interviews, and rightfully lets the show's creators Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones to do a lot of the talking. It also includes interviews with former cast members of the New York production, although I was disappointed that the only commentary by the late Jerry Orbach, who originated the role of El Gallo, was done at some sort of reception rather than in a traditional interview setting. While much is made of the fact that several famous people, including Liza Minnelli and Elliot Gould, have performed in productions of The Fantasticks, Orbach is the only actor familiar to most audiences who contributes to the documentary.

There is a lot of tape of the final New York performance; it is a challenge to feel the charm of the show from this, however, due to the poor technical aspects of this footage.

Barbara Cook--the Bell Telephone Hour appearances on DVD

Here I go again, waxing poetic on the talents and watch-ability of Barbara Cook. Haven't I done that recently? Well, these excepts from the Bell Telephone Hour from 1960, 1962, and 1965 back up my opinion.

Ms. Cook serves up Broadway, operetta, and Americana songs without missing a note or a beat. Perhaps it was this early experience doing all types of music that made her musically curious (and what do I mean bi-curious) in the exploration of songs for her later cabaret acts. Whatever the outcome, I'm glad to have seen these early television appearances to remember that Ms. Cook is not only a very good singer, but was also a lively performer. She dances quite a bit in these excerpts, something I'm sure she's not doing at 80+ now.

I very much liked the three songs from No Strings, by Rodgers without Hammerstein. I must check out a full recording of this show.

Ms. Cook performs with two top baritones of the 1960s in these clips: Robert Goulet (hot, and I do mean HOT off his success with Camelot) and Alfred Drake. Goulet and Drake are of two very different musical generations with Drake teaming with Cook for the operetta offerings, such as The Merry Widow. The Bell Telephone Hour Chorus also makes a lot of appearances, and I swear one of the male choristers was Bob McGrath from Sesame Street.

Well, we all start somewhere.

Barbara Cook: the Bell Telephone Hour Appearances 1960-1965
Music by Johan Strauss, Jr., Lerner and Loewe, Jerry Herman, Franz Lehar, Stephen Foster, Richard Rodgers, and others.
Cast: Barbara Cook, Robert Goulet, Anita Gillette, Alfred Drake

Camelot film on DVD

It's that quintessential musical of the 1960s, but the stage version and the film version of Camelot capture different aspects of the 60s for me.

The stage show captured the promise and hope of the early 1960s, the Kennedy Administration, and a peaceful future. By the time the film was released in 1967, a lot of that promise had dissolved. For me the film version is quintessentially 60s because of the casting of Franco Nero and Vanessa Regrave who both represent the freer, sexually charged aspects of the decade. Vanessa even reprises her undressed sex-kitten look in a bedroom scene with Richard Harris in the bath. Franco Nero's blue eyes are hard to resist (Ms. Redgrave didn't, they have a child together). And his chin could be used as his lance.

I've never seen this show on stage, so I can't comment on how the film differs from the stage show, but it feels very true to the original. The film blends its use of outdoor locations and indoor sets very well. The show is not without its challenges, though. It's long. It has too much exposition and manages not to introduce its villain Mordred until too late in the story-telling to create any real conflict.

I've often thought that Mordred gets short-shifted all around. His song "The Seven Deadly Sins" (not in the film version) is smart and funny. Doesn't that deserve some vocal follow-up? A duet? An "I'm defeated, but it doesn't matter" song? How about an "Oh, Mother get off my back" song? Well, Morgan le Fey doesn't appear in the film, so I guess that wouldn't work.

What was about casting other actresses to play roles originated by Julie Andrews? She owned the role of Gueneviere. It was written for her. Yet in the film, she is replaced by a woman who doesn't even sing for herself. I can understand Robert Goulet not being cast in the film. I actually like Richard Harris in the role and don't have a problem with him replacing Richard Burton. But Gueneviere? Was the vain, sexpot as portrayed by Redgrave how the role was conceived? Certainly the role is vain and a little self-absorbed. But I must believe that Andrews was more innocent and less Pirelli pin-up. Oh, well, maybe that's why Ms. Andrews bares all in the film SOB.

Camelot
Music by Frederick Loewe
Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Film by Warner Bros. released in 1967
Directed by Joshua Logan
Cast: Vanessa Redgrave, Richard Harris, Franco Nero, Lionel Jeffries

The Unsinkable Molly Brown film on DVD

I didn't know Meredith Willson wrote a musical other than The Music Man! Well, The Unsinkable Molly Brown was his follow-up. The music for Molly doesn't reach the same level as Music Man. Mainly I miss the group numbers--not just chorus numbers, but also songs for smaller groups. And the leading lady doesn't even get a big 11 o'clock number for herself.

This 1964 film version of the 1960 stage musical stars perky Debbie Reynolds as the titular floater. Ms. Reynolds is not one of my favorite performers, but is the right balance of bubbly and brassy for this role. Harve Presnell makes his screen debut as John Brown, a role he originated on Broadway. Mr. Presnell has a robust and agile baritone voice that I very much like.

I was surprised by how much dance there is in this film. And it was choreographed by Peter Gennaro, a Broadway hoofer and choreographer from the 50s through the 70s. He danced in the original casts of Pajama Game, Bells Are Ringing, and Guys and Dolls. He choreographed Molly Brown on Broadway, Fiorello!, and won a Tony for Annie, as well as being co-choreographer for the original production of West Side Story. His choreography for Molly is lively, and appropriate for character/time/place/etc. without being over-the-top.

The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Music and Lyrics by Meredith Willson
Cast: Debbie Reynolds, Harve Presnell

The Fantasticks film on DVD

Well my musical education has truly been lacking, because I have never been in or seen a production of The Fantasticks. I knew the two most famous songs "Soon it's Gonna Rain" and "September", but that was about all.

This film version probably only gives a hint of how it must be on the stage. The production values are very high, which almost makes up for some very average singing. Again the duets/trio/quartets are the most fun, I think. Joey McIntyre and Jean Louisa Kelly portrays the young lovers. Since I live in a cave, I'd never actually heard New Kids on the Block, so didn't know Mr. McIntyre. The cave does have a television, so I recognize Ms. Kelly from some rather pedestrian sit-coms.

The DVD extras include longer versions of the songs, and the original Rape Song from the stage production which was watered-down for the film. It's a shame, because it's one of the few times that El Gallo Jonathon Morris comes alive in a musical number.

The Fantasticks
Music and Lyrics by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt
Book by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt
Released by United Artists in 1995
Cast: Jean Louisa Kelly, Joe McIntyre, Joel Grey, Barnard Hughes, Teller (without Penn), Jonathon Morris, Brad Sullivan