The Most Happy Fella--Broadway revival cast recording

The score for The Most Happy Fella is one I had been looking forward to hearing (listening forward to hearing?). It is known as one of the "cross-over" shows that fits into either an opera house or a Broadway theater--similar to Candide or Street Scene. At least, that's how I thought of it without ever having heard it.

I was thrilled when the stacks at the library contained a copy of the cast album from a 1991 revival; I thought it would be a more complete recording that the original, although as I've never listened to the original, I'm not certain why I thought that. The '91 version may contain more tracks than other recordings, but I don't think you could call this a more complete recording. I'm still waiting to hear large sections of the score as the orchestra parts in this version are reduced to a two-piano accompaniment.

There are many shows that work with less than full pit orchestra back-up, and there are even several songs in Fella that do work with just piano behind them. But the more grand songs, particularly the love duets, suffer from a slightly empty feeling due to the reduction. If there are no strings to swell, how can our hearts? Most of the tracks sung by Tony (Spiro Malas) need a full sound, particularly when Mr. Malas is singing full-voiced or near the top of his range.

I had heard only two songs from this show before, although I didn't know they were from Fella at the time I heard them. The delightful "Standing on the Corner (Watching all the Girls Go By)" is just one of several wonderful songs for trios or quartets that includes some Italian song pastiche. The best song of the score for me is Rosabella's "Warm all Over", which deserves a life outside the context of the show. While I liked many of the other songs, they are quite specific to the show or include much integrated dialogue and could be difficult to present outside the theater.

The vocal standout for me is Charles Pistone, who sings the role of Joe. Mr. Pistone displays a fine baritone voice that he uses well. Mr. Malas's baritone, in a role traditionally sung by a baritone with an operatic back-ground, is a bit "woofy" for my tastes, particularly when in full voice; again having an orchestra back him up could help that. Also, Mr. Malas suffers the most from all the stereotypical Italian accents in the libretto. I wish-a he would-a stop a-talking that a-way.

I need to find next the original cast recording of Fella to get up to speed with the orchestra.

Most Happy Fella
Music, book and lyrics by Frank Loesser
Opened originally in 1956
This version premiered at the Goodspeed Opera House in 1991 and opened on Broadway in 1992
Cast: Spiro Malas, Sophie Hayden, Liz Larsen, Charles Pistone, Scott Waara

Sail Away--1962 Original London Cast Album on CD

What better to spend a Saturday afternoon than with a frothy Noel Coward musical? I believe this cast album of Sail Away marks Coward's first appearance in my Year. It also is the first time I've had Elaine Stritch here. Both are long over due.

I've often had trouble differentiating Noel Coward from Cole Porter--unfair since one was a Brit and the other just wanted to be. They both seem witty, urbane, musical, gay--how to tell the difference?

Well, if Sail Away is any indication, Coward is funnier, and Porter is a better songsmith. This score works best when playing on the funny bone. The non-comic songs are likable, but not great--with the possible exception of "Something Very Strange" which seems made for a big band or cabaret setting. The gold standard for humorous song in this score is "Why do the Wrong People Travel?" But the two songs for John Hewer as the Pursor "The Passanger's Alway Right" and "The Customer's Always Right" are also very funny.

Ms. Stritch is a pressed-upon cruise ship director. Elaine Stritch recreated her Broadway role in London, but the rest of the cast changed. David Holliday is the passanger who falls in love with her. Sheila Forbes and Grover Dale play a secondary love couple. But don't look for too many loves songs in this score, stick to looking for comedy and you'll come out alright.

Sail Away
Music, lyrics and book by Noel Coward
Opened on Broadway in 1961

London Cast opened in 1962.
Cast: Elaine Stritch, David Holliday, John Hewer, Sheila Forbes, Grover Dale

How to Suceed in Business without Really Trying film on DVD

Okay, is Robert Morse meant to be viewed from a distance? I can imagine him being charming when he's on the stage, but in the film he seems more than a little ridiculous in the film version of How to Suceed in Business without Really Trying. Maybe that's part of the point, but I find the mugging that Mr. Morse does much of the time to be very annoying. It doesn't seem to add anything to one's understanding of the character, except maybe that's he's in on the joke.

This may be my least favorite Frank Loesser show. The music doesn't ever really sing, for me. The concept is funny, and by poking fun a corporate America, I can see why this show has continued to have a life, but from a strickly musical standpoint, it's no Guys and Dolls. I do like two songs--"Company Man" and the final "Brotherhood of Man." Of course, lots of songs from the stage version are cut in the film version, so I need to get the cast album and compare.

Rudy Vallee repises his role of JB Biggley from the stage version. The role of Biggley's nephew was played on stage by Charles Nelson Reilly, here it is played by Anthony Teague. Michele Lee is very likable as Rosemary, although her story-line (apart from ending up with the guy at the end) isn't developed very much. Ruth Kobart also is from the stage version where she was Miss Jones, Biggley's secretary. Ms. Kobart adds a lot vocally as the one women in "The Brotherhood of Man". It's a great full-throated soprano descant over the men's chorus.

Ooh, I just looked up the cast of the 1995 revival that Matthew Broderick starred in. Megan Mullally was Rosemary, Lilias White was Ms. Jones, and Jeff Blumenkrantz (with whom I did summer stock in 1984) was Biggley's nephew. I'll look for that cast album.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, Willie Gilbert

Produced on Broadway in 1961, film released in 1967
Cast: Robert Morse, Michele Lee, Rudy Vallee, Ruth Kobart, Arthur Teague

Subways are for Sleeping original Broadway cast album

I believe this makes the seventh appearance for bookwriters and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green in my Year. They are by far leading the pack of other songwriters who have come up. Mr. Green also appeared once as a performer. Today is another of their musicals with composer Jule Styne, Subways are for Sleeping.

Compared their this teams' previous hit, Bells are Ringing, Subways was not a successful production, as the overly-long liner notes to this CD reissue make clear. Initially Comden and Green only wanted to write the song lyrics, not the book, saying that weren't certain how to coax a plot out the collection of short stories by Edmund G. Love. But when another bookwriter was not forthcoming, the pair capitulated and created a plot revolving around two sets of lovers. Comden and Green perhaps knew best in their initial reaction to writing the book, as that seems to be the aspect that let this show down the most.

In listening to the score, I have to wonder how bad must the book have been to have this show be considered unsuccessful. The songs are uniformly good--often much better than good--and the sung performances also quite engaging. I knew none of these songs before listening to this cast album, and I'm surprised they are not interpolated more often (if at all) into revues or cabaret acts.

Adolph Green's wife, Phyllis Newman, was cast (after five auditions) as the women in the comic pair of lovers, along side Orson Bean. As the liner notes state, this pair had much better material than the "primary" pair in the show, played by Carol Lawrence and Sydney Chaplin. This seems to have been part of the problem with the show. Newman is a hoot in her big Act One number "I was a Shoo-in", telling of her inevitability (and inevitable disappointment) as a beauty contestant. The song is hysterical and Ms. Newman plays it just right--completely straight and not too over-the-top. She won a Tony Award for her performance. A bonus track on this CD contains the song "Let's Talk" which was cut from the show, but also would have been for Ms. Newman.

I had previously queried about Sydney Chaplin, who not only originated the lead role in this show, but also lead roles in the stage versions of Bells Are Ringing and Funny Girl. This is the first singing I've heard by Mr. Chaplin (who was Charlie's son) as I saw the film versions of those other shows, where he did not appear. Chaplin has an enjoyable-enough, slightly raspy baritone, well suited to the cads he seems to have made a living portraying. His big number in Subways is "Swing Your Projects", a very funny song about financial indiscretions and double-dealings that seems all too current to today's situation. He is paired with Carol Lawrence, who sings beautifully on this recording, although the duets she and Chaplin share are perhaps not the most inspired numbers in the score.

Subways are for Sleeping
Music by Jule Styne
Book and Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Opened late 1961, cast album recorded in early 1962
Cast: Sydney Chaplin, Carol Lawrence, Phyllis Newman, Orson Bean
Directed and choreographed by Michael Kidd

Carnival Original Broadway Cast Album on CD

I hear you collectively asking "What happened to listening to cast albums, Michael? All your musical entries since July 12th have been musicals for film or television captured on DVD. Isn't the point of your Year to recapture the magic that listening to cast albums first gave you?"

Well, I have heard your queries and can respond. Getting DVDs through Netflix has been easier than finding recordings. All of the cast albums I've listened to so far have been owned by me. I'm determined to spend my musical money this Year seeing shows live, rather than buying additional cast albums, so I'm meting out the recordings I have left in my meager collection and looking into what the Chicago Public Library may have to offer for my listening pleasure.

In the meantime, I have listened to the cast album of Bob Merrill's Carnival, starring favorite song and dance man Jerry Orbach and crystalline-voice Anna Maria Alberghetti.

Carnival was one of the first musicals I saw live on stage, in a high school production that featured my baby-sitter. My guess is it was 1976 or '77. I remember nothing about it, except that the girl who played Lili (not my baby-sitter) had her arm in a cast, and I was uncertain if that was part of the story or if the girl just had a broken arm and they needed to "go on with the show." In reading through the byzantine description of how the story became the musical, and the plot of the musical, it's no wonder I don't remember much.

I have heard the most famous song from the score "Love Makes the World Go 'Round" too often and find it rather cloying at this point. The treat of discovery, though, is most of the rest of the music, which runs the gamut of styles without ever becoming predictable. The best songs of the score, for me, are "Her Face" and "She's My Love." These are Broadway baritone anthems, and I can't believe they're not sung more often. The Mel Torme version of "Her Face", presented as one of the CD bonus tracks, is over-produced and does no favor to the song. One delight of the bonus tracks is the jazz trombone choir version of "Mira" by J.J. Johnson, which has a slightly N'awlins funeral feel to it.

Bob Merrill appeared previously in my Year as the lyricist for Funny Girl, and I find it interesting that he was also a composer. Are there many Broadway composers who have written lyrics for other composer's music? I can only think of Stephen Sondheim.

Carnival
Music and Lyrics by Bob Merrill
Book by Michael Stewart
Original Broadway Cast Album on CD
Recorded in 1961; reissued with additional bonus tracks in 1989
Cast: Anna Maria Alberghetti, Jerry Orbach, Kaye Ballard, Pierre Olaf, James Mitchell