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 Barbra Streisand Album

While I've talked about Ms. Streisand in the films Funny Girl, Hello Dolly! and Funny Lady, I haven't listened to any of her albums during my Year. Recently, a reader asked me to scratch her Streisand itch, and as coincidence would have it, a friend loaned me The Barbra Streisand Album. Yes, I had to depend on borrowing a Streisand album, as I don't own any. Is that like the another version of "Don't ask, don't tell?" Could I be drummed out of the corps for admitting I don't own any Babs?

The beginning seemed like a very good place to start, so...This was Ms. Streisand's debut album, and its contents come out of her nightclub act and precedes by several months her star-making turn in Funny Girl on Broadway. Its 11 tracks contain an eclectic mix of music, from standards, to Americana, to musical theater selections from the 30s to the 60s, to a song from a Disney film.

As I always hope to find in debut recordings of singers who go on to be stars, the singing on this album warrants the sensation it caused. A variety of styles, not only of music, but also of their presentation and arrangement, is well-done in every case. I have some issues with a couple of choices of repertoire, but they are too minor to even mention, and well, she'll go on to release many more albums. A few of the arrangements take some liberties that I don't appreciate, but as this is a nightclub act and not a Broadway musical, I can't complain too loudly. And in several cases, the arrangements are spectacle, so the balance is definitely weighted in the right direction.

What I appreciate about Ms. Streisand's singing is the range of dynamics she finds within each song. And she is able to rise from piano to forte without loosing the core of her sound. Or without the dynamic changes seeming put-upon; I mean they seem organic within the context of the song and arrangement. "Cry Me A River" and "A Sleepin' Bee" demonstrate that best.

My complaints with the packaging of this CD reissue are more numerous than any complaints I could have with the music itself. So this album was "restored and remastered" for the CD release. Great. Going back to the masters seems like a great idea. Doesn't it warrant some more extensive liner notes, though? There's nothing more about these selections than appeared on the original vinyl, I assume, maybe even less. You have to look at the actual disc to see who wrote each song. While there are at least 4 tracks that are from musical theater writers, only a short credit like "C. Porter" or "R. Rodgers/L. Hart" gives a hint of that. I laughed aloud when I realized that "Come to the Supermarket (In Old Pekin)" is from the Cole Porter television musical Aladdin, which I had previously discussed.

Maybe what I like the best is Ms. Streisand's eclectic mix of musical inspiration.

The Barbra Streisand Album
Columbia Records
Released in 1963

110 in the Shade Original Broadway Cast album

Inga Swenson is my new goddess!

You may always associate her (as I do) with the role of the autocratic, mouthy housekeeper on Benson, but Ms. Swenson is a woman with a past and that past includes some marvellous singing on the cast album of 110 in the Shade.

This was the Broadway debut score for songwriting team of Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones. They were nominated for a Tony for their score. Ms. Swenson was also nominated for a Tony for her portrayal of Lizzie. All of them lost to Hello Dolly!--Ms. Swenson to Carol Channing and Schmidt and Jones to Jerry Herman.

I had heard the songs "A Man and a Women" and "Gonna Be Another Hot Day" before; I like those songs and was captivated by much of the score. Schmidt and Jones seem to have a real knack for creating tuneful and poetic songs that have a universality, but also speak to their characters' situation. Schmidt seems to like 3/4 time a lot, giving a lilting feel to much of the score. There is also some Copland-esque accompaniment from the orchestra, with open fourths and sixths, contributing to that American heartland feeling.

The cast includes Ms. Swenson (who had been Julie Andrew's understudy in Camelot), Stephen Douglass (who originated the role of Joe Hardy in Damn Yankees) and Robert Horton (a television star from the 50s and 60s). Also in the cast was a 17 year old Lesley Ann Warren (credited as Lesley Warren) in a supporting role with a comic duet number.

But let me wax poetic about Inga Swenson. Her voice has a Barbara Cook-like purity to it, with the ability to reach into the upper register wtihout getting either covered or tinny. She has a real legato supported by good breath control, giving her the ability to make the phrases of her songs truly musical. From "Love, Don't Turn Away", through the comic "Raunchy", the bravura end of Act I "Old Maid, and the effective "Simple Little Things" (pictured, with Robert Horton), Ms. Swenson does nothing that I could argue against or wish were better. Oh, yah, I'm supposed to really like good baritone singing, and there is some of that here, too, by Stephen Douglass and Robert Horton, but they pale in comparison to what Ms. Swenson achieves.

I listened to this album at the library, buy may need to buy it to add to my collection.

110 in the Shade
Music by Harvey Schmidt
Lyrics by Tom Jones
Book by N. Richard Nash, based on his play Rainmaker
Original Broadway Cast Album recorded in 1963
Cast: Inga Swenson, Stephen Douglass, Robert Horton, Lesley Ann Warren, Scooter Teague

Jennie original cast album on CD

One of the best perks of checking out cast albums from the library is that you can take a chance on a failed show to see if it offers anything worthwhile. That was my thinking when I selected the Schwartz & Dietz show Jennie from the bin. I had never heard of the show and I don't really know much about the songwriting team. But it was a star vehicle for Mary Martin, and she has yet to appear in my Year, so bring on the flop.

This show ran for only 82 performances in 1963, and I can tell why thanks to the informative liner notes. The story takes place in the early 1900s, following the career of an actress as she performs both in New York and on the road. Only one of the songs is from a show-within-a-show, though; the rest of the score is sung by the actress character and her "real life" family and friends.

The music is uniformly listenable, although I found it all very similar. The many upbeat songs are upbeat but not unique. The ballads are lush, but non-specific. Despite the liner notes waxing rhapsodic about the underappreciated score, I have to say much of didn't move me. The big ballad, or "I want" song for Ms. Martin is "Before I kiss the World Goodbye" and it's a likeable enough song, but not very specific to the anything. One very nice song literally sings the praises of Seattle, and I'm surprised it hasn't been taken up by the tourist board of that city. There's a nice duet for two men called "I Believe in Takin' a Chance". There's a sort of funny (odd) religious song "The Night May Be Dark" that has the feel of some of the religious songs that Gordon MacRae recorded with Jo Stafford.

The cast were unknowns to me, except for Ms. Martin. George Wallace has a fine baritone voice. Robin Bailey is best when he sings character stuff, like the funny "Over Here" where the lyrics compare England and the US. Jack De Lon has a nice tenor ring to his voice. Ms. Martin sings admirably and I must make a point of finding a recording of her doing better stuff.

I'm curious as to why this got transfered to CD; is there such a cry for recordings of Mary Martin?

Jenny
Music by Arthur Schwartz
Lyrics by Howard Dietz
Book by Arnold Schulman
Original cast album recorded in 1963. Released on CD in 1993
Cast: Mary Martin, George Wallace, Jack De Lon, Robin Bailey, Ethel Shutta