Show Tunes--Rosemary Clooney CD

I should have looked at the label of this CD release more closely before picking it out of the stacks at the library; it's on a jazz label and most of the 12 tracks on Rosemary Clooney Show Tunes, while indeed being songs from Broadway shows, are treated as jazz standards presented in a club or cabaret setting. Jazz arrangements are not my thing.

Oh, well, it's hard to go wrong with Rosemary Clooney, and indeed, she rarely goes wrong on this disc. While her voice may be well past its prime, her interpretations, musicality and communicative skills are at their peak. This disc could serve as a primer for younger performers who let too much of their own personality get in the way of good songs. Rosemary uses her personality and personal experiences to inform the song, never to mask it.

My beef with jazz arrangements is that they too often follow the same format and mold--a verse of the song, some instrumental solo turns, another verse of the song. This happens too often on this disc, which all but one track involving all six of the session instrumentalists. The one song that is piano-only is my favorite on this recital--"Where do you start?" by Johnny Mandel with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. If this tune is from an actual show, I couldn't find it, but the song is melancholy and soulful, and Rosie imbues it with a lot of feeling.

There are three Rodgers and Hart tunes on this disc--the only songwriters represented more than once--and Ms. Clooney clearly feels at easy with the 1st R&H's swing and rhymes. Another successful swing arrangement is of the title song from Guys and Dolls.

Show Tunes
Music by Rodgers and Hart, Burton Lane, Frank Loesser, Kurt Weill, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Johnny Mandel, and others
Cast: Rosemary Clooney
Recorded for the Concord Jazz label in 1992

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

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

Guys and Dolls:Off the Record

Well, points against my queue planning, for today I repeat a show in my Year for the first time--a show I just discussed a week ago-- a show that featured Nathan Lane (who I also discussed this week)--and a documentary surrounding the recording of a cast album, a format I also discussed earlier this week. In my favor, it's a good cast and a great show and an interesting recording process.

Guys and Dolls: Off the Record followed the 1992 recording of the cast ablum for the Broadway revival production that featured Nathan Lane and Faith Prince. I'm certain in 1992 I had never heard of either of these performers and when I bought this cast album (which I still have) and saw this documentary (which may have been on PBS) I was taken with both of them. I still am.

If there is a better show for which to be a member of the men's chorus, please tell me what it is. "Oldest, Established, Permanent, Floating Crap Game in the World" must be fun to sing. Backing up Sky in "Luck Be a Lady Tonight", ditto. Backing up Nicely-Nicely in "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat, double ditto. Nicely is nicely sung here by Walter Bobbie, who has had a nice career as performer and now director for musicals, just as Jerry Zaks has had before him. Mr. Zaks directed this revival of Guys and Dolls and we see of lot of him reassuring performers during the recording process.

I must find a way for Faith Prince to reappear in my Year. I know she did a revival of Bells are Ringing, but what else?

Guys and Dolls: Off the Record
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Revival Broadway Cast album recorded in 1992
Documentary taping of recording also in 1992
Production directed by Jerry Zaks
Cast: Nathan Lane, Faith Prince, Josie de Guzman, Peter Gallagher, Walter Bobbie, JK Simmons

Guys & Dolls 1995 studio cast recording

The liner notes for this studio recording make a big deal that it captures all of the music from the original stage version of Guys & Dolls. I don't know how important a point that is, especially since, beyond the dance music, I had heard the whole score before. But this is a relatively good cast and I enjoyed most of the two-disc set.

The first sung track on the disc is the "Fugue for Tinhorns" and I doubt there are many much better openings for a show. Somehow this song captures the whole of Damon Runyon's New York--action and accent both.

Miss Adelaide is sung by Kim Criswell and she does well with my ears' memory of the cupie dolls voices of Vivian Blaine and Faith Prince. "Adelaide's Laments" are well-done, and the Hot Box Dancers' number are well presented, too, although I got tired listening to all the dance music that surround them.

Don Stephenson does well living up to the memory of Stubby Kaye as Nicely-Nicely, although "Sit Down, You're Rocking The Boat" feels a little slow in tempo to me.

The legit singers for this recording are Emily Loesser (the composer's daughter) as Sarah Brown and Gregg Edelman as Sky Masterson. Ms. Loesser has a pretty soprano voice, which I suspect is very similar to her mother's voice (Jo Sullivan Loesser). Sometimes in its upper-most register, her voice takes on a bit of a heavy, covered sound. But that only happens in the final notes of songs. Mr. Edelman has a light baritone voice that lacks some of the richness that I wanted to hear in Sky's songs. His lower register is particularly under-powered, but is not called for often with this score.

Four bonus tracks on this disc offer rarely or never heard songs--three written for the film version, and a duet for Sky and Nathan that was written for the original stage version, but was cut out of town. This duet "Travelling Light" is particularly delightful and I'm glad to discover it.

Guys & Dolls
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows
Based on the stories and characters of Damon Runyon
Studio recording with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards
Released in 1995
Cast: Don Stephenson, Emily Loesser, Tim Flavin, Gregg Edelman