3 Mo' Divas--stage show edited for television broadcast

Why did I make a point of saying this stage show was edited for television broadcast? Well, apparently some songs were cut out from the broadcast of the stage version, but included on the cast album and DVD of the stage version which were used as "bait" for donations to my local PBS station which used the broadcast of 3 Mo' Divas as a pledge drive.


The frequent and lengthy pledge drive interuptions of the broadcast didn't prevent me from mostly enjoying this show, though. I like the idea of performers not being confined to one musical idiom, and that's part of the point of these Divas. I could have used a little more classical to balance the pop, gospel, rock, and blues, but the two classical arias included were well done.


Laurice Lanier, the mezzo of the trio is Juilliard trained, which she talked about during the pledge drive segments. She possesses a beautiful, dark voice that never descends to huskiness. Her good training shows. The other two Divas, Nova Y. Payton (why the middle initial--were there other Nova Paytons?) and Jamet Pittman also have lovely voices, and good training which shows in all the genres they are asked to sing. If there is any message that young people need to learn, it is that nothing surpasses the need for good vocal traing--whether you are singing opera a on American Idol.


I'm waiting now for the next 3 Mo' in the franchise. I suggest 3 Mo' 'Mos. I'm available.

3 Mo' Divas
Concert stage show taped for television
Cast: Laurice Lanier, Nova Y. Payton, Jamet Pittman

Classical Monday--The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, stage production on DVD

Last week was Kurt Weill's 109th birthday. Somehow I let that pass me by, which is surprising because I have a great affinity for Weill and (most of) his music. In college, I was in a production of Threepenny Opera and a production of Mahagonny Songspiel, which is the precursor to today's entry, The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, an opera in three acts.

I doubt anyone would consider this version of Mahagonny a musical, it is certainly an opera, or perhaps a music drama, to steal a translated phrase from Wagner. It's challenging to listen to, even with a couple of recognizable tunes, such as "Alabama Song."

There are several very powerful moments in this 2001 production from the Vienna Staatsopera. If anyone is uncertain what Brecht meant by his style of Epic Theater and the breaking down of the 4th wall, watch the finale of Act One of this production, when Jerry Hadley walks off the stage into the audience telling them to take what they can from the rich. That's the kind of "in you face" theater that rarely happens in an opera house. This production also was performed by Lyric Opera in Chicago, I believe in 2000 for the Weill Centennary. I love the idea of a character telling the moguls of Chicago who sit in the prime seats at the opera house that the poor are going to rise up and take the rich's belonging.

There are three notable names in this cast that is mostly German--Americans Catherine Malfitano and the late Jerry Hadley, and British soprano Gwyneth Jones. All three perform admirably, although the women are near the end of the vocal performing lives, and you can hear that. I've seen Malfitano live on stage at Lyric Opera (in another Weill show, Street Scene, which is much closer to a Broadway-style musical) and while I do not love her voice, she is a riveting singing actress. She's shows that hear, also.

Hadley is magnificent in this production, underscoring the great loss by his early death.

The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
Music by Kurt Weill
Libretto by Bertold Brecht
First performed in 1930, based on the Mahagonny Songspiel of 1927
Vienna Staatsoper production on DVD, released in 2001
Cast: Jerry Hadley, Catherine Malfitano, Gwyneth Jones

DuBarry was a Lady--film on DVD

Often very talented people don't fit into the narrow categories they are offered in the early part of their careers. They need to define themselves as performers and find their niche or remake the world to create a new niche for themselves. That seems the case with the very talented but ineffective cast of Cole Porter's DuBarry was a Lady.

Lucille Ball may suffer the most in this film for not fitting the mold of a beautiful chanteuse looking for marriage with deep pockets rather than love. In her early scenes, Ms. Ball falls flat and in delivering her dialogue and even in her nightclub song (where she is clearly dubbed). She comes to live much more in the "second act" of the film which is entirely a dream sequence in 18th Century France. Here there is a lot more comedy in which she can shine, and there are flashes of the comic genius that will redefine television and create the sit-com a decade later.

Gene Kelly and Red Skelton also suffer to a lesser extent being cast in this musical which really don't fit their talents. Skelton, too, will prove better in the medium of television. While Kelly has a fantastic tap number, he's not the singer to introduce Porter's song "Do I Love You."

The delightful find of the film is the comic song "Salome" sung by Virginia O'Brien, who fares well as the under-appreciated comic side-kick. The other big number from the score is the familiar "Friendship" where Ms. Ball is clearly no dubbed, but perhaps should have been.

DuBarry was a Lady
Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter
Film released by MGM in 1943
Cast: Lucille Ball, Red Skelton, Gene Kelly, Zero Mostel, Virginia O'Brien, Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra

Bell Telephone Hour Tribute to Harold Arlen

I have to confess, I don't know much about the music or career of Harold Arlen. Yes, his most famous song is "Some Where Over the Rainbow." But what else did he do? Well, this Bell Telephone Hour Tribute gives only a sense of his musical contributions. The problem with the format may be that producers try to accomplish too much in a very limited amount of time.

Dinah Shore presents nearly half the songs in this presentation, which offers 37 of Arlen's songs. That allows for about a minute and a half per song--not enough to really give them their due. Ms. Shore is a very likeable performer, as are her castmates--Gordon MacRae, Gretchen Wyler, and Leslie Uggams. I was taken aback by the appearance of Mr. MacRae, who appeared to have aged significantly from his Carousel/Okalhoma days a decade earlier. He sings well enough, but perhaps not as robustly as I remember from his heyday.

Included is a performance of "Stormy Weather", but it's not sung--it's performed by Duke Ellington and his band. Given the strength of this song in a catalogue that is not all that familiar to people, why would they not have Leslie Uggams (who seems to channel Lena Horne) sing this song? Ms. Uggams gives a lovely rendition of "Sleepin' Bee" from the Arlen/Truman Capote musical House of Flowers; that song was introduced in the show by Diahann Carroll in her Broadway debut.

I also have some qualms about there being NO duets in this performance.

Bell Telephone Hour Tribute to Harold Arlen
Broadcast in December 1965
Music by Harold Arlen
Lyrics by Ted Koehler, Truman Capote, Yip Harburg and others
Cast: Dinah Shore, Leslie Uggams, Gretchen Wyler, Gordon MacRae, Duke Ellington

Chess--concept album on CD

There are several versions of Chess that were recorded, and I look forward to hearing a version that was put on stage (it's been suggested I listen for Judy Kuhn in the Broadway version), but for today I am listening to the concept album that was released in anticipation of the show. If that last phrase is not very specific, it's purposeful; I don't know if this album was created to rouse audience interest in the original stage version or to raise money for the original stage version--maybe both.

Either way, when I listen to a staged version of the show, I'll be interested in what might happen to the long instrumental sections of the score. From a musical standpoint, they are some of my favorite parts of the score, but from a theatrical standpoint, they might really slow down the story-telling of the show. This seems particularly true in the second act of this two-disc set.

There is a lot of singing on this album that I like very much. Elaine Paige somehow finds a way to be strong up and down her whole range without getting too nasal or too pushed. I'm very interested in Tommy Korberg and what else he may have done--I like his singing very much. It is pop-twinged without loosing the core of its sound. "Anthem" has long been one of my favorite baritone songs. I look forward to hearing other singers present this song in later cast albums.

Chess
Music by Benny Anderssen, Bjorn Ulvaeus
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Concept Album released in 1984
Cast: Murray Head, Elaine Paige, Barbara Dickson, Tommy Korberg, Denis Quilley, Bjorn Skifs

Ghost Light Monday--The Dish film on DVD

I can thank my mother for this entry. I vaguely remember hearing about the film The Dish when it was released in 2000, but I had long forgotten it, and would never had put in on my Netflix queue. On a recent trip to Australia, my mother saw a screening of this film and thought my father and I would like it, so she had it on hand for us to watch this weekend during my visit. Yes, this scenario might seem like a new millenium version of the Norman Rockwell painting where the family is gathered round the radio.

Well, The Dish would fit in well with Rockwell's world--it is a charming film full of delightful quirky characters whose interacting form the finest parts of this film.

The story involves an Australian satellite dish that played a significant role in the Apollo 11 moon landing by receiving the television signal sent from the LEM Eagle. Sam Neill stars as the director of the Australian facility. Patrick Warburton (who knew he had done anything other than voice-over work and sit-coms?) is the American NASA respresentative watching over the satellite's Apollo involvement. A cast of quirky small town characters fill out the story.

The Dish
Directed by Rob Sitch
Released by Warner Bros. in 2000
Cast: Sam Neill, Patrick Warburton, Billy Mitchell, Kevin Harrington, Tom Long

Once Upon A Mattress--live performance

On a weekend trip to visit my parents, I had cause to see a community theater performance of a perennial favorite--Once Upon A Mattress. While the memory of Carol Burnett is firmly planted in my ear as far as this score is concerned, I was happy to use the extra ticket my parents had for the performance.

The delightful nature of this story and this score very nearly make any performance of Mattress fool-proof, and most of the humor sparkled in this production. For the most part, the players were well-cast and well-matched with their counterparts. This was particularly true for the couples--Dauntless/Winifred and Larkin/Harry. Pairings like this must be particularly tricky when casting from a selection of community performers--each with widely varying abilities and experience.

Lady Larkin had the best voice of the cast; clearly she has some training and her credits included singing Pamina in a college production of Magic Flute. Harry, while having less vocal training, possessed a lovely high-baritone voice that he used well. The comic duo in the show were also well-matched. Dauntless proved a particularly good physical comedian and was literally tumbling across the stage during the Act I finale. Winifred was very good drawing humor from her facial expressions, and managed to project her songs up and down her full range without pushing into an unattractive belt voice.

There was a cast of 24, which is large for my hometown's little community theater company; and the production was staged in a middle school in town that had a larger stage than the small community center holds. The production took full advantage of having more space by including a sizeable set that still left room for the whole cast to dance the Spanish Panic. The costumes were appropriately colorful.

The best side of the performance, perhaps, was seeing that an enthusiastic audience of 400 would show up on a cold Friday night to see a 50 year-old musical. It's good to know that theater is still a priority in some of the provinces.

Once Upon a Matress
Music by Mary Rodgers
Lyrics by Marshall Barer

Book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller and Marshall Barer
Cast: 24 community theater actors of varying ability, but high-energy enthusiasm