Musical Cyberspace

Ranking Andrew Lloyd Webber’s New Millennium Musicals from Phorgettable to Phantastic

Posted on January 20, 2024 by David Fick

Hold onto your top hats and chandeliers, musical theatre enthusiasts, because we’re about to embark on a musical journey through the second act of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s illustrious career. This column coincides with the anniversary of the 2019 closing of School of Rock on Broadway and is a “readers’ choice” piece, with the topic having been selected by our followers on Instagram.

As one of musical theatre’s most enigmatic composers, Lord Lloyd Webber has led us through the mystical realms of the Phantom’s opera house, the feline-filled alleys of Cats, and the emotional politics in Evita. How do the shows he has created since the turn of the century measure up to these? Lloyd Webber’s juggling of what he hopes to be commercially savvy choices with artistically daring endeavours offers his audiences a rollercoaster of creative ambition and exploration. So, buckle up as we speed up, down and around a track of musicals that include Love Never Dies, Stephen Ward and Bad Cinderella, each of which provides the theatrically charged moments that define this chapter of Lloyd Webber’s career. Perhaps we may bring to life the ghosts of the past quarter-century with a little illumination, dear readers? Let the overture begin!

7. (Bad) Cinderella

Bad Cinderella, as this show was titled on Broadway following its 2021 West End debut as just plain Cinderella, is a muddled concoction of ideas. It stumbles through its attempt to modernise the classic Cinderella tale into a feminist fable about the perils of image and beauty. Emerald Fennell’s book struggles to style the scattered ideas swirling within the production into any kind of sensible aesthetic. The show feels like it is desperately seeking a fairy godmother who can help transform the ideas it grapples with into a cohesive narrative. Despite Lloyd Webber’s efforts to inject some musical flair into the proceedings, including a title song that has a clever nod to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “In My Own Little Corner” from their beloved version of Cinderella and a series of lovely melodies and instrumental items, the show remains a haphazard mess. David Zippel’s lyrics, although somewhat sophisticated and carefully crafted, lack substance, meandering through a series of ideas without ever coming to a meaningful point. His work on the ballads overloads Cinderella herself with self-pity, which dilutes the character’s spirit and distances her from the audience to no good end. While some of the ideas in Bad Cinderella have potential, the show flounders in its attempt to mimic the postmodern approach of contemporary musicals like Six, lacking the clarity of intent and approach that makes, say, that particular show shine. The rush to capitalise on a trend and to get some life into the theatre following the COVID-19 pandemic leaves Bad Cinderella feeling unfinished, a hastily assembled jumble of disjointed concepts. In the end, this poorly written and campy musical fails to rise above its rushed inception, resulting in an unsatisfying experience that leaves one wondering what could have been if more time and care were dedicated to refining its own take on an already overly adapted fairy tale.

Linedy Genao and Jordan Dobson in Bad Cinderella (Photo credit: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)

6. Stephen Ward

In the diverse output of Lloyd Webber’s post-2000 musicals, Stephen Ward delivers something that echoes the maestro’s venture into the world of Aspects of Love, where the politics of sex entangle with the sex of politics. This dark, sexy and tragic tale delves into the scandalous 1963 Profumo affair, revolving around the eponymous English osteopath and artist. The canvas for social satire and commentary is vast in a show like this. Christopher Hampton and Don Black’s book and lyrics make the proceedings feel like a play (with a proclivity for slipping into cliché, even though it is fairly historically accurate) that is set to music rather than a traditional musical. Everything has a rather literary feel to it and never quite jumps off of the page. Running for a short stint from late 2013 to March 2014 and opening to mixed reviews, Stephen Ward never quite captured the public’s imagination. While Lloyd Webber offers a romantic score with some delightful period accents and is quite adept at sustaining tension and getting the show to simmer with intrigue, it falls short of erupting into the kind of show that could be a smash. Nevertheless, Stephen Ward boasts some enjoyable moments, with high points in the score like the tender “This Side of the Sky,” the catchy “1963,” and the camp “You’ve Never Had It So Good.” The bid for a hit single in “I’m Hopeless When It Comes to You” got lost in the show’s brief run, rendering both it and the show somewhat forgotten today. In the grand tapestry of Lloyd Webber’s later works, Stephen Ward aims to be a fascinating exploration of scandal and society but teeters on the brink of success without quite achieving it.

Alexander Hanson as Stephen Ward and Charlotte Blackledge as Mandy Rice-Davies in *Stephan Ward* (Photo credit: Nobby Clarke)

5. The Beautiful Game / The Boys in the Photograph

The Beautiful Game, Lloyd Webber’s 2000 musical, was rewritten into a later incarnation as The Boys in the Photograph. Despite productions around the world in Canada, South Africa and Australia, the show was not a huge hit in its original West End production and has never played Broadway. In the final analysis, it seems destined to be sandwiched in the middle of Lloyd Webber’s repertoire from this century. The overarching narrative demonstrates some noble intentions on the creators’ part. Set against the sensitive backdrop of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, The Beautiful Game uses the device of a teenage soccer team to delve into the profound impact of sectarian conflict on young people. Protagonist John’s transformation from political ambivalence to activism, which develops in tandem with an “enemies to lovers” narrative, adds depth to the production. Possibly the weakest link in the show is Ben Elton’s lyric-writing. While ambitious in their attempt at creating a realistic vernacular style, they lack the finesse and precision expected in musical theatre, hitting a low point in “The First Time.” Nonetheless, the musical boasts some highlights with standout moments like “Our Kind of Love” (the best incarnation of this song, which found a final version as “Love Never Dies,” having always been intended as a melody for a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera) and the striking “If This Is What We’re Fighting For.” In fact, there is some really interesting compositional work from Lloyd Webber in this score, and revisiting the cast recording for this column was actually quite enjoyable. Despite its hitting the post rather than scoring a goal, The Beautiful Game is noteworthy for continuing the tradition of addressing serious issues within the realm of musical theatre and for showcasing Lloyd Webber’s ability to craft a highly listenable score even when his work is paired with less-than-perfect lyrics.

The 2010 South African cast of The Boys in the Photograph

4. Love Never Dies

Love Never Dies, the much-debated sequel to Lloyd Webber’s iconic 1986 hit The Phantom of the Opera, has been a frequent subject of analysis (at least on this site) and revision by its creators. Transporting us back into the Phantom’s lair, now situated at Coney Island rather than in the Palais Garnier, the show reshuffles the narrative roles of the original characters into a new story, with Christine, Raoul, Mme Giry and Meg all along for the ride. While it received its fair share of poor reviews, Love Never Dies is undeniably fascinating, presenting a new twist on the familiar Phantom tale. The score features some standout moments. The incredible “‘Til I Hear You Sing” blows the much-touted and repurposed “Love Never Dies” (which had been linked with this piece as early as Lloyd Webber’s 50th birthday celebration at the Royal Albert Hall) out of the water. The show’s ability to realise its potential has been hampered by cosmetic changes rather than a deep restructuring of its narrative intricacies. For Love Never Dies to be the best it can be, Lloyd Webber, along with the rest of the writing team of Ben Elton, Frederick Forsyth and Glenn Slater, would need to meticulously refine the storytelling traditions at play, namely melodrama, operetta, and the conventions of sequels. Slater, particularly in the lyrics department, would need to elevate some of his contributions. Only through this kind of process could Love Never Dies achieve the grandeur it inherently harbours. As it is, it is a complex and imperfect gem, yearning for the right touch to unlock its true potential.

Ramin Karimloo as The Phantom in *Love Never Dies*

3. School of Rock

I can feel the shockwaves of dissent that may ripple through the ranks when, dear readers, you see that School of Rock did not seize the top spot on this list. This joy-fuelled musical, based on a film that everyone adores, rocked Broadway for an impressive 1 309 performances and spent a little more than three years in the West End, also earning international acclaim in productions around the world. It’s undeniably fun and a textbook example of transforming a film into a well-crafted musical. Perhaps the secret to its success lies in Julian Fellowes’s adept hand in crafting the show’s book, ensuring excellent coherence of all the show’s different elements. Even Glenn Slater, often a wild card when it comes to delivering quality musical theatre lyrics, rises to the occasion with a job that doesn’t strain his talents. The tuneful score from Lloyd Webber, complete with earworms aplenty, adds to the musical’s undeniable charm. It’s a testament to the power of great theatre, designed for a night of pure enjoyment. Yet, with the dust settled, one can’t help but wonder if School of Rock has really etched itself into the annals of timeless masterpieces. It sits at the crossroads of entertainment and greatness, leaving one to ponder whether this high-energy, crowd-pleasing spectacle is a fleeting sensation or a lasting force in the musical theatre pantheon.

Alex Brightman as Dewey leads the cast of *School of Rock* on Broadway (Photo credit: Matthew Murphy)

2. The Woman in White

The Woman in White is a musical that some critics would have you believe is better left in the shadows, but there’s more than meets the eye to this atmospheric musical theatre creation. Picture Andrew Lloyd Webber donning the musical mantle of Benjamin Britten and weaving a mysterious tale that lingers in the air like a haunting melody and you’ll find The Woman in White has much to offer. The story kicks off when Walter Hartright sees a strange woman dressed entirely in white on his way to meet his new students, Marian Halcombe and Laura Fairlie, at their home, Limmeridge House. The mystery of the woman in white’s identity unravels from there. Thanks to Charlotte Jones’s swift-moving book, The Woman in White sustains the tension that Lloyd Webber’s score masterfully constructs. Indeed, the show thrives in its musicality, providing an enduring allure that draws one back despite David Zippel’s faltering lyrics. Despite those missteps, memorable tunes emerge, including the haunting “Evermore Without You,” the touching “I Believe My Heart,” and the mischievous “You Can Get Away With Anything.” Inevitably, the spotlight shines on the actor portraying Marian, whether it is Laura Michelle Kelly at the Sydmonton Workshop, the almost incomparable Maria Friedman in both the West End and Broadway productions, or even her formidable West End replacement, Ruthie Henshall. The Woman in White is a journey, an immersive experience where story and score entwine, beckoning the imagination to ponder how much more captivating it could be in an immersive production. Sure, it’s no Sweeney Todd — but then again, what is?

Maria Friedman and Michael Ball in *The Woman in White* (Photo credit: Paul Kolnik)

1. The Wizard of Oz

In The Wizard of Oz, Lloyd Webber gracefully steps into the realm of a timeless classic, the tale of Dorothy Gale, who discovers the meaning of home when she is magically transported from Kansas to the magical land of Oz. With this production, Lloyd Webber added two incomparable co-creators to his collaborators, E.Y. “Yip” Harburg and Harold Arlen. Both had, of course, been resting in peace for some time when this 2011 adaptation of the 1939 film came along. This project also offered Lloyd Webber a chance to reunite with possibly the best of his living collaborators, Tim Rice. Did The Wizard of Oz genuinely require new songs such as “Nobody Understands Me,” “The Wonders of the World,” “Already Home” or “Red Shoes Blues”? Probably not, but “Already Home” provides a sweet serenade to the meaning that Dorothy finds on her journey (though it’s no match for “Home” from The Wiz), and “Red Shoes Blues” has found its niche, perhaps owing to Hannah Waddingham’s spirited rendition of the song. All things considered, there’s an air of hubris in Lloyd Webber’s decision to make his own mark on The Wizard of Oz, but in doing so, he created the standout among his post-2000 creations. Regardless of the new additions, who can resist the allure of Oz? The core material, already the best of all modern fairy tales, is a mesmerising yarn, with classic songs paving a yellow brick road straight to your heart.

Danielle Hope as Dorothy in *The Wizard of Oz* (Photo credit: Keith Pattinson)

Past the Point of No Return?

And there you have it, fellow theatre enthusiasts! Our grand tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musicals of the new millennium is done. Ambitious highs and lows, experimental twists and artistic audacity live alongside his commercial prowess in the haunting melodies of The Woman in White, the rebellious spirit of School of Rock, and the musical athleticism of The Beautiful Game — all a part of Lloyd Webber’s enduring legacy. As the final curtain descends on this grand retrospective of Lloyd Webber’s later works, one might consider whether they measure up to his work from the 1970s through the 1990s. Ultimately, that’s a no: there’s nothing as good as Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, The Phantom of the Opera or even Cats. But while Lloyd Webber’s newer shows may not have reached the iconic status of their predecessors, they carry the torch of a composer unwilling to rest on his laurels. So, whether you’re singing along to Love Never Dies or pondering the provocative tale of Stephen Ward, remember that each show represents a lingering echo of Lloyd Webber’s continued love affair with the enchanting world of musical theatre. Bravo, Lord Lloyd Webber, bravo!

Posted in The Saturday List | Tagged Alex Brightman, Alexander Hanson, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Aspects of Love, Bad Cinderella, Ben Elton, Benjamin Britten, Broadway, Carrie Hope Fletcher, Cats, Charlotte Blackledge, Cinderella, David Zippel, Don Black, E.Y. Yip Harburg, Emerald Fennell, Evita, Frederick Forsyth, George Abbott, Glenn Slater, Hannah Waddingham, Harold Arlen, Jesus Christ Superstar, Jordan Dobson, Julian Fellowes, Justin Collette, Laura Michelle Kelly, Linedy Genao, Love Never Dies, Mandy Rice-Davies, Maria Friedman, Michael Ball, Musical, Oscar Hammerstin II, Phantom of the Opera, Ramin Karimloo, Richard Rodgers, School of Rock, Sierra Boggess, Stephan Ward, Stephen Ward, Sweeney Todd, The Beautiful Game, The Boys in the Photograph, The Phantom of the Opera, The Wizard of Oz, theatre, Tim Rice, Victoria Hamilton Barritt, West End | Leave a comment

The Saturday List: A Little Gwen Verdon, A Lotta Talent

Posted on January 13, 2024 by David Fick

Just three of Gwen Verdon's great performances: REDHEAD (with Richard Kiley); DAMN YANKEES; and CHICAGO (with CHITA RIVERA). — Just three of Gwen Verdon’s great performances: *Redhead* (with Richard Kiley), *Damn Yankees*; and Chicago (with Chita Rivera).

Grab your jazz shoes and get ready to dance into the unparalleled brilliance of Broadway’s own dynamo, Gwen Verdon! Born on 13 January 1925, this legendary force of nature graced musical theatre audiences with her magnetic presence and unparalleled talent. With a theatrical career that spanned decades, Verdon left an indelible mark on the Broadway stage in eight spectacular productions — including one musical revue and a play. But book musicals are where Verdon truly shone, and she earned a jaw-dropping six Tony Award nominations and an astounding four wins for her half-dozen performances in musicals on the Main Stem. This celebratory column commemorates the anniversary of Verdon’s birth by ranking the six shows that secured her place as a Broadway luminary. So, buckle up for a journey through the dazzling world of Gwen Verdon, where every step is a testament to her enduring legacy as a true queen of the stage.

6. New Girl in Town

New Girl in Town offers a fascinating but flawed adaptation of Eugene O’Neill’s classic play, Anna Christie. Bob Merrill’s score feels like a tentative attempt to bridge the gap between a Rodgers and Hammerstein-style musical play and a high-minded musical comedy. The result is a disjointed show – as if Merrill and book writer George Abbott were hesitant to fully commit to the darkly dramatic tone of the Pulitzer Prize-winning source material. One struggles to find the dramatic thrust of the plot and characters in the songs, which is one of the trademarks of any good musical, even though on paper the score works in tandem with the book to create the throughline of the piece. Despite these challenges, charming songs like “Flings,” emotional ballads like “It’s Good to Be Alive,” and the dreamy “Look at ‘Er” encapsulate the spirit and sense of humour of the 1950s. Each reminds us of the era’s distinct musical flavour in musical theatre terms and the way that darker and more taboo topics were cushioned at the time. In some ways, songs like “At the Farm” and “Sunshine Girl” almost feel Brechtian in their approach, but they lack the twist of the knife that makes the best Brechtian commentary so memorable. When considering the show today, it’s evident that an adaptation of Anna Christie would be approached very differently just a decade later – let alone in the twenty-first century! Nevertheless, Verdon’s exceptional performance is the saving grace of the show. Her ability to pull together everything and it all work is a testament to her talent. Alongside the capable support of Thelma Ritter, with whom she shared the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, Verdon’s prowess shines through in this less successfully realised, yet still noteworthy, musical endeavour.

5. Redhead

Redhead is a Tony Award-winning show that claimed the top spot for Best Musical at the Tony Awards – but it’s essentially a show that is unrevivable in its original form. Redhead has never graced Broadway with a revival, a film adaptation or a stint on the West End and that is largely due to the unparalleled synergy between Gwen Verdon and Bob Fosse, whose work onstage and behind the scenes managed to overshadow the show’s inherent flaws. Dorothy Fields, Herbert Fields, Sidney Sheldon and David Shaw’s book, a murder mystery set in a waxworks museum in Victorian England, is convoluted in its plotting, and the score is overly reliant on novelty numbers, ultimately providing little more than a canvas for Verdon’s star turn and Fosse’s innovative staging ideas. The overture summarises the musical perfectly, with a thrilling opening that descends into generic Broadway show tunes and Music Hall songs by Albert Hague that aren’t particularly memorable. That said, one aspect of the show that really works is Dorothy Fields’s lyrics – starting with this gem from the opening number – ‘You’ll see much more gore than they saw at Elsinore / If you tap tap tap on the Simpson sisters’ door’ – and moving on up from there!

4. Can-Can

Next up in our retrospective of Gwen Verdon’s musicals is Can-Can which is a jolly 1950s show, solid without behind transcendent. Penned by Abe Burrows, the book held the potential to rival the brilliance of Guys and Dolls with its story of attractive dancers and self-righteous law enforcers in Montmartre in the naughty Nineties, but Burrows fell short in weaving the same level of skill and magic into his plotting and character work. The saving grace lies in Cole Porter’s score, which boasts classic songs like “Never Give Anything Away,” “C’est Magnifique,” “Come Along with Me,” and “I Love Paris.” The absence of a poignant ballad akin to “So In Love” from “Kiss Me, Kate” leaves a void, even though Porter attempts to fill it with the heartfelt “I Am in Love” and “It’s All Right With Me.” In the end, “Allez-Vous-En” probably comes closest to the real thing. The true star of the show, however, is Michael Kidd’s choreography, with everyone at the time unanimously praising Gwen Verdon’s spectacular execution of his thrilling dance steps. Verdon’s prowess extends to the comic love duet, “If You Loved Me Truly,” where her chemistry with Hans Conried shines through on the enjoyable cast recording. Despite some shortcomings, Can-Can provided Cole Porter one of his lengthiest Broadway runs, with the show’s success stretching to the West End and a film adaptation that made several alterations to the story and song stack without enhancing the overall experience at all.

3. Damn Yankees

Securing the third spot in the countdown of Gwen Verdon’s musical triumphs is the devilishly delightful Damn Yankees. The classic 1950s romp, brought to life by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop’s witty and entertaining book, remains a timeless spectacle that can still captivate audiences today in the right hands. The show cleverly spins the Faustian tale into the world of 1950s American baseball, where the deal with the devil unfolds. Richard Adler and Jerry Ross contribute a memorable score, featuring Broadway standards like “Heart” and the seductively catchy “Whatever Lola Wants,” along with toe-tapping numbers such as “Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo.,” “A Little Talent,” “Two Lost Souls,” and “Those Were the Good Old Days.” Verdon’s brilliance shines through in her captivating performance, immortalized on film, where she effortlessly transforms even the smallest gesture into pure magic. In her hands, a novelty number like “Who’s Got The Pain?” turns into a showstopper. (In the film version, she is partnered with Bob Fosse, who choreographed both the show and film.) For those who don’t remember Verdon primarily as a singer, her delivery on the original cast recording sparkles with style and mastery. Damn Yankees enjoyed immense success in its original Broadway run, a 1994 revival and a 2008 Encores! run that appeased those hesitant about the revival’s “revisal” approach. Its widespread triumph extended to a short stint in London’s West End, a film adaptation and a television movie, solidifying its status as a cherished classic.

2. Sweet Charity

In the pantheon of Gwen Verdon’s illustrious musical career, Sweet Charity takes a well-deserved silver medal. It is a delightful and poignant exploration of life through the lens of the vivacious taxi dancer Charity Hope Valentine. Rooted in its 1960s origins, the show’s existential undertones remain surprisingly relevant, with Charity emerging as a compelling contemporary figure. Neil Simon’s comedic genius, infused with a touch of heart, shines through in the book, creating a perfect balance of laughter and emotion. The score, a collaborative masterpiece by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields, boasts timeless classics such as the ever-popular “Big Spender,” the choir staple “The Rhythm of Life,” and gems like “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This,” “Where Am I Going?” and “I’m a Brass Band.” Sweet Charity is a modern fairy tale, an underrated diva musical that deserves more of a spotlight. The production has seen two Broadway revivals, two successful runs in the West End, and a film adaptation by director-choreographer Bob Fosse that deserves more widespread love and respect than it has received. Verdon, who played the titular character in the original Broadway production, is an ideal Charity and used the role to showcase her impeccable comedy chops, vulnerability, emotional range, dance prowess, and heartfelt, no-holds-barred singing. Sweet Charity stands as a testament to Verdon’s unparalleled talent and the enduring allure of this enchanting musical masterpiece.

1. Chicago

At the zenith of Gwen Verdon’s musical triumphs is Chicago, a timeless masterpiece that exudes an exuberant and sly charm. Premiering in 1975 with a lush design, the show ran for an impressive 936 performances – but it may have been a little ahead of its time, some say. The 1996 revival adopted a leaner aesthetic (sorry, pearl-clutchers, the black togs are actually costumes whether you like it or not!), but it boasts over 10 000 performances so far – only the second musical in Broadway history to do so. The tale unfolds around the merry murderesses of the show’s eponymous city, led by the audacious Roxie Hart, who cunningly leverages her scandalous crime into a ticket to show business fame. Presented in a vaudeville-inspired performance, the narrative offers a light satire on our societal inclination to consume and promote ideologies through the media, even while considering them immoral in our daily lives. John Kander and Fred Ebb’s score is a Broadway classic, featuring unforgettable numbers like “All That Jazz,” “Cell Block Tango,” “All I Care About,” and the infectious “Hot Honey Rag.” Verdon’s tenacious advocacy for the show culminated in a majestic final debut Broadway role for her, solidifying her status as a queen of the stage. A pivotal force behind the show’s success was Bob Fosse’s visionary guidance, with the revival’s choreography masterfully executed in his style by Ann Reinking, who alongside Verdon has been responsible for curating and preserving his work. The global success of Chicago, spanning productions around the world and a film adaptation that clinched the Academy Award for Best Picture, attests to its enduring appeal – a show that truly delights every time.

That’s all, Broadway aficionados! As we take a final bow in this celebration of Gwen Verdon’s unparalleled contributions to the world of musical theatre, the stage is ablaze with the echoes of her sensational performances. It’s clear that Verdon wasn’t just a star – she was a constellation, casting her brilliance across the Broadway sky. As we reflect on her legacy on what would have been her 99th birthday, it’s evident that Verdon’s artistry endures, a timeless dance that continues to captivate and inspire. So, here’s to the woman who twirled her way into our hearts, leaving an everlasting imprint on the soul of musical theatre. Gwen Verdon, your spotlight will forever burn bright on the stages of our memories.

Posted in Broadway, The Saturday List | Tagged Abe Burrows, Academy Awards, Ann Reinking, Anna Christie, Bob Fosse, Bob Merrill, Brecht, Broadway, Can-Can, Chicago, Chita Rivera, Cole Porter, Cy Coleman, Damn Yankees, David Shaw, Dorothy Fields, Douglass Wallop, Eugene O'Niell, Fred Ebb, George Abbott, Guys and Dolls, Gwen Verdon, Hans Conried, Herbert Fields, Jerry Ross, John Kander, Michael Kidd, Music Hall, Musical, Neil Simon, New Girl in Town, Oscar Hammerstin II, Redhead, Richard Adler, Richard Kiley, Richard Rodgers, theatre, Thelma RItter, West End | 2 Comments

The Saturday List: The Best OLIVER! on Record

Posted on January 6, 2024 by David Fick

Some of the great actors who've appeared in Oliver! over time: Martin Horsey (The Artful Dodger), Ron Moody (Fagin), Georgia Brown (Nancy) and Keith Hamshere (Oliver); Shani Wallis (Nancy), Moody again (Fagin) and Oliver Reed (Bill Sikes); and Jonathan Pryce (Fagin) in the 1994 West End revival. — Some of the great actors who’ve appeared in *Oliver!* over time: Martin Horsey (The Artful Dodger), Ron Moody (Fagin), Georgia Brown (Nancy) and Keith Hamshere (Oliver); Shani Wallis (Nancy), Moody again (Fagin) and Oliver Reed (Bill Sikes); and Jonathan Pryce (Fagin) in the 1994 West End revival.

Step right up, ladies and gents, for a musical journey through the Dickensian alleyways of Lionel Bart’s timeless creation, Oliver! This classic show, with its heartwarming tale of an orphan’s quest for a second helping of gruel and a better life, has been immortalised in a symphony of recordings that spans more than six decades. From the cobbled streets of its London debut in 1960 through the Broadway opening on January 6, 1963, which we are commemorating today with this column, to contemporary revivals of the show, Oliver! has serenaded audiences worldwide with a myriad of cast albums, a film soundtrack and studio recordings that rival Fagin’s collection of stolen goods. So, dear readers, let us embark on this sonic adventure and unravel the best recordings of Oliver! – the ones that might make you want to ‘pick a pocket or two’ to get them into your collection!

5. The Not Quite Broadway Cast Recording

The so-called original Broadway cast album of Oliver! (it actually features the cast of the pre-Broadway tour, most of whom stayed with the show) presents a more polished but sadly more generic rendition of the show than the London recording. Although the Broadway recording lacks the raw charm found in its predecessor, it compensates with a slightly more refined sound production. The actors in the children’s roles, notably Bruce Prochnik as Oliver and Michael Goodman as the Artful Dodger, boast more secure vocals than their London counterparts while building their interpretations on Keith Hamshere and Martin Horsey’s foundations. Georgia Brown, who reprises the role of Nancy, demonstrates an increasingly seasoned delivery here, particularly shining in “I’d Do Anything” and “Oom-Pah-Pah.” However, the emotional impact of “As Long as He Needs Me” loses some of the immediacy that made the song so stirring in Brown’s rendition on the earlier recording. Clive Revill’s Fagin is competent but lacks the distinctive edge and vitality Ron Moody brought to the character, especially when he revisited the role for the film. In the final analysis, while the Broadway recording may not capture the unbridled authenticity of the 1960 London cast album, it remains a listenable rendition that showcases the score’s enduring appeal.

4. The Film Soundtrack

In the pantheon of Oliver! recordings, exploring the various early renditions is fascinating, as each has considerable strong points as well as imperfections. The standout on the 1968 film’s soundtrack is Ron Moody’s triumphant return as Fagin. Moody injects newfound nuance into the role, building upon his stellar performance in the 1960 London production and on its cast recording. Shani Wallis adds another layer of brilliance to the proceedings, infusing Nancy’s songs with heartfelt emotion. Her standout moment comes in the brilliant repurposing of “Oom-Pah-Pah,” which showcases Wallis’s vocal prowess alongside some captivating acting. Jack Wild’s Artful Dodger is also great fun. On the negative side, this album’s spark takes some time to ignite, with a supporting cast in the earlier songs that doesn’t quite deliver what actors in other recordings of the show bring to the table. Following an “Overture” that is just all right, a robust “Food Glorious Food” gives way to a handful of tracks that fail to draw in listeners as effectively as when paired with the film’s visuals. Although the soundtrack has some highlights, it falls short of capturing the cinematic magic that makes Oliver! a movie classic.

3. The 1994 London Revival Cast Recording

The 1994 London revival’s cast recording of Oliver! presents a refreshing overhaul of the material, breathing new life into Bart’s classic score through revamped orchestrations by William David Brohn. Brohn’s strength lies in illuminating the show’ subtext, providing a deeper understanding of the world within the songs. Even though it falls short of Ron Moody’s iconic portrayal, Jonathan Pryce’s performance in the role is more than serviceable, standing head and shoulders above Rowan Atkinson’s overly broad rendition in the 2009 revival of this production’s recording. Sally Dexter shines as Nancy, delivering a superb rendition of “As Long as He Needs Me” that skillfully builds emotion without succumbing to contrivance, a common pitfall in more modern interpretations of the number. The use of new recording technology allows for a more extensive album that incorporates underscoring and dialogue, notably effective in the “London Bridge” sequence. This modern take on classic material is generally commendable, but is often in danger of veering into overindulgence and overplaying – issues that plague the aforementioned 2009 revival’s recording, which leaves one yearning for a subtler approach. Overall, the 1994 revival recording successfully balances innovation with respect for the source material, compelling enough to secure a place among the top recordings of the show.

2. The Original London Cast Recording

Were the quality of the recording itself better, the original London cast album of Oliver! would be the definitive auditory treatment of this musical. As it is, the recording is a lively encapsulation of the show’s freewheeling structure, brimming with the infectious energy and genuine charm Bart infused into every note and word of the score. Even though the score may not be flawlessly sung, especially when it comes to the child actors, the imperfections contribute to a sense of authenticity, creating an intimate connection with the raw, unpolished spirit of the narrative. Ron Moody’s portrayal of Fagin is nothing short of legendary, transcending the character’s origins with his heartfelt interpretation of the role. As for Georgia Brown, her rendition of “As Long as He Needs Me” is a masterclass in emotional depth, delivering a no-holds-barred performance that sets the gold standard for the delivery of this song. Her versatility shines through in her equally masterful handling of the score’s comic moments. In one of the smaller roles, Hope Jackman as Widow Corney is unmatched in her playing of “I Shall Scream,” a role she would repeat on Broadway. Overall, this first cast recording is joyful and engaging, capturing the essence of Oliver! with unmatched fervour.

1. The 2009 Release of the 1991 Studio Cast Recording

In an unexpected twist, JAY Records’s 2009 release of their 1991 studio cast recording of Oliver! catapults to the zenith of this list in defiance of my usual preference for cast albums. The unique ensemble brought together here includes some performers from the Sadler’s Wells National Youth Music Theatre production who have played their respective roles and had some time to develop character and nuance. Julian Forsyth, who played Fagin in that production, delivers a performance rivalled only by Ron Moody, injecting a spirited energy that gives even the Moody’s brilliance a run for his money. The child actors also shine, infusing their songs with solid vocals. Richard South also ushers in the now-standard portrayal of the titular character as a figure with agency rather than a mere angelic presence. Further factors contributing to this recording’s narrow dethroning of the 1960 London cast recording is the re-recording, remixing and remastering that took place decades after its original release, with the noteworthy introduction of three new vocalists, including Sally Ann Triplett as Nancy and Will Kenning as Bill Sykes, replacing opera singers Josephine Barstow and Richard van Allan. While Barstow and Van Allan give their songs a good go, they never feel quite right in the roles. In contrast, Triplett’s musical theatre expertise empowers her to lend dynamic nuances to her rendition of “As Long as He Needs Me,” which reaches a searing climax, and Kenning releases into the acting of “My Name” in a way that Van Allan just doesn’t. Propelled by new recording technology, the overall sound quality of this release is unparalleled, solidifying its claim as the foremost interpretation of Oliver! in the realm of recorded performances.

And there you have it, dear musical enthusiasts, our grand tour through a veritable archive of Oliver! recordings. As we emerge from the streets of London, it becomes clear that each recording of Oliver! is a testament to the enduring magic of Lionel Bart’s creation. Much like Oliver Twist himself, who sought more from life, we find ourselves in the fortunate position of having a plethora of options to savour. Whether it’s the nostalgia of the debut London cast or the modern charm of recent renditions, each album adds a unique flavour to a glorious musical feast – so crank up those speakers, and ‘consider yourself’ home free!

Posted in Broadway, Cast Recording Reviews, The Saturday List | Tagged Broadway, Bruce Prochnik, Cast Recordings, Clive Revill, Georgia Brown, Hope jackman, Jack Wild, JAY Records, Jonathan Pryce, Josephine Barstow, Julian Forsyth, Keith Hamshere, Lionel Bart, Martin Horsey, Michael Goodman, Oliver Reed, Oliver!, Richard South, Richard van Allan, Ron Moody, Rowan Atkinson, Sadler's Wells National Youth Music Theatre, Sally Ann Triplett, Sally Dexter, Shani Wallis, West End, Will Kenning, William David Brohn | Leave a comment

Forgotten Musicals Friday: Does HALLELUJAH, BABY! Open the Gates of Heaven or Hell?

Posted on July 14, 2023 by David Fick

Leslie Uggams framed by Alan Weeks and Winston DeWitt Hemsley in HALLELUJAH, BABY! — Leslie Uggams framed by Alan Weeks and Winston DeWitt Hemsley in *Hallelujah, Baby!*

Today is the anniversary of Arthur Laurents’s birth, so it seems apropos to mine his work for this week’s Forgotten Musicals Friday. A couple of his shows have slid into the musical theatre memory, and one such musical is Hallelujah, Baby! The show, with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden, premiered on Broadway in 1967 and won the Tony Award for Best Musical. Even quite hardcore musical theatre fans write off the show as little more than a trifle, even though it aims to deal with some noble themes, and it was one of a handful of the older Best Musical award-winners that has not had a contemporary revival.

Hallelujah, Baby! tells the story of Georgina, an African-American woman who faces many challenges as she navigates life in the 20th century through the civil rights era, contemporary to the time of its creation. Through her experiences, Arthur Laurents attempts to address the racial discrimination faced by people of colour as they strive for acceptance, success and fulfilment in a society built around whiteness and the privilege that comes with it.

Its tackling of such a complex issue falters in a couple of ways. Laurents himself indicated that his approach had been too soft. He attributes some of his choices to the compromises he and the rest of the creative team had to reach in the material when the show had to be built around Leslie Uggams rather than Lena Horne. Effervescence replaced steel. Optimism and hope displaced the harsh realities and complexities of systemic racism. And the emphasis on Georgina’s personal triumphs obscured the more widely felt social experiences of African-American people. Let’s put it this way: it’s no Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk, Passing Strange or Caroline, or Change.

Laurents attempted to revise the show in 2004 for a production at The George Street Playhouse, adding an epilogue that brought the show up to the moment and aiming for a darker and more intense overall approach. Despite some new lyrics by Amanda Green, Laurents found himself cornered by the score, which very much sets the show’s tone. Cosmetic adjustments to the book would not be able to bring the show closer to how its creators originally envisioned it would be.

Could four white theatremakers have explored this theme fully? In her New York Times review of the 2004 production, Naomi Siegel inferred the problem implicit here before writing off the show as being ‘entertaining, if not profoundly enlightening.’

It is easy to imagine the scene:

New York City, mid-1960’s. Four talented musical theater artists, writing for Broadway, decide to do their bit to try to heal an America torn by race riots and urban violence. They create a historically referenced musical on the subject of America’s institutional racism….

The theme makes them proud.

Good intentions are not enough to open the gates of heaven, but Hallelujah, Baby! isn’t exactly knocking at the gates of hell. It’s simply a well-meant product of its time – and that is all it will ever be.

Posted in Forgotten Musicals Friday | Tagged Adolph Green, Alan Weeks, Alan Weeks and Winston DeWitt Hemsley, Amanda Green, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden, Bring in 'da Noise Bring in 'da Funk, Caroline or Change, Hallelujah Baby!, Jule Styne, Lena Horne, Leslie Uggams, Naomi Siegel, New York Times, Passing Strange, The George Street Playhouse, Tony Awards | Leave a comment

The Saturday List: 1937 in Musical Theatre

Posted on July 8, 2023 by David Fick

Scenes from THE CRADLE WILL ROCK (featuring Mark Blitzstein with the company), BABES IN ARMS (Mitzi Green, Ray Heatherton and Alfred Drake) and ME AND MY GIRL (featuring Lupino Lane and the company). — Scenes from *The Cradle Will Rock* (featuring Mark Blitzstein with the company), *Babes in Arms* (Mitzi Green, Ray Heatherton and Alfred Drake) and *Me and My Girl* (featuring Lupino Lane and the company).

1937, the chosen year for today’s “Saturday List” year, was a time of huge highs and lows. Early in the year, aviator Howard Hughes broke his transcontinental flight speed record. On the other hand, Amelia Earhart mysteriously disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in her attempt to become the first woman to circumnavigate the globe in a plane. The German airship, the Hindenburg, burst into flames, killing 35 of the 97 people on board. In the world’s political arenas, the Spanish Civil War continued, while the Second Sino-Japanese War commenced. The Hossbach Memorandum recorded another step towards World War II, with Adolf Hitler outlining his plan to acquire additional “living space” for the Germans. Minute by minute, the lows were becoming more frequent than the highs. At the movies, three musicals were among the year’s top-grossing films, with Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs taking the top spot. The others were the operetta, Maytime, and the oddly-titled Broadway Melody of 1938. The most popular songs of the year included no fewer than four Bing Crosby hits, “Too Marvelous for Words,” “Remember Me?,” “The Moon Got in My Eyes” and “Sweet Leilani.” One of the big new words of the year was “doodle” – something you might do while listening to Ol’ Bingo from Bingville croon one of his melodies from yesteryear. On to the musicals!

1. The Award Winners for Best Musical

1937 is a year that pre-dates the Tony Awards, so there is not much to discuss here. Babes in Arms would have been a strong contender, perhaps even a sure thing, to win in the 1937-1938 season. It’s also likely that a 1937 show would have won the following year. Perhaps the popular union revue Pins and Needles? The more cerebral The Cradle Will Rock? Would Hooray for What!, less popular than Pins and Needles but more accessible than The Cradle Will Rock, have stood a chance? What a fascinating trio of shows to pit against each other.

2. Most Overrated

Marc Blitzstein’s The Cradle Will Rock is often cited as one of the most historically significant shows of the 1930s. No arguments there. It has been described as an opera, in the tradition of The Threepenny Opera, and a play in music, like Bertolt Brecht’s greatest plays, as often as it has been called a musical. It’s one of those shows that draw from multiple traditions and ends its own thing. It’s also a solid show with a clear social and political thesis. In a nutshell, that’s also its problem. It is so logical, so successful in its verfremdung, that it keeps itself at a distance. No Mack or Mother Courage pull in the audience and agitate its beliefs. Moll and Harry aren’t written charismatically enough to shift us into dialectical distress. In some ways, the story behind the show’s origins as a Federal Theatre Project as a New Deal work-relief programme, its cancellation by the government in an attempt to censor what they felt had become an anti-establishment propaganda piece, and the legendary dress rehearsal that cheated the system is more compelling than The Cradle Will Rock itself. These circumstances made this show a musical theatre legend rather than a footnote in Broadway history.

3. Most Underrated

Babes in Arms is the kind of show everyone thinks they know, thanks to the 1939 Busby Berkeley film starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland and the frequently performed 1959 revisal of the show, which stripped it of its social commentary. As such, it is written off as an inconsequential 1930s musical comedy, albeit with a score packed to the brim with hit songs by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. This is why I consider the original version of the show underrated, as many people aren’t aware of everything that Rodgers and Hart packed into the show’s book. Rather than a group of teens trying to rebel against their parents by making it on Broadway (!) or save a local theatre from being demolished, the original show’s characters put on their performance to avoid being sent to a work farm, which the town sheriff feels is the appropriate path of action when their actor parents go on the road for five months. The original Babes in Arms is not about vanity or community outreach. It is about survival and self-preservation. The original Babes in Arms wasn’t afraid to tackle racism, sexual harassment or the contemporary interests in Nietzsche and communism. It was light entertainment, for sure, but one with a bit of a bite – and that’s before one even considers the score’s great pleasures, which include “I Wish I Were in Love Again,” “My Funny Valentine,” “Johnny One Note,” “Where or When?” and “The Lady is a Tramp.”

4. Hidden Gem

The longest-running show to open in 1937 is, ironically, the year’s hidden gem. Pins and Needles was a revue produced by the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. Its unusual origins and content have seen it slide into relative obscurity, despite an incredible 25th Anniversary recording – which featured Barbra Streisand as one of its performers in the face of Columbia Records president Goddard Lieberson’s pearl-clutching on her inclusion on the album – and a couple of productions that have popped up over the years. Pins and Needles included songs and sketches by Arthur Arent, Marc Blitzstein, Emmanuel Eisenberg, Charles Friedman, David Gregory, Joseph Schrank, Arnold B. Horwitt, John Latouche and Harold Rome, the last of whom also wrote the majority of the show’s score. The writers updated the show’s content every few months to keep it topical. There’s not a dud song in the score. Each is full of wit, double meanings and delightfully articulated takes on social issues – some of which remain as relevant today as when they were first written! Highlights include “Doing The Reactionary,” a spoof on the tried-and-tested musical comedy dance craze number, now a political dance of people moving to the left or the right, and “Nobody Makes A Pass At Me,” a criticism of how capitalism and commercialism impact on individual identity. There’s also “Not Cricket To Picket,” which is a satirical reminder of how social action inconveniences those who hold power – ‘Just think of the predicament in which your boss is placed’ – and “One Big Union For Two” which repackages love and marriage as socially relevant processes to rib-tickling effect. In 1938, Pins and Needles was performed in the White House for the Roosevelts, which prefigures the Obamas’ similar endorsement of Hamilton in 2016. How strange it is to think that the Hamilton of its day is rarely remembered by most musical theatre fans, let alone the general populace!

5. Show of the Year

Last week, I couldn’t quite commit to naming the British The Boy Friend as the show of the year with the USA’s Wonderful Town in the mix. This week, I have no hesitation in giving the title to Noel Gay, Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose’s Me and My Girl, which Stephen Fry and Mike Ockrent reinvented for modern audiences in the 1980s. In between, there had been a successful film adaptation and three revivals in the West End. Me and My Girl has found an audience in each iteration. It’s a jolly romantic romp through the British class system, with just enough social observation to anchor the tuneful score and rags-to-riches plot in a way that allows it to play today. The big hit was “The Lambeth Walk,” which inspired a jaunty walking dance, which saw people strutting it out around the globe just like we’ve all been jiving to “Pink Shoe Laces” on TikTok this year. The score has further delights like the wistful “Once You Lose Your Heart” and the warm-hearted title tune. Me and My Girl is pure entertainment from start to finish.

1937 was a year that saw the bow of some fantastic landmark musicals. There were other fascinating little shows like Pepper Mill, a revue that was a political defiance of the Nazi rise to power. It had been so successful in Germany that its makers had to flee to the USA to continue the fight, which stalled in New York due to the cultural divide between the two countries and their theatrical traditions. It is also interesting to see echoes of this season in modern musicals like Urinetown and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. If nothing else, it is clear that 1937 was a significant year for musicals and it is the kind of season that is a joy to look back on today.

Posted in The Saturday List | Tagged A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Adolf Hitler, Alfred Drake, Amelia Earhart, Arnold B. Horwitt, Arthur Arent, Babes in Arms, Barbra Streisand, Bertolt Brecht, Bing Crosby, Broadway Melody of 1938, Busby Berkeley, Charles Friedman, Columbia Records, David Gregory, Douglas Furber, Emmanuel Eisenberg, Federal Theatre Project, Goddard Lieberson, Hamilton, Harold Rome, Hindenburg, Hooray For What!, Howard Hughes, International Ladies Garment Workers Union, John Latouche, Joseph Schrank, Judy Garland, L. Arthur Rose, Lorenz Hart, Lupino Lane, Marc Blitzstein, Me and My Girl, Mickey Rooney, Mike Ockrent, Mitzi Green, New Deal, Nietzsche, Noel Gay, Pepper Mill, Pins and Needles, Ray Heatherton, Richard Rodgers, Second Sino-Japanese War, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Spanish Civil War, Stephen Fry, The Boy Friend, The Cradle Will Rock, The Threepenny Opera, TikTok, Urinetown, Walt Disney, White House, World War II | Leave a comment

Forgotten Musicals Friday: ACE OF CLUBS – Royal Flush or a Bottom End?

Posted on July 7, 2023 by David Fick

Pat Kirkwood and Graham Payn in ACE OF CLUBS — Pat Kirkwood and Graham Payn in *Ace of Clubs*

Ace of Clubs must have surprised audiences in 1950 when this show opened in London on this night so many years ago. Following tryouts in Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham, the show formally debuted in the Cambridge Theatre for a 211-performance run. At the time, Noël Coward was known for his satirical upper-class comedies, but Ace of Clubs was about showgirls and sailors caught up in a heist at a nightclub in Soho. There are those, I suppose, who think that’s why the show had little impact in the mid-century British musical theatre scene, why it never travelled and why it is almost never revived. The fact is that despite some appealing songs, the show just isn’t all that great.

Ace of Clubs is set in 1949 in an eponymous London nightclub, where Pinkie Leroy, a singer, falls in love with a sailor, Harry Hornby. Pinkie and Harry get mixed up with some gangsters who are meant to intercept a package with a stolen diamond necklace at the club. The show plays out through a series of madcap encounters before an inevitable happy ending is reached.

When considering the show, musical theatre historians think that its big flex is that some of the songs were so great that they would be incorporated into Coward’s cabarets and even into other shows. That’s all fine, but it signifies the main problem with Ace of Clubs. The songs feel like they’re from a different show from the one described above, as though they are respites from the plot rather than extensions of it. Listening to the cast recording alone, for example, might leave one mystified, something that can’t be said of Oklahoma!, which was still going strong in London at the time and to which it was compared in some reviews. Indeed, a little digging reveals that the score had been created for a different show known at various points as Over the Garden Wall, Hoi Polloi and Come Out to Play. Coward had failed to sell this earlier show to a producer, so one wonders whether the marriage between the book and score had been any better when he originally conceived them.

Nonetheless, if there is any reason to remember Ace of Clubs, it is for a handful of standout songs. There is the enduring “Sail Away,” which would eventually become the title song of its own show, at least one gorgeous ballad in “I’ll Never Never Know,” and several cute comic ditties like “Napoleon” and “Chase Me, Charlie” – Pinkie’s nightclub numbers – and “Three Juvenile Delinquents” – a number that poked fun at the modern judicial system. The recordings of the original cast are also quite delightful, especially Pat Kirkwood and Graham Payn’s performances of their numbers.

Ace of Clubs is an undemanding historical footnote in musical theatre history. It’s not first-rate Coward, but it is a first-rate lesson in what happens when the different elements of a show just don’t come together.

Posted in Forgotten Musicals Friday | Tagged Ace of Clubs, Come Out to Play, Graham Payn, Hoi Polloi, Noël Coward, Oklahoma!, Over the Garden Wall, Pat Kirkwood, Sail Away | 1 Comment

The Saturday List: 1953 in Musical Theatre

Posted on July 1, 2023 by David Fick

Scenes from JOHN MURRAY ANDERSON'S ALMANAC (featuring Hermione Gingold and Billy DeWolf), KISMET (featuring Alfred Drake) and WONDERFUL TOWN (featuring Edie Adams and Rosalind Russell). — Scenes from *John Murray Anderson’s Almanac* (featuring Hermione Gingold and Billy DeWolf), *Kismet* (featuring Alfred Drake) and *Wonderful Town* (featuring Edie Adams and Rosalind Russell).

Today’s “Saturday List” year, 1953, was full of events that populate history books around the globe. March marked the death of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, while Tenzing Norgay conquered Mount Everest with Edmund Hilary in tow in May. Days later, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain was crowned. The month after the coronation saw the end of the Korean War, with Korean Armistice Agreement being signed. And a month after that, the USSR exploded a hydrogen bomb. At the movies, two musicals, one animated and one live-action, would appear in the list of the year’s top-grossing films: Peter Pan and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. When it came to pop music, Patti Page sang about “The Doggie in the Window,” but 1953’s most significant release catapulted a wilder canine, “Hound Dog,” to fame, with Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton having recorded the song the previous year. To wit, the word “frenemy” was first coined by Walter Winchell in 1953 as a proposed way of describing the relationship between the Americans and the Russians.

1. The Award Winners for Best Musical

1953 is one of those years that yielded two Tony Award winners for what was then called the year’s “Outstanding Musical.” At the seventh Tony Awards, Wonderful Town took home the prize, with Kismet following in its footsteps the next year. When Michael Ball appeared in the latter in a 2007 revival for the English National Opera, he said, “It was like being in a cross between Springtime for Hitler and Carry on Camel.” While this perhaps spoke more to the production than the show itself, Kismet is very much a show of its time rather than one for the ages. So let’s move swiftly onwards to discuss it as the most overrated musical of the year.

2. Most Overrated

People probably talk about Kismet less than they should. For the most part, it is accepted for what it is: a spectacular operetta from the 1950s with some fine music, remembered fondly by many who have performed in it and by a certain type of musical theatre fan. The questions about what it isn’t, an authentic depiction of Islamic culture in the so-called Islamic Golden Age, aren’t asked often enough. And when they are, that certain type of musical theatre fan springs to the show’s defence, more often than not using the context in which the musical was made as the basis for their argument, all the while forgetting that a new theatre production of Kismet would not be playing the Ziegfeld Theatre seven decades ago. Based on a 1911 play by Edward Knoblock, the book of the musical was crafted by Charles Lederer and Luther Davis, with George Forrest and Robert Wright setting lyrics to music they had adapted from Alexander Borodin. In the way that Kismet is peopled, the audience is presented with a homogenous community, which consequently doesn’t undermine any racial, religious or cultural identity from a narrative standpoint. The problem is that this community could really exist anywhere in the world. What specificities of race, religion or culture are present are simply functions of the setting. Consider, for example, how simply everything was transposed to Timbuktu! in the 1970s, an adaptation of Kismet set in Mali rather than Iraq. Kismet is an example of pure Orientalism, an aesthetic imitation of – in this case – the Middle East for a Western audience by Western artists. Taking Kismet at face value is like giving Antoine Galland credit for The Arabian Nights rather than acknowledging the expansive, rich and complex cultural history in which One Thousand and One Nights was created.

3. Most Underrated

1953 is full of musicals with a couple of great songs that are otherwise largely forgettable. There’s Hazel Flagg, in which Jule Styne showcases a few jaunty tunes set to lyrics by Bob Hilliard in a book by James H. Street, and Can-Can, a long-running show with a much-maligned Cole Porter score and a dull book by Abe Burrows. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein churned out Me and Juliet in the hope of producing a musical comedy throwback to the days of Rodgers’s collaboration with Lorenz Hart, while Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke and Preston Sturges turned a delicate French pâtisserie into some kind of heavy American cake when creating Carnival in Flanders. It seems almost ridiculous to name the show of 1953 that ran longer than any other Broadway musical that debuted that season, but that’s where we are with Can-Can. The success of Can-Can was largely attributed to two people: Michael Kidd, the choreographer, and Gwen Verdon, who played Can-Can dancer Claudine, both of whom took home Tony Awards for their work on the show. Certainly, his steps and her performance were by all accounts the strongest elements in an otherwise mediocre affair, with Burrows drawing criticism for his dated book and Porter taking hits for songs that fell short of his usual brilliance. But hindsight is 20/20 and even this rather pedestrian show stands out when measured against its peers. It may not be a great show, but it is a solid one. Sometimes, all you have to be is the best of the rest.

4. Hidden Gem

Well, it’s not Hazel Flagg. For me, the hidden gem of the year is John Murray Anderson’s Almanac, a revue that closed out the year on Broadway. There is something absolutely charming about this collection of sketches and songs, some of which were written by the team of Richard Adler and Jerry Ross who would go on to create back-to-back hits in the following two years with The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees. The show had a fantastic cast, including Hermione Gingold – whose delivery of “Which Witch” might alone have been worth the price of admission – as well as Harry Belafonte – who wrote some additional material for the show in addition to taking great strides forward in establishing his career. Throw in a couple of delightful ditties like “When Am I Going to Meet Your Mother?” and “You’re So Much a Part of Me” and you’re home free.

5. Show of the Year

My heart says The Boy Friend, which premiered in the United Kingdom in 1953, but my head says Wonderful Town. On the one hand, Sandy Wilson’s The Boy Friend is a perfectly crafted show that knows exactly what it is. On the other, Joseph A. Fields, Jerome Chodorov, Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Leonard Bernstein’s Wonderful Town is an ambitious and sprawling piece that aims for the stars. Each has its joys. The Boy Friend is best when it stays true to its size and style. Any attempt to pump it up into a big flashy production is doomed to fail. The show just buckles under that kind of aesthetic distortion. Every song is joyous and the book wittily careers from situation to situation. It looks backwards, with love and joy. Wonderful Town looks forward, pulsating with the energy of its New York setting. Like the city itself, there is a lot of noise which the score’s gorgeously structured character pieces cut through. Was plaintiveness ever as appealing as in “Ohio?” Was there ever a love song as enveloping as “A Little Bit in Love?” And that’s before we even unpack the joys of “What a Waste” or “Conversation Piece.” It’s a giddy joy from start to finish.

Looking back at 1953, it’s clear that this was no great year for musicals. There are really only two shows that have stood the test of time, a third that has endured despite itself, and a host of shows that struggled to fulfil the visions of their respective creators. Are we in any better a position 70 years later? Looking back at last month’s Tony Awards and at what is planned to open in the next few months, perhaps not. In time, we may find that the musicals of 2023 feel very much the same to us as those considered in this column today.

Posted in The Saturday List | Tagged Abe Burrows, Alexander Borodin, Antoine Galland, Betty Comden, Bob Hilliard, Can-Can, Carnival in Flanders, Charles Lederer, Cole Porter, Damn Yankees, Edmund Hilary, Edward Knoblock, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, George Forrest, Gwen Verdon, Harry Belafonte, Hazel Flagg, Hermione Gingold, James H. Street, Jerome Chodorov, Jerry Ross, John Murray Anderson's Almanac, Johnny Burke, Joseph A. Fields, Joseph Stalin, Jule Styne, Kismet, Korean War, Leonard Bernstein, Lorenz Hart, Luther Davis, Me and Juliet, Michael Ball, Michael Kidd, One Thousand and One Nights, Oscar Hammerstein II, Peter Pan, Preston Sturges, Queen Elizabeth II, Richard Adler, Richard Rodgers, Robert Wright, Sandy Wilson, Tenzing Norgay, The Arabian Nights, The Boy Friend, The Pajama Game, Timbuktu!, Tony Awards, Walter Winchell, Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton, Wonderful Town | Leave a comment

Forgotten Musicals Friday: GEORGE WHITE’S SCANDALS OF 1924

Posted on June 30, 2023 by David Fick

Louise Brooks in GEORGE WHITE'S SCANDALS OF 1924 — Louise Brooks in *George White’s Scandals of 1924*

In a year’s time, George White’s Scandals of 1924 will have bowed on Broadway a century ago. 30 June was the opening night of this sixth edition of the long-running series of revues. Arguably, none of the Scandals, which followed the model of the Ziegfield Follies, is significant individually, but there is no question that the set was a cultural touchstone. The revues were a stepping stone in the careers of several stage and film stars – including Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Ethel Merman and Ann Miller – and provided a space in which many early George Gershwin melodies were heard. The 1926 edition of the revue propelled the Black Bottom from its regional origins into a national dance craze – think of it as being the TikTok dance challenge of its day – and 1920’s “Scandal Walk” was featured in the television series, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

George White’s Scandals of 1924 included skits by George White and William K. Wells, interspersed with songs that set George Gershwin’s music to Buddy DeSylva and Ballard MacDonald’s lyrics and one number provided by Sam Gould, Charlie Winston, Lew Pollack and Will Mahoney. Some critics felt it was the best of the Scandals to date, while others thought it the very essence of vulgarity, with one critic observing that ‘decent women hid their faces until they could get used to the spectacle!’

The show opened strong with a cute take on the traditional opening number. The Williams Sisters sang “Just Missed the Opening Chorus” to the audience, reproaching them for their tardiness. This song introduced a series of four comedy skits focused on the theme of lateness and the rest of the acts followed. Lester Allen and Tom Patricola clowned up a storm, while Richard Bold and Helen Hudson were lauded for their gorgeous voices. The breakout star of the show was Will Mahoney, a vaudeville performer who would go on to become the highest-paid variety star in the United States and, much later in his career, earn a Tony Award nomination for his performance in the 1955 revival of Finian’s Rainbow.

The show had its fair share of spectacle too. One sequence used a dramatic lighting effect to transform a bevy of chorus girls in bathing costumes into a set of apparently nude marble statues, one of whom was then transformed into the Venus de Milo through some further stage magic. The costumes, designed by Erté and Juliette, were imported from Paris and were a feast for the eyes.

When it came to songs for the ages, George White’s Scandals of 1924 gave us “Somebody Loves Me,” which would later appear in the films Broadway Rhythm, Rhapsody in Blue, Lullaby of Broadway and Pete Kelly’s Blues. The song’s popularity was still rock solid almost three decades later when a 1952 film starring Betty Hutton was built around and named after the song. Outside of stage and film, there have been dozens of recordings, with artists as diverse as Nat King Cole, Meat Loaf, Kiri Te Kanawa and Ella Fitzgerald offering their interpretation of the piece.

George White’s Scandals of 1924 would run at the Apollo Theatre in New York for 196 performances before going on tour. A new edition of the show would appear the following year, with nine further outings – including a couple on film – to follow.

Posted in Forgotten Musicals Friday | Tagged Ann Miller, Ballard MacDonald, Bert Lahr, Black Bottom, Broadway Rhythm, Buddy DeSylva, Ella Fitzgerald, Erté and Juliette, Ethel Merman, Finian's Rainbow, George Gershwin, George White's Scandals, George White's Scandals of 1924, Helen Hudson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Lester Allen, Lew Pollack, Lullaby of Broadway, Lullaby of Broadway and Pete Kelly's Blues, Ray Bolger, Rhapsody in Blue, Richard Bold, Somebody Loves Me, The Williams Sisters, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Tom Patricola, Tony Awards, Venus de Milo, Will Mahoney, William K. Wells, Ziegfeld Follies | Leave a comment

The Saturday List: 1946 in Musical Theatre

Posted on April 15, 2023 by David Fick

Scenes from ST LOUIS WOMAN (featuring Pearl Bailey), LUTE SONG (featuring Mary Martin) and ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (featuring Ethel Merman). — Scenes from *St Louis Woman* (featuring Pearl Bailey), *Lute Song* (featuring Mary Martin) and *Annie Get Your Gun* (featuring Ethel Merman).

Where were you when the first bikini was modelled in Paris? I wasn’t even a twinkle in my father’s eye. In fact, my parents weren’t born yet. It would have been my grandparents taking note of that first appearance of the bikini in 1946, the year chosen for today’s “Saturday List.” This was the year of Eva Perón’s Rainbow Tour, an event dramatised in the musical Evita three decades later. A good portion of the year was engaged with the Nuremberg trials, which had started late in 1945, and the subsequent executions during which ten prominent political and military leaders from Nazi Germany were put to death by hanging. Elsewhere, the first meetings of the United Nations, an institution established to prevent future world wars, took place. MENSA, a society with non-political aims for an IQ-measured “intellectual aristocracy,” was founded at Lincoln College in Oxford, England, in 1946. As is usual in history, we see people create forces that drive us apart even more quickly than those which might bring us together. At the movies, three musicals would place among the year’s top-grossing films: The Jolson Story and Night and Day, biographical musicals about Al Jolson and Cole Porter, and Blue Skies, an Irving Berlin jukebox musical. The top spots on the music charts belonged to Eddy Howard and His Orchestra for their rendition of the title song from the film To Each His Own and Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five for their blues and country-flavoured “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie.” Words-wise, 1946 was the year that a mistranslation of the Bible fuelled the biblical basis for prejudice against LGBTQIA+ people. The assertion that homosexuality was sinful impacted politics and human rights with deadly consequences. I had to take a beat to process that fact once again when writing this – it’s a lot – and moving to what was happening in musicals in this first year following the end of World War II.

1. The Award Winners for Best Musical

1946 is a year that pre-dates the Tony Awards – so there’s not much to discuss here. There’s no doubt which show would have taken the Best Musical prize – look no further than Annie Get Your Gun. One hopes, though, that in true Tony Awards style, St Louis Woman would have appeared across the board when it came to the nominations and even taken home some of the prizes.

2. Most Overrated

It might be considered unfair to name a flop from the season as an overrated show, but 1946 had only a few shows that gave their net margins a run for the money. There’s also a difference between what a show was and what it means, which is why this week, I am going to take the unusual route of naming the same show as the most overrated and the most underrated of the season: Lute Song. While Lute Song lost something like $100 000 of its initial investment, it was considered by many critics to be a succès d’estime. It appeared on lists naming the best plays of 1946, and even critics who could not access its gentle pace raved about its aesthetics. Its 142-performance run was just short of the average run of musicals that opened in the same year, well ahead of the median show, which ran about half as long. The aspects of the show that are overrated in terms of its legacy really have to do with the typical yet problematic ways of representing China at the time: the use of yellowface and the sense of generic so-called Oriental pageantry in its dramatic structure, musical approach and design. It’s in recognising the way that the ending of the source material, Pipa ji, was shifted to suit the American standard of marital monogamy and to placate the egos of the show’s star, Mary Martin and her husband, Richard Halliday, who claimed that sharing a man was unworthy of a star of Martin’s status. It’s in understanding how songs like “See the Monkey” land(ed) on the ear – then and now. It’s picking through the stories about co-star Yul Brynner’s heritage (leading to the follow-up question of whether minorities are interchangeable when it comes to casting) and life experience (did he really see Pipa ji in China, leaving such an impression on him that he simply had to do this show?) as ways of justifying his casting in the show, which had no Chinese American cast members and only a Japanese American choreographer, Yeichi Nimura, as a gesture towards any kind of authenticity. And that’s before we even get to the yellowface, the designer gowns created for Martin’s character when she is at her poorest in the narrative’s arc, and the Chinese ideography used randomly to infer some kind of overall integrity in the design. This list includes what many white American theatre critics referenced as the show’s positive aspects. In that sense, the critical reaction to the show was most certainly overrated. Had it not been for an article I read while preparing this column, Josh Stenberg’s “How far does the sound of a Pipa carry? Broadway adaptation of a Chinese classical drama” in Volume 14: 2 of the journal, Studies in Musical Theatre, that is where I might have left things.

3. Most Underrated

If you have not read Stenberg’s article, I urge you to seek it out. It really gets to grips with the idea of what Lute Song means despite what it was. He puts it better than I ever could in his abstract for his essay.

The 1946 Broadway premiere of Lute Song represents a milestone in reception of the Chinese dramatic tradition in the United States…. (I)t must be situated at the beginnings of a more respectful relationship to China and Chinese people, as the American stage began to move beyond treatments of China dominated by racist vaudeville or fantastical fairy tales. Instead, Lute Song emerged from a classic text, the long drama Pipa ji…. Lute Song, one of several indirect adaptations of Chinese dramas in the American mid-century, represents a milestone as the first Broadway show inspired by American immigrant Chinatown theatre and the first Broadway musical to be based on Chinese classical drama, mediated through European Sinology.

What Stenberg does well in his piece is explore both sides of the story convincingly. What he has to say gave me a great deal of food for thought and reminded me of the complexities existing in cultural texts from the past – a solid reason for Lute Song to be the most underrated show of 1946.

4. Hidden Gem

Two shows might have taken this spot: St Louis Woman and Beggar’s Holiday. There might have made a nice moment to select the latter, which is derived from one of the root texts of the musical theatre format, The Beggar’s Opera, and which is jazz great Duke Ellington’s only stage show in this format – but one’s access to the show as it was is quite limited and severely mediated through a 2004 rewrite by Dale Wasserman, which is significantly different from the original in structure and tone – which means, I suppose, that the original truly is a hidden gem. On the other hand, St Louis Woman benefits from having both an original cast album and a recording of the score from a 1998 Encores presentation, which was by its very nature an attempt to represent the musical faithfully in a concert format. The crowning glory of this show is its score by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer. Listening to standards from the score, like “Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home” and “Come Rain Or Come Shine,” alongside its other pleasures, including “Legalize My Name,” ‘I Feel My Luck Comin’ Down’, ”It’s a Woman’s Prerogative,” “I Wonder What Became of Me” and “Leavin’ Time,” it’s hard to imagine why this show hasn’t survived the ages like Oklahoma! or Carousel. Of course, the reason is its book, which doesn’t seem to know whether it wants to be an operatic tragedy (the comparisons with Porgy and Bess at the time are an insight into this idea) or a more traditional musical comedy of the period (which is what, sadly, was the more common expectation for musicals focused on the African American experience on Broadway, and part of the reason that the NAACP criticised the musical). All of this shows the weight of expectations that theatre-makers must face, particularly with stories like the one told in St Louis Woman in the context of the 1940s. Could it be time for a revisal to transform material in the great musical play that it should have been?

5. Show of the Year

One show dominated 1946: Annie Get Your Gun. It ran longer by a third than its closet rival, the post-war revue, Call Me Mister, and is still one of the top 100 longest-running Broadway shows. In revival, it has proved just as successful, albeit in a revised format, with the 1999 production trailing only 15 spots behind the original. Would the show have been as successful with a Jerome Kern-Dorothy Fields score as was originally intended? Who knows? It would have certainly been a different show, but Kern’s sudden death opened a door for Irving Berlin into a new musical theatre world, one that he feared. Berlin was initially concerned that he could not write songs to suit a show differently structured from those he was accustomed to. After all, this musical was being created post-Oklahoma!, and the writers of that smash hit, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, were set to produce Annie Get Your Gun. But after an intervention by Hammerstein, Berlin delivered the first three songs of what would become a hit-filled score: “Doin’ What Comes Naturally,” “You Can’t Get a Man With a Gun,” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business.” With the songs that established the leading character’s journey in place and tailored to the talents of the show’s star, Ethel Merman, Berlin was on his way. There’s nary a misstep in the subsequent material Berlin drummed up, although the songs for the secondary couple, Tommy and Winnie, are arguably the least inspired. In fact, there’s only one song that never needs to be heard in a contemporary production of Annie Get Your Gun ever again, the racist “I’m an Indian, Too.” (Sorry, folks, the counterargument that the song is a satirical take on racial stereotyping just doesn’t wash, and it certainly doesn’t play.) The accompanying “Wild Horse Ceremonial Dance” and “Adoption Dance” can be jettisoned too. That’s just what happened in the 1999 revival, along with some retooling of the book to adjust how the Native American characters were portrayed. Did Peter Stone hit the mark? Not quite, but it was a step in the right direction. What’s missing, perhaps, in the attempt to create an ideal fictional word for Annie Get Your Gun is a criticism of the stereotyping and treatment of Native American groups in the real world in which this fictionalised biography is set. Nonetheless, Annie Get Your Gun is a cultural touchstone. On paper, it shows us what 1946 – rather than 1876, when the show was set – was like in the USA. In the sense that it is a show of its time, it certainly is the musical of the year.

All things told, 1946 was an interesting year in musical theatre and perhaps more of a cultural reflection point than it first might appear to be. The musicals from this year, even beyond those mentioned in this column, show the theatre-makers of a dramatic form grappling with the world around it, willing to hold up the mirror and reflect what they were seeing, but not to smash the mirror itself and rebuild something magnificent from the fragments.

Posted in The Saturday List | Tagged 1946, Al Jolson, Annie Get Your Gun, Beggar's Holiday, Bible, Blue Skies, Call Me Mister, Carousel, Cole Porter, Dale Wasserman, Dorothy Fields, Duke Ellington, Eddy Howard and His Orchestra, Ethel Merman, Eva Perón, Evita, Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, Josh Stenberg, LGBTQIA+, Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five, Lute Song, Mary Martin, MENSA, Night and Day, Oklahoma!, Oscar Hammerstein II, Peter Stone, Pipa ji, Porgy and Bess, Richard Halliday, Richard Rodgers, St Louis Woman, Studies in Musical Theatre, The Jolson Story, To Each His Own, Yeichi Nimura, Yul Brynner | Leave a comment

Forgotten Musicals Friday: Don’t Leave THE BODY BEAUTIFUL Well Enough Alone!

Posted on April 14, 2023 by David Fick

Brock Peters and Steve Forrest in THE BODY BEAUTIFUL — Brock Peters and Steve Forrest in *The Body Beautiful*

It’s been said across multiple social media platforms: this season’s Some Like It Hot is a great old-fashioned musical comedy hit. Nonetheless, two things can be true simultaneously, and it could also be said that Some Like It Hot feels a lot like most of the Marc Shaiman-Scott Wittman collaborations: undistinguished. This Friday’s Forgotten Musical takes us back in time to a musical of which almost the opposite could be said. The Body Beautiful, which was Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s debut Broadway musical as a songwriting team, has the reputation of being undistinguished when compared with other similar musical comedies of the 1950s – but compared with the score of Broadway’s latest musical wannabe comedy smash, it offers a score that actually sounds like it could be a great old-fashioned musical comedy hit.

The Body Beautiful ran for a season a little shy of two months in 1958. Despite a short run, it was a bright spot in a year of slim pickings for musical theatre presentations. While it didn’t leave a lasting impression on Broadway history, the score was good enough to prick the ears of a young Stephen Sondheim, who recommended it to Harold Prince. Prince went to see the sho. Although he acknowledges that The Body Beautiful had its problems, he appreciated the talent of this young songwriting team. Prince then signed up Bock and Harnick to write Fiorello! – and the rest is solid gold musical theatre history.

When contemporary critics look back at The Body Beautiful, the major criticism, as it was back in the 1950s, is of Joseph Stein and Will Glickman’s book. Dealing with boxers and prizefighting, it has a lot of action but not much going on underneath the frenetic events of the plot. It hints tantalisingly at more substantial ideas – and why not? Many musical comedies use a light story to make some pertinent social observations. The Body Beautiful doesn’t get that far, although it flirts with themes like the cost of fame, outer vs inner beauty, race and the dynamics of marriage. The show might have worked better with a book by a writer like George Abbott, who had balanced sports and social observations so deftly in 1955’s Damn Yankees and would indeed collaborate with Bock and Harnick on Fiorello!

The score of The Body Beautiful has a reputation for being pedestrian but showing promise. A fresh listen reveals that it has a lot more to offer than that. Close to the top of the show, the upbeat title song delivers a hummable melody and allows the audience to connect immediately with the character who’s doing the singing. This is followed by “Fair Warning,” a characterful duet-cum-ensemble piece that jauntily sets up the second couple’s primary conflict in a typically musical comedy style. There’s lots of fun too in “All of These and More,” The Honeymoon is Over” and “Gloria” – and each has this ability to land character and situation in addition to delivering on smiles and chuckles when it comes to the lyrics. And anyone who doubts Bock’s musical sophistication at this early stage of his career needs to look no further than how he builds “A Relatively Simply Affair” into an impactful musical moment.

While the ballads that populate the more introspective moments in the show, like “Leave Well Enough Alone” and “Hidden in My Heart,” perhaps don’t hit home like Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s “Hello, Young Lovers” or “This Nearly Was Mine,” they’re actually no worse than Bock and Harnick’s “Now I Have Everything” from the acclaimed Fiddler on the Roof – and perhaps they’re an indication of the exact thing that is missing from something like today’s Some Like It Hot.

The major problem with Some Like it Hot is its onslaught of relatively generic music and wall-to-wall lyrics, neither of which the audience into the story and its characters and which don’t give the jokes time to land. That task is left to the performers. Songs like “I’m California Bound,” “Zee Bap” and “Let’s Be Bad” fail to develop the situations they dramatise beyond the initial setup. That problem is left to Matthew López and Amber Ruffin to solve in the book and director-choreographer Casey Nicholaw to address in his staging. The real lesson of The Body Beautiful, whatever its other flaws are, is just how well Bock’s music lets Harnick’s lyrics sing. Bock and Harnick don’t hit you over the head in the hope of leaving you giddy; the score engages you on its own merits. If ever there was a musical ripe for retooling, it’s The Body Beautiful. Compared with most contemporary musical comedies, it could be ‘all these and more!’

Posted in Forgotten Musicals Friday | Tagged Amber Ruffin, Casey Nicholaw, Damn Yankees, Fiddler on the Roof, Fiorello!, George Abbott, Harold Prince, Jerry Bock, Joseph Stein, Marc Shaiman, Matthew López, Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers, Scott Wittman, Sheldon Harnick, Some Like it Hot, Stephen Sondheim, The Body Beautiful, Will Glickman | Leave a comment

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