The FAB-ULOUS Broadway Thread

[Zeeba Neighba]

^
Aside to mention some old Broadway greats who were in Oklahoma!

Alfred Drake, the original Curly, would also be the original lead in Kiss Me Kate and Kismet. Interestingly he would appear later in life in the 1973 musical Gigi adapted from the film as Honore, the Maurice Chevalier role.

Celeste Holm, the original Ado Annie (knowing her classy supporting actress roles in film, still find this hard to believe) would of course go on to success in film with All About Eve, Gentlemen's Agreement, High Society, etc.

Howard da Silva, the original Jud Fry, would be nominated for Feature Actor in Fiorello (only to lost the Tony to his castmate Tom Bosley - of Happy Days fame). He would go on 29 years (!) post-Oklahoma to play Ben Franklin in 1776

 

[axolotl]

Celeste Holm, the original Ado Annie (knowing her classy supporting actress roles in film, still find this hard to believe) would of course go on to success in film with All About Eve, Gentlemen's Agreement, High Society, etc.

She couldn't say 'No' to the role.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

#6) Carousel - Original Broadway Cast Recording - debut 1945

Carousel has its fans, but it's never fully appealed to me because....well, lets face it, it's a weird-ass musical. Clearly Rodgers & Hammerstein wanted their follow-up to Oklahoma to be different and weren't afraid to embrace darker elements of broken relationships, crime, and death. Still the second act is so cluttered trying to combine Billy Bigelow's conflict over committing a crime to support his unborn child, final interactions with his love, the crime, his death, afterlife, and attempts for final redemption to help his daughter 15 years later. C'mon, guys!

Still, an important musical - 890 performances in its initial run - and classics like the "Carousel Waltz" (Dire Straits "Tunnel of Love" famously quotes this), "June is Busting Out All Over", "If I Loved You", and, of course, every Liverpool fan's favorite "You'll Never Walk Alone". Also fairly unique to Broadway musicals at the time was the 7-1/2 minute "Soliloquy" sung (and spoken) solo in the manner of an aria. Decca released the original cast album a set of five 12" 78 rpm records so some songs are truncated and a lot of score is cut.

 

[Ojai Sam]

5) Oklahoma (Original Broadway Cast) - debut 1943

Not much to be said about this obvious selection, important both musically and historically in the development/popularity of the "book musical".
Rodgers and Hammerstein won a special Pulitzer Prize for Oklahoma! in 1944
Mike Todd (theatre producer and eventual Mr. Liz Taylor), upon seeing New Haven try-outs commented after leaving after act one, "No girls, no gags, no chance." Got that one wrong, Mike

Here's a nice article about the hugely popular cast album which was delayed initially by a recording strike then rushed out - didn't matter. Clearly there was money to be made in them thar' Broadway cast albums (which from now on I'll be typically sticking to original cast albums)

How ‘Oklahoma!’ Revolutionized the Cast Album (Published 2019)

It took decades for the full Rodgers and Hammerstein score to be available. But even abbreviated, the show helped build a whole new audience for Broadway music.

www.nytimes.com

Oklahoma! always seemed larger than life to me, in a class by itself. Growing up, my mom was never big on musicals but regularly played the 78 r.p.m. album of this show, stacking 'em up on the ol' Magnavox record changer. Hitting the stage in the middle of WWII, Oklahoma! restored a much needed sense of brightness and innocence to the Great White Way at a time when it was under a "dim out" due to fears of shelling by German U-Boats.

Despite the technical limitations cited in the fascinating NYT article linked by Zeeb, the powerful performers featured on the cast album do a great job of bringing a memorable batch of songs to life. There is still a hint of the old "light opera" style in the vocals of Alfred Drake and Joan Roberts whuich reinforces the sense of history which is so integral to this show.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

#7) Annie Get Your Gun - debut 1946

Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun is a musical that's lost some luster in recent years given its exaggerated countrified accents and mention of "Indians" - reasons perhaps why it hasn't been revived in the U.S. in over 20 years - but musically it remains strong with classics of the stage like "There's No Business Like Show Business", "You Can't Get A Man with a Gun", and "Anything You Can Do"

Initially staged in 1946, it was a wonderful showcase for Ethel Merman's talents (who had done Anything Goes in 1934 and several smaller shows in between). Merman was such a powerhouse in everything she did that the specter of Merman (sounds like a Magic the Gathering card my son might have) hangs over ever show she's ever done (especially Gypsy).

This is one reason I decided not only to spin the original, but also the 1999 Broadway Cast Revival staring Bernadette Peters (no Broadway slouch in her own right) which actually ran for over 1000 shows itself. You can't out-power Merman (as several Gypsy performers have discovered), so I appreciate Peters (who won a Tony for this) more subdued take on the songs. On a side note the 1999 show has Luke Duke himself - Tom Wopat - as the male lead Frank.

 

[Ojai Sam]

#6) Carousel - Original Broadway Cast Recording - debut 1945

Carousel has its fans, but it's never fully appealed to me because....well, lets face it, it's a weird-ass musical. Clearly Rodgers & Hammerstein wanted their follow-up to Oklahoma to be different and weren't afraid to embrace darker elements of broken relationships, crime, and death. Still the second act is so cluttered trying to combine Billy Bigelow's conflict over committing a crime to support his unborn child, final interactions with his love, the crime, his death, afterlife, and attempts for final redemption to help his daughter 15 years later. C'mon, guys!

Still, an important musical - 890 performances in its initial run - and classics like the "Carousel Waltz" (Dire Straits "Tunnel of Love" famously quotes this), "June is Busting Out All Over", "If I Loved You", and, of course, every Liverpool fan's favorite "You'll Never Walk Alone". Also fairly unique to Broadway musicals at the time was the 7-1/2 minute "Soliloquy" sung (and spoken) solo in the manner of an aria. Decca released the original cast album a set of five 12" 78 rpm records so some songs are truncated and a lot of score is cut.

Cast recordings from musicals of the 1940's reflect the more formal, semi-operatic style that dominated the stage nearly 80 years ago. Rodgers and Hammerstein certainly had courage to make a musical from a thirty year old Hungarian fantasy play. I've never watched any version of Carousel, but would love to see the darker stage version in preference to the cheered up Gordon MacRae-Shirley Jones film. Parenthetically, the recently restored 1934 Fritz Lang film version of the original play starring Charles Boyer looks like a great watch too:

Based solely on the music, I can understand why Carousel earned so many accolades over the years, including best musical of the 20th century according to Time Magazine. So many catchy, memorable songs make this a pretty irresistible package.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

#8) Brigadoon - debut 1947

Brigadoon - the Lerner and Loewe musical about a Scottish village that appears for one day every 100 years - is not a favorite of mine (and aside from the wonderful "Almost Like Being In Love" has, I feel, a forgettable soundtrack), but is included here because it is more important than good. It's certainly a favorite of many with 685 shows in its initial run plus 2 Broadway revivals in the 1950s, one in the 1960s, one in the 1980s and several National tours since (not to mention its popularity in local theatre). It's got Scottish dancing, lassies, and romance - hey, it keeps pulling people back.
An aside - it also is one of the main musicals satirized in the wonderful AppleTV+ limited series Schmigadoon with Keegan-Michael Key, Cecily Strong, Alan Cumming, and Kristen Chenoweth

I'm intrigued by the 1966 TV version with Robert Goulet and Peter Falk...hmmm

To date, this was Lerner & Loewe's biggest hit with Paint Your Wagon, My Fair Lady, and Camelot to follow.

 

[Ojai Sam]

#8) Brigadoon - debut 1947

Brigadoon - the Lerner and Loewe musical about a Scottish village that appears for one day every 100 years - is not a favorite of mine (and aside from the wonderful "Almost Like Being In Love" has, I feel, a forgettable soundtrack), but is included here because it is more important than good. It's certainly a favorite of many with 685 shows in its initial run plus 2 Broadway revivals in the 1950s, one in the 1960s, one in the 1980s and several National tours since (not to mention its popularity in local theatre). It's got Scottish dancing, lassies, and romance - hey, it keeps pulling people back.
An aside - it also is one of the main musicals satirized in the wonderful AppleTV+ limited series Schmigadoon with Keegan-Michael Key, Cecily Strong, Alan Cumming, and Kristen Chenoweth

I'm intrigued by the 1966 TV version with Robert Goulet and Peter Falk...hmmm

To date, this was Lerner & Loewe's biggest hit with Paint Your Wagon, My Fair Lady, and Camelot to follow.

This is scary. Earlier today, I found a bargain priced CD of Annie Get Your Gun but the seller had a minimum purchase amount. So I scrolled through dozens of listings and finally settled on one more disc: Brigadoon! :nunja:

 

[axolotl]

This is scary. Earlier today, I found a bargain priced CD of Annie Get Your Gun but the seller had a minimum purchase amount. So I scrolled through dozens of listings and finally settled on one more disc: Brigadoon! :nunja:

Nice to know others do not give up until they've reach the minimum standard, even if it is a purchase amount.

 

[axolotl]

#8) Brigadoon - debut 1947

Brigadoon - the Lerner and Loewe musical about a Scottish village that appears for one day every 100 years - is not a favorite of mine (and aside from the wonderful "Almost Like Being In Love" has, I feel, a forgettable soundtrack), but is included here because it is more important than good. It's certainly a favorite of many with 685 shows in its initial run plus 2 Broadway revivals in the 1950s, one in the 1960s, one in the 1980s and several National tours since (not to mention its popularity in local theatre). It's got Scottish dancing, lassies, and romance - hey, it keeps pulling people back.
An aside - it also is one of the main musicals satirized in the wonderful AppleTV+ limited series Schmigadoon with Keegan-Michael Key, Cecily Strong, Alan Cumming, and Kristen Chenoweth

I'm intrigued by the 1966 TV version with Robert Goulet and Peter Falk...hmmm

To date, this was Lerner & Loewe's biggest hit with Paint Your Wagon, My Fair Lady, and Camelot to follow.

I always thought that Brigadoon was the impetus for the I Love Lucy bit about Lucy McGillicuddy going to Scotland, but I'm certainly willing to be wrong about this one.

Lucy Goes to Scotland

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/ScottyMcTavish.jpg http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/McGillicuddyMeal.jpg Lucy Goes to Scotland was the 144th overall episode of I Love Lucy, also the 17th episode of season 5 of the series. The episode, was directed by James V...

ilovelucyandricky.fandom.com

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

^
She had a lot of 'splaining to do


This post reminds me I really want to watch Being the Ricardos to see Kidman and Bardem take on Lucy and Desi. I hear J.K. Simmons as William Frawley is fantastic

 

[axolotl]

^
She had a lot of 'splaining to do


This post reminds me I really want to watch Being the Ricardos to see Kidman and Bardem take on Lucy and Desi. I hear J.K. Simmons as William Frawley is fantastic

Agreed. He seems so one-dimensional in the Farmers Insurance ads.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Agreed. He seems so one-dimensional in the Farmers Insurance ads.

Farmers? Dom-da-dom-dom-da-da-dom

 

[axolotl]

Farmers? Dom-da-dom-dom-da-da-dom

See Hear what I mean? He plays second-fiddle to a stupid jingle.

By the way, I thought it was: Bom-ba-bom-bom-ba-ba-bom.

But, maybe that's just me.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

See Hear what I mean? He plays second-fiddle to a stupid jingle.

By the way, I thought it was: Bom-ba-bom-bom-ba-ba-bom.

But, maybe that's just me.

I left out a "bom"...I left out the more important one too

actually maybe it is "bom" so I left out many "boms" then - maybe all the bomps are in the bomp bomp bomp - the world may never know

 

[axolotl]

I left out a "bom"...I left out the more important one too

actually maybe it is "bom" so I left out many "boms" then - maybe all the bomps are in the bomp bomp bomp - the world may never know

I thought you'd never ask:

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

#9) Kiss Me Kate (Original Broadway Cast) - debut 1949

We go from Brigadoon which would be low down on a personal ranked list to Kiss Me Kate which would almost certainly be in my top 5 - no surprise given my avowed love of Cole Porter. Hilarious play in a play musical as a production of The Taming of the Shrew gets complicated by mistaken identity, romantic entanglements, and mobsters - just like Shakespeare! (well except for the mobsters). In addition to the fun plot and great humor, there are the usual Porter songs (that quickly became standards) like "Too Darn Hot" and "So In Love". Just crackles!

Was very saddened recently when an older friend who was "catching up" on all the old classics he missed during his busy youth spent working and raising a family. He asked me for a reco and had seen the usual suspects, so I suggested the 1953 MGM take on the musical - I've always thought Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson, and Ann Miller did a game job, but it apparently bored him and his wife stiff....ah well, no accounting for taste (shrug).
Having mentioned a young hoofer named Bob Fosse as the understudy (in 1952) when Pal Joey came up above, feel I should mention he played a small role in the 1953 film - who knows? Thank young boy may go far

Trivia: Kiss Me Kate won the first Best Musical Tony in 1949

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

#10) South Pacific (Original Broadway Cast) - debut 1949

Another obvious pick for the top 100 especially considering the Rodgers-Hammerstein classic contains so many stage classics: "Some Enchanted Evening", "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair", "A Wonderful Guy", "Bali Hai", "There's Nothing Like a Dame"....really the whole soundtrack is pretty classic (besides these, I really love the lesser known "This Nearly Was Mine")

I've said this before but, apologies to Larry Hagman, not a big Mary Martin fan - granted I was too young to see her in any of her classics - this one, Sound of Music, even Peter Pan, so maybe her acting was wonderfully charismatic, but I find her voice too thin and light (Julie Andrews kicks her ass in Sound of Music and I prefer the film soundtrack)

Miscellany:
1) A great revival was the Kelli O'Hara one in 2008.. A tremendous voice who is a giant of 21st century musical theatre (she was also in the latest revival of Kiss Me Kate)
2) I found it interesting from a TV perspective that both Florence Henderson (in the 1960s) and Barbara Eden (in the 1980s) played Nurse Nellie Forbush in smaller revivals - 60s sitcoms represent!
3) Just read that there was a non-Broadway touring show Legends! in 1986 centering on two aging rival film stars starring Mary Martin and Carol Channing. This play was revived in 2006 starring Joan Collins and Linda Evans. I find this trivial nugget just awesome

 

[axolotl]

"Some Enchanted Man"

I must have missed that one.

Is it a mashup of the originals?

ETA: I need to extend you much more grace. Your write-up is fantastic.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

I must have missed that one.

Is it a mashup of the originals?

ETA: I need to extend you much more grace. Your write-up is fantastic.

+ (some mixed emojis)

As the Stones say, you're not the only one with mixed emojis.

Corrected original post - although Broadway mashups would be fun