The FAB-ULOUS Broadway Thread

[Zeeba Neighba]

34) Hello Dolly (Original Broadway Cast) - (1964)

35) Funny Girl (Original Broadway Cast) - (1964)


Today listened to two iconic musicals. Hello Dolly Is not a particular favorite of mine, but with four Broadway revivals including the most recent in 2017 with Bette Midler, it certainly has staying power. Of course, the orginal Dolly Levi, Carol Channing, is the standard (remember NYC TV commercials for her in 1979 - she would appear again in 1995 at age 74) given her stage presence and humor. Other original cast members included Match Game panelist Charles Nelson Reilly (who was also in How to Succeed in Business) and Eileen Brennan (whose singing voice is a beautiful contrast to her scratchy speaking voice as seen in The Sting and Private Benjamin).

Still, despite it’s great title track, it always seemed a bit dated musically - it is set in the turn of the 20th century granted. A show of a bygone era when more modern shows were starting to arrive on the scene. Channing would not be used in the film version of Dolly, her role going to the star of the next musical, Funny Girl, a killer musical adaptation or Broadway/radio performer, comedian Fanny Brice. Songs like “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and “People” have only seemed to become more popular over the years as covered by younger performers. A current revival - originally with Jonah Hill’s sister Beanie Feldstein now with controversial Glee-actress Lea Michelle - has kept this musical in the public’s ear. Streisand would of course go on to share the Best Actress Oscar for her role in the film version.

 

[axolotl]

Channing would

For Heaven's sake, don't stop now! I'm hanging on every word.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

For Heaven's sake, don't stop now! I'm hanging on every word.

You must have caught my post just after I unknowingly deleted a blocked off section of text. Hit post reply then saw error like a minute later

 

[axolotl]

You must have caught my post just after I unknowingly deleted a blocked off section of text. Hit post reply then saw error like a minute later

I hate when I do that, and people notice/respond too early.

P. S. I'll let you know whenever I notice any karma.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

36) Man of La Mancha (Original Broadway Cast) - 1965

A night at the theatre on Saturday put me in a mood to revisit my unfinished 100 Best/Favorite Musicals (August...gack! It's been awhile)
Those looking for a faithful rendition of Don Quixote will be disappointed but otherwise a wonderful music with the play within a play format with stories relayed by the imprisoned Cervantes.
Original run was 2328 performances with 5 Tony's including Best Musical
High point is "The Impossible Dream" which was covered by many including Sinatra, The Temptations, Cher, Glen Campbell, Christopher Lee, and Elvis

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

37) Mame (Original Broadway Cast) - 1966

This musical about the larger-than-life Mame Dennis and her influence on her nephew Patrick is very much one of personalities. Far from the director's first choice, Angela Lansbury was chosen - at that time new to Broadway - and would make the role her own winning her first of four acting Tony's. Only revived once on Broadway in the 1980s again with Lansbury with less success - an older style musical amidst the changing theater of the late 60s/70s. Still, quite enjoyable and the source of the lively "We Need A Little Christmas". Bea Arthur, fresh off Fiddler on the Roof, is also in this as Mame's best friend.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

38) Cabaret (Original Broadway Cast) - 1966

An obvious choice for the top 100 musicals - stone call classic by the writing team of Kander and Ebb - their second collaboration of an outstanding partnership (one day I'll do a Kander & Ebb listening project) and their most famous. Liza Minelli was a frequent part of their productions (including their first musical 1965's Flora the Red Menace, and of course would be in Bob Fosse's film, but it's Jill Haworth originating Sally Bowles here. Joel Grey is of course outstanding here in a career-defining role. Lotte Lenya is here as well.
Wonderful music with very dark themes, made even darker by Fosse in the film and in subsequent productions like the 2014 Broadway revival with Alan Cumming.
And Cabaret is back on Broadway this time with Eddie Redmayne as the Emcee

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

^
Always forget that the wonderful song "Maybe This Time" is in the film NOT the original Cabaret so not on this album

Sigh...I guess I could break out the movie version next

 

[Ojai Sam]

^^ ^^^ ^^^^
Pssst...the secret word is "yellow". :nunja:

Here's a newer one for you:

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

^
Haven't seen Shucked yet but enjoy what I've heard from it

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

39) Sweet Charity (Original Cast Recording) - 1966

Wonderful Fosse-Verdon collaboration based on Fellini's film Nights of Cabiria with some classic numbers ("Hey Big Spender", "If My Friends Could See Me Now"); also really like "The Rhythm of Life"

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

40) You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Original Off-Broadway Cast) - 1967

Well my goodness - once started down the musical path today, just kept listening.

Goofy, definitely trippy (welcome to the late 60s) but infectious as it tries to dive into the hangups, psychology explored in Schulz's strip.
Gary Burghoff played the original Charlie Brown and Bob Balaban played Linus
"Book Report" (where the characters brood over Peter Rabbit) is hilarious.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

41) Promises, Promises (New Broadway Cast Recording) - 1968 original show, 2010 revival

With the source material of Billy Wilder's The Apartment, the Burt Bacharach-Hal David music, or the Neil Simon book, it's no surprise I enjoy Promises, Promises (despite having some goofy songs like "She Likes Basketball" and "Turkey Lurkey Time"). The original cast recording has never to my knowledge been streaming (odd for Broadway soundtracks) and is hard to find - a shame given it's Jerry Orbach's follow up to The Fantasticks. So going with the New Cast Recording which is A-OK as I saw Sean Hayes, Kristin Chenoweth, Tony Goldwyn, and Molly Shannon is this. The show tried to capitalize on the popularity of Mad Men at the time, but the jolly ol' focus on infidelity of men was a bit tone deaf for the modern era.
That being said, the cast was game and did a great job. The revival also added some Bacharach-David songs like "Say A Little Prayer" to the show.
Original show: 1280 performances, Revival: 291 shows

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

42) Hair (Original Broadway Cast) - 1968

I had the Hair soundtracks on CD in college decades before actually seeing it live. Without Wiki to look up the plot, was left to imagine a book that would tie together this bizarre group of counterculture themed songs. Of course, the real plot of the play isn't much more coherent than my imagination was. Still a favorite though with several songs that were adapted to hits, but also energetic, unknown songs that just sound great ("I Got Life", "Be-In", "Where Do I Go?"). Turn on, tune in, drop out - peace!

Original Broadway run: 1750 performances (after runs at Joe Papp's Public Theatre as well as at the Cheetah Nightclub

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

43) Zorba (Original Cast Recording) (1968)

Tony Awards last night so, of course, gonna be in a musical listening mood today. Zorba, the musical of the novel and subsequent 1964 Anthony Quinn film Zorba the Greek (Quinn would appear in the only Broadway revival in 1983) is one of my on the cusp musicals for me (especially as I've never seen it live) easily bumped by a more recent musical like Shucked, A Strange Loop, Waitress etc. that has come out since I made my Top 100 several years back. Still the Greek music is infectious, and Herschel Bernardi is a charismatic lead. Plus, it was able to score a Best Musical nomination in a quite a strong year (Hair, 1776, Promises Promises) so gets points for that.
Original run - 305 performances. 1983 revival - 362 performances

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

44) 1776 (Original Cast Recording) - (1969)

Always enjoyable with a great cast led by William Daniels as John Adams and Howard Da Silva as Ben Franklin (Rex Everhart actually is on the Cast Recordings as Da Silva took a break from the role after a heart attack; Da Silva would return for the film). I always forget The White Shadow's Ken Howard originated the role of Thomas Jefferson). Betty Buckley's (Cats, Sunset Boulevard, TV's Eight is Enough) debut was also in this musical as Martha Jefferson.

Often revived by small theatre groups (there's always a troupe performing it somewhere around Independence Day). I also enjoy the film which kept much of the cast.

Holds the record still, I believe, of the longest non-musical gap (30 minutes) between songs in a Broadway musical.

Original Run - 1217 performances

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

45) Company (Original Broadway Cast) - (1970)

My favorite full-on Sondheim work (West Side Story and Gypsy trump it but Sondheim did only the lyrics for those two) and as such it probably ranks between 8-15 on my personal ever-changing list. Great music, hilarious and quite experimental in its structure (for a Broadway musical) in its day.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

46) Jesus Christ Superstar (Original Concept Album) - (1970)

I was introduced to JCS through the film and continue to break it and its soundtrack regularly. I'm not a tremendous Andrew Lloyd Weber fan, but the melodies in this one as well as the lead vocal opportunities and the focus on Judas lead to a really enjoyable musical. But which version to spin - the film version is my favorite but this is the Broadway thread. So will go with the concept album that introduced so many to this musical in 1970. Hard to pass up Ben Vereen as Judas (Vereen originated roles in two of my faves of the era, this and Pippin), but the actual Broadway Cast recording isn't complete. Plus how can you go wrong with the classic with Murray Head as Judas, Ian Gillian as Jesus, and Yvonne Elliman as Mary Magdalene.

After enjoying JCS on film and through its recordings for years, finally last year saw my first live performance and sadly it was lacking both in its direction as well as sound quality. Luckily I knew the lyrics as most were drowned out by vocal interpretations and a ramped up band.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

47) Godspell (Original Off-Broadway Cast) (1971)

If a nation can have two major political parties and two major colas, why not two Jesus musicals - both hitting NYC in 1971. Jesus Christ Superstar is the more cohesive and better musical. Godspell has more of that freewheeling Hair feel, really a compilation of parables from the book of Matthew. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have some catchy songs including “Prepare Ye The Way of the Lord”, and, of course “Day By Day”. Definitely a bit hippie and Kumbaya from today’s perspective, but compared to current Christian Evangelicalism, I’ll take Kumbaya any day.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

48) Follies (Original Broadway Cast) - (1971)



Sondheim again, really hitting his stride - far from his last entry
Follies is a complex exploration of age, emotions, nostalgia, bitterness under the framework of the reunion of old Ziegfeld Follies-type dancers and entertainment in their old theater about to be demolished. I enjoy Company more musically, but boy is this rich and quite the exploration of the theatre (and life/aging in general)
“Could I Leave You?” Is wonderfully acidic and funny and Yvonne DeCarlo’s “I’m Still Here” about the persistence of a Broadway star despite the changes of life and the theatre is perfect.
From Wiki:

Elaine Stritch told Stephen Sondheim that an actress has only earned the right to perform the song once they reach 80. She expressed her frustration that the many women who perform the song in their forties, fifties, and even sixties, lack the life experience necessary, demanding to know "where have they been?"