MUSICAL MAYHEM: MY TOP TWENTY-FIVE MUSICALS The Honor Roll - Part 5

MUSICAL MAYHEM: MY TOP TWENTY-FIVE MUSICALS

The Honor Roll - Part 5

Two more musicals from the Honor Roll of my top twenty-five musicals. One is a Tony winner and the other is an all-but-forgotten show. I can't wait to get started, so let's begin.

THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG – Book by Neil Simon, Music by Marvin Hamlisch, Lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager

Without a care in the world and without a mean or serious bone in its musical theatre body, bless its heart, They're Playing Our Song plays like a refreshing breeze on a still, humid day or a thirst-quenching drink on a hot summer afternoon. Oh, sure, our protagonists have a very up-and-down relationship and it even threatens to, gasp!, dissolve, but trust Messrs. Simon and Hamlisch and Ms. Sager to prevent anything like that to happen. It does provide the background for the show's best ballad, "I Still Believe in Love," but even as Sonia pours her heart out in this stellar song, you just know it will all work itself out by the final curtain. I'm devoted to this show. I adore the score, even though with only ten numbers, including one reprise, it's a bit thin song-wise by musical standards, and Neil Simon's book is often just flat-out hysterical and I still get the giggles when I think of that classic line "Look how much your cane loves you!" Dated? Absolutely. It has a sweetness and eagerness to please that musicals today often don't have in their desire to be more than escapist entertainment (this seaon's closed-way-too-soon Honeymoon in Vegas is an exception). There's no message. There's no hidden agenda. They're Playing Our Song simply invites you to sit back, enjoy some great music, laugh at some great one-liners and leave the theatre smiling. That truly works for me.

Sidebar: I know I'm centuries too old, but I've always wanted to play one of the Voices and not necessarily one of Vernon's voices. Sonia's voices have more sass, but I'd gladly play in either group. Despite a run of nearly 1200 performances, this show has never had a Broadway revival. Heeeeellllloooo?? I can think of several potential revival casts off the top of my head. Fun fact: Stockard Channing, yes that Stockard Channing, was a replacement Sonia during the Broadway run.

March, 1979. Just six weeks after it opened to a set of mostly positive reviews (what's not to love, I ask?), They're  Playing Our Song looked like a shiny new coin and played like a million bucks. In 1979, Robert Klein was arguably the bigger name, and as such had the "star" left-side billing, and he played his part with enthusiasm and an earnestness that was both endearing and a bit goofy. He was immensely likeable. By contrast, however, it was clearly evident from the moment she made her entrance that Lucie Arnaz, in her Broadway debut, owned the Imperial stage. Now mind you, she never, ever overshadowed her co-star and she always, always was in sync with Klein, but she had a presence that just told you this was one Broadway newcomer to watch. Perhaps this charisma is in her genes, being the daughter of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. Or perhaps it's that the role of Sonia is arguably the better role with the not-arguably more-soaring power ballads. I suspect it's a combination of both. No matter. They were both sensational and I laughed heartily and applauded like mad. Patricia Birch did the choreography, the high point being the joyful title song; Robert Moore provided the seamless direction; pros Douglas W. Schmidt, Ann Roth and Tharon M usser designed everything (scenic, costumes and lights respectively).  I  became an instant fan. – at the Imperial Theatre, New York.

April, 1979. Well, I loved the show so much, I went back two days later to catch an Actors Fund performance on that Sunday evening. An Actors Fund performance is a special performance given by shows nationwide to benefit the Actors Fund of America, a nationwide charitable organization that offers services and help to people in the entertainment industry. In New York, these performances are typically held on an "off" night, so folks involved in other shows can come cheer their friends and colleagues. Back in 1979, Sunday evenings on Broadway were dark. With an audience filled with industry friends and colleagues, the show had an added element of excitement and you could feel the electricity flowing both ways across the footlights. During the interval, Ain't Misbehavin's Armelia McQueen chatted me up in the lobby. It was that kind of evening. – at the Imperial Theatre, New York

December, 1979. First preview of the First National Tour. The set used in the bows apparently wasn't ready, which, of course, didn't faze the talented men and women on the Shubert stage one bit. In a far cry from the soulful and somewhat dour Anthony Hope of Sweeney Todd, Victor Garber showed his comic chops with a suitably manic performance as Vernon Gersh. He was irresistible and a better singer than Klein. As Sonia, Chicago audiences were indeed blessed to see the incomparable Ellen Greene. Distinctive in voice and somewhat quirky in manner, Greene gave an entirely new dimension to Sonia. Where Arnaz's Sonia was earthbound and centered, Greene's was a bit more frantic and scattered, so when she got down to musical brass tacks with "Just For Tonight" and especially "I Still Believe in Lone," the result was devastating. A duplicate of the New York original, this had all the bells and whistles, except for that final set piece, and the Voices were all marvelous. – at the Shubert Theatre, Chicago.

Another rare extant ticket from pre-computer days. The Mezzanine is now called the Dress Circle. Lousy place to sit unless you're in the first few rows because the Mezzanine (nee First Balcony) overhang cuts off the top portion of the stage.

The program had a minor makeover between previews and performances.

February, 1980. By this time the curtain call set piece was in place and the company as a whole seemed relaxed and at home at the Shubert. The group of friends I was with all thought the performance was super. So did I. – at the Shubert Theatre, Chicago

March, 1980. My best friend, Pat, was with me at the first Chicago preview. In March, 1980, we were both in New York to perform at a word-processing conference. (Word processors!!) We had some time off and since this was Lucie Arnaz's last day in the show, we decided to pay TPOS a return visit. Broadway stalwart Tony Roberts was playing Vernon by this time. I've never found Roberts to be an especially compelling performer, but he's always reliably and consistently good, which is probably why he always works, and his performance was solid and professional. Curiously, Arnaz now occupied the "star" billing slot and for her final matinee, she truly proved the billing was well worth it. It didn't hurt, of course, that the theatre was filled with fans and well-wishers, but she really pulled out all the stops and gave a magnificent performance. Fun fact: Future two-time Tony Award winner Donna Murphy had joined the cast and played one of Sonia's voices.  – at the Imperial Theatre, New York

February, 1981. (updated from a previous blog post) I would have seen this show in any event, but the bonus for me here in London was the dual casting of Tony-winner Tom Conti, in a surprisingly accomplished musical comedy turn, as Vernon and especially Gemma Craven, whom I fell in love with in the underrated film The Slipper and the Rose as Sonia. She was a joy with keen comic timing and a big, rich voice that did justice to her songs. Her "I Believe in Love"… yum. London editions of American musicals often seem to be played at a slightly faster clip which refreshes most material, no matter how excellent, and breathes new energy into it. Such was the case here. The material crossed the pond successfully and the London cast album remains my preferred version. This Yank had a grand time. – at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London

June, 1981. So what's a girl to do when her mother was one of the greatest and most iconic entertainers of all time, her sister an Emmy-Oscar-Tony winner (a non-competitive Grammy Legend Award would come in 1990) and only slightly less iconic than their mother, and when, for both her mother and sister, last names are superfluous because, well, who else would you mean and especially when your name is brought up and people say, "Who? Oh! You mean the other daughter." Well, if you're Lorna Luft, you work hard at your craft, take over an established role in a long-running Broadway show, work in summer stock, accept concert engagements whenever possible, star in a national tour of a Broadway hit, and relish in surprising people when they discover just how talented you are. And that's exactly what Lorna Luft did in the Second National Tour of TPOS. All the familiar production elements were present on the Uihlein Hall stage, Richard Ryder was an engaging and likeable Vernon, but it was Lorna Luft who was the revelation. With all due respect to Misses Arnaz, Greene, and Craven, this was arguably the best acted and certainly the best sung Sonia that I have seen. Her Sonia had just enough quirkiness to make her fun, but shaded that with a touching vulnerability that made you root for her from the start. And vocally? Ms. Luft definitely knew her way around the songs, knew how to merge the lyrics and the music until you believed the song was written expressly for her. You shouldn't be surprised. After all, she is Judy Garland's daughter. The interesting thing, though, is even back then Liza often sounded and performed like her mom, but you only caught glimpses of Garland in Luft's performance and only if you were looking for it. Absolutely first-rate. – at Uihlein Hall, Milwaukee

December, 1981. Produced with Marriott's Lincolnshire Theatre's usual standards, this was an entertaining evening that was professional, well-acted, well-sung and had lots of energy, but wasn't especially memorable. Chicago favorite David H. Bell certainly did a credible job directing the endeavor, but it was one of those shows that  didn't particularly register one way or the other. – at Marriott's Lincolnshire Theatre, Lincolnshire IL

July, 1984. Good things always seemed to going on at the still-lamented Candlelight Dinner Playhouse in Summit. By far, Candlelight was best in show for non-city theatre. Producer Bill Pullinsi and his directors, designers and actors gave audiences Broadway-quality shows and TPOS was no exception. Robert Neches, who played Vernon, was one of Steve's clients and he was a delightful Vernon who was clearly having fun in the role. Opposite him was Paty Lombard in a solid performance as Sonia that echoed Lucie Arnaz's, but was, at the same time, her own interpretation. A young Hollis Resnick was one of Sonia's voices. Good food and great theatre. Can't beat that! – at the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, Summit IL

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TITANIC – Book by Peter Stone, Music and Lyrics by Maury Yeston

The pre-opening buzz was lethal. The technical problems were legion, frequently stopping the show mid-performance. Preview walkouts were numerous. The ten-million-dollar show didn't have an iceberg's chance in hell and most critics and theatre columnists predicted the show, like its namesake, would sink at its opening performance, if it made it there at all. But despite a legendarily hellish preview period, vicious pre-opening press on a daily basis, and neutral-to-negative notices, Titanic proved everyone wrong by winning five Tony Awards two months later, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score, and ended up with a respectable, if, unfortunately, unprofitable, run of over 800 performances. It perhaps will never again receive a production like it's original one, but over time, the show has proven that first impressions can often be wrong and has become somewhat of a cult musical, admired for both its faults and for its magnificent virtues. This is not a perfect show.  It could use a sensitive trim and some well-thought-out character excision. There are simply too many people to keep track of and not all of them essential to the story. The storyline of 2nd Class passenger Alice Beane borders precariously on being unsympathetically annoying. The number that I'm sure the creatives thought would be the takeaway hit song, "Still," while certainly touching, has never particularly moved me. And sometimes the show just sort of creaks along. But then…ah, but then. Let's be honest. The sinking of the Titanic is still, over one hundred years later, a story that intrigues and captures the imagination of so many people. It's a human story of greed, hubris, ambition, love, bravery and courage that still resonates. Titanic's story shows us people at the best and at their worst. We, perhaps despite ourselves, get involved with this familiar story. We know some of our favorite characters will die, yet we still want the outcome to be different. And at the end, we are moved. And that's primarily due to Peter Stone's book and Maury Yeston's magnificent score. If you haven't listened to the cast recording lately, spend some time listening to the musical glories of this show. There are many treasures there, but none as great as the opening sequence of music that is the most thrilling opening of any show I've seen. This show beat the odds. For that, we should be thankful.

Sidebar: For the record, my other top favorite openings, in order are "Ragtime" from Ragtime, "Willkommen" from Cabaret (1998), "Walk Him Up the Stairs" from Purlie and "Willkommen" from Cabaret (1966).

December, 1998. As mentioned earlier, Titanic pretty much confounded its critics and not only won a bunch of Tony Awards, but also acquired a sizeable number of devoted fans and embarked on a very respectable two-year run. We saw this about twenty months after its opening. By then the show had long settled into its berth at the Lunt-Fontanne (sorry…I'll stop the shipboard references now) and the largely replacement cast of seasoned Broadway pros brought this sweeping tale to life. In the reviews, much was made of the intricate, yet not particularly opulent, scenic design…I suspected most reviewers were disappointed it wasn't more luxe...but I found the use of levels to reflect the various decks and the shipboard hierarchy to be effective. Most impressive was the scenic coup de théâtre in the First Class Smoking Room as the hydraulics worked overtime and furniture and actor Matthew Bennett, playing Titanic's architect, Thomas Andrews, tilted and slid offstage representing the ship as it sank. Really quite brilliant. Least impressive, the scenic "what-the-hell-were-they-thinking" use of a miniature Titanic zipping along the upstage wall at the conclusion of Act One, then disappearing offstage with a crash, symbolizing, I assume, the collision with the iceberg. Really rather silly and it elicited more than a few laughs, not the reaction the designers were aiming for, I suspect. In an otherwise elegant production, it was quite cheesy. The opening sequence soared; Martin Moran and Clarke Thorell shone in their duet "The Proposal/The Night was Alive;" John Cunningham provided years of Broadway experience as a noble Captain Smith; Adam Pelty made the most out of the eerie and prophetic "No Moon;" Jennifer Piech, Theresa McCarthy and Emily Loesser, daughter of composer Frank Loesser, were notable and feisty as the three Kates. Unfortunately, I felt Kay Walbye's Alice Beane was cloying and how much of that had to do with the performance itself and how much of it had to do with the writing of the part is debatable. I will say, however, that in the staged concert version, the character came across better. For the record, the Lunt's balcony is painfully tight. Poor Bob's leg were crushed. We took empty seats in the orchestra for Act Two. – at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, New York

(edited from a previous post)

February, 2014. Manhattan Concert Productions presented this. These are the same folks who produced last season's breathtaking concert edition of Ragtime. Last year's performance bordered on a religious experience; this year was no different. It was simply magnificent; a feast for the ears and the soul as Peter Stone and Maury Yeston brought the legendary tragic saga of the ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic to a human level, devoid of the special effects and stereotypes of James Cameron's much-lauded film. (Lest you get the wrong impression, I quite like Mr. Cameron's film. But it's often more spectacle than story.) From Captain to First Class Passenger to the Bellboy, director Don Stephenson and music director Kevin Stites gave us characters we may have loved or hated, Bruce Ismay was really a despicable human being, but we were interested in all of them and cared about many of them. As I've mentioned before, this is not a perfect show. Not every number lands: the Strauses' "Still," ably sung by Alma Cuervo and Ron Raines, tugs at our emotions, but doesn't quite touch us the way the authors intended; "I Give You My Hand," a beautiful song cut during Broadway previews, is pretty to listen to, but seems grafted onto the proceedings; "Mr. Andrews' Vision," while powerful, perhaps could have better made its point as a frantic spoken monologue, given the scenic/technical restraints of a staged concert production on a concert hall stage. But, then, ladies and gentlemen, there is that opening sequence: a glorious experience that ranks, in my book, as the most singular opening number in musical theatre. Ever. Full stop. According to the program, seven pieces of music make up this opening, ending with the goosebump-inducing "Godspeed Titanic," which also brings the show to its triumphant conclusion. It's a marvel of acting, singing, and, even in this concert setting, staging. Like last year, a 250-strong chorus added an extra thrilling element to the ensemble numbers. Many of the original cast members returned to reprise their roles and they were all greeted with enthusiastic "welcome home" entrance applause. This remarkable cast included, in addition to Ms. Cuervo and Mr. Raines, Michael Cerveris, David Constabile, John Bolton, John Cunningham, David Garrison, Jill Paice, Michele Ragusa, Ryan Silverman and other talented Broadway pros. Top honors, though went to David Elder as Frederick Fleet with a haunting "No Moon" to close Act One, Joseph Castinado, a high school junior, whose excitement at being in this production in the role of Bellboy was positively contagious and totally endearing, but most especially to Brian d'Arcy James (Frederick Barrett) and Martin Moran (Harold Bride) whose duet of "The Proposal/The Night Was Alive" stopped the show cold and when they appeared together at bows, brought the already loud and enthusiastic applause to a deafening roar of cheers and bravos. My good pal, Gina, joined me and she remarked that she'd seen nothing quite like this. I agree. - at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, New York

That's it for now! Til later.

© 2015 Jeffrey Geddes