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CD Reviews

by John Kenrick

(Copyright 2002)

Saratoga – RCA

This highly anticipated 1959 flop suffered from a weak book and even weaker staging – both the work of an overconfident Morton DaCosta. However, the Harold Arlen-Johnny Mercer score has its admirers, and the rare cast recording was much coveted by collectors. I was never willing to cough up major bucks to buy a used copy of the LP. Now that Saratoga is on CD, it is clear what the fuss was about – and just as clear why the show failed.

Howard Keel and Carol Lawrence meet up in 1880 New Orleans, and join forces to help each other settle old scores with family enemies. Traveling North to Saratoga, their machinations eventually lead them to each others arms. Both stars are in sumptuous voice, and each gets some excellent songs – as well as a few so-so numbers. Carol Brice gets a few memorable moments as Lawrence's servant, including the lush "Goose Never Be a Peacock."

Highlights include the giddy "Petticoat High," the hopeful "Why Fight This?," and a breezy title tune. Arlen and Mercer were master craftsmen, but this is not an exciting score. Reading the plot notes, one wonders how anyone hoped to make a 1950s musical out of such a story.

Serious cast recording collectors and Arlen fans will want this – for others, its your call. While I do not regret owning it, it was hardly worth the years of waiting. At the same time, I would not be surprised if someone does not try to give this story a new treatment. It just might work in an age accustomed to Les Miz and other sweeping epics.

Saturday Night – Off-Broadway Cast (Nonesuch)

No excuses this time If you thrive on the genius of Stephen Sondheim, you will be intrigued to hear his first Broadway score. If you are a traditionalist with little love for Mr. S., the warm, optimistic humor that runs though his earliest score will surprise you. Either way, you will not want to miss hearing some of the freshest, most talented singers to grace a cast recording in heaven knows how long.

The death of producer Lem Ayers (best remembered for Kiss Me Kate) forced the shelving of this project in 1954. Over the decades, Sondheim allowed some of the songs to be heard, and a recent RCA/First Night CD preserved the well-intentioned efforts of a 1998 British production – energetic but mired in clumsy Brooklynese accents. It was not until this past winter that Off-Broadway s Second Stage Theatre Company gave Saturday Night its first American staging, which is heard in this recording.

The story revolves around the romantic adventures of several young men who share a Brooklyn apartment in the 1920 s. David Campbell whose striking looks and golden-age Broadway voice have brought him much attention of late – shines on this recording as Gene, a social climber who s ambitious Manhattan nights lead him into love. Since he pretends to be an wealthy blue blood, it should be no surprise that his "Southern belle" (played deftly by Lauren Ward) turns out to be a fellow Brooklynite.

Christopher Fitzgerald and Andrea Burns are standouts in the solid supporting cast, and its great to hear longtime Sondheim orchestrator Jonathan Tunick work his magic with such lighthearted material. Playfully melodic, this score is already brimming with the clever, insightful lyrics that later became a Sondheim trademark. The opening title quartet is delicious, as are "What More Do I Need," "Isn t It Grand" and "So Many People" and this native New Yorker adores the mini-chorale "Hail Brooklyn."

As a show, Saturday Night is a dream come true for college, high school and summer stock companies – the perfect showcase for exuberant young talent. As a recording, it is an audio tonic for showtune-starved ears.

The Scarlet Pimpernel –
Original Broadway Cast

Every now and then a cast album comes along that makes a score sound better than it does in the theatre . . . Dear World, Prettybelle, Baker's Wife and Merrily We Roll Along. To that list we can now add The Scarlet Pimpernel. At The Minskoff, Pimpernel suffered from a sound system that frequently muddied the lyrics and left an uneven balance between singers and orchestra. The entertaining script tended to outshine the songs.

Frank Wildhorn's score can't make up its mind – is it trying to be The New Moon, Les Miserables or Rent? Numbers like the charming "Vivez" or the rousing "Into The Fire" work beautifully, and the ballad "It's Only Love" is a lush delight. I confess that as a longtime fan of the Pimpernel story, I get a sick giggle out of "They Seek Him Here" and the campy "Creation of Man." But it seems a little silly when 1780s characters intermittently try singing to a rock beat. Most of the rock arrangements I heard in previews were dropped for the recording, and the score sounds the stronger for it.

It is delightful to hear the divine Christine Andreas again – calling all casting directors! Terrance Mann is a master at making the most of dark characters, but even he has a hard time with material that makes Chauvelin so morose. Douglas Sills is the brightest talent to hit the Broadway musical stage in a generation, and his Percy is just as fetching on CD as it was on stage. At a time when humor is sorely needed on the musical stage, Sills brings out the comedy as well as the pain in a good song – I pray that roles worthy of his talents will bring him back to Broadway soon.

The Scarlet Pimpernel is not one of the all time great musicals, but it is a fun show with an enjoyable score. Even if you have not seen the Broadway production, the cast CD is more than strong enough to stand on its own.

(Note: A revised recording, with parts of three different versions of Pimpernel was eventually released – and was hardly worth the effort. The version reviewed above is still the one most worth having.)

Seussical – Original Bway Cast (Decca Broadway)

When I saw this show, I assured my stupefied companion that it would sound a lot better on CD than it seemed on stage. After all, once you got the witless physical production out of the way, the (mostly) fine cast and melodic score would be much easier to enjoy. As with several other flops, a solid cast recording might actually make the schizophrenic Seussical sound like a hit.

Luckily, CD producer Phil Ramone has proven me right with this often delicious release. Ragtime's Lynn Ahrens-Stephen Flaherty have turned out some very well-crafted moments, some of which echo the jaunty rhythms of that much-loved hit. They don't always match the timeless magic of the original Seuss poetry, but their songs are Broadway through and through – a terribly rare thing today.

Some superlative performers make the most of the material. Kevin Chamberlain is irresistible as Horton the elephant, and Janine LaManna delights as the vain but affectionate Gertrude McFuzz. The glorious Michele Pawk turns in another dazzling turn as the thoughtless Mayzie, and young Anthony Blair Hall is a charmer as the young boy who helps to save Whoville. David Shiner seemed unfocused and uneasy on stage, but sounds far more secure on this recording.

Broadway buffs who missed seeing Seussical on stage will find much to enjoy here. So what if the production was pulled in so many directions that it does not know its Whos from its oobleck? A good showtune's a good showtune – no matter how small!

Something For the Boys – (Music Box Recordings 1997)

The original Broadway production of Something for the Boys had Ethel Merman, a rousing Cole Porter score and a run of 422 performances. But like every other show that had the bad luck to open the same season as Oklahoma, it wound up forgotten. I got to know and love the score thanks to a delightful LP release of a wartime broadcast of original cast highlights. Available on CD, it is a rare chance to hear Merman handling vintage musical comedy dialogue with her trademark panache.

When I heard that San Francisco's acclaimed 42nd Street Moon theatre group had recorded their concert version of the score, I wasted no time in picking up a copy. All I can say is that the folks in San Francisco are having entirely too much fun! While I love a big Broadway orchestra as much as anyone, it's refreshing to hear an intimate one-piano treatment that lets listeners focus on the score and the superb cast.

Porter's songs are vintage Broadway with a nice dose of 1940's swing. Some of the lyrics were too sexually suggestive to be recorded in 1943, so the content here is often quite different from the Merman broadcast. The bawdy title tune, the swinging love duet "Hey Good Lookin'," the lush ballad "Could It Be You" and the hillbilly swing of "I'm In Love With a Soldier Boy" are vastly enjoyable, and it's hard to believe how rarely they appear in Porter retrospectives. I never understood why "By The Mississinewah" was a showstopper until now – hearing the unexpurgated lyric makes all the difference.

Meg Mackay is a strong singer who has no trouble putting her own stamp on Merman's role. The supporting cast are all fine vocalists who handle the period sound perfectly. We don't know these folks in New York, but I sure as hell hope we do soon.

The CD notes suggest that this may be the first in a series of recordings from 42nd Street Moon, and I can't wait to hear what comes next. (Hey guys, how about your acclaimed version of Darling of the Day?) If this is what they get on a regular basis in San Francisco, maybe it's time for this native New Yorker to consider relocating. If musical comedy is your thing, the new Something for the Boys is a must-get CD!

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