A couple of "new to 2 on the Aisle" musicals this Sunday! For instance, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, based on the book by Betty Smith, musical-ized by Arthur Schwartz and Dorothy Fields. They got Shirley Booth to play Aunt Sissy, and she basically stole the focus of the show off the young supposed-to-be leads. Her voice is pretty nails-on-blackboard nasal, but hey, it works! We'll hear "He Had Refinement."
Another newbie, No Strings, a Richard Rodgers musical from 1962, that starred Diahann Carroll and Richard Kiley. An interracial romance: Parisian by way of NYC black model, paired with white Maine-ish novelist. A big step in 1962! I'd heard "The Sweetest Sound (You'll Ever Hear)" before, but never knew where it came from, 'til now.
Also on tap: Tovarich! Russian aristocracy, down on their luck...and of course it's a comedy! Vivien Leigh starred (and won a Tony for it, I'll have you know!), and it had a respectable run, for that time period...which was 1963. We'll hear how "It Used to Be."
So the 60s rule this week!
The Varsity Drag (Ensemble, Good News!)
The Sweetest Sound (Diahann Carroll, Richard Kiley, No Strings)
I Believe in You (Robert Morse, How to Succeed in Business)
Nightlife (Anita Gillette, All-American)
You Can Always Count on Me (Randy Graff, City of Angels)
Quiet (Adrianna Bertolal, Matilda)
A Quiet Thing (Liza Minnelli, Flora the Red Menace)
The Bloom is Off the Rose (Jules Munschin, The Gay Life)
He Had Refinement (Shirley Booth, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn)
If You Can Find Me, I'm Here (Anthony Perkins, Evening Primrose)
See What it Gets You (Lee Remick, Anyone Can Whistle)
Plant a Radish (Hugh Thomas, William Larson, The Fantasticks)
It Used to Be (Ensemble, Tovarich)
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