Klea, Molly and Men!

 Introducing, interpreting and "telling tales" of Ethel Merman 

on this week's 2 on the Aisle

is Klea Blackhurst,

 an actress, singer and comedienne who is best known 

for Everything The Traffic Will Allow,

a production that 

earned her the inaugural Special Achievement Award 

from “Time Out New York” magazine.

 Klea has also played several roles in the Merman cannon 

including Mama Rose in Gypsy,

Sally Adams in Call Me Madam, 

and (below) Dolly Levy in 

Goodspeed Opera Company's 2013 production of Hello, Dolly!

 

She's performed cabaret acts at 

the Cafe Carlyle, Joe's Pub, the Oak Room, the Metropolitan Room,

and Carnegie Hall,

often spotlighting Broadway composers like

Vernon Duke, Jule Styne, Hoagy Carmichael

and Jerry Herman.

The more I listen to 

The Unsinkable Molly Brown,

the more I hear Meredith Willson's 

"Trouble" and "Pick A Little Talk A Little"...

from The Music Man.

Unsinkable came 3 years later, in 1964,

and starred Tammy Grimes as Molly

(aka Harold Hill)

and Harve Presnell with some wonderful

Marion The Librarian ballads! 

 

 Molly Brown was based on Margaret Brown,

a survivor of the Titanic,

and the wife of James ( J.J.) Brown,

a successful prospector from Leadville, Colorado.

Both Margaret and JJ started out with nothing,

but thanks to their new-mined wealth 

and Margaret's philanthropic work,

they became the toast of Denver and 

all points east.

 It sounded like a musical to Meredith! 

 Tammy, above, with Mitchell Gregg

as Prince DeLong.

The musical version of Molly and JJ has them

ostracized from "Society" (conflict most foul!),

but I believe there's nothing in their real-life bios to suggest that.

 They DID divorce, however, but again Meredith preferred 

a tweaked version (and a happy ending)! 

 In our "Men" set on Sunday,

The Full Monty,

David Yazbek's first Broadway musical, done in 2000.

Based on the 1997 British film of the same name

(if you've never seen it, DO!),

it changed the show's location from Sheffield, UK to Buffalo, NY;

the characters were (in both versions)

out of work steel workers. 

Nominated for tons o' Tonys,

but this was the year of The Producers,

which scarfed everything in sight.

 The Men in the cast, 

plus David Yazbek, seated center,

and at left, Kathleen Freeman

who played Jeanette Burmeister, 

the professional musician who helps them "put on a show". 

Kathleen took ill about 10 months into the run

and passed away.

Perhaps you remember Kathleen 

as the "Ta Tay Tee Toe Toooo" speech instructor

in Singin' In The Rain,

or as one of the hundreds of other character roles she did.

Jane Connell (of Mame fame) replaced her. 

Below, Kathleen with Andre DeShields.