Playlist For Sunday, February 3, 2018: With Croutons

About this time of the year, I like to stick my head in a bowl of soup. I know it's winter. I know it's upstate NY. I know frostbite makes you more acerbic/sarcastic/edgy and those are all good things. But enough is enough. Can't we just skip the Polar Vortex and catapult into May ONE YEAR?

That said (that typed), it probably is a good idea for the roads to be icy and the thermostat to be extremely negative, because otherwise I would most likely break hip training "rules" and skip out for a drive. Still being chauffeured around for about 2 more weeks, which is fine because who wants to get out in this weather anyway? (Note to self: Tip Chauffeur.)

How to prevent cabin fever? Hot soup, hot coffee, hot Netflix and hot Broadway. Sleazy hustlers and con men (Sweet Smell, Catch Me). Business as usual (but don't "Try"). The wonderful Kaye Ballard (Carnival, The Golden Apple, "In Other Words"....really!). And always more. It all keeps me "Humming"!

And more from The Prom, which I'm sure will be nominated/getting Tony Awards this coming spring. I've heard from those who've seen it that it's a lot of fun. From the music alone (which is only half the "story"), I can't tell if it's great or just really annoying. Hey, Broadway Road Trip! Well...after the weather changes and after my right hip says so. Meanwhile, batten down those hatches (I have a hatch?), plunge your appendages into a corn chowdah, and dream of May. :)


Smash! (Megan Hilty, Bombshell)
Welcome To The Night (John Lithgow, Bryan d'Arcy James, Sweet Smell
      Of Success)
Use What you Got (Sam Harris, The Life)
Give Them What They Want (John Lithgow, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)
The Pinstripes Are All That They See (Tom Wopat, Aaron Tveit, Catch Me If
      You Can)
Lazy Afternoon (Kaye Ballard, The Golden Apple)
Direct From Vienna (Kaye Ballard, Henry Lascoe, Ensemble, Carnival)
Humming (Kaye Ballard, Henry Lascoe, Carnival)
Always, Always You (Kaye Ballard, Carnival)
Show Off (Sutton Foster, An Evening With Sutton Foster: Live At The Cafe
      Carlyle)
Chanson (Betty Buckley, Story Songs)
Vanilla Ice Cream (Laura Benanti, She Loves Me)
If I Were A Rich Man (Katrina Lenk, MCC Miscast Gala 2018)
The Beat Of Your Heart (Andrew Polk, Ensemble, The Band's Visit)
Itzik's Lullaby (John Cariani, The Band's Visit)
Papi Hears The Ocean (Etai Benson, The Band's Visit)
Something Different (Katrina Lenk, The Band's Visit)
I Won't Dance (Kaye Ballard, Jack Cassidy)
Stepsisters' Lament (Kaye Ballard, Alice Ghostley, Cinderella)
In Other Words (Kaye Ballard)
Maybe This Time (Kaye Ballard)
How To (Robert Morse, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying)
Around Here (Allison Janey, Ensemble, 9 To 5)
Coffee, Black (Daniel H. Jenkins, Jan Neuberger, Jon Cypher, Big The Musical)
Mister Cellophane (John C. Reilly, Chicago)
I Get Myself Out (Stubby Kaye, Grind)
Invisible (Patti LuPone, Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown)
Changing Lives (Brooks Ashmanskas, Beth Leavel, The Prom)
You Happened  (Caitlin Kinnunen, Isabelle McCalla, The Prom)
It's Not About Me (Beth Leavel, The Prom)
The Acceptance Song (Christopher Sieber, Company, The Prom)

Beatrice Lillie: Before Lucy. Before Ethel.

 Born in Toronto in 1894, 

Beatrice Lillie became part of a theatrical trio very early in life,

along with Mom Lucy and Sister Muriel:
The Lillie Trio.

That triumvirate (and World War I) brought them to the London stage,

and an Andre Charlot revue called "Not Likely."

With the wartime lack of male actors,

and her androgynous good looks,

Bea quickly became known as "the best-dressed transvestite in London."

 In 1920,

Bea married Robert Peel,

a British Nobleman descended from Prime Minister Robert Peel II,

the founder of London's Metropolitan Police 

(Bobbies!).

 Charlot's Revue of 1924 hit Broadway and its success

resulted in Bea "being" called to Hollywood,

still in pre-talkie mode.

Exit Smiling, done in 1926,

was her one silent picture,

below with Jack Pickford (yup, the brother of Mary).

Though not a success, it did bring Bea a ton of stage offers

 on Broadway and London

where she worked throughout the 1930s.

 Bea's great association with Noel Coward

began in the late 1920s

and she became part of his circle of celebrity friends,

which included Gertrude Lawrence.

She appeared in Coward's show of 1928,

This Year Of Grace,

and would go on to star in several Coward musicals after that.

 Come the outbreak of WWII,

Bea entertained Allied troops in the Mediterranean, Middle East,

and Africa.

Her only son, Sir Robert, was killed while serving in Ceylon in 1942.

 Come 1952,

Bea toured in "An Evening With Beatrice Lillie",

and won accolades AND a Tony from it.

Said Brooks Atkinson of the Times:

"The slender sharp-featured lady with the polite, embarrassed smile 

and the dainty manner 

dominates the material, the stage and the theatre. 

She radiates satiric comedy even when she is standing still. 

She sits at a table and looks blank: it is funny. 

She pauses for a beat in a song: it is funny. 

It almost seems as though her thoughts were funny. 

For she is one of the most eloquent actresses of the theatre,

 and she can set the audience to laughing without saying a word, 

singing a note or making a gesture."

Above, Bea as Madame Arcati in Coward's High Spirits.

 

As Mrs. Meers in Thoroughly Modern Millie, released in 1967.

Subsequent to this,

Bea retired to England with 

her partner, actor John Philip Huck (30 years her junior).

She passed away in 1989, at the age of 94.

(Huck died the very next day of a heart attack.)

Carol, Cecilia, Bea, and Bikes

 Couldn't resist a couple more pics of Carol Channing.

Above as Lorelei Lee (with Robert Fitch and John Mineo)

in the sequel to Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,

Lorelei.

It opened in 1974, 25 years after "Blondes",

and had the music of that Styne/Comden/Green machine.

The plot was essentially a re-hash/flashback of the original story.

Despite less than stellar reviews,

Carol got a Tony nomination for her work.

(Haven't been able to find this on CD,

so I may need to scoop up the vinyl version and "convert" it.)

 Carol replaced Roz Russell in Wonderful Town

in 1953.

Above, Carol as Ruth Sherwood leading the "Conga" number!

 With co-star David Burns in Hello, Dolly!

This is of course the scene at the Harmonia Gardens,

in which Carol hilariously consumed potato puffs with wild abandon.

There were actually made of Kleenex, powdered with Sanka.

Carol could fit 22 OR MORE in her mouth at a time

(later to be spat out in a napkin).

As the story was told in her NYTimes obit,

Carol's understudy could manage only 3.

 Carol's get up for "The Cecilia Sisson Story",

which was part of her revue, Show Girl (1961).

CC made discreet costume changes behind a standing screen

for each of her numbers,

regaling her audiences with song intros while she disrobed.

Jules Munshin added the testosterone and

Charles Gaynor, the sketches and music.

 What a consortium of Tony Talent!

Posed with their 1964 awards

are Alec Guinness (for Dylan), Sandy Dennis (for Any Wednesday)

Carol (for Hello, Dolly!) and Bert Lahr (for Foxy).

 Also on the "bill of fare" this Sunday:

High Spirits,

the musicalized version of Blithe Spirit.

Noel Coward's play (and film) set to music by Hugh Martin

and Timothy Gray.

It starred Beatrice Lillie as Madame Arcarti

and Tammy Grimes (with double eyebrows, it seems)

as Elvira.

 Noel had High Spirit hopes for the show...

he wanted Bob Fosse to direct, and Gwen Verdon, Celeste Holm,

and Kay Thompson in the cast.

What he got was Bea (his great favorite), Tammy,

Edward Woodward (below with Tammy), and he directed it himself.

A young Christopher Walken (then billed as Ronnie Walken)

cavorted in the chorus.

 Love this shot of Noel and Tammy. 

 The Madame Arcarti role was expanded

to become the lead,

hence Bea's name on the top of this LP cover, below.

And she got to sing "The Bicycle Song"!

1964 was the year of Hello, Dolly! and Funny Girl

and She Loves Me,

so HS acquired no Tony Awards,

but ran on Broadway for almost a year.

Playlist For Sunday, January 27, 2019: Life With Titanium

Well, thanks to surgery and a shiny new hip, I have lots of new toys. A stick with a hook on it, for one thing. Ever need a stick with a hook? Me neither, til now. Can't function without a stick with a hook. Or a 4 foot long kitty litter scooper. Or a "grabber" with a smile like a Tyrannosaurus. When you can't bend down to tie your birkenstocks or pick up the errant olive that's fallen from your martini, you gotta have options. Options with teeth.

So I've spent the last 2 weeks mastering new talents. (And people ask me, "What DO you DO with yourself all day, Mrs. Fowler?")

Today was my first outing. To the doctors, not a GALA, but OUT. As in (a 15 degree) breeze on my face, ice/snow/slush under foot/cane, but it was inspiring nonetheless. So we're ready to GO BROADWAY once again! Hence:

a.) Carol Channing. We are late to honor her on 2 on the Aisle, so selections from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Hello Dolly, and MORE (Like "Cecilia Sisson!") are definitely hitting the playlist.

b.) My wacky themes...this time 'round: Ohs, Ahs, Oohs, and even an Uh-Oh. Desperate yet, Kim? No, just the sounds a recuperating patient makes in PT.

c.) City of Angels, a Best Musical Tony winner not enough people know about.

d.) High Spirits. A dud. No wonder nobody knows about it. Like Blithe Spirit but with mediums, bicycles, Tammy Grimes and Beatrice Lillie.

Hello, Dolly! was one of the first albums I ever bought. That, and a Glen Miller "best hits" LP for my dad. I memorized the lyrics, osmosed the liner notes, and remember all the photos of Carol and Charles Nelson Reilly, Eileen Brennan, David Burns. Carol once said that she wanted to "go" like David did, onstage (in Kander and Ebb's 70 Girls, 70), hearing the laughter and the applause. But by the age of 97, I bet Carol heard it still ringing in her ears from so many incredible performances. :)


A Little Girl From Little Rock (Carol Channing, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes)
The Cecelia Sisson Story (Carol Channing, Show Girl)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Carol Channing, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes)
Jazz Baby (Carol Channing, Thoroughly Modern Millie)
Oh, What A Beautiful Morning! (Gordon MacRae, Oklahoma!)
Oh Me, Oh My, Oh You (Doris Day, Gene Nelson, Tea For Two)
Oh, Happy We (Barbara Cook, Robert Rounseville, Candide)
Calypso Pete (Carol Channing, Show Girl)
Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend (Carol Channing, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes)
If You Hadn't But You Did (Carol Channing, Perry Como)
Bye Bye Baby (Carol Channing, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes)
Oh, My Mysterious Lady (Cyril Ritchard, Mary Martin, Peter Pan
Oh, To Be A Movie Star (Barbara Harris, The Apple Tree)
Oh, My Goodness (Shirley Temple, Poor Little Rich Girl)
Prologue (James Naughton, City Of Angels)
Double Talk Walk (Instrumental, City Of Angels)
You're Nothing Without Me (Gregg Edelman, James Naughton, City Of Angels)
It Needs Work (Kay McClelland, City Of Angels)
Uh-Oh! (Margery Gray, Byron Mitchell, Tovarich)
Ooh, Do You Love You! (Linda Lavin, It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Superman)
Ooh! My Feet! (Susan Johnson, The Most Happy Fella)
Oh, Do It Again (Carol Channing, Thoroughly Modern Millie) 
You'd Better Love Me (Tammy Grimes, High Society)
The Bicycle Song (Beatrice Lillie, High Society)
Home Sweet Heaven (Tammy Grimes, High Society)
Ah, But Underneath! (Diana Rigg, Follies)
Ah, Miss (Victor Garber, Sweeney Todd)
Ah! Sweet Mystery Of Life/I'm Falling Love With Someone (Marc
      Kudisch, Angela Christian, Thoroughly Modern Millie)
I Put My Hand In (Carol Channing, Hello, Dolly!)
Dancing (Charles Nelson Reilly, Carol Channing, Eileen Brennan, Jerry Dodge,
      Sondra Lee, Hello, Dolly!)
So Long Dearie (Carol Channing, Hello, Dolly!)
Hello, Dolly! (Carol Channing, Ensemble, Hello, Dolly!)

Awww, Rasberries! Ode to Le Channing.

Carol Channing almost made it to her 98th birthday
(Jan. 31!).

She was born in Seattle in 1921 and 

raised in San Francisco.

Above in her break-out role as Lorelei Lee in
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949),

and was called by Brooks Atkinson of the NYTimes,

 “the most fabulous comic creation of this dreary period in history.”

Above, a pic from Show Girl,

an almost one-woman show that Carol did in 1961

on Broadway.

Jules Munshin also starred, and music was by Charles Gaynor.

For a sample, see the 2 on the Aisle Facebook page!

Carol attended Bennington College in Vermont,

but headed off to New York to audition.

She  became an understudy to Eve Arden in the Cole Porter musical 

“Let’s Face It,” 

and then played a nurse in the flop "Proof Thro' The Night".

A year later, doing benefits in L.A.,

she caught the eye of Marge Champion (of Gower and),

and landed a role in Lend An Ear (1948).

When that show moved to Broadway, 

Anita Loos (book writer par excellence) knew Carol was
"Just A Little Girl From Little Rock",

and Le Channing became Le Lorelei.

A great shot of Carol in/with "Gentlemen"

 Howard Morris and Bob Neukum.

A decade later,

after Wonderful Town, Show Girl, and touring with her act,

she became Dolly Levy in Hello, Dolly! (1964).

A 10 time Tony Winner, including one for Carol. 

She would tour with the show, 

as well as return for revivals in 1977, 1982, and 1994,

performing the role over 5,000 times. 

Below with composer Jerry Herman and that

"cuddly" cash register.

Carol did only one movie, surprisingly...in 1967.

Thoroughly Modern Millie with Julie Andrews and Mary Tyler Moore.

A nod from the Academy, and a Golden Globe!

She played Muzzy Van Hossmeer...

and also "A Jazz Baby!"

Lots of TV spots,

above with another Dolly, Pearl Bailey.

Tiny Tim? Ringo Starr?

Let's just say everybody wanted to be in her radius.

With Betty White, Mary Tyler Moore, and Lynn Redgrave.

Carol never celebrated her birthday 'til her 72nd one

 when she was heralded by then-President, Bill Clinton.

When she told him this was her first birthday celebration,

he replied, "Well, then this is your first birthday!"

She continued to perform into her 80's., 

believing that she had not yet peaked.:

“Shirley Temple peaked at 7,” she said. 

“I haven’t gotten myself together yet.”

Simple folk!

 Julie and Richard,

pre-Lancelot debacle.

From Lerner and Loewe's Camelot,

produced in 1960, with Moss Hart directing,

we'll hear "What Do The Simple Folk Do?"

 The show suffered from "mixed" reviews,

til Ed Sullivan had the cast appear on HIS show,

singing highlights, and then the crowds came!

Richard won a Tony for his first (and last) musical performance.

Below, the Camelot gang featuring, on the left,

Robert Goulet in his Broadway debut, age 27.

 "It's So Simple"...it's elementary!

Fritz Weaver as Sherlock in Baker Street,

with Martin Gabel as Professor Moriarty (above left),

Inga Swenson as Irene Adler,

and Peter Sallis as Dr. Watson (below center).

Music by Marian Grudeff and Raymond Jessel,

although when the show had woes in previews,

Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock were brought in to write additional material.

It lasted about 10 months,

and then met its own Reichenbach Falls. 

 From Bells Are Ringing,

we'll hear "It's A Simple Little System"

which featured Eddie Lawrence in his Broadway debut.

Eddie was a monologist/writer who had his 10 minutes of fame

(possibly a whole half hour)

with his "Old Philosopher" act

and voice overs aplenty.

He was replaced in the movie version of Bells by

Eddie Foy Jr.

 Ben Vereen as the Leading Player (center left), 

with John Rubinstein (as Pippin),

singing about those "Simple Joys",

the work of Stephen "Wicked" Schwartz.

Ben won a Tony for his role in this show,

as did Bob Fosse for direction and choreography. 

Ben (below) played a similar "narrating" figure in

All That Jazz,

Fosse's semi-autobiographical movie of 1979.

 Anita Morris' contribution

(besides fitting well into her costumes...

designed btw by William Ivey Long, Tony Winner)

is "Simple"

from Nine (1982), with music by Maury Yeston.

Below, more of that amazing cast...

at the top, Karen Akers, Raul Julia,

Anita, and Shelly Burch.

Nominations: Ten; Wins: Three

 From A Chorus Line,

with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics Edward Kleban,

directed and co-choreographed by Michael Bennett,

with help from Bob Avian.

12 Tony nominations, 9 wins,

plus the Pulitzer Prize for Drama,

as well as a few lawsuits for Michael

(when he claimed the show was "all my idea!").

We'll hear...

 "Dance: Ten; Looks: Three"

with Pamela Blair (above and below)...

Other Broadway credits for Pamela:

Promises Promises, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,

Seesaw, and Sugar.

 ...and Priscilla Lopez with

"What I Did For Love" (above).

Priscilla's credits include

A Day In Hollywood/A Night In The Ukraine,

Breakfast at Tiffany's, Pippin, Company, and Nine.

 

 Marvin Hamlisch (left) with Michael Bennett in rehearsal.

 Do Re Mi (1960) had a banner cast, and killer credits:

based on a novella by Garson Kanin,

and directed by him as well,

music Jule Styne, lyrics Comden and Green,

Phil Silvers (hot off the Sgt. Bilko show),

and Nancy Walker.

It looked like a smash hit,

but was snubbed at the Tonys...

stiff competion from Bye Bye Birdie and Camelot.

Above, Phil, George Matthews, George Givot, and David Burns

(David would later play opposite Carol Channing 

in Hello Dolly!).

 Great shot of Betty Comden and Nancy Walker.

 Nancy Dussault and John Reardon

got to sing the breakaway song of the show, 

"Make Someone Happy."

According to reviewers, 

they were easier to watch than Phil and Nancy,

who bickered for 2.5 hours out of their 2.75 on stage,

like Ralph and Alice Cramden

(only not for free!).

 One of the wonderful Do Re Mi sets

by Boris Anronson,

who BTW won 6 Tony Awards for set design over the course 

of his career:

Pacific Overtures, Company, Cabaret, Follies, and others.

 Warpaint hit Broadway in 2017,

based on a book AND a documentary
(The Powder & The Glory)...

the story of Elizabeth Arden 

(above, played by Christine Ebersole)

and Helena Rubenstein

(below center, Patti LuPone).

 

 Scott Frankel and Michael Korie furnished the music,

writing (most would agree) to their leading ladies's unique strengths.

(Ben Brantley..."for Christine think of a flute,

for Patti, a trumpet.")

Both actresses were praised for 

their performances,

but to quote Mr. Brantley of the Times AGAIN:

"(Ebersole and LuPone) are

 strategically deploying the knowledge and craft of a combined

eight decades in musicals 

to make us believe that the show in which they appear

 is moving forward,

 instead of running in place in high heels."

 The show opened in April of 2017,

and hoped to run til the end of the year,

but Patti had to schedule a hip replacement 

(sounds familiar!),

so the final curtain came down in November of that year.