Curtain up!

 That Another Op'nin' quartet,

tho here they're probably in singing of Padua

("We Open In Venice")!

Cole Porter's, Kiss Me Kate

with Patricia Morison, Alfred Drake, Lisa Kirk, and Howard Lang.

 Cole evidently created this musical

in response to R&H's Oklahoma! 

THAT blockbuster had music integrated into the plot,

so why couldn't Cole do the same?

He did, and Kate turned out to be his most popular musical.

First Best Musical Tony Winner, 1949.

 Here you get a feeling for the costumes and set 

for that original 1948 production, 

all of which were designed by Lemuel Ayers.

 Kate was supposedly inspired by the battling Lunt/Fontanne duo;

Alfred and Lynn had their fair share of fights

while acting in The Taming Of The Shrew back in 1935.

So Fred Graham and Lilli Vanessi were modeled

on a real husband and wife team

(although hopefully THEY never came to spanking!).

And BTW, writing the book for the show...

Bella and Samuel Spewack, who had their own marital woes.

 Then there was the opener for Fiddler...

"Tradition"

with Zero Mostel leading this iconic Bock and Harnick show. 

But what a switch up!

Yup, we're tied to our traditions,

they keep us and "Anetevka" from falling apart,

but the show was all about Change!

  Above, the incredible Zero Mostel as Tevye,

who drove (probably) every director he worked with nuts,

with his lean towards improv and HAM!

Below, the very successful Yiddish version of Fiddler,

currently running in NYC.

"Six Months Out Of Every Year"

opened Damn Yankees,

with Shannon Bolin complaining about her hubby's

obsession with baseball.

Above, Shannon with Ray Walston (Mr. Applegate)

and Robert Shafer (Joe Boyd).

 

 The opening number of Gypsy (above)

was "Let (or some say MAY) We Entertain You",

which comes back to haunt us in Act 2 quite differently!

Above, Ethel M in lovely plaid (and big buttons!)

with Karen Moore who played young Louise 

and Jacqueline Mayro as Baby June 

in the original 1959 production.

Below, the real Gypsy Rose Lee, in full (or is it half full?) drape! :)

 Thanks to Cy Coleman (above)

and lyrics by David Zippel,

we have the super score for City Of Angels,

starring James Naughton in a fetching fedora below.

That show's opening number,

Prologue/Theme for City Of Angels,

should have a better title.

How 'bout Sleezy Saxes? (Curvaceous Cornets?)

 A Martha Swope photo of 1776's cast from 1969:

Ken Howard (Jefferson), William Daniels (Adams),

Henry LeClaire (Livingston), David Vosburgh (Sherman),

 and Howard DaSilva (Franklin).

Of course the opener for this show was "Sit Down, John!",

even though all of these lads seem to be up and dancing.

Below, Lin-Manuel Miranda and William Daniels,

a musical theatre Alexander Hamilton and John Adams

reunited (and it feels so good)!

Playlist For Sunday, Feb. 2nd, 2020: Another Op'nin'!

Jumping right in. Formally introducing. Starting small. Starting huge! Instructions. Warnings! Chaos and questions. Factory whistles, trains, French, and ghosts! Sooooo many ways to open a musical. And, like oysters for Rockefeller, we're gonna open 'em on Sunday.

 From Curly 

to

Chorus...

 Starting here, starting now (nope, we're not playing that), we'll try out some of the iconic Broadway musical openers. From the likes of Oklahoma!, A Chorus Line, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd...and go all the way to today's Tootsie and Hadestown. From simple and sublime to the grab-you-by-the-collar-and-shake-ya kinda number. They set the tone, show you the ropes, and, if we're lucky, keep us in our seats (or on the edge of them).

Broadwayphiles will know every word and anticipate every modulation, cuz these are the "Top 40"...so grab your popcorn or your sippy cup of merlot, and join me for Another Op'nin'!

 

Oh, What A Beautiful Morning (Alfred Drake, Oklahoma!)
Another Op'nin', Another Show (Ensemble, Kiss Me Kate) 
Dites-Moi (Laurissa Romain, Luka Kain, South Pacific)
Let Me Entertain You (Karen Moore, Jacqueline Mayro, Gypsy)
I Put My Hand In (Carol Channing, Hello Dolly!)
Tradition (Zero Mostel, Company, Fiddler On The Roof)
Rock Island (Ensemble, The Music Man)
Why Can't The English (Rex Harrison, My Fair Lady)
How To (Robert Morse, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying)
Comedy Tonight (Zero Mostel, Company, A Funny Thing Happened On
      The Way To The Forum)
Six Months Out Of Every Year (Shannon Bolin, Robert Shafer, Damn Yankees)
Company (Dean Jones, Ensemble, Company)
Penniless Bums (Tony Roberts, Robert Morse, Sugar)
The Ballad Of Sweeney Todd) (Len Cariou, Company, Sweeney Todd)
Beautiful Girls (Arthur Rubin, Follies)
Invocation And Instructions (Nathan Lane, Roger Bart, The Frogs)
Sit Down, John (William Daniels, Ensemble, 1776)
The Advantages Of Floating In The Middle Of The Sea (Mako,
       Company, Pacific Overtures)
We Are What We Are (Ensemble, La Cage Aux Folles)
I Hope I Get It (Company, A Chorus Line)
Prologue/Theme From City Angels (James Naughton, Ensemble, City Of
       Angels)
Hello! (Andrew Rannells, Josh Gad, Company, The Book Of Mormon)
Four Jews In A Room Bitching (Christian Borle, Andrew Rannells,
       Brandon Uranowitz, Anthony Rosenthal, Falsettos)
Anybody Have A Map? (Rachel Bay Jones, Jennifer Laura Thompson,
       Dear Evan Hansen)
Prologue (Company, Natasha, Pierre, And The Great Comet Of 1812)
Alexander Hamilton (Leslie Odom, Jr., Lin-Manuel Miranda,
       Company, Hamilton)
Opening Number (Santino Fontana, Company, Tootsie)
Road To Hell (Chris Sullivan, Company, Hadestown)

Marry Me On Broadway...or not!

 Betsy's Getting Married!

From Honeymoon in Vegas, 

the work of Jason Robert Brown,

which launched on Broadway in 2015

and starred Tony Danza, Brynn O'Malley, Rob McClure,

and several Elvissssss!

 Jack Buchanan's up twice this Sunday...
but he's not walking down an aisle.
Just grabbing "A Cup Of Coffee, A Sandwich, and You"

(a duet with Gertrude Lawrence, below on the right)

and "Everything Stops For Tea".

(That's Beatrice Lillie on the left, who's maybe holding out for coffee!)

 Jo Sullivan as "Rosabella" in

The Most Happy Fella

(who was soon to become Frank Loesser's Wife #2).

Below, partner in crime Susan Johnson who played Cleo,

fellow waitress,

with Goddard Lieberson at a recording session.

 The 2 Barbaras of She Loves Me...

Cook and Baxley,

and below Barbara C., Hal Prince, Barbara B. and Daniel Massey.
"I Don't Know His Name"
but hey, he's the guy on the right, already!
Ask him!

 Josie de Guzman and Faith Prince

recording "Marry The Man Today"

in the 1992 revival of Guys And Dolls,

and in a celebratory hug (below)
 with Peter Gallagher and Nathan Lane. 

There exists out there in the "ether" a
documentary made of this recording session
(sort of like the infamous Company one),
which you can see clips of on YouTube...
It's called Guys and Dolls: Off The Record.
Definitely worth a WATCH!

 The real I Do! I Do!

with Robert Preston and Mary Martin...

and Al Hirschfeld's take on that long-time wedded couple.

We'll hear Robert with "I Love My Wife".

And then there's always the 

"I Do, I Do In the Sky"

version, from The Drowsy Chaperone,

with Trix, The Aviatrix flying the plane (and leading the number)...

that's Kecia Lewis-Johnson, front and center above.

And below, Troy Britton Johnson and Sutton Foster plighting their troths

(sounds a little painful, doesn't it?)

in the same show.

Best Book and Best Score Tony Awards back in 2006.

Playlist For Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020: Plighting Troths.

Nah, this isn't the Valentine's Day edition. I'll save all that syrupy stuff for February. And it isn't June, that month that supposedly attracts weddings like flies to whipped cream and baloney (tho experts NOW tell us October is THEE month for nuptials these days!). Nope, I just recently ran into a lot of "Getting Married Today" (or NOT!) songs and thought to string 'em together in a playlist, like Christmas lights (still) on the porch.

 They look pretty happy, right?

Cuz usually they're bright and chipper (like those leftover lights), just what we need in this Gulag-y time of the year. Hearts and flowers, shoes (ouch!) and rice (bird seed?), hope and huppahs, love springing eternal in Vegas, in Napa, on the lower East Side and Grosvenor Square, on airplane wings, next door, at tea time, or in the silhouette of a cigarette...all via Broadway.

And for those not inclined to walk down ANY aisle (despite my saving you a seat!), there'll be a Frank Loesser corner, with Frank doin' his own Guy/Doll thing...and a little Sondheim niche, with Stevie Anecdotes about Company. Plus our very popular Old Timey nook (corner, niche...nook!) with Mildred Bailey, Red Nichols, The Captivators, and Jack Buchanan stopping everything for that cuppa. So a little something for everybody! Except football fans. :)

 Jack can come to tea anytime!

So grab a hankie, it'll be by turns sentimental and snarky, so you'll want to prepare. I Do, I Do....on Broadway! 


Betsy's Getting Married (Brynn O'Malley, Honeymoon In Vegas)
Marry The Man Today (Faith Prince, Josie de Guzman, Guys And Dolls)
If Momma Was Married (Leigh Ann Larkin, Laura Benanti, Gypsy)
Don't Marry Me (Larry Blyden, Miyoshi Umeki, Flower Drum Song)
Getting Married Today (Beth Howland, Steve Elmore, Company)
I Don't Know His Name (Barbara Cook, Barbara Baxley, She Loves Me)
My Dear Rosabella (Jo Sullivan, Susan Johnson, The Most Happy Fella)
The Boy Next Door (Judy Garland, Meet Me St. Louis)
Fugue For Tinhorns (Frank Loesser, Milton DeLugg, Sue Bennett,
       An Evening With Frank Loesser)
Sue Me (Frank Loesser, An Evening With Frank Loesser)
Organization Man (Frank Loesser, An Evening With Frank Loesser)
The Company Way (Robert Morse, Sammy Smith, How To Succeed In
       Business Without Really Trying)
Marry With Me (Carol Brice, The Grass Harp)
I've Decided to Marry You (Lauren Worsham, Lisa O'Hare, Bryce Pinkham,
       The Gentleman's Guide To Love And Murder)
Get Me To The Church On Time (Stanley Holloway, My Fair Lady)
A Cigarette, A Silhouette (Mildred Bailey, Red Norvo and His Orchestra)
Puttin' On The Ritz (Phil Spitalny Orchestra)
Building A Nest For Mary (Red Nichols and The Captivators)
A Cup Of Coffee, A Sandwich, And You (Jack Buchanan, Gertrude Lawrence,
       Charlot's Revue)
Everything Stops For Tea (Jack Buchanan, Come Out Of The Pantry)
Marry Me A Little (John Barrowman, Putting It Together)
Multitudes Of Amys (Mathew Scott, Sondheim On Sondheim)
Happily ever After (Tom Wopat, Sondheim On Sondheim)
Being Alive (Dean Jones, Company)
I Love My Wife (Robert Preston, I Do! I Do!)
I Love My Wife (James Naughton, Lenny Baker, I Love My Wife)
An Old-Fashioned Wedding (Ray Middleton, Ethel Merman, Annie Get Your
       Gun)
Let's Have A Simple Wedding (David Christmas, Bernadette Peters,
       Dames At Sea)
It Shoulda Been You (Chip Zien,Tyne Daly, Ensemble, It Shoulda Been You)
I Love To Cry At Weddings (Ensemble, Sweet Charity)
I Do, I Do In The Sky (Kecia Lewis-Evans, Company, The Drowsy Chaperone)
Always A Bridesmaid (Jennifer Simmard, I Love You, You're Perfect,
       Now Change)
Me And My Girl (Robert Lindsay, Emma Thompson, Me And My Girl)

What Doc's cooking this Sunday!

 Random shots from some of the tunes

we'll be hearing come this Sunday (1/19/20)!

Here's Charles L. (Doc) Cook and his Dreamland Orchestra,

who back in 1926 recorded  

"Here Comes The Hot Tamale Man".

Doc (he was a Doctor of Music, earned from the "Chicago Musical College") started out in that town playing at Paddy Harmon's 

Dreamland Ballroom,

then moved to New York City in 1930,

to write orchestrations for Radio City Music Hall

and Broadway

(The Hot Mikado, The Boy Friend, and Shuffle Along).

 Called "Romeo and Juliet with cheekbones",

this French Romeo premiered in Paris in 2001,

with rock-ish music by Gerard Presgurvic.

Incredibly popular...surprising that it never jumped the pond to 

Broadway!

It's been translated into 20 some languages

and toured extensively.

 From that musical, we'll hear

"Les Rois du Monde"

which was released as a single 

by cast members
Damien Sargue, Phillipe D'Avilla, and Gregori Baquet (below).

 I admit to RARELY playing Les Miserable selections,

but let's try one!

"Bring Him Home" sung by the original Valjean (1985),

Colm Wilkinson.

Bernadette Peters and Tom Wopat

in the 1999 revival of Annie, Get Your Gun.

Amazing to think that Rodgers & Hammerstein were originally

asked to write this music,

as was Jerome Kern

(who actually died on his way to the first production meeting!)

(way to avoid!).

Finally they convinced Irving...

and we have that wonderful
 "Doin' What Comes Naturally" score!

(That song was one of the first 3 that Mr. Berlin wrote for the show.)

 What a great shot of Shirley MacLaine

on the set of Can-Can,

a Cole Porter musical revised for Hollywood...

the plot changed, some of Cole's music bit the dust,

and Frank Sinatra was "obliged" to participate

due to the fact that he walked off Carousel!

The film also starred Louis Jourdan and Maurice Chevalier.

We'll hear one of those lesser known Porter songs,

"Come Along With Me"

sung by Shirl.

 This is the movie that Nikita Khrushchev paid a visit to,
 while it was being filmed on a 20th Century Fox lot! 

He was supposedly shocked by what he saw, 

calling the dances 

"depraved" and "pornagraphic."

 Well, c'est la can-can!

Playlist For Sunday, January 19, 2020: Sort it!

"She needs to sort out her priorities."

Ron Weasley said that in the first Harry Potter, and OKAY so he was adorable and had an adorable English accent wrapped around "priorities", and he said it to an adorable Harry, about an adorable Hermoine, but it really is one of The 10,000 Truths (a book in development, at least in my mind).

Case in Point: I've "liked" a few of these homesteading women on social media, whose homes look like Parisienne farms or woodsy specimens from Country Life (without the tack)(without the white frickin' walls). Always the comfy throw artfully tossed across the comfy French-esque divan, always the quail eggs and einkorn sour-dough toast for that Instagrammable sunrise repast, always the bright red lipstick and bedroom hair in a crazy/artfully arranged bun! Damn. Priorities! With a lunge to Constantly Artful!

 French Country Kitchen

vs

Frenchy

(I know which one I'm prioritizing.)

 Me? I sit here in yesterday's eyeliner, a cat kneading my Walmart leggings (while ON), the wall-to-wall needing a Hoovering, and for breakfast, a stale "un petit morceau" of Little Debbie's. My priorities? Everything non-domestic.

Like this. :)

Like this week's edition of BROADWAY! The quail eggs and einkorn of my life, I guess. And speaking of food, this week we have our cheesy themes back (and no Velveeta this!)....We COME and GO. Yup, 2 simple yet effective verbs that'll bring a bevy of musical goodies together, like that box of assorted chocolates you're re-gifting from the holidays. Come Back To Me, Come Rain Or Come Shine, Go Into Your Dance, Anything Go(es)...that's the idea. Shirley, Bernadette, Judy, Brian, Randy, Sutton, so many we'll need name tags.

 So that's my priority. I wish I had other more aesthetic ones, but actions speak louder and all that. In this case, they SING louder. Tune in and leave the "artfully tossed" for another day. Get those damn priorities sorted, Hermoine!


Come To Me (Elaine Stritch, Ensemble, Sail Away)
Come Back To Me (John Cullum, On A Clear Day)
Doin' What Comes Naturally (Bernadette Peters, Annie Get Your Gun)
Here She Comes/East River Hoe Down (Ensemble, Two On The Aisle)
Love Will Come And Find Me (Laura Osnes, Bandstand)
Come To Me, Bend To Me (John Gustafson, Brigadoon)
Come Home (Audra McDonald, Nathan Gunn, Allegro)
When Mabel Comes In The Room (Company, Mack & Mabel)
I've Come To Wive It Wealthily In Padua (Brian Stokes Mitchell, Kiss Me, Kate)
When My Ship Comes Home(Christine Ebersole, Christine Ebersole
       Sings Noel Coward)
Come Along With Me (Shirley MacLaine, Can-Can)
Come Rain Or Come Shine (Judy Garland, Judy)
Close Every Door (The Crouch End Festival Chorus, Joseph And The
       Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat)
Bring Him Home (Colm Wilkinson, Les Miserables)
Les Rois Du Monde (Damien Sargue, Philippe D'Avilla, Gregori Bacquet,
       Romeo Et Juliette: De La Haine A L'Amour)
Come Up To My Place (Nancy Walker, Kris Alexander, On The Town)
Here Comes The Hot Tamale Man (Doc Cook and His Dreamland
       Orchestra)
Welcome To The Rock (Joel Hatch, Company, Come From Away)
Welcome To The Renaissance (Michael James Scott, Ensemble,
       Something Rotten!)
Welcome To Nowhere (Katrina Lenk, John Cariani, Etai Benson,
       The Band's Visit)
Welcome To The Night (John Lithgow, Sweet Smell Of Success)
Go Into Your Dance (Carole Cook, Wanda Richert, Ensemble, 42nd Street)
Gotta Have Me Go With You (Judy Garland, A Star Is Born)
Good Girls Go To Heaven (Sally Kellerman, Breakfast At Tiffany's)
Not A Day Goes By (Jim Walton, Merrily We Roll Along)
I Want To Go Home (Daniel H. Jenkins, Big)
Let's Go Home (Joanna Gleason, Barry Bostwick, Nick & Nora)
Gone, Gone, Gone (Lilli Cooper, Tootsie)
Gone, I'm Gone (Nabiyah Be, The Fates, Hadestown)
I Will Go Sailing No More (Randy Newman, Toy Story)
Anything Goes (Sutton Foster, Ensemble, Anything Goes)