Tony winners Bob Martin and Beth Leavel, and members of the original Broadway and London companies of The Drowsy Chaperone have reunited to record a new version of the "As We Stumble Along" reprise as a benefit for The Actors Fund and Funds for Freelancers.
This is just so wonderfully uplifting and gratifying!
And is it from one of our very, very favorite musicals of all time!
We miss the inside of a Broadway house with its soaring ceiling, welcoming seats, gilded ornamentation and sparkling chandeliers. We miss the way the theater envelopes you with its anticipatory caress. We miss the orchestra tuning up and the curtain rising on yet another show. We miss musicals -- the poignant ones and the zany ones; the period pieces and the thought provokers; the topical ones and the nonsensical ones; the newcomers and the revivals. We miss the ingenues, the leading men, the divas, the characters, the bit players and the gypsies. We miss the rush of crowds along Broadway's narrow streets and the outpouring of theater lovers into the Great White Way after the curtain comes down. We miss 42nd Street and Times Square and Schubert Alley and every eatery from Ben's deli at one end to Trattoria Del'Arte at the other. We miss it all because Broadway is our buddy -- a loyal buddy who's always been there for us. So here, as we lament this way-too-long blackout, we nestle close to the nearest ghost light and (in no particular order) present Broadway's ten best buddy songs -- songs of friendship, sometimes sung tongue-in cheek but always memorable and, each in its own way endearing:
Old Friends Sondheim's tender "Hey Old Friend" song from Merrily We Roll Along (pictured above) not only proves that Broadway's master composer could write a catchy tune but also that he could do it with his inimitable touch of irony. But then again, Sondheim has a way with buddy songs.
Bossom Buddies Jerry Herman's catty repartee for Mame (Angela Lansbury) and her friend Vera Charles (Bea Arthur) remains a classic from the musical adaptation of Auntie Mame which propelled Lansbury to diva status and certified Bea Arthur's comedic chops. See the video below!
You're Nothing Without Me One of the most clever buddy songs ever, this one for the distinctive musical City of Angels. In this case the writer of the story sings the song to the character that he created and the character argues with him about which one is nothing without the other. An ingenious creation from Cy Coleman, David Zippel and Larry Gelbart.
Not While I'm Around Sondheim again -- this time from his masterwork, the grizzly Sweeney Todd. And once again Angela Lansbury figures in the mix as a young boy (Toby) vows to protect her from Sweeney and others: Nothing's gonna harm you, not while I'm around. Incredibly tender and plaintive.
Friendship Cole Porter at the top of his game with a list song that's full of patter. The song was originally written in 1939 for DuBarry Was A Lady but was later inserted into successful revivals of Anything Goes. It remains a staple. Only Porter could get away with the memorable line: "Da da da da da da dig dig dig."
Two Lost Souls From the complicated and altogether preposterous plot of Damn Yankees, this song was used as a stalling tactic by Lola (Gwen Verdon) to keep Applegate (Ray Walston) away from a decisive baseball game. We ain't fussin'- cuz we got "us'n." Consider Yourself A personal favorite of ours from Lionel Bart's marvelous musical Oliver! This is the song that invites Oliver to join Fagin's band of ragtag boys -- actually the elder Fagin's surrogate thieves. For the orphan Oliver, the words "Consider yourself part of the family" were irresistible. Oh, does this show beg to be revived right now!
Worlds Apart A haunting melody from Big River, the only Broadway musical ever written by Roger Miller. Adapted from Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the song comes at a critical point in the show when Huck recognizes the humanity of his slave/companion, Jim. They are friends but they are forever "worlds apart." An incredible heart-tugger.
Together (Wherever We Go) Another one of Mamma Rose's calculated manipulations from Gypsy, a show many consider to be the greatest musical ever. The song by Styne and Sondheim is a calm before the plot's storm and with its continuing list and trademark patter, it's reminiscent of Porter: No fits, no fights, no feuds and no egos -- amigos -- together. Till Him A true bromance ballad from Mel Brooks' musical of his own screenplay, The Producers. Sung by Leo Bloom (Matthew Broderick) about the irascible Max Bialystock (Nathan Lane) it transforms an inimitable swindler into a merciful mentor. Could any other actors have ever credibly played these roles? Classic!
One of the most beautiful songs ever written.
Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber for the musical Whistle Down The Wind and performed by Boyzone as part of a Lloyd Webber tribute concert.
We hope this performance inspires you and gives you some comfort at this time.
Today we will be concentrating mostly on the 90th birthday of Stephen Sondheim, the celebrated Broadway composer who has given us everything from West Side Story to his most recent production, Road Show which we saw as part of the City Center Encores series in New York not too long ago.
Between those two shows we've had a galaxy of stellar Broadway productions including (among those we've seen and enjoyed) Follies, Sweeney Todd, Company, Sunday In The Park With George, Merrily We Roll Along, Pacific Overtures, Assassins, A Little Night Music and Into The Woods.
The sheer output of this musical genius is staggering and gives us a picture of a true American Original.
When we think of Sondheim we think of the bittersweet nostalgia of Follies, the social commentary of Company, the historical daring of Pacific Overtures, the psychological pull of Into The Woods, the sheer terror of Sweeney Todd, the irresistible froth of A Little Night Music, the chilling reality of Assassins, the inventiveness of Merrily We Roll Along and the inventive dazzle of Sunday In The Park With George.
These shows not only span decades but they run through the full range of human emotions and the scope of the American experience from the tedium of married life to the polarization of competing communities to the torment of the criminal mind, to the role of artists in our society to our deepest fears, most haunting regrets and most enduring hopes.
And, make no mistake about it, the shows speak of love -- love in all of its manifestations and with all of its ongoing consequences. In Sondheim shows you will find unrequited love, parental and fraternal love, imagined love, longed for love, unconditional love, twisted love, remembered love and unabashedly romantic love.
One of the things we take from Sondheim is a boundless work ethic. His production level is nothing less than staggering and is a testament to hard work. Sondheim's success belies the notion that artists have some kind of magic wand that creates their art. He'd be the first to tell you that productive creativity is a lonely business -- a solitary world of daily toil.
The joy comes from the work itself. It's the process -- the journey, not the destination -- that brings fulfillment. And then, the knowledge that you've created something where there was once nothing. Still, we remain observers and always part of a larger whole that we can only begin to imagine.
From Sondheim himself, first via Pacific Overtures and then Sunday In he Park With George:
It's the fragment, not the day It's the pebble, not the stream It's the ripple, not the sea That is happening Not the building but the beam Not the garden but the stone Only cups of tea And history And someone in a tree
There's a part of you always standing by Mapping out the sky, finishing a hat Starting on a hat, finishing a hat Look, I made a hat Where there never was a hat
Under the direction of Governor Andrew Cuomo, Broadway shows in New York City will suspend all performances immediately, through April 12, 2020, in support of the health and well-being of the theatergoing public.
Performances will commence the week of April 13, 2020.
The story of Dolly Gallagher Levi takes place at the turn of the turn of the century in 1890s New York. But its origins date all the way back to an Austrian play written in 1835 which eventually morphed into the 1938 Thornton Wilder play, The Matchmaker and then later in this 1964 musical. The emergence of Dolly is a story in itself, inasmuch as Dolly was only a minor character in the 1835 play. It was Thornton Wilder who moved the story to New York and eventually built the whole play around Dolly.
And therein lies the magic of this perennial favorite. Because Dolly herself is timeless. The heart and soul of this inimitable character is also ageless and universal. So, she's right at home here in Philly because she's genuine -- totally without pretense.
Dolly understands the human condition and that understanding helps her turn events her way. But when she "puts her hand in" matters (as she explains it) she does it not as a cynical manipulator but as a self-appointed benefactor who wants to see people get as much enjoyment as they can out of every moment. And thanks the wonderful cast of this new Dolly, all this is accomplished seamlessly and with no small amount of comic caricature as the show is played broadly, milking every comic line, gesture and pause along the way.
Of course, this classic American musical is richly blessed with good bones.
The book by Michael Stewart moves along solidly with all the right turns and trappings at all the right moments. The music and lyrics by Jerry Herman give us a bounty of show stoppers, ballads and even newly-inserted numbers (like Penny in My Pocket) that demonstrate time and again why this is Broadway gold. The direction by Jerry Zaks manages to be both faithful and inventive and snappy, no small feat when you consider the nature of the project. The choreography by Warren Carlyle pays homage to Gower Champion but is so fresh and alive, it makes you yearn for more and more dancing on Broadway right now. And the scenic and costume design by Santo Loquasto evokes a glorious American era in hues and flourishes that you will never forget.
Dolly has a cast of 37 with a full orchestra and the grandest, most spectacular numbers you'll see anywhere. From the rousing Put on You Sunday Clothes to the breathless Before The Parade Passes By to the catchy Dancing, to the comic Elegance and the lushly romantic Ribbons Down My Back, Dolly never fails to deliver.
But of course, it's the near manic title number that brings down the house. Yes, when Dolly begins to walk down those steps into the Harmonia Gardens, we see once again that you don't need pyrotechnics or special effects to electrify an audience, even in 2020. Coming on the heels of the ingenious Waiters' Gallop (a classic of choreography) the Hello, Dolly! number lasts nearly seven minutes and it's heaven all the way. And when it's over the audience is still literally screaming and crying for more.
If Hello Dolly! isn't Broadway's greatest musical, it's hard to imagine what is.
