Well, dear readers, I think we’ve finally figured out what our final two Kritzerland releases of the year are, and now I have to prep them. One is from a film I loved as a young teen – not everyone’s cup of tea, but I was very fond of art films back then, like Sundays and Cybele, and this was definitely an art film. No one will know who the composer is, but I love the music and while it may take some time to sell out, I just felt like doing it. The other title is by a well-represented Kritzerland composer – a B title for sure, but fun and one that I think will sell out quickly. I have a big A title for the end of January, and two fun 50s scores on one fun CD, as well, but I’ve got to get more stuff going – I have about twenty titles held for me, but the studio with those titles is very slow to approve even starting on them – we’re hoping that will change, because those twenty titles are all strong and would see me through all of 2012.
Yesterday was a kind of relaxing day, even though I did quite a few things. I got up. I did that. Then I did the four-mile jog, ate another bacon cheeseburger (my cravings know no end), but no onion rings or fries, did some banking, picked up no packages, then came home and had two of FJL and Skip’s truffles, which are very tasty. I then did some work on the computer, and gathered up the two reviews for Lost and Unsung. The first, from Broadwayworld went something like this:
“It is a well-known fact that during the creation of a new musical, songs will come and go. Rewrites are a painstaking part of the process and there are many reasons why a song – even a good one – may never make it to opening night. As the story develops it might no longer makes sense, the character who sings it could be cut from the show, or a better song may come along to replace it.
So what becomes of these “lost songs?” Many find new life in recordings produced by Bruce Kimmel on his Kritzerland label, and this week, the Los Angeles City College Theatre Academy is featuring thirty of these gems in Lost and Unsung, An Evening of Cut Songs from Great Musicals and Great Songs from Flops, directed and narrated by Kimmel.
Professional artists Alet Taylor, Damon Kirsche, Melody Hollis and Will Collyer join members of the theatre academy, including Brett McMahon, Harrison Meloeny, Tara Collins, Sarah Fontenot, Julia Rose, and Alexis Williams in songs you’ve never heard from shows like Gypsy, Company, Sweet Charity, Smile, and Drat! The Cat!” Lost and Unsung runs for six performances November 30 – December 3.
The evening’s many highlights included Collyer singing a touching “So Little Time” from Barnum, and a heartbreaking interpretation of “Orphan in the Storm” from Celebration. Kimmel’s comments about Celebration included an interesting side note that the masks for the production were created by none other than a 16-year old Julie Taymor.
Damon Kirsche was in glorious voice and provided that sparkle of old Broadway/Hollywood glamour that makes every role he takes on magical, as heard in “Ten Percent,” the agent’s song cut from Chicago, “Multitudes of Amys” cut from Company, and the showstopping finale “Make the Most of Your Music” from Follies. I’m still waiting for someone to write him a role set in the 1920s/’30s that captures all of the things he does so well and lets him put his stamp on an original character.
Taylor channeled her inner Ethel Merman on “Take it in Your Stride,” originally meant to be sung by Annie to a poster of herself in Annie Get Your Gun but cut because the star didn’t want to learn a new song, and Williams gave us the lovely, haunting “Starfish” from La Strada, which was originally sung by Bernadette Peters in her first big Broadway starring role. Other highlights were McMahon as a young Scrooge singing “Penny By Penny” from A Christmas Carol, Hollis’ “I Want to be a Rockette” from The Showgirl Musical, and a humorous, contemporary update of “Man & Wife” and “Guess We May As Well Stay Married Now,” both from I Do! I Do!, sung by the company.
A special highlight on opening night was an appearance by Richard M. Sherman, of The Sherman Brothers, who wrote the songs for Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Happiest Millionaire, and Charlotte’s Web. Mr. Sherman performed a comedy song cut from Mary Poppins entitled “Chimpanzoo,” complete with kazoo, that brought down the house.
Though some songs never make it to opening through no fault of their own, it isn’t hard to see why others are cut from shows, as in the case of “Filbbertigibbit,” a song written for Lizzie in 110 in the Shade that was replaced by the much more appealing character piece “Raunchy.” “Evening Star,” on the other hand, was originally cut from 110 in the Shade but later restored thanks to Kimmel’s insistence that the song was just too short and needed a bridge. It’s a great story about how he asked his friend Harvey Schmidt to write one and then got him to convince Tom Jones, whom Schmidt was certain would never write a lyric to it, to actually do it. The result is a gorgeous song that is now included in all productions of the show and works beautifully, proving that persistence pays off.
Kimmel told many stories like this throughout the night and it is thanks to him that so many of these great songs have not been lost. They are the true stars of Lost and Unsung and for those that love to hear the inside scoop, and relish a chance to enjoy little known but terrific songs seldom sung live, this is a night to remember.”
And the Backstage review, which went something like this:
“The multitalented performer-composer-producer Bruce Kimmel is taking us on a trip down memory lane in a new musical revue. Well, sort of. Except for fanatic musical-theater buffs who are well acquainted with seldom performed show tunes, most audience members of “Lost & Unsung” will find the bill of fare unfamiliar. Drawing material from two of his series of CD recordings, “Lost in Boston” and “Unsung Musicals,” Kimmel directs and narrates a cabaret grab bag filled with songs fitting two categories–memorable tunes cut from great musicals, and worthy numbers from famous flops. Presented at Los Angeles City College’s Caminito Theatre, Nov. 30-Dec. 3, and featuring students and seasoned musical-theater veterans, the show is an unpretentious delight.
Kimmel and music director-accompanist Jose C. Simbulan emphasize lighthearted fun–seasoned with occasional rueful ballads–in a vehicle headed by local luminaries Alet Taylor, Damon Kirsche (pictured here), Melody Hollis, and Will Collyer.
A special treat at the opening performance was a brief appearance by the venerable songsmith-showman Richard M. Sherman, who with his brother Robert B. Sherman, created some of the finest film music of the 1960s-1970s, composing many Disney classics (“Mary Poppins,” “Bedknobs and Broomsticks,” “The Jungle Book”) and countless other fine scores (such as “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”). Singing, playing the piano, and using a kazoo, Sherman performed a wonderful ditty called “Chimpanzoo,” which was cut during production of “Mary Poppins.”
The dynamic Kirsche created magic with the truly terrific “Ten Percent,” which was cut from Kander and Ebb’s “Chicago.” As this snappy song, written for an agent character who was dropped from the book, recalls the numbers crooned by sleazy lawyer Billy Flynn in this musical, it’s not hard to see why it was not kept. Kirsche was also bedazzling in the lovely “Multitude of Amys,” from “Company,” one of the more familiar numbers amid this revue’s generally obscure roster of songs. And Kirsche provided additional Sondheim pizzazz in “Make the Most of Your Music” which had been dropped from “Follies.” The ever-enchanting Collyer (right) had his moments in the spotlight, particularly in two heartrending showstoppers–“Orphan in the Storm:” from Schmidt and Jones’ “Celebration” and “So Little Time” from Cy Coleman’s “Barnum.”
Among outstanding group numbers was the effervescent “Smile” from the failed Broadway show of the same name, and the smashing, “Take It In Your Stride,” originally written for “Annie Get Your Gun,” led by an effervescent Taylor.
Kimmel and Taylor shined in the sprightly duet “A Wonderful Life” from the musical adaptation of Frank Capra’s film classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Taylor and Kirsche stopped the show in a glittering duet, the fabulous title song form “Sherry!,” the musical version of “The Man Who Came to Dinner.”
I then sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched two count them two motion pictures, one on DVD and one on Blu and Ray. The first motion picture on DVD was entitled Faces In The Dark, an obscure thriller from 1960, I think – made in the UK, starring John Gregson, Mai Zetterling, and John Ireland. I was interested to see it as it was based on a book by Boileau-Narcejac, the authors of Diabolique and Vertigo. I’m sure the novel worked very well, but the film is so poorly directed and acted (John Gregson, a good, light actor, is here completely out of his element) that you can see everything coming a mile away, maybe even three miles away. The acting is so obvious that there’s simply no surprises in the film, as I’m sure there are in the book. The thing about authors who do the kind of twists that these authors do (think Diabolique and Vertigo) is that the telling of the tale requires a magician’s dexterity – it’s all misdirection and subtlety, none of which this film has. It does have a very peculiar score by Mikis Theodorakis, which uses the Ondes Martinot very well. The transfer was okay.
I then watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Futureworld (an import from Germany). I, like most folks, enjoyed Westworld. And, in 1976, I was there on opening day for the sequel, Futureworld. And I enjoyed it, too, as did the audience I was with. I even went back and saw it a second time. What I enjoyed most about it was the easy banter and chemistry between Peter Fonda and Blythe Danner, and the excellent supporting performances of Arthur Hill and Stuart Margolin. Seeing it again all these years later, it’s really not much of a movie, but I still enjoyed it anyway, although it’s really silly and not very well done. I do like the score by Fred Karlin very much, but then again I like everything Fred ever did. The transfer is actually perfect – it looks exactly like the film looked, which means there will be some Internet wags who will say it’s occasionally soft and too grainy – just as it was in the theaters – this looks better than the release prints, but for this film it was American-International paying for it instead of MGM, so lower budget and shot on typical 70s film stock. They are releasing very interesting Blu and Rays in Germany – Anthony Mann’s Man Of The West, Burt Reynolds’ spaghetti western Navajo Joe, and the John Wayne/Sophia Loren potboiler Legend Of The Lost.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get a good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I shall do the four-mile jog, I shall write liner notes, I shall have a telephonic meeting, I shall hopefully pick up a few packages, I shall either eat first or have a rehearsal/stumble-through and then eat.
Tomorrow is our sound check and show, Thursday is the birthday of ME and I also have a meeting with the head of the LACC Theatre Academy and then I think I’m being taken out for dinner, Friday I have a luncheon with Jose and a meeting after it.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the four-mile jog, I must write some liner notes, I must hopefully pick up some packages, I must eat, and I must do a stumble-through. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite Michael Crichton books and films? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall hopefully receive some good reviews.