haines his way

07/25/2002:
"SCRAMBLED EGGS"

Well, dear readers, I am happy to inform you that all sparkling prizes have now been shipped (except for last week’s winner) and you should be receiving them shortly. I sent them via media mail just because I like the sound of it. I also learned a valuable food lesson last night – I am surprised I didn’t learn this valuable food lesson earlier in life, but this particular valuable food lesson managed to escape me until I went to have something to eat at around ten last evening. I decided to make some scrambled eggs. Now, I happen to think scrambled eggs is an incredibly stupid-looking food to begin with, but I didn’t really have anything else in the house but some low-fat tortillas, so I figured I’d make a little scrambled egg in a tortilla concoction. The only problem was that I had no milk – well, I had milk but the little note on the carton suggested I not use said milk after July 14th. So, I just went on my merry way and proceeded to make the scrambled eggs without milk. I whipped those eggs into a frenzy and then dumped them in my frying pan, scrambled them right up, heated a tortilla and then put the whole thing together artfully. I then ate the thing. And therein comes the food lesson – never make scrambled eggs without milk. It was so gross-tasting I can’t even tell you. I don’t know exactly what the milk does to scrambled eggs but whatever it does it needs to do because without it the scrambled eggs are too much, and not in a good way. I was immediately nauseous after eating it and I continued to be nauseous for some hours thereafter.
Wasn’t that a fine food lesson story? I’m nauseous again, just relating it to you. Did you, in fact, notice that I related it to you? That story is now your Uncle.
Well, I’ve got lots and lots of questions to answer, so we’d all better click on that Unseemly Button below because if we don’t then all these here notes will be in one section and that would be like scrambled eggs without the milk – nauseating, and we mustn’t have nauseating scrambled notes, now must we?

Well, well, well (that is three wells), we have quite a few excellent questions to answer, so let’s get to it, shall we?
William E. Lurie asks if I am related to Cable TV host Jimmy Kimmel. No, I am not, and I frankly think he has a lot of nerve having my last name. Where do these people come from? I go years without any other Kimmels and suddenly there are Kimmels everywhere. There’s a Kimmel who writes Jewish children’s fiction, there’s some teen or young woman named Kimmel who’s just had a book published, there’s Jimmy Kimmel – I mean, who are these people and why are they jumping on my bandwagon? What show CDs have I listened to once and then never bothered with again? Well, let’s see – the Tommy Steele Some Like it Hot, Aspects of Love, Your Own Thing, Swing, Salvation, Hello, Again, Marie Christine (I find both those scores about as pleasant as a visit to the dentist), Ain’t Misbehavin’ with The Pointer Sisters, and a few others.
Ben asks if I’ve ever lived in New York, New York for any extended period of time and if so why was I living there? Was it going to be permanent at the time or did I know it would be transitory? I did live in New York, New York in 1969, for one year. Actually, I lived in Brookly, in Flatbush. I came to New York to try to be an actor, because I never thought I would get work in television or films. The only acting job I got that whole year was in stock in New Jersey, doing Stop the World – I Want To Get Off. The only thing I remember about that experience was watching the moon landing. In any case, several good things came out of living there that year – most importantly, my daughter was conceived in Flatbush (no mean feat) and the idea that jelled into The First Nudie Musical was conceived in Manhattan. Ironically, when I moved back to LA (where I wanted my daughter to be born), within six months I started working in television and never stopped for the next twelve years.
Laura asks whatever happened to the ugly china cabinet and the ugly brown furniture that is spoken of in Benjamin Kritzer? Well, assuming that part of the book isn’t fiction, shall we just say that the brown furniture was replaced by other furniture and the china cabinet remained until we moved to Beverlywood, at which point it disappeared, never to be seen again. Laura also asks what is the actual official cake here at haineshisway.com? Well, from my point of view the official cake would have to be the Parisienne Cake.
Stuart asks what I think about performing arts camps – do I think they’re professional training grounds or merely nurseries for the non-athletic. I’m sure a bit of both, depending on who’s running the show, but I do think that anything that gets kids to use their creative juices and teaches them about the arts is a good thing.
JMK asks what is a Steadicam and how does it work? A Steadicam is a clever invention – it’s basically a camera mount which attaches to a person and it gives you the mobility of a hand-held camera with the fluidity of a dolly shot. Its first use in a major motion picture was in Hal Ashby’s Bound for Glory. All of Mr. DePalma’s virtuosic opening shots from the late seventies on were all done with a Steadicam. I’ve used it several times and I do love it. You do have to have a good operator using it, otherwise it gets all floaty and nauseating. What are the economics behind Sony licensing titles to DRG and others and why doesn’t it make sense for them to release the titles themselves? It’s complicated – but big companies don’t really know how to do anything at a reasonable cost. Therefore, if Mr. Shepard or Mr. Deutsch is preparing the release, they get rather substantial salaries, plus they go back to original elements and do some remixing (I do not like this practice – actually, that is Mr. Shepard’s bailiwick and he should stop it), and the costs end up fairly high. They go through periods where they all get on the bandwagon and every time they do, the stuff sells what it sells which, for a major label, simply isn’t enough. Whereas, for a smaller independent, the sales are sometimes just fine. Sometimes Sony can make more by licensing – they license by doing a “finished goods” deal – which means they do the pressing and everything and the independent who’s licensing pays one all-in fee. The catch is that they have to commit to 5,000 albums, and they must ultimately pay for 5,000 even if they only sell 1,000 over the course of the three year license. On the recent release of Kean, JMK asks if I think Pembroke Davenport was really named Chuck Smith or Earl Jones and simply adopted the nom de theatre for tis theatricality. I do not have the CD in question, and I haven’t heard the LP since the early sixties, so I can’t answer the question. Finally, JMK asks why certain releases on the label I created also carry the Varese Sarabande imprint and did Varese put up any money for certain projects. Varese is the distributor for store sales and does (or at least didn’t) put any money into any projects.

Jason would like answers to the following: Why do fools fall in love? For the same reason that people give out their username and password. Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what’s on the other side? On the flip side is usually a different song, not about rainbows at all. I, myself, wrote a song about rainbows, when I was a wee sprig of a sprout of a twig of a tad of a teen, called I See Rainbows. Who’s that pretty girl in the mirror there? What mirror, where? Finally, why does Jennifer Holliday’s jaw do that scary wobble thing when she sings And I Am Telling you I Am Not Going? I believe that’s known as the Tony wobble – it’s solely designed to win a Tony nomination and possibly the award itself. Ms. Holliday learned it at the Johnson House for Jaw Wobbling in Mineola.
Jed wants to know what I think of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, both stage and film? I haven’t seen the stage show, so I can’t comment, but I like the film very much indeed and the music, by Gene DePaul is terrific, especially Wonderful, Wonderful Day. I believe the stage show has additional songs by Al Kasha, and I’m not familiar with them.
Arnold M. Brockman asks what I think when a song is interpreted in a whole different way than ever before. As long as it works, I like it – as long as there is commitment to whatever the idea is, so that it isn’t a half-assed attempt at something. I’ve been known to do a bit of that sort of thing every now and then – I think it’s always fun to reinvent songs, as long as the reinvention truly works for the song, either in arrangement or interpretation. Lea de Laria’s Broadway Baby falls into that category I think.
Tom from Oz asks if I can reveal the family background of the singing bird and reveal what the singing bird’s favorite score is. Also, does the singing bird sing any pop standards. The bird is from a long line of performing birds – its parents were the famous vaudeville act The Flying Wrens. The bird’s favorite score is, as you might expect, Bye Bye Birdie. The bird most certainly does sing pop standards, and it does an especially heart-rending version of It Was a Very Good Year.
S. Woody White asks if I’ve ever seen two different actors tackle the same two different roles, where one actor impressed me in one role but not the other, and vice versa and also versa vice. I take it you mean like when Laurence Olivier and Anthony Quinn traded off in Becket. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that done, so therefore cannot comment at this time. Oh, no, I cannot comment at this time.
Craig has his usual plethora of questions. If I was going to shoot The First Nudie Musical now who would I cast in the roles (without using anyone from the original film). Well, jeepers, I don’t know how to answer that. Ten years ago, I might have said Meg Ryan as Rosie, but she just wouldn’t be as good as Cindy, at least in my opinion. Harry could have been Tom Hanks or someone likable like that, but I can’t divorce myself from the people who did play the roles. Martin Short certainly could have played John. Of course, this is all ten years ago – I don’t know who on earth I would cast now. What are the top five movies I wish were on DVD? Oh, it changes all the time – but Sweet Charity, The Magnificent Ambersons, The White Sheik, La Dolce Vita, La Strada, The Girl Can’t Help It, The Five Pennies – oops, that’s more than five. What top five musicals do I wish were on CD? Oh, I think I’m happy with everything that’s on CD. Unless you mean never-before-recorded scores, in which case I’d say Smile, The Yearling, Lolita, My Love, La Strada and Carnival in Flanders. What are the top five things I plan on buying for myself (not including media related products? Oh, I don’t know – when I can afford it, maybe a donut, some art, a Parisienne Cake, a few first editions. Who do I consider to have had the most impact on film? An impossible question to answer – D.W. Griffith, perhaps, if one wanted to be a pedant. Any of the early pioneers. Who do I consider to have had the most impact on Broadway? Writers, directors? Again, one would have to look to Showboat’s creators, and then again to Oklahoma! and then again to Harold Prince and Stephen Sondheim. On music? Too damn hard. Do I have an embarrassing story about something I did or said in front of a celebrity? Yes, to my eternal shame I once said something very rude to Tippy Walker, who was one of the stars of The World of Henry Orient. I was a smart-ass jerk back then – I went to the premiere of the film at the Wilshire Theater, and Tippy and Merry Spaeth were there, signing autographs. I stood in line and when I got to Tippy I asked her if she’d studied with Strasberg? She just stared at me and asked who that was. I thought I was being ever so clever and in fact I was being a total cretin. I’m happy to say I have never done anything so insensitive since.
Kerry asks if my ex-wife appeared in The First Nudie Musical, other than her gloved hand during the film’s opening credits. No, she did not. What was the name of my father’s restaurant and where was it? Well, assuming that that part of Benjamin Kritzer is not fiction, my father’s restaurant was called the Kiru, and it was located exactly where the fictional restaurant in Benjamin Kritzer (called the Erro) is located – Serrano and 8th, which is near Western and Wilshire. Finally, Kerry asks if it’s okay to use the mug that he got from the label I created, as he thinks the logo is cute. Absolutely – why not? They are very nice mugs indeed, and the logo is wonderful. It’s by my pal, John Alvin, who also did the covers for Drat! The Cat! and The Night of the Hunter for me. He is a well-respected movie poster artist, and created the posters for Blazing Saddles, Phantom of the Paradise, E.T. and The Lion King. His daughter, Farah, has sung on several of my albums.
Lolita asks the following: If I had to pick one kind of story (mystery, romantic comedy, romantic tragedy, triumph over odds, etc.) to hear/see for the rest of my life, wihc would I choose. Well, romantic comedies are always nice – but I also like stories with children at their center, and I might just go with that. If I were to cast Benjamin Kritzer, the movie, with actors from any time and actors at any age, who would I pick. We’re going to make that a topic of discussion soon, so I will defer my answer until then. With what fictional character do I most indentify (besides my own). I identify with any fictional character who fights the good fight and who hates injustice.
Td asks – overrated or underrated, for the following: Moulin Rouge (o), The Royal Tenenbaums (haven’t seen it), Nicole Kidman (o), Tom Cruise (neither), James Cameron (o), Judy Kaye (u), Yolanda and the Thief (u), Can’t Stop the Music (o, o, o, o), Stanley Donen (u), E.M. Forster (u).
Several questions arrived late, so I will now hurriedly attempt to answer them.
Stephen Golden is going to meet Jane Krakowski soon and wants to know what he could say to her that might make her laugh – tell her you love the hidden track on the Paul Simon – her rap version of Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover, that she does with Lauren Kennedy. What is Vinnie doing now? He works when he works, he’s just moved into a new house, and he, I believe, is considering his options about various and sundried things.
Jaime Weinman asks the following: When recording a cast album how do I schedule the sessions? If there’s one performer who has a lot of songs is it particularly difficult to give him/her a chance to rest his/her voice? Are there any rules about what is recorded when and is the Overture recorded first? I usually have the musical director and contractor make up a schedule, which I then look at and amend in various ways. They sometimes don’t take into account singers needing a break between their big numbers. There are so many things to take into account – you only have each performer for a total of eight hours – those eight hours can be used any way you like within one recording day, so one must be very careful indeed. But I always take into account how much a performer does in the show – we scheduled Faith Prince very carefully for Bells Are Ringing, because she sings so many songs in the show. The really hard ones are things like Little By Little, where there are only three people in the show, constantly singing everything. It would amaze you to know that the Overture used to not be the first thing that was recorded on a cast album. But I learned early on that if there was any instrumental music that had to be recorded, that I would schedule it first – because a) that meant that I could bring the singers in a bit later, and b) get the sound of the band right without worrying about the singers. I don’t know what other people do, but I believe that theory has caught on a bit. It seems pretty basic to me. I also try to bring the stars in as late in the morning as possible.
George asks if I like the song Meadowlark from The Baker’s Wife and how many recordings I’ve heard and how many I own. I do like the song very much and have recorded it twice, both top-notch versions. Liz Callaway’s is brilliant, I think and Susan Egan’s is also wonderful. I like Patti’s original version, and I know I’ve heard many others but I can’t think of any I like more than those three. I’m sure I own them all. How many times have I heard the song performed live, either in concert or stage productions of The Baker’s Wife. Well, only once in The Baker’s Wife, when I saw it here in Los Angeles with Topol and Patti. And maybe ten times in concert. Finally, who is my favorite performer of the song. If I was forced against a wall and threatened with having to eat scrambled eggs sans milk, I would say Liz Callaway.
Freedunit asks many questions, which came in very late and which I will try to breeze through now. Have I ever had an Outback Steakhouse Bloomin’ Onion? No, nor do I even know what an Outback Steakouse bloomin’ is. Why do cheese fries sound bogus? Well, for starters, they’re incredibly cheesy, don’t you think. I don’t like fries with stuff on them, other than ranch dressing or ketchup. Pure fries, that’s what I say. Where are the best domestic French Fries found? My favorites are the fries at Jerry’s Delicatessan, Islands, and the Suzy-Q fries at Dolores. Now I should rate the following in descending order of preference, in other words 10 being least desirable and 1 being most preferred. Here we go: 10. Banana Cake 9. Chocolate Rum Cake 8. Pineapple Upside down cake 7. Carrot Cake 6. White Cake 5. Browned butter cake 4. Flourless chocolate cake 3. Strawberry Shortcake 2. Yellow cake and 1. Chocolate cake. Same thing for the following: 10. Hamentaschen 9. Mandel bread 8. Shortbread (or even Longbread) 7. Rugelach 6. Biscotti 5. Toffee Squares 4. Oatmeal cookies 3. Brownies 2. Chocolate chip cookies and 1. Sugar Cookies. There is nothing like a warm and pliant sugar cookie – it used to be my favorite thing in the hash lines at junior high school. How many noses has Julie Andrews had? I was only aware of one Julie Andrews nose, but I could be wrong. Who are my favorite theatrical scenic designers and why? No time for why, but I adore Tony Walton, the current flavor of the month, Bob Crowley, and I have loved some of Robin Wagner’s settings. There are others but I must mush on. Who are my favorite film production designers? The late Richard Sylbert, who was brilliant and able to capture the essence of the script in his settings. Ebert or Siskel? I don’t love either, but in a pinch, Siskel. Siskel or Roeper? Siskel by a mile. What about The Three Stooges? I have always been a fan and I do like to adopt a Moe attitude every now and then. I also met them, but that’s another story for another day. Do I have a favorite spoonerism? Yes, a tablespoonerism is my favorite. What about sporks? What about sporks – I’ve never been a fan of sporks, although I don’t mind watching baseball every now and then.
Well, time is up, dear readers, which, I suppose, is better than time being down. I hate it when time is depressed and it’s so heartening when time is up and happy and dancing the Hora. I do hope that at least a few of my answers to your excellent questions were interesting. Now, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, and I must most assuredly never eat scrambled eggs without milk again as long as I live. Today’s topic of discussion – we’ll just take one of today’s questions and use it: What cast album CDs or LPs have you played one time only and never listened to again. I’ve given my choices, so now it’s your turn.

Replies: 142 Unseemly Comments

Cast albums I've listened to once and never again (to name a few):
CATS (I got it before word got around)
RENT
FLOYD COLLINS
PASSION (I love Sondheim except for this)
Posted by William E. Lurie @ 07/25/2002 10:16 AM PST

Walking Happy
Aspects of Love
Miss Saigon
Darling of the Day
Skyscraper (except for one cut -- "Everybody Has the Right to be Wrong" -- which I would listen to several times in a row, and then put the record back in its dustjacket)
Posted by Stuart @ 07/25/2002 10:17 AM PST

Yes, add Passion to my list as well, and it is the only Sondheim I can say this about as well.
Posted by Stuart @ 07/25/2002 10:18 AM PST

I've got a few I bought and never listened to all the way through: Sunset Boulevard, Sideshow, and Aspects of Love.
Posted by Laura @ 07/25/2002 10:23 AM PST

Oh, yes, I listened to Miss Saigon once.
Posted by Laura @ 07/25/2002 10:24 AM PST

I only got ten minutes into Bring on The Noise Bring On The Funk and never heard the rest. I've never listened to all of Rent or Sunset Blvd either and haven't even opened Hedwig. I used to love Walking Happy, Skyscraper, Your Own Thing when they were lps. I've only heard Passion once, along with Hello Again, Marie Christine and many others I can't think of right now. I'm amazed at how many shows I have on lp that I've never listened to. It's been fun catching up with them 30 odd years later.
Posted by Robert Armin @ 07/25/2002 10:40 AM PST

While mixing your eggs with milk prior to scrambling them is a great thing to do, it essentially makes the eggs fluffier, but does not significantly alter the taste the eggs should have without the milk.
How OLD were them eggs, Bruce????? Eggs expire,too, and as fast as milk!
Them eggs should have been leaner and meaner without milk, but not gross-tasting.
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 07/25/2002 10:44 AM PST

Cats
Phantom of the Opera
Song and Dance (not to trash Mr. Lloyd Webber too harshly, strangely enough, I actually like Evita, perhaps its La LuPone)
Two Gentlemen of Verona
Kiss of the Spider Woman (I detest this show as much as I detest the movie. It's one of those things I don't get)
Footloose
Minnelli on Minnelli
Legs Diamond
And that's enough for now
Posted by Ben @ 07/25/2002 11:04 AM PST

Kerry, and all other owners of Cat-in-the-Hat, F-Company mugs:
Beware! Do not put your mug in the dishwasher, as the black will fade to a dim grey in only one washing! I always meant to write a nasty letter of complaint to the former Grand Aspadistra of said company, but was so busy listening to his wonderful CDs that I never had the time.
Consider this your nasty letter of complaint, Mr. Aspadistra.
Posted by William F. Orr @ 07/25/2002 11:20 AM PST

Hmm...things I've only listened to once...
1 MARIE CHRISTINE
2 THE WILD PARTY (LaChiusa)
3 INTO THE WOODS (the NEW B'way Cast)
4 THE CIVIL WAR
5 SECRETS EVERY SMART TRAVELER
SHOULD KNOW
6 FOOTLOOSE
7 A CLASS ACT
8 THE BEAUTIFUL GAME
9 WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND
10 BRING IN 'DA NOISE/FUNK
I'll list more later. I don't want to blow it all in one fell swoop.
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 11:27 AM PST

Greenwillow
70 Girls 70 (but I may revisit it one day)
Baker Street
Passion (I haven't decided what kind of mood I ought to be in for a re-visit)
Aspects of Love
No, No, Nanette
I have a lot of stuff new to me that I've barely listened all the way through...I cannot count those because I've not formed opinions of them yet.
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 07/25/2002 12:03 PM PST

Had heard Farah Alvin at the Cinegrill several times and always thought she was terrific. What's she doing nowadays?
Posted by Vincent Jan @ 07/25/2002 12:13 PM PST

As I knew would happen, there are of course favorites of mine popping up on other people's lists of things they have barely listened to at all. Which is what makes horse races, as they say.
Instead of giving into my first reaction of writing back and saying "But, NO! You have to listen to such-and-such more carefully because I am sure you will appreciate it more after you have," I am instead wondering about the corollary to today's question: Which cast albums have never left the CD tray or turntable for months (or years) at a time. Perhaps this is a subject for another day, but I will volunteer that for the entire summer of 1982 (and beyond) the LP of DREAMGIRLS did not leave my turntable. Except for the 3 seconds it took to flip it from one side to the other. At that, it only replaced the OC recording of MERRILY which also had a long run.
Posted by Stuart @ 07/25/2002 12:17 PM PST

Oh yeah, Dreamgirls is another CD I've only played once.
Posted by Robert Armin @ 07/25/2002 12:26 PM PST

Welcome, Vincent Jan, a very nice fellow I've met several times. I haven't spoken to Farah is some time - last I saw her she was a "pit" singer in Saturday Night Fever in New York. She's wonderfully talented and very very sweet.
Posted by bk @ 07/25/2002 12:31 PM PST

Just being silly about Dreamgirls. I liked the show when it was on Broadway but haven't bothered with it since. I was always amused by the note that came with the lp declaring that the album offered a full 40 minutes of music -- much more than most Broadway albums. Say what? It was their way of covering up the fact that they had left out nearly an hour of music.
Posted by Robert Armin @ 07/25/2002 12:34 PM PST

Robert! You've only heard DREAMGIRLS once through?!?! I'm appalled...and apetered...and amaryed. What does BK say? Groaning is not allowed at haineshisway.com.
OK...so I have to ask this, since I just bought the thing at Virgin Records...(this is SO unseemly I can't believe I'm actually asking it):
Is all of the nudity in TFNM of the feminine persuasion? There I've asked it. Think me tacky if you must, but this inquiring mind wants to know. I suppose I'll find out when I watch it tonight, but any fair warning would be MUCH obliged.
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 12:39 PM PST

Sorry, Robert...we were posting at the same time. Scratch my comment about DREAMGIRLS.
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 12:40 PM PST

They've been scratched. And they feel MUCH better now.
No, I enjoyed Dreamgirls. But I thought the cast album sounded more like a Motown collection, rather than a true picture of the show. I haven't heard the concert version yet.
And TFNM has just naked girls. This was the 70's for goodness sake!
Posted by Robert Armin @ 07/25/2002 12:44 PM PST

Tut, tut, someone hasn't watched their Nudie Musical DVD closely -there are two count them two male penises on display. There would have been more, but the boys did not wish to dance nude, not a one of them and we simply ran out of time trying to find someone who could actually dance and was willing, like the girls, to be nude. But, I reiterate, there are two count them two male penises on display in the film. One is in the audition sequence (the nude buck and wing), the other in the scene just prior to Mary LaRue's final scene.
Posted by bk @ 07/25/2002 12:57 PM PST

I always felt that too much was left out on the original 40 minute DREAMGIRLS recording until I heard the concert recording. The concert shows that what was good on stage doesn't always come off on recording and it's like wading through a lot of uninteresting in-between music to get to the good stuff. Maybe they knew what they were doing after all in keeping the original so short.
By the way... I just read that Debbie (Shapiro) Gravitte will probably be playing Mazeppa in the GYPSY revival and also understudying Bernadette. If it's true, this would be one time I'd rather see the show with the understudy. And is Anthony ("Top Gun", "ER") Edwards really playing Herbie?
Posted by William E Lurie @ 07/25/2002 01:02 PM PST

I generally employ a rule that I will reserve judgment on a CD until I have heard it at least three times. However, I have only broken that rule a few times:
OIL CITY SYMPHONY
ROBBER BRIDEGROOM
SECRETS EVERY SMART TRAVELLER SHOULD KNOW
With that said, there are several that never made it past the three times rule. A few fairly recent examples:
A CLASS ACT
ASPECTS OF LOVE
MARIE CHRISTINE
NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (sorry, BK)
URINETOWN
WILD PARTY (OBC)
There are others that I may revisit at another time, but I'm not eager to return to any of the above.
Posted by Dave @ 07/25/2002 01:04 PM PST

Thanks for the heads-up, Robert.
You should give the concert version of DREAMGIRLS a go. I think Audra is maybe a bit too classically trained for Deena, but as usual she does a bang-up job. Lillias White is faboo and Heather Headley...well...you'll want to hear her "Ain't No Party" if nothing more than to just understand why live recordings can be bad news. Poor Heather. She sounds fabulous through the whole show and then she gets to her big number and cracks...literally.
Now, all the die-hards are gonna string me up for this comment, but I think Lillias' "And I Am Telling You..." is my favorite version. (With the exception of the version I heard sung by a 10-year old girl on "Showtime at the Apollo." Talk about unseemly!) But it's my understanding that to see Ms. Holliday do it live is a most moving experience (do you think it moves you as much as she moves her jaw?) so I'll just say that both versions of the song are good.
The best part of the live recording, though, is that you get to hear the songs as they were written for the show...not as they were edited for the recording...and all the lyrics are included. I wonder if most people know that there's another verse to "Move! You're Stepping On My Heart"...? ("You've got a such magnetic power that just keeps holding me down. I feel just like a flower..." and then the words get a little muddled.) If you have the cash, pick up a copy and give it a listen. I think I've just about worn mine out.
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 01:07 PM PST

Okay, BK, I admit it. There were a few scenes where I just had to cover my eyes. I may love musical comedy but...
Posted by Robert Armin @ 07/25/2002 01:22 PM PST

My feelings about Jennifer Holiday coincide with those toward Patty Lupone. I get no pleasure in watching either perform because they make it look like so much hard work. Holiday's performance was loud, I'll give that to her, but little else. And Lupone is the only person I know who can sneer with her voice. Freedunit, your opinion is on record, no need to respond to this. ;-)
Posted by Robert Armin @ 07/25/2002 01:28 PM PST

Ha!!
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 01:29 PM PST

So, folks, should I feel good or bad that I listened to DREAMGIRLS for 4 months straight?
Posted by Stuart @ 07/25/2002 01:41 PM PST

Celebrate it, Stuart. Be proud to be an Effie-lover! I toast you for it.
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 01:43 PM PST

Only one recording has only been in my CD player only one time: the Bernadette Peters Annie Get Your Gun. Sad, Sad, Sad.
I would recommend Passion, for when you're in a...contemplative mood. It's a show that needs concentration to enjoy. I also used to say that Passion was the only Sondheim I didn't like, but I eventually changed my mind. (It still isn't my very favorite) I think that everyone should give it another try.
The same for Floyd Collins, which I think is the best musical of the past 10 years. That's right, better than Passion, better than Parade, better than The Producers, better than The Full Monty, better than either Wild Party, better than Mille, better than Urinetown. And I will stand by that opinion.
Bruce, I'm disappointed that you dislike Hamantaschen so much. They are really a treat when their season (Purim) comes around.
Posted by Hapgood @ 07/25/2002 01:43 PM PST

While I haven't technically listened to the CD, thanks to internet radio I've heard a few songs from Titanic, the musical, and I have no desire whatsoever to hear them or any other songs from that show ever again.
Posted by Ann @ 07/25/2002 01:54 PM PST

Their names are Jennifer Holliday and Patti LuPone, and the dismissal of them above is most facile.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/25/2002 01:55 PM PST

Thanks, Jason. I have always celebrated my DREAMGIRLS-mania.
And now that Hapgood has implored us to listen to PASSION again (I promise I will try), and therefore opened that door I was trying hard to avoid I must say the same to Mr. Pulliam about NO, NO NANETTE. NNN is one of those CDs that I put on when I just want to listen to something fun. It's charming, has some wonderful performances and terrific orchestrations. Give it a second thought. Please.
Posted by Stuart @ 07/25/2002 02:12 PM PST

I don't mind hamentaschen at all - I was just asked to rank those specific items in order of preference. There are many other items I wouldn't even put into my mouth.
Posted by bk @ 07/25/2002 02:41 PM PST

Free dun it. My opinions of Jennifer Holliday and Patti LuPone (typos corrected) are based on more than forty years of theatre going and I am entitled to MY opinions. For a man who chooses to hide behind a pseudonym, your comments on other performers have been equally as "facile." My opinion of Ms LuPone is one that I stand behind -- even to her face. When you choose to identify yourself (when you make snide comments about other performers), I might be able to take you a bit more seriously. Now, let's go back to being friends and fellow Kimlets.
Posted by Robert Armin @ 07/25/2002 02:46 PM PST

Girls, girls...you're both pretty. Can't we just get along?
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 03:10 PM PST

Yet another vote for Passion, with the ever-popular note of "it's the only Sondheim I don't like." Others mentioned that certainly would fit this category, but fortunately I heard enough of them to know not to buy (Titanic, Annie Get Your Gun revival).
Posted by Jed @ 07/25/2002 03:11 PM PST

Jason, see my note above re: musical comedy to see how inappropriate that it remark is. :-)
Posted by Robert Armin @ 07/25/2002 03:14 PM PST

I probably had heard of "Dreamgirls" when the Tony Awards show was aired that year the musical was up for all those awards.
I had never heard of its cast and certainly not of Jennifer Holliday.
And that LIVE telecast -- when they did the "Dreamgirls" production sequence that culminated in "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" -- was the singular most thrilling LIVE entertainment experience of my life. All the hairs on my arms and head stood on end -- I was practically floating so rapturous was the experience!
I've paid a bit more attention to Broadway since then!
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 07/25/2002 03:14 PM PST

Mea culpa. I should have entirely ignored the first swipe. This is me ignoring the most recent. [Dreamgirls original Broadway cast and Evita American Premiere Recording on shuffle.]
Posted by freedunit @ 07/25/2002 03:27 PM PST

I completely understand, Ron. A few years back (1999, I believe) the opening sequence for the Tonys featured Patti LuPone singing "Don't Cry For Me Argentina," Jennifer Holliday doing "And I Am Telling You...," and Betty Buckley doing "Memory." First off, that was my first DREAMGIRLS experience, and secondly, I thought that had to have been the most exciting 10 minutes of stage Heaven I'd ever seen...and I was watching it on TV. I can't imagine how incredible it must have been to see it live.
I think I experienced that again when I saw Elaine Stritch do her one woman show. Absolutely amazing. Thanks for sharing that with us, Ron. It was a great story! :-)
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 03:30 PM PST

We are all culpas at one time or another, do not fret. We are all allowed our opinions and they may not always jibe with what other people think - that is the way of the world. Oh, I am being so sage, aren't I? Perhaps I'll also be parsley and thyme. For example, I saw Miss Holliday do her number on the Tony Awards and I agree with Mr. Ron Pulliam that is was absolutely thrilling to see. I then saw her in the show here in LA, the first week it played. I took my daughter, who must have been eight or nine at the time. We sat in the first row and I'm here to tell you it was one of the greatest theatrical experiences I have ever had, and that includes Miss Holliday. I only wish I'd have gone back to see it a couple of more times. I then saw the show again when it came back to the Pantages, but it was a bit scaled down. Someone totally physically different was playing Effie - the lithe and lovely Sharon Brown. And let me tell you when she sang she knocked the roof off the theater. Even though she wasn't really physically what the script called for, she was simply amazing. As to Miss LuPone - believe it or not I have never seen her on the stage.
Posted by bk @ 07/25/2002 03:33 PM PST

I saw the archive video of the show at Lincoln Center (SO many hoops to jump through to finally get to see that video) and Roz Ryan was the Effie. I was more impressed with Ms. Holliday on the Tonys.
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 03:38 PM PST

Jason, if truth be told I bought the CD of Dreamgirls from one of my CD clubs but have yet to listen to it. I did listen to the lp many times, though, after seeing the show on Broadway. It was a spectacularly staged production which owed perhaps as much to Michael Bennett's creativity as Pippin owed to Bob Fosse. I never felt that the material itself was extraordinary although several of the songs are quite good even outside the show. Pastiche shows always depend on your affection for the original material being recreated and I do have a strong affection for 60s Motown.
And, while I fully acknowledge Jennifer Holliday's talent, I have always felt that her performance of And I'm Telling You depended more on her volume and (certainly) her passion than on any great skills as a vocalist. The fact that she has not had a second significant success since Dreamgirls suggests that she was, indeed, a one role performer. I certainly have no negative feelings toward her as a person or a performer. I just prefer a different style of singing. Hope that clarifies that.
Posted by Robert Armin @ 07/25/2002 03:43 PM PST

Jennifer Holliday, Lillias White, Sharon Brown, Roz Ryan, and Sharon Wilkins were all individually wonderful, at one time or another, in the role of Effie Melody White. Still, Holliday remains the living archetype. She can be a heart-breaking force of nature in the role.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/25/2002 03:45 PM PST

BK, thanks for your thyme. Peace and harmony are the hallmarks of my creed (or some such quote from Mary Poppins).
I first saw PL in the Topol version of The Baker's Wife. While she had a good voice, I didn't find her particularly appealing in what, I thought, should have been a spectacularly appealing role. By the time Evita played on Broadway, I knew enough about her to intentionally go to a matinee to see Terri Klausner's performance instead of her. My gut feeling about that particular show is that if Klausner (or any other competent actress) had opened in the show, she would have won a Tony, as well. The great performance of that year was Sandy Duncan in Peter Pan, but Evita was the bulldozer in her path.
What gets me about certainly die-hard fans is that they refuse to acknowledge the clay feet of their idols. Heck, my favorite actress of the moment is Anne Heche and I'd be the first to admit that she has oodles of flaws. Ah, well...
Posted by Robert Armin @ 07/25/2002 03:54 PM PST

Dreamgirls is one of the best-crafted—composed, written—musicals ever. If they had feelings, the British through-sung musicals would be jealous of Dreamgirls’ structure, which is on par with Sweeney Todd—The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. It is like a high-performance vehicle, for its engine drives along inevitably and unstoppably, as a musical’s must. It is tight and meticulously built. It is a show that benefits from virtuoso direction and choreography, but does not require it. It is essentially a war-horse of a musical, like few others, so sound of structure that it is capable of surviving the most inept production. Its facade is super high-gloss, but its inner workings are built tough to last.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/25/2002 03:58 PM PST

Very well put. I'll have to see it again some day.
Posted by Robert Armin @ 07/25/2002 04:00 PM PST

Okay, I have seen BOTH Jennifer and Patti onstage in a musical:
Miss Holliday's performance in DREAMGIRLS is definitely one of the highlights of my theater-going experiences. I was struck dumb and dunbstruck, too, at the sheer power of this theatrical novice, who could deliver such gut-wrenching (and jaw-jointing) emotion through song. I have several videos of J.H. performing post-DREAMGIRLS, including a brilliant gospel hour done for Cinemax, where she steps into Mahalia's shoes with a thrilling "His Eye is on the Sparrow." So, I would have to say, that I am a J.H. fan.
P.L. on the other hand, I saw as Reno Sweeney in ANYTHING GOES before the Tony nominations. She wasn't brilliant. She wasnt understandable. BUT she was electric! She walked onto the stage, and she owned it from that moment on. Even Linda Hart couldn't steal that stage from P.L. But, even knowing all the wonderful Cole Porter songs, my date and I couldn't understand a single syllable that eminated from P.L.'s lips. Mumble city. P.L. also made no effort at all to be with the period of the piece, so I was rather disappointed by LuPone. However, I did like Robert in A CHORUS LINE.
What I have listened to only once:
HELLO, AGAIN
MARIE CHRISTINE (and I have to say, it took me at least seven tries to make it the whole way through).
THE WILD PARTY (Lippa. Sorry, Lippa fans, I just loathed everything and everyone on this recording).
DREAMGIRLS IN CONCERT.
SUNSET BLVD (Canadian Cast).
GUYS AND DOLLS (Reprise Repertory Theater, or whatever they called it).
Posted by td @ 07/25/2002 04:00 PM PST

td - I bought the London Cast of Anything Goes so I could hear Howard McGillin (also in NY) and Elaine Paige sing the Porter tunes. The Forbidden Broadway parody of LuPone in that show is hilarious and, unfortunately, far too accurate.
Posted by Robert Armin @ 07/25/2002 04:05 PM PST

BK:
You were lucky you saw Miss Holliday in LA. I was living in LA at the time and I remember that she missed more performances than she did. Lillias was her understudy. The night I saw it Miss Holliday promised she would appear so Lillias could sing at some special concert. She broke her promise so I saw the understudy to the understudy who had another role that had to be covered by another understudy. Plus some of the men were out so there were about 10 understudy slips in the program and the longest pre-show understudy announcement I can recall before or since. Oh well, the light towers still moved. (This has not been surpassed until Matthew and Nathan played only one of every eight performances together in their last four months with THE PRODUCERS. At least it was announced in advance that Audra "even if the show was written for me I won't play matinees" McDonald would be out on a regular basis in MARIE CHRISTINE.)
Posted by William E. Lurie @ 07/25/2002 04:19 PM PST

Did you know that when I was in college I played Finch in How To Succeed. Would you like to know who Smitty was? Well, I'll tell you who Smitty was - Linda Hart, that's who Smitty was. And would you like to know who Rosemary was? Well, I'll tell you who Rosemary was - Annette Cardona (Charles) the LA Acid Queen in Tommy and Cha Cha or ChooChoo or Chachie or whatever the hell her name was, in the film of Grease. And would you like to know who Frump was? Well, I'll tell you who Frump was - Michael Lembeck, that's who Frump was - husband to McKenzie Phillips on One Day at a Time (a role we were the two finalist for, damn his eyes) and Emmy-award winning director of friends. And would you like to know who Hedy was? Well, I'll tell you who Hedy was - Margo Rogers, that's who Hedy was - and she just happened to be married at the time to this singer who was about to go the solo route after being in The First Edition - Kenny Rogers, who used to hang around rehearsal all the time.
Posted by bk @ 07/25/2002 04:23 PM PST

Gee, BK, you know EVERYBODY!
Posted by Robert Armin @ 07/25/2002 04:29 PM PST

I had lunch with Dear Reader Laura today, and I introduced her to the glory of Oreo Cake. Actually they didn't have any in the case, but we found out there was one in the freezer which they intended on putting out in a few days. So I beseeched them (and I can be very good at beseeching) to sell me three pieces (one for Laura and two for me). She will have to share her review with the whole Hainsie/Kimmlet family. And we certainly are one big family.
CD's/Lp's that have never been played more than once:
Evita (sorry guys)
Sunset Boulevard
Grand Hotel
I have never even bought (let alone played) "Passion," "Aspects of Love" or "Miss Saigon" after seeing clips on the Tony's.
"Class Act" wasn't bad, but it gave me no reason to listen to it again (except maybe for Randy Graff).
"Seussical" was cute, but...
I will not list shows which I have played one song more than once).
More to follow, I'm sure, once I review my CD's and records.
Oh, and Bruce, thank you for the answers. And I think your eggs must have been old or something (well, not YOUR eggs, but the chicken eggs you used to make the scrambled eggs).
Posted by Kerry @ 07/25/2002 04:32 PM PST

Well, I assume you used chicken eggs, anyway.
Posted by Kerry @ 07/25/2002 04:32 PM PST

The idea of a one-role/one-song/one-whatever phenomenon is not easily dismissable.
I've often wondered why Carole King -- who has written so many great songs and has been successful doing it for others since "Tapestry -- has never had an album remotely as good as "Tapestry." When I see that commercial with her daughter (who looks just like her) singing "So Far Away", it continues to remind me how phenomenally brilliant that album remains today.
And there's Phoebe Snow -- her first album is seminal. Nothing has clicked with me since, even though she's been well-respected all these years. She did vocals for Hallmark a number of years ago -- sometime around 1981 or 82, she sang "Our Love is Here To Stay" for a Hallmark commercial -- and she should have done a complete album of Gershwin because her vocal arrangement was superb.
I've loved Holliday's appearances on "Ally MacBeal," especially the episode where she sang "Short People."
It think in her case it requires what Garland had -- a Roger Edens to find and develop properties for her. Edens was behind everything she did at MGM, and it was Edens who -- after MGM let her go -- pushed her into doing live concerts, and it was Edens who formulated "A Star is Born" for her.
There are too few Edens' in the world for those who could benefit.
And we are the poorer for it.
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 07/25/2002 04:42 PM PST

I still have never made it all the way through CATS
"Nick and Nora" has not been played more than once. It's a shame, because I love so many people in it.
Posted by Kerry (again) @ 07/25/2002 04:42 PM PST

Where is Michael Shayne, and how he is doing?
Posted by Kerry @ 07/25/2002 05:08 PM PST

Dear BK: I can't blame you for not understanding my question, as I should have given an example. Your example, of Becket with Olivier and Quinn and Quinn and Olivier, is a facinating one, but not exactly what I had in mind.
Let's see, let's try something more bizarre, more fanciful for my example. Let us say that, after Rex Harrison had been so wonderfully successful in My Fair Lady, and Robert Preston has also been so wonderfully successful in The Music Man, for some strange reason Rex had been given the chance to play Harold, and Robert the chance to play Henry. And let's say you had had the chance to see all four stagings. (I'll even pay for these fanciful tickets, to make it a better bargain!)
Thankfully, we never had that exact situation happen, at least not with those specific players. But I hope this gives you a better idea of what I was suggesting.
As for listening to a CD only once, I always insist on listening to a CD twice. If it then becomes a mini-frisbee to give to the neighbor's Chihuahua to play with, that's another matter entirely.
Posted by S. Woody White @ 07/25/2002 05:34 PM PST

MMMMMMmmmmmm.
Posted by Laura @ 07/25/2002 05:40 PM PST

Dear Kerry: Please get out your CD of Nick and Nora, and play just one track, that of Barry Bostwick singing "Look Who's Alone Now." Track 10. It is one of the best torch songs written in years, and one of the very few I can think of that was written for a man to sing.
After playing that one track, get out your CD burner and start compiling a disc of really great treats from discs you otherwise cannot stand. You'll be glad you did! (It's also a great track to make people listen to, and dare them to guess who the singer is! The jaw-drop rate is phenomenal.)
Posted by S. Woody White @ 07/25/2002 05:41 PM PST

Alright, I take it back. "Nick and Nora" is better than I first thought. I have played a few cuts and will give the whole thing a listen later. It still has problems, but it is still better than so many other things. Maybe I was just in a bad mood the day I played it the first time. Such brilliant people were involved in almost every aspect of it. What was its downfall-- the book?
Thank you, Woody, for making me give it a second chance.
Posted by Kerry @ 07/25/2002 06:01 PM PST

As regards the many postings about la Holliday: I saw DREAMGIRLS several times in NYC, the first time being an early preview, and Jennifer H brought the house down at the end of Act I with the kind of hair-raising bravado and audience response that I have not experienced since my recent trip to DC when the Kennedy Center's SUNDAY IN THE PARK.... drew the same response when the first act curtain fell. Amazing. Electric. I saw Lillias White and Roz Ryan and Effie...both were accomplished perfomances, but nothing can match the original peformance of Holliday....including her own rather unfortunate rendition of "And I am Telling You...." on one of those Broadway Plays the White House specials that ran on PBS in the late 80's... does anyone remember them? Poor Jennifer. She sang the whole song in a close-up that gave us a very nice tour of her dental work.
I was sorry to see the Canadian cast of SUNSET included on the "listened to only once" lists... it's without a doubt my favorite of the bunch. And ROBBER BRIDEGROOM is wonderful.
As for my own "one time only" recordings, let's go with:
HIGH SPIRITS (London cast)
SOUND OF MUSIC (original London cast)
THE KING AND I (w/ Christopher Lee)
TITANIC
THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE GOES PUBLIC
And am I the only person who simply doesn't get THE FROGS? The recent recording left me cold, although I did enjoy the EVENING PRIMROSE selections.
Posted by Tim H. @ 07/25/2002 06:02 PM PST

freedunit, Jason:
Laura likes the Oreo cake. You too could have a piece (of cake that is).
Posted by Kerry @ 07/25/2002 06:02 PM PST

OK. In Miss Holliday's defense, she HAS had a career post-Effie. Granted, it wasn't on the Broadway stage--hell, they didn't even invite her to do the concert--but she won a second Grammy award post-"And I Am Telling You..." PLUS she had those aforementioned spots on Ally McBeal (as opposed to athreementioned or afivementioned). She's now doing a production of DREAMGIRLS (as Effie, of course) in Atlanta, Georgia.
I just finished watching our dear host, BK, in TFNM and I must say it was a hooter...um...hoot. And how cute was BK? Just adorable! Oh, and BK...I saw a third, yes count it, a THIRD male penis in the scene where Miss LaRue is fired from the movie. She throws the guy off and there it is in all it's splendor...a third male penis. And I'll just assume, for all three of those male penis' sakes, that it was really really cold on that sound stage during filming. Ahem...moving on...
Is Oreo cake on the list of approved confections?
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 06:16 PM PST

Why you are absolutely correct, there is that additional scene you speak of Jason - I didn't mention it because it is the same male penis as the nude buck and wing. I talk about these things on the commentary track - although I can't remember WHICH commentary track. I just got off the phone with Miss Cindy Williams, and she sends everyone here her love.
Posted by bk @ 07/25/2002 06:23 PM PST

Well, well, well, you all are
going to think me WEIRD,- -
I'm French after all -- but I do
not own a dvd player, I do not
own a TV set ( Yes, yes, yes,
you read well !!!) -- dear reader
Laura should be proud of me !
-- BUT I've ordered my own dvd
copy of TFNM; hey, Bruce, ain't
that just too too !?
Now, Bruce, I'm puzzled by
your statement -- and
disappointed --: two male
penises..... hope we get some
female penises too !!!!!
I know, I know, I'm being
smart.
Pardon my French.........
Posted by francois @ 07/25/2002 06:26 PM PST

BK: Unfortunately I don't own a DVD player so I had to resort to the old VHS tape...therefore, no commentary. Sorry. Will you get a kick-back from my purchase today? I sure hope so. And send Cindy my love, as well...and some flowers if you're so inclined. :-)
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 06:35 PM PST

Wow.. I must be a part of this post-a-thon we have going today.
the only cd that comes to mind is the new cast recording of Into the Woods...
Posted by Craig @ 07/25/2002 07:05 PM PST

First of all, what is this Passion bashing business? I love Passion, it's one of my favorites. In my top three it is consistently up there with Sunday. Anyway. I just had to hoist my Passion flag and waive it proudly.
Okay, cast albums I've played only once:
Marie Christine
Little by Little
After the Fair
(should I be admitting these?)
Sunset Boulevard
The Life
A Class Act (except for the Randy Graff songs)
And so many others, but I've forgotten them all, because they just sit on my shelves like so much fish, not being played.
Posted by Lolita @ 07/25/2002 07:07 PM PST

So as to push us over the 70, Posts, 70 mark, I will list some MORE cast recordings that have only been in my stereo on one occassion. They would be:
1. BY JEEVES (London)
2. THE CARD (has anyone else actually heard of this show??)
3. COPACABANA
4. A DOLL'S LIFE
5. GODSPELL (original concept album)...I love the 2000 Off-B'way recording
6. LUNCH
7. MARTIN GUERRE Version 1.0
8. SEUSSICAL
9. STATE FAIR
10. STEEL PIER (though I love Kristi's big number and "Everybody's Girl")
11. 3 GUYS NAKED FROM THE WAIST DOWN
12. TICK..TICK..BOOM!
13. TRIUMPH OF LOVE
and...
14. WORKING
There...does this make 70??
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 07:17 PM PST

I must weigh in (at 160 pounds) as not caring for Passion very much at all - in actuality, the only way I ever listen to the score is on the Terry Trotter "In Jazz" album I did. Then again, outside of a few songs, I don't care all that much for Sunday in the Park either. I know there are those who quite strongly fall into the Sondheim/Lapine camp but I'm not one of them. Frankly, I play Little by Little more than I've ever played Passion and I rarely play Little by Little.
There are many things I like in the score to A Doll's Life - and not only have I heard of The Card (it was the subject of an early trivia question), it has one of my favorite guilty pleasure songs, Moving On, classic Hatch and Trent. Too bad Petula never covered it.
Posted by bk @ 07/25/2002 07:39 PM PST

Now, now. There will be no discussion as to whether Oreo cake is permissible. It's the best cake I've ever eaten in my life (Thanks, Kerry!! Next time, I buy!) and it's the first time I've treated myself since I began my diet! So ain't no one going to deprive me of my enjoyment!!
I don't even own most of these CDs you guys are talking about -- so I guess I'm glad I didn't spend the money on them. I think Seussical is kinda cute....and, well, since a Plaid is on it, it gets played now and again. Kerry, I'm sure you'll be listening to Suessical if/when we all drive to LA.
Posted by Laura @ 07/25/2002 07:54 PM PST

Oreo cake is cookies and cake, so, of course, yes, it is cake. Was there ever a question? By the way (BTW), just because an item is not cake does not mean it cannot be eaten and enjoyed. Of course it can! Most food items are not cake, and millions of them may be enjoyed. Let them eat cake! I mean, to each her own.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/25/2002 08:00 PM PST

Now, hold on just a cotton pickin' minute! Oreo cake is acceptable, but STRAWBERRY cake isn't?? Something's fishy around here...
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 08:02 PM PST

By the way (BTW), if I were forced to make a cookies-and-cake dessert, it would be Newman-O’s cake.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/25/2002 08:03 PM PST

Jason -- I am rather elderly, so they have to be nice to me.
Posted by Laura @ 07/25/2002 08:06 PM PST

What is it—fish? Strawberries are not cake; they are fruit. Oreos are not cake; they are cookies—technically filled biscuits. Don’t get me started on they’re-made-of-hydrogenated-vegetable-oil-and-therefore-not-food. Oreos ingredients may not all be food items, but still Oreos are America’s favorite cookie and they may be used on cake or in cake, if one must. It is not recommended, not encouraged, not endorsed, but it is unseemly and therefore allowed. Strawberries are perfect as they are. Eat them or leave them alone.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/25/2002 08:11 PM PST

Laura: I would like to offer you an Oreo-inspired cake, if you would be tempted to try it. It is a chocolate cake for big kids who love Oreos, with lots of dark chocolate and cream. Even though there are no Oreos and no hydrogenated oils in it, it hits the right notes and is delicious.
Kerry: You’re in on this one, too, right? That piece is yours.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/25/2002 08:15 PM PST

BK: Please, please, please (how's that for a 1960's swinger?) give Miss Cindy Williams my best regards! Make her some scrambled eggs with FRESH eggs (and milk, should you choose), take her out for a cup of joe or a glass of Diet Coke, but most of all: tell her how much I love her (and everything else) in TFNM.
I just tracked down my video copy of Cinemax's gospel session to watch Jennifer H. all over again; and I'll be blunt - I liked her much better when she was heavier! She seems so much less tic-ridden and far more natural. This particular concert was from her B-I-G days, and maybe it's because her singing started with gospel, she's loose and wonderful with every note she sings. ("His Eye in on the Sparrow," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "Gone At Last") A worthwile videotape, which I sure am glad I saved for a night like this.
Posted by td @ 07/25/2002 08:20 PM PST

CD’s I played once and never again:
The Phantom of the musical
Canterbury Tales
Dreamgirls 2001 Concert—I was there; that was enough.
Marie Christine
Steel Pier—except for “Everybody’s Girl”…
Chicago 1996 revival cast
Fosse
Tyne Daly destroying Gypsy
The motion-picture soundtrack A Chorus Line
The motion-picture soundtrack Annie
Glenn not close, certainly not quite, Sunset Blvd.
Michael Damien, Donny Osmond Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Little Me revival
Company 1995 revival
The Fantasticks
The abysmal London cast recording I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road
Jekyll & Hyde
Miss Saigon
Bells Are Ringing revival
Wild Party both
Florence Lacey Evita
Contact
Seussical
Jesus Christ Superstar revival cast
Big
I have received several promotional copies of discs by Pariah Scares-me, and all remain factory shrink-wrap sealed.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/25/2002 08:31 PM PST

Jason, the Oreos are just decoration (more or less). The cake is a dark chocolate cake with white buttercream frosting.
freedunit: YES! I want the Oreo cake for grownups. Is it different from my Oreo cake?
Jason: This afternoon in the car I finished listening to "Three Guys Naked from the Waist Down." I can now most definitively add it to my list of CD's I will never play again.
And I will confess that this last weekend I had a piece of raspberry mousse cake which was pretty good. I know-- it's good, but is it cake?
Posted by Kerry @ 07/25/2002 08:39 PM PST

Kerry...I'm glad you can say you understand why that CD is a one-listen wonder. Such a disappointment 'cause I love Scott Bakula so--ever since "Quantum Leap." Oh, well...I love Patti LuPone, too, and see what trouble that has caused?
May I just say, I'm very excited to find out what tomorrow's topic will be. I'm feeling ever so much wittier since joining in these discussions. (Let me live in my world of delusion just this once...don't dash my self-indulgent thoughts on the rock of reality just yet).
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 08:47 PM PST

Has anyone else noticed that were unseemingly close to hitting the 100 mark with the posts?? Isn't it exciting? I mean, really...isn't it just too too?
Let's break 100, people! You KNOW you have more to talk about...Ms. Holliday...La LuPone...Glenn Close but no cigar in SUNSET BLVD....CDs you've only listened to once...CDs you hope to never hear again...a reunion with a CD that you never really gave a chance...we're just three queens, two hags and an affair short of an episode of Ricki Lake! Keep talking!!!
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 08:55 PM PST

In re: Patty Lupone
Your cue ===>
"I like Offenbach."
...
Posted by William F. Orr @ 07/25/2002 09:09 PM PST

I do not. So what? So what?
Posted by kerry @ 07/25/2002 09:16 PM PST

Now things are looking sort of interesting.
BK -- I know it's not Ask BK day any more, but I know you are a great admirer of Sondheim...at least, that's an impression I have. So if Sondheim/Lapine is not your cup of tea(and does that include "Into the Woods"???), what Sondheim DO you like?
The cake extremists are back. Let's make some observations, shall we? Chocolate is derived from a BEAN and a bean is NOT CAKE. So if the cacao bean can yield chocolate and the extremists believe chocolate perfectly acceptable in cake, there's no valid reason -- nay, nor even a LEGITIMATE argument -- to make against the strawberry, which blends so beautifully with batter AND butter cream frosting.
If a bean can be made into a cake, a berry can be made into a cake. All beans cannot work in a cake -- green beans don't make good cake. And don't get me started on soy beans, which make horrendous cakes. Vanilla beans, of course, make great contributions to cake! Many cakes have 100% pure vanilla extract in them, others (perhaps Cake Parisienne) actually have pummeled vanilla bean mixed into the batter, and some cakes, poor things, are treated to imitation vanilla extract.
But virtually all berries can be mixed into a batter for a scrumptious -- scrumdiddlyumptious -- cake!
And then there's an old-fashioned burnt-sugar cake that owes so much to sugar cane!!!!
And were does cake flour come from? Wheat? And eggs? Chicken behinds! And milk! Well, it's udderly preposperous to berate a berry cake!
I need a sip of ginger ale, with a twist of lime!
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 07/25/2002 09:34 PM PST

Raspberry mousse? Cake? Are you kidding?! Of course not. Oy veh is mer! Matzo is closer to cake. Capisce?
Patti LuPone
Jason: That’s right. Your love of LuPone is the root of all the evil. LOL.
At least no one mentioned Linda Eder.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/25/2002 09:35 PM PST

I'm about to pop a VHS tape of "Call Me Madam" into my VCR. It's a copy of a copy made off a TV broadcast many, many years ago by a friend.
It will be my first time viewing it!
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 07/25/2002 09:36 PM PST

Linda Eder...now there's a name I haven't heard since....
...well, since Star Search sent her off to stardom many, many, many, etc., years ago.
And I know she got into a "musical in progress" -- something based on Jekyll and Hyde.
How did that ever turn out? And has Ms. Eder "done" anything other than that? Has anyone who won Star Search ever done anything?
I don't know...I'm asking.
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 07/25/2002 09:38 PM PST

You had to bring her up, didn't you, freedunit? Well, you made one fatal flaw...you mentioned Linda's name without even giving honorable mention to her husband, Frank "thank God my wife sings my songs 'cause no one else wants to" Wildhorn. I think it'd be a hoot for them to play the Hilton twins in SIDE SHOW since it already seems that Frank is attached to her hip. The woman makes my eyes cross. It's not a pretty sight. Not at all.
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 09:40 PM PST

Ron,
Cake extremists? Where we would be without cake? I ask you. We would be a cakeless society, and my great, great grandparents didn't immigrate to this country, facing hardship after hardship, enduring the long boat trip, hurdling each obstacle at Ellis Island, and more just so that I would have to go cakeless. And by God, whether it is chocolate cake or strawberry cake, we stand up for the right to eat whatever cake you choose.
Of course, it was pointed out to me that cheesecake is technically a pie, so that hopefully ends that debate. Bostin Cream Pie is, however, a cake.
And the raspberry mousse DESSERT was a nice diversion (and we all need a nice diversion now nad then).
Posted by Kerry @ 07/25/2002 09:44 PM PST

Boston. Not Bostin.
Posted by Kerry @ 07/25/2002 09:45 PM PST

Ron: Has anyone from Star Search ever done anything?? Are you kidding? Sam Harris won Star Search and look what he's done...a Weissler show (GREASE!), a 10 year run as Joseph, a short-lived B'way show called THE LIFE and now he's a replacement in THE PRODUCERS.
And Linda Eder did JEKYLL & HYDE for a few dozen years. Oh...I'm starting to see your point. Well, no, I guess no one who wins Star Search does anything of value. Now, winners at Showtime at the Apollo, on the other hand...what are THEY doing?
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 09:45 PM PST

The Sondheim I like is Follies, Company, Night Music, Sweeney, even Pacific Overtures. Of the Lapine/Sondheims, Into the Woods is the least problematic for me, although I don't love it. I adore Funny Thing, love the score to Anyone Can Whistle, too. And there you have it.
Posted by bk @ 07/25/2002 09:46 PM PST

Bruce, I know Ask BK DAy is over, but I have a question I keep forgetting to ask. Who is Annette O'Toole married to? It is some celebrity, isn't it? But I can't remember who.
And I think you're a very wise man for staying out of the cake issue.
Posted by Kerry @ 07/25/2002 09:47 PM PST

I couldn't make it through "Assassins" even once.
Call me unsophisticated; call me a rube; call me irresponsible, but there you have it.
Posted by Kerry @ 07/25/2002 09:49 PM PST

Kerry: You unsophisticated, irresponsible rube!! :-)
Give it a second chance...
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 09:51 PM PST

Is that true that Linda Eder is
going to do Side Show with
Patti Lupone ?
Well, no ! patti is gone fishing,
like i just read on her site....
Call me weird (bis) but Linda
SOUNDS nice to me !!!!
There are so many negative
comments today, that I feel like
being positive at any price...
Can't have I my CAKE and eat
it too ???
6:55 am here in Paris; time for
croissant and café au lait !
Cheers !
Posted by francois @ 07/25/2002 09:54 PM PST

Cacao trees are extraordinary. They yield the food of the gods. Commonly called “cocoa beans,” the seeds are not beans at all, but fruit. “Real chocolate is a cocoa paste made from cacao seeds. Cacao seeds are the fruit of the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao. Vanilla comes from the orchid Vanilla planifolia. It is fruit, too, not bean.
Fruit is fruit. Cake is cake. Only certain special fruit is anointed to become cake.
Kerry: I may call you collect.
Linda Eder is a very nice person. I am sure she is a great mom.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/25/2002 09:58 PM PST

The hundredth post.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/25/2002 09:59 PM PST

I'm not going to bed til we hit 100.
Patti and Linda as the Hilton Sisters. Ha!! I heard Carol Channing and Ann Miller were doing it in Vegas. Mickey Rooney is playing the creepy side show barker. It should be great fun.
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 10:00 PM PST

One Hundred and One Dalmatians was the first motion picture I ever saw.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/25/2002 10:01 PM PST

Jason: For that you should be bitch-slapped, but I will leave that to Patti. When you said the Wildhorns play Hiltons, I thought you meant hotels as in Marriotts as in lounges…
Posted by freedunit @ 07/25/2002 10:03 PM PST

Oh! I get it. Fruit in a cake is only okay when like it, but it's not okay when you don't like it.
Cake extremists -- folks who try to tell the rest of us what we can and cannot call cake!
I don't see anything negative about that.
I love the Waldorf-Astoria recipe for N.Y. Cheesecake! Such divine "cake."
And chocolate cheesecake is food for the gods!
What negative things are being said? Have I missed something?
Opinons are merely opinions -- things only get negative when one is attacked for holding his or her opinion.
This Unseemly Message Board is the most civilized and POSITIVE bastion of fun on the internet.
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 07/25/2002 10:04 PM PST

Will someone give Fred Unit, I
mean freedunit his CAKE FIX
please....or is it an overdose
??
Posted by francois @ 07/25/2002 10:04 PM PST

Hey! Did any of youse ever try a potato cake?
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 07/25/2002 10:05 PM PST

The Wildhorns couldn't get into a Mariott lounge anywhere in the country...Bob Goulet has them all booked.
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 10:05 PM PST

Oh, Francois! Give a man cake, he eats for a day. Give a man a hot French baker, he is set for life!
Fruit is cake when it becomes cake most, not when it is fruit on a cake, in a cake, near a cake, but still fruit. Fruit is perfect. Leave it alone.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/25/2002 10:08 PM PST

I do believe cheese slices, ham chunks, Diet Cokes and ALL kinds of cake are in order for setting a new record for number of posts. I must dig out my pantaloons and tights and pointy hat for the dance which we shall all do (led by our dear Bruce).
Posted by Kerry @ 07/25/2002 10:10 PM PST

OK. I'll give "Assassins" another try.
Posted by Kerry @ 07/25/2002 10:11 PM PST

Assassins is terrific. Passion has been played only once. I saw it; that is still enough; not even bothering to see it at the Sondheim Celebration.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/25/2002 10:14 PM PST

Are these standard-issue tights and pantaloons, like the cakes, or do we actually have a say in what these articles of party clothing can look like? What if I had pantaloons with a strawberry print on it? I would, of course, never wear that because that would be terribly tacky and I live in New York, so everything I wear has to be black anyway.
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 10:15 PM PST

Sorry to say, but I know some
French bakers who are
real.....fruits !
I just had linda on the phone,
and she sends all her cakes, I
mean love to you all, as they
say in the south of the US of A.
Posted by francois @ 07/25/2002 10:17 PM PST

Pantaloons can be any color, any pattern, any time. The only rule is they must be festive and joyful.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/25/2002 10:17 PM PST

In the south it's "Y'all." I'm embarassed to admit it, but being raised in Kentucky, I've actually been known to use the word in a sentence.
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 10:18 PM PST

“Sorry to say, but I know some French bakers who are real.....fruits !” I am sorry, but I do not understand.
If Linda has cakes—and I would believe it only when I see it—she ought to be careful to whom she sends them. They might end up being used as pies.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/25/2002 10:24 PM PST

You know, Mr. Mark Bakalor would say we're all crazy. And he's probably right, but I love you all. Not in spite of it, but because of it. So, a round of cake for everybody!
Posted by Kerry @ 07/25/2002 10:25 PM PST

Who is this Mr. Bakalor that you speak of?
Just listening to the Forbidden Broadway 20th Anniversary Album and cracking up at Christine Pedi's Liza number. She's so good at it!
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 10:27 PM PST

Mr. Mark is the wizard who put this website together. He's cute, but he thinks we're all crazy.
Posted by Kerry @ 07/25/2002 10:32 PM PST

Kerry: Merci beaucoup. Now I feel up-to-date and thoroughly modern.
Posted by Jason @ 07/25/2002 10:36 PM PST

Jason -- my pantaloons have leopard spots; Dear Reader Sandra (my daughter) wears plaid pantaloons.
Posted by Laura @ 07/25/2002 11:27 PM PST

Jason, I'm amazed. Shocked...and amazed.
Surely you realize there is a fine pedigree in the southern tongue that makes "Y'all" one of the most charming and useful of colloquialisms in the English language.
From the declarative "Hey, y'all!"
To the wistful, "What y'all doin'?"
To the friendly, "Y'all come back, now."
To the singular usage, in two syllables, to express outright surprise, or absolute embarrassment: "Y'all"
"Y'all" is a word that I proudly use whenever my heritage tells me it is most appropriate.
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 07/25/2002 11:55 PM PST

Lolita you are not alone. "Passion" is one of my favourite musicals. Sure I got to see it but I play it often - it is beautiful and moving.
I could not even get through 15 minutes of Bernadette Peters attempting "Song And Dance". Have played "Dream Girls" once only, "Rent" once and I only play a few tracks of "The Beautiful Game". So many posts above but I do play "The Card" (I saw it in London in 73.) I find "Floyd Collins" worth the effort. "Heathcliff" and "Wuthering Heights" are once played as well. "Parade" and "The Fields Of Ambrosia" have yet to get a second try but the jury is still out on those.
Posted by Tom from OZ @ 07/26/2002 02:17 AM PST

As I write this at 7:40am on Friday morning, July 26th in NYC we are at 123 posts! Pantaloons and pointy hats everyone. We need a virtual dance, or a virtual wave or a virtual something to acknowledge this moment.
My, my such spirited discussions all stemming from cake and CDs. As Mr. Bakalor so succinctly puts it
We're all CRAZY!
Posted by Ben @ 07/26/2002 04:41 AM PST

Ron: You forgot one...
The all inclusive "All Y'all."
i.e.-I'm gonna buy ALL Y'ALL a drink.
OR
i.e.-Kids! Git in this trailor or I'm gonna beat ALL Y'ALL with this here wooden spoon!
Posted by Jason @ 07/26/2002 06:03 AM PST

Or if Mister Mark Bakalor were Southern, “All y’all’re crazy.”
Posted by freedunit @ 07/26/2002 06:46 AM PST

Going back a few messages (today has to be a record) a Star Search winner not mentioned: Talk Show Hostess, Magazine Publisher, Lesbian Mother Rosie O'Donnell. As if Sam Harris isn't enough proof that talent was not important in winning the '80s version of the Ted Mack Amateur Hour. As for the current version "American Idol" I'll say the same thing about it that Ethel Merman said in her autobiography about her marriage to Earnest Borgnine:
Posted by William E. Lurie @ 07/26/2002 06:53 AM PST

EXACTLY! Freedunit...are you a southerner?
Posted by Jason @ 07/26/2002 06:53 AM PST

No, but I can speak Southern.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/26/2002 06:56 AM PST

Ahhh....one THINKS that one can speak Southern, but unless one has truly lived the Southern life, fried chicken and sweet tea included, one cannot fully appreciate the value of the word "Y'all."
BK: I know "Ask BK" is over, but I have to ask this...it's something I've always wondered about. Well, not always, but ever since I got the CD last summer...
On Alice and Emily's "Unsuspecting Hearts" CD, was that whole WEST SIDE STORY demo tape a set-up or was it legit and they really were just that bad at sight-reading the score? It makes me laugh every time I hear it and I was just wondering what the inside scoop was. Dontcha just love those girls? (Why do I have the feeling I just opened a whole other can of worms? And why does it always have to be worms? Why couldn't it be a can of tuna fish? Or a can of soup?)
Posted by Jason @ 07/26/2002 07:15 AM PST

First of all, when Bruce was being sage (and parsley and thyme), I was going to offer to be Rosemary, but then he beat me to it by mentioning "How to Succeed..."
"Suddenly there is music at the sound of your name..."
And secondly, may I offer my responses to some of the titles listed on the "Once upon a CD Player" lists:
PASSION - to those who have only heard it once, you are doing yourselves a grave disservice. Give it another chance. I believe that Sondheim has not written a melody as beautiful as "Happiness" before or since.
TITANIC - no, it isn't brilliant, but there is some wonderful choral work in this score, and some lovely melodies. And I defy you to listen to "The Latest Rag" more than once and not be humming it all day long.
SEUSSICAL - my 4-year-old son adores this CD, and insisted that I play it every day for weeks. If shows like this introduce children to musical theatre, then I'm all for it. And I still maintain that Stephen Flaherty cannot write a bad song.
A DOLL'S LIFE - I borrowed this CD from our local library, and I have to concur that it is a *very* challenging listen.
MARTIN GUERRE 1.0 - retread LES MISERABLES, and I can't remember a single interesting song in the bunch. I am told that the revised version is better, but I have no evidence of that. I must say that I prefer MISS SAIGON to MARTIN GUERRE, though that show has it's share of troubles, too...
STATE FAIR - even second-rate Rodgers & Hammerstein is worth listening to.
TICK...TICK...BOOM! - There are at least a half-dozen songs in this score that are better than anything Mr. Larson wrote for RENT. (For some people, that may be damning with faint praise...)
THE FANTASTICKS - I didn't enjoy this show at all until my wife was hired to play the harp for a local production, and I was forced to hear it more than a few times. ;-) I'm still not a great fan of the show, but I've found much more to enjoy.
ASSASSINS - I have always enjoyed the CD, but it was never among my favourite Sondheim. I recently saw the University of Michigan stage the show as one of their 'workshop' productions, and it was wonderful. I had no idea how moving and humourous the show would be.
BELLS ARE RINGING (revival) - I know I will catch flack for this, but I prefer the revival recording of the score. Seeing a show on stage is one thing, but if I am buying a CD, I would prefer that the score be well-sung. And no one would deny that Faith Prince and Marc Kudisch sing the score better - at least from a purely technical point of view.
STEEL PIER - this is a show that will never set the world on fire, but it certainly has its moments. It's a sweet show, and plays quite well on stage. And I am probably alone in the opinion that "Everybody's Girl" is the weakest song in the whole score. But then I'm not a fan of easy laughs from cheap vulgarity.
JEKYLL & HYDE - Anthony Warlow can make anything worth listening to more than once.
EVITA, SUNSET BOULEVARD - as with most ALW, both of these shows need to be seen on stage to be really appreciated; however, there is a wealth of good material in the score. I would rank these in the top 3 of the ALW canon, along with PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.
PARADE - Jason Robert Brown is perhaps the most gifted composer writing for Broadway (and off-Broadway) today. This CD features what is arguably the best score written for Broadway in the past ten years, and I would encourage everyone who hasn't heard it to listen, and to those who have only listened once, listen again! Better still, find a good production of the show, and see it!
Posted by Dave @ 07/26/2002 07:33 AM PST

Another "celebrity" that got her start on Star Search:
Britney Spears
Make of that what you will....
Posted by Dave @ 07/26/2002 07:39 AM PST

But Britney didn't win...
And finally, a PARADE fan! I love that show...well, anything that Jason's ever written I've just been a huge fan of. I agree, give it a second listen...and a third. It's worth it.
Posted by Jason @ 07/26/2002 07:42 AM PST

Patti LuPone and Jennifer Holliday both fall in the same category for me: each had a major "breakout" role, that they were unable to follow up. Ms. LuPone may be the definitive Evita Peron (we won't even discuss the mess that was Madonna attempting the role...), but she hasn't followed it up with another musical performance of the same calibre.
Posted by Dave @ 07/26/2002 07:44 AM PST

Vis-a-vis Star Search: also LeAnn Rimes.
Posted by Stuart @ 07/26/2002 07:59 AM PST

Well, I think the problem with Miss Holliday and La LuPone is that they both peaked so early in their careers...basically, they blew their wads way too early in the game. Of course, Audra was VERY successful in her early career and has continued to succeed, so that proves you can pace yourself.
Perhaps Miss Holliday realized that Effie couldn't be topped so she bowed out gracefully. That's what I would LIKE to think, but I'm sure there were dramatic breakdowns involved. She's quite open about her suicide attempt, so I'm sure all of that had a lot to do with her not returning to Broadway, but she's found a very successful place in non-theatrical music, so good for her.
Now, I truly believe Patti has the chops to pull off another Evita-type role, but I think she relies too much on that Tony award on her shelf to get her by. I heard she was electrifying as Reno Sweeney, which shows me that she has the potential to do it, but then she pulls stunts like NOISES OFF where she apparently didn't bother to act at all. I luhs me some Patti, but sometimes I really don't think she's putting 100% into her work. Other times I think she works too hard. But then there are those moments, like EVITA, when you think "Wow! That woman's TALENTED." Anyway...enough rambling.
Posted by Jason @ 07/26/2002 08:03 AM PST

In today's Filichia column, he writes, "A few seasons back, we had Play On!, in which Duke Ellington songs were interpolated into Twelfth Night‘s action. It didn't do much better than Music Is but at least it got an album, thanks to Bruce Kimmel. (I'll bet that if he'd been producing cast albums in 1976, Kimmel would have recorded Music Is, too.) "
Well, Bruce, is he right?
Posted by Dave @ 07/26/2002 09:40 AM PST

Patti LuPone is not resting on any Tony or laurel—and I am sure Tony and Laurel would object to serving as a rest. From her earliest days with the Acting Company to The Robber Bridegroom through Evita to Accidental Death of an Anarchist to Cradle Will Rock to Les Misérables to Anything Goes—a genuine popular hit for the star—to Life Goes On to that Adelphi Theatre debacle to Master Class to The Old Neighborhood to Summer of Sam, State and Main, and Heist to Noises Off, LuPone has always accepted diverse and challenging roles, and has always excelled in them. She continues to do so, balancing the artistic with the lucrative. True, she has not had a big musical hit since Anything Goes—and three of her best musical performances—in Pal Joey, Annie Get Your Gun, and the reunion of Anything Goes—were the briefest of brief runs—but Master Class was an artistic and commercial success for her. Furthermore, there is no question but that she acted in Noises Off and was one of the keys to its success. By the way (BTW), with regard to “Meadowlark,” Callaway sings it well, with great heart, and Buckley acts it credibly and excitingly, but it is LuPone’s—and LuPone’s alone—that is definitive.
Jennifer Holliday has had some significant, self-acknowledged and widely publicized problems. Still, she is an enormous talent who continues to await a musical role suited to her abilities. It is a shame the Mahalia Jackson project did not evolve as hoped. To this day, with a strong director in charge, Holliday could play Effie Melody White as no one else could.
Madonna made an attempt at Evita—an attempted assassination, and she mostly succeeded, too.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/26/2002 09:44 AM PST

I knew I'd get a rise out of you, freedunit. Haha!
Posted by Jason @ 07/26/2002 09:48 AM PST

Play On! was a terrible show with great music that made a terrific CD. If one has heard only the CD, one might think that Play On! was an exciting, fun show that deserved success. Sadly, Play On! was fun only in song; the book was unmitigated in its awfulness. It was clear in previews that Play On! had potential for a successful album—and the album is—but none for a run.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/26/2002 09:51 AM PST

Can you please e-mail me and tell me The name of the character who implored Argentina not to cry for her in the
musical about her life?
Posted by Mario Marchan @ 08/26/2002 03:38 PM PST

Hey everyone I'm in a play called No no Nanette. I play the part of Betty and the director didn't really give us good scripts. All it has is the last three words of the persons before you and it is hard to fallow along. If you know where I can get a free script with the whole thing on it, can you please please e-mail it to me. thank you so much.
Posted by Christine Dunning @ 02/18/2003 10:06 PM PST

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