When do you know you're a show queen?

When you realize the music stuck in your head is underscoring for the transtion between "The Destruction" and the final reprise of the title song from Carrie.

(photo lifted from Carrie... A Fan's Site)

OK! at 65

Sixty-five years ago tonight, Oklahoma! opened at the St. James on Broadway and musical theatre was never the same again. Eveyone who has ever been connected with theatre in one way or another probably has an Oklahoma! story. Our high school did the show when I was eleven, and I vividly remember watching the cast perform a sneak preview of "The Farmer and the Cowman" and "All 'Er Nuthin'" at a choral concert in a gymnasium. I saw the complete show when it actually went up and can still close my eyes and see the staging of "Kansas City," the dream ballet at the end of the first act," and "It's a Scandal! It's an Outrage!" I remember being disappointed when I saw the movie and the latter wasn't in it.

In 1993, to celebrate the show's 50th anniversary, Agnes de Mille (who died later that year) appeared on the Tony Awards. Gregory Hines - who has also left us - brought her on stage in her wheelchair. She got a standing ovation and then read a speech about the show that has stayed with me ever since. Last year, I got out my tape of the '93 Tonys (which has sadly not weathered the test of time very well) so I could hear that lovely speech again, which I have transcribed below. Enjoy.

Rodgers and Hammerstein gave us their tale of a light and brilliant calibre that has not been surpassed. And yet, Oklahoma!! was not a hit opening night. I was there. I've been present at hits, and this wasn't one. The audience was the regular Theatre Guild opening night: Spotty. Dull. Jaded. [this got an enormous laugh] I had eight front row balcony seats and I couldn't fill them. And the [advance] press wasn't that good, it was - mixed.

Four days later, I found myself in the middle of a volcano. 'What happened?' A New York reporter told me, 'The biggest hit of the twentieth century!' And I believe, taking into consideration all its translations and international companies and recordings, it still is.

But what's its appeal? First, of course, its extraordinary score. But then the subject, which is the love of our native land. Home. Roots. During the war, I remember the triple row of enlisted men standing every night at the back of the theater, pitched and laughing at this pleasant comedy. Standing and watching with their tears streaming down their cheeks. They were going out to die. And this play meant what they were dying for. This was home.

Oklahoma.

New York, Oregon, Utah, Texas, Georgia, Vermont, Oklahoma. Home.

Home. O.K.

Hundreds of Broadway musicals have come and gone in the past 65 years. Some have had an extraordinary impact on the form, but there has never been another Oklahoma!

Yeeow!

Showtunes of the Day: February 18, 2008

The Supremes Sing Rodgers & Hart: 1967. Haley, these Chocodiles, Oh my God. These Chocodiles, Oh my God. Oh my God, Haley, these Chocodiles.

George M!: 1968 original Broadway cast (Cohan): It goes well with Don't Know Much About History, the book I'm reading. It's no secret that we did horrible things to the Native Americans when we got here, but what everyone conveniently forgets is that they were totally stealing cable. Also, it has Bernadette Peters.

Company: 2001 Brazilian cast. (Sondheim) I don't speak a word of Portugeuse. And yet, I know that the actress playing Amy overplayed the "suicide note" line in "Getting Married Today." Yes, dear, your chatacter is neurotic. We get it.

Now if only I could get my hands on Diana Ross and The Supremes Sing and Perform Funny Girl...

Catching Up

There are many reasons I've been lax here. First, I'm pretty sure no one's reading. Also, I have a short attention span.

Does two count as many? Whatever.

Some recent show tunes include:

Show Girl: 1961 Original Broadway cast (Gaynor) The one and only Carol Channing.

Say, Darling: 1958 Original Broadway cast (Styne/Comden & Green)

Song of Norway: 1944 Original Broadway cast member (Grieg/Wright & Forrest) Original star Irra Petina's role was taken by Kitty Carlisle on the Decca original cast album (I thinl it had something to do with contract exclusivity). So, she recorded six songs from the show, released on three 78s, which I found for $3.

LoveMusik: 2007 Original Broadway cast, live (Weill/various) Not that I own any bootlegs.

Spring Awakening: 2006 Original Broadway cast (Shiek/Sater) I like it more every time I hear it, though it is somewhat reviled by many show queens.

Judy Garland: The Complete Decca Masters (various) All four discs. In one day.

Misery: 2000 Demo recording (De Young) Based on the novel by Stephen King. It's no Carrie. But then, nothing is. (Love that artwork, though.)

I know that there have been others - I do listen to showtunes constantly. I just don't remember what any of them are.

In other news, I slipped on the el platform yesterday and gave myself a concussion.

Showtunes of the Day

The Mystery of Edwin Drood: 1985 Original Broadway cast recording (Holmes) The first release of the cast album - which has since gone out of print - had all of the murderers' "Out on a Limerick" and "Confession" tracks. The second release contained only one "Out on a Limerick" and two "Confession"s, but added the previously unavailable "Moonfall Quartet" and "Ceylon." I own the second release and thanks to some online friends (hi Irwin!) was able to obtain the missing tracks from the first release, which also included George Rose's spoken, "A Message from Your Chairman" and combine them with all of the tracks from the second release to one master album that mercifully fits on one disc.

Jimmy: 1969 Original Broadway cast recording (Jacob & Jacob). Frank Gorshin follows in the footsteps of Tom Bosley as the Mayor of New York City. Sort of. I didn't finish it. I turned off my iPod when I heard that Heath Ledger had died.

Showtunes of the Day

Girl Crazy: 1943 Film soundtrack. (G. Gershwin/I. Gershwin) Judy Garland: Making Mickey Rooney tolerable since Love Finds Andy Hardy.

Preppies: 1983 Original Off-Broadway Cast(e) recording (Angelo, Portnoy). A friend recommended this as a guilty pleasure. Sample dialogue:

TEACHER: Math: If you bought a thousand shares of Standard Oil in 1920, and it's value increased at a compounded rate of 10% a year, what would you have now?

STUDENT: Old money.

High quality stuff.

Legally Blonde: 2007 Original Broadway cast recording (O'Keefe & Benjamin). Didn't get to the whole thing yesterday. Lotsa fun, but doesn't really stand up to scrutinization. Just like the movie.

Showtunes of the Day

Kiss Me, Kate: 1987 Royal Shakespeare Theatre cast (Porter) Back to studio-produced cast albums of shows I know well-enough that I can actually pay attention to my job, while still absorbing the full effect of the recording. And since they just ended "Anopther Op'nin' of Another Show" with a "Yay!" I already know not to expect much from this one.

Mr. President: Original 1962 Broadway cast (Berlin) Robert Ryan. In a Broadway musical. Opposite Nanette Fabray.

Legally Blonde: Original 2007 Broadway cast. (O'Keefe & Benjamin) The opening number is called "Ohmigod, You Guys." It's delicious.

Showtunes of the Day

It's now Showtunes of the Day. Musicals of the Day carried the implication that I would only be listening to show albums, which would negate...

Phyllis Diller: Born to Sing (1970, various). Mercifully, it's not a straight-up album of standards. She quips during the songs. Which is to say that she kills during the songs. "If I bought a hat, they'd cancel Easter."

Sugar Babies: 1979 Original Broadway cast recording (McHugh/Fields, Dubin) (mostly). Ann Miller and Mickey Rooney in a vaudeville revue. I have one of those candles in a tall jar, y'know what I mean?, that has a picture of Ann Miller pasted to it. It's AWESOME! The national tour starred Carol Channing and Robert Morse. Somewhere, there's gotta be one of those non-existant bootleg recordings of that tour. And find it, I will. Or won't, rather, because it doesn't exist.

Into the Woods: 1991 Original London cast recording (Sondheim). I discovered Into the Woods in 1993 and yet I've never heard this album. All because someone whose taste in shows I did not share and whom I haven't seen in years told me she didn't like it.

Prettybelle: 1982 cast album with most of the 1971 cast (Styne/Merrill) If you'd heard it, you wouldn't be able to stop listening to it either. Just to believe it.

Musicals of the Day: Jule Styne edition

Felt like revisiting some lesser known Styne today.

Fade Out - Fade In: 1964 Original Broadway cast recording (Styne/Comden & Green), Carol Burnett was not happy with this show

Hazel Flagg: 1953 Original Broadway cast recording (Styne/Hilliard), featuring Helen Gallagher as Carole Lombard

Prettybelle: 1982 cast album with most of the 1971 cast (Styne/Merrill) "A musical comedy tale of rape and resurrection starring Angela Lansbury as an alcoholic schizophrenic in a sanitarium? We'd be stupid not to do this!" For what it's worth, manic-depressives do do rewrites. We just get grumpy when forced to admit it wasn't right the first time.

Subways Are for Sleeping: 1961 Original Broadway cast album (Styne/Comden & Green), I've been in a Phyllis Newman kind of mood lately. Apparently.

Musicals of the Day

I can listen to my ipod at work, which is pretty danged awesome. With the trading and downloading of OOP cast albums that I don't do because that would be wrong, I've gotten really behind in my show tunes. So, while I theoretically could listen to non-theatre music, I probably won't. Hence, "Musicals of the Day," instead of "On the iPod Today" or "Arts & Crafts with Linnea Quigley."

Pacific Overtures: Original Broadway cast recording (1976, Sondheim) This isn't a new one, I just needed something to wash the taste of the 1987 ENO recording out of my mouth.

The Madwoman of Central Park West: Original Broadway cast (1979, various) The OBC was composed entirely of Phyllis Newman. I've been looking for this one for a long time, so me happy.

State Fair: 1962 Film soundtrack (Rodgers/Hammerstein) Ann-Margret.

Scrooge: Film soundtrack (1970, Bricusse) I listened to this last week, but can't remember a single song, which either means it was really boring, I was actually paying attention to my work, or both. Figured I should give it another whirl before burning and shelving. (update: boring)

Michael Kidd 1915-2007

Here's what you need to know about Michael Kidd:

The 1953 Broadway musical Can-Can (1953) featured Gwen Verdon, who stopped the show cold with Kidd's "The Garden of Eden Ballet" on opening night and promptly went back to her dressing room to change costumes. So great was the audience's ovation that she was rushed back onstage to take another bow - clutching her costume in front of her, as she had not quite finished changing. Verdon won the Tony that year - her first of four - and became a star overnight Credit the dancer for the performance. Credit the choreographer for the dance.

Kidd also won a Tony Award for Can-Can - his third of five. The others were Finian's Rainbow (1947), Guys and Dolls (1950), Li'l Abner (1957) and Destry Rides Again (1959).

(Complete Broadway credits here.)

Kidd was one of the few choreographers (Fosse was the only other, really) to work successfully both on Broadway and Hollywood. His Guys and Dolls dances were re-created for the 1955 film. Other films include The Band Wagon, Star!, Hello, Dolly! and something about a bunch of horny backwoodsmen...




And on top of everything else, he was in Smile.

New York Times obit.