Profile for justoldbill

Mary Jane Houdina around and they didn't do the BOLERO?  Too bad!  Look for it in the Michigan video-  it's a stand-out.  THAT was the choreographic highlight of the original production, with WHO'S THAT WOMAN a close second.

FOLLIES - closing night at the Winter Garden, 1972.

INTO THE LIGHT.  Who can forget the musical about the Shroud of Turin?

"You'll pardon me, but to have no talent is not enough.  What you need to have is an idea that makes your strip special."

"Another Hundred People"

ZORBA.

He left River City the library building but he left all the books to HER.

MARK TWAIN TONIGHT! - Hal Holbrook

THE BELLE  OF AMHERST - Julie Harris

They're good, fun words to sing.

Kurt Peterson did a great job with the video.  I was at the tribute at the Shubert in 1973.  Probably my second favorite night in the theatre- my first favorite being the closing night of FOLLIES at the Winter Garden.  (Another Kurt Peterson performance!)

Hal Prince's production of THE VISIT with the New Phoenix Rep (with John McMartin and Rachel Roberts) in the mid-1970's.  A remarkable production I will never forget.

And what an album!  Not only enjoyable and listenable, but the most beautiful gate-fold presentation Columbia had/has ever done.  Every living room in America had to have it.  And pushed, as it was, by the Columbia Record Club, every living room had it.

You Must Meet My Wife

Some double-casting is not out of the ordinary.  When Victoria Mallory (Young Heidi) left the original company, Marti Rolph (Young Sally) took over the role of Young Heidi as well, repeating it in St. Louis and Los Angeles.  There was enough time in the course of the evening to make the change.  I saw Miss Rolph doing both roles and I have a recording from L.A. of her doing both roles (wonderfully).

If you're interested in all this gender-flipping nonsense (which I'm not), there's already the London recording (which I'm not a fan of).  Wake up; they got it right in 1970.  It's the best recording of the score there ever was or ever will be.  Only 300 performances of the current production speaks for itself.

This could have been an Al Carmines project.

I hope they don't change the final scene.  I've always thought it one of the best in musical theatre.  Also, I've always thought the way Lerner, in the film, was able to make Merlyn a creature of Arthur's imagination, only appearing in times of need, very interesting.  If that could be accomplished on stage. it might minimize the "fairy dust" being blown around.

"Loveland".

Perhaps a marriage-equality version of THE FOURPOSTER.  And Jake Gyllenhaal could understudy both roles.

Well, it's not really a "Christmas" show, is it?  Christmas doesn't occur until near the end of the show, with the World's Fair finale actually happening the following Spring/Summer, and the one song involved ("Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" is somewhat melancholy.  There's really no over-all "Christmas-y" feeling to the show.  Or to the film, for all that.  If anything is emphasized in the film, it's Halloween.

And, yes, I actually saw opening night at the Uris- my friend, Bruce Pomahac was the musical director.