Which proves absolutely nothing. For the record, City Of Angels as a show is, like its score, not very good.
What record? I mean, if you have some sort of research that supports your opinion, then I'd be very interested to see it. Adding "for the record" doesn't change your opinion to fact.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
trentsketch has it right. TheEnchantedHunter emerges from the shadows every few months to make an outrageous negative comment, just to see if anyone is paying attention. There's no point in getting involved.
Certainly The Enchanted Hunter has a problem with reality.
"The chauvinistic 'sexiness' of THE LIFE is strictly old-school, written by two guys well into their senior years. In fact, Cy Coleman was the house musician for a tv show called Playboy's Penthouse. And it goes a long way to explain why the show was an outright flop, given its dated, antique attitudes toward women and sex."
The Life was a period piece - did you even see it? It did not take place in the 42nd Street of 1997, but an earlier time. I don't recall any "sexiness" - that was not what the show was about. I know Mr. Coleman was on Playboy's Penthouse - so what? An outright flop? While it did not make its investment back, the show ran 466 performances and won Tonys for Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score. Not exactly an "outright flop." But then you knew that, didn't you? Its dated antique attitudes towards women and sex were very much a part of the period the show is set in, rather like Showboat's dated, antique attitudes about race. Context, dear boy, is everything.
It's okay not to like The Life. It is not okay to make inane pronouncements about the show that have no basis in reality.
Though in most parts I tend to agree with Mr. Kimmel, it's news to me that The Life won Tony Awards for best musical, best score and best book against Titanic. My memory contains a slightly different Tony Awards ceremony
What it did win however was a number of Drama Desks, and both featured actor and actress.
My eyesight must be going - I checked on the ibdb and must not have noticed the word "nominations" - although I have to say having seen both shows I enjoyed The Life just as much as Titanic - neither were perfect, both had their pleasures.
BTW, it won best musical from the Drama Desk Award, the Outer Critics Award, and the Drama League Award. And it did win two Tonys. So, point is the same - cannot be called an outright flop under any circumstances. But The Enchanted Hunter seems to have left the room. Updated On: 5/24/11 at 12:09 AM
"The only thing "unconscionable" in this thread is The Enchanted Cunter's melodramatic high dudgeon."
Just the kind of low-rent comment one would expect from someone who hasn't even seen the show. You're a piece of work, Slappy!
bk, the show takes place in the 80s. But its sexual politics is strictly Eisenhower-era fused with musical comedy naivete. The show's very subject matter reeks of sexism targeted for the tired businessman, circa 1960. As to 'sexiness,' if you think a show built around the lives of prostitutes and their johns, which features songs with titles like My Body and The Oldest Profession, doesn't have sex and titillation of the most puerile kind on its mind, well, I don't know what does.
As you guys probably know I'm a huge Coleman fan. And I think his later work is just as strong (and in some cases stronger) than his early work. From Playbill this is the song list:
THE BEST IS YET TO COME CAST Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh
NOBODY DOES IT LIKE ME SALLY MAYES Lyrics: Dorothy Fields
YOU CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON ME RACHEL YORK, LILLIAS WHITE, SALLY MAYES Lyrics: David Zippel
YOU FASCINATE ME SO HOWARD McGILLIN Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh
DON'T ASK A LADY LILLIAS WHITE Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh
I'VE GOT YOUR NUMBER DAVID BURNHAM Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh
WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT WOMEN SALLY MAYES, RACHEL YORK Lyrics: David Zippel
COME SUMMER RACHEL YORK Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh
IT AMAZES ME BILLY STRITCH Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh
MONEY MEDLEY: SALLY MAYES, RACHEL YORK, HOWARD MCGILLIN, DAVID BURNHAM FIVE ZEROES Lyrics: Betty Comden and Adolph Green ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TRACKS Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh BIG SPENDER Lyrics: Dorothy Fields NEVER ENOUGH Lyrics: David Zippel I WANNA BE YOURS Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh
NEVER MET A MAN I DIDN'T LIKE LILLIAS WHITE Lyrics: Betty Comden and Adolph Green
THE OLDEST PROFESSION LILLIAS WHITE Lyrics: Ira Gasman
ONLY THE REST OF MY LIFE RACHEL YORK, DAVID BURNHAM Lyrics: David Zippel
LITTLE ME BILLY STRITCH, LILLIAS WHITE Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh
THE MEASURE OF LOVE SALLY MAYES, HOWARD MCGILLIN Lyrics: David Zippel
SOME KIND OF MUSIC BILLY STRITCH Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh
WITH EVERY BREATH I TAKE SALLY MAYES Lyrics: David Zippel
HEY, LOOK ME OVER RACHEL YORK Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh
THE DOODLING SONG RACHEL YORK Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh
WITCHCRAFT DAVID BURNHAM Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh
I'D GIVE THE WORLD HOWARD MCGILLIN Lyrics: David Zippel
THOSE HANDS LILLIAS WHITE, CAST Lyrics: Marilyn and Alan Bergman
IT STARTED WITH A DREAM CAST Lyrics: David Zippel
MEGAMIX: CAST IT'S NOT WHERE YOU START Lyrics: Dorothy Fields IF MY FRIENDS COULD SEE ME NOW Lyrics: Dorothy Fields HEY THERE, GOOD TIMES Lyrics: Michael Stewart WE'RE NOTHING WITHOUT YOU Lyrics: David Zippel
THE BEST IS YET TO COME CAST Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh
I'm surprised that Sweet Charity is so under-represented (only two songs, both part of a medley?).
Also would have loved to have more Twentieth Century (Our Private World, Never, and Repent would have been great inclusions).
Nothing from Welcome To The Club, which is a shame because that score has some amazing songs (seek out The Name Of Love is you've never heard it. A fantastic song).
And I'm very surprised they didn't include No Man Left For Me from Will Roger's Follies with Nobody Does It Like Me and You Can Always Count On Me in the beginning. It's a perfect fit and a great song.
I think tazber is trying to point out that the best can't really be yet to come given that Cy Coleman is no longer with us. Sorry to spell out the obvious...
I wholly understood what tazber was referring to, but many thanks for pointing it out to me.
The fact is the title can refer to the songs the the audience is about to hear on the program, and in that regard, I don't think it's a bad title at all, especially since it's equally the title of one of Coelman's most famous songs.