Anyone see the original "They're Playing Our Song"- Page 2

[morosco]

Anyone see the original #25

Posted: 5/23/12 at 1:43pm

Douglas Schmidt's sets were EXTRAORDINARY!

[OtherDaryl2]

Anyone see the original #26

Posted: 5/23/12 at 1:57pm

National Tour in Chicago - Victor Garber & Ellen Greene - very enjoyable. I wore out my vinyl back in the day.

[DAME]

Anyone see the original #27

Posted: 5/23/12 at 1:59pm

Ellen Greene? You sure? I could swear it was Lorna Luft. The program also says Lorna Luft.

HUSSY POWER! ------ HUSSY POWER!

[DAME]

Anyone see the original #28

Posted: 5/23/12 at 2:09pm

Thought you all would enjoy pictures of Wendal Harringtons projections of "They're Playing Our Song". If anyone has any other neat stuff from this production it would be great to see.
http://www.wendallharrington.com/

HUSSY POWER! ------ HUSSY POWER!

[JRybka]

Anyone see the original #29

Posted: 5/23/12 at 2:16pm

I saw the original cast and loved it. I have loved the cd for years. It is a special show that my mother and I will always have. It wasn't anything exceptional but it was lots of fun. -- I did get to see their reunion recently at the Kennedy Center for Marvin's Birthday. That was a delight.

"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around."

[morosco]

Anyone see the original #30

Posted: 5/23/12 at 2:16pm

Her projections were really neat the way they were incorporated with the set.

[morosco]

Anyone see the original #31

Posted: 5/23/12 at 2:19pm

Top is tour. Bottom is Broadway.

[DAME]

Anyone see the original #32

Posted: 5/23/12 at 2:21pm

Love it. More please!

HUSSY POWER! ------ HUSSY POWER!

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Anyone see the original #33

Posted: 5/23/12 at 2:29pm

Babies, ridiculous comments about Sondheim are how After Eight gets off. He be trollin', y'all.

[DAME]

Anyone see the original #34

Posted: 5/23/12 at 2:31pm

Not paying any attention to any of that. Just want to rem-inis about the show.

HUSSY POWER! ------ HUSSY POWER!

[morosco]

Anyone see the original #35

Posted: 5/23/12 at 2:33pm

Dame, this is the last of what i have to offer. A pre-production rendering of one of those scenes published on Harrington's website. I wish I had more photos.

[DAME]

Anyone see the original #36

Posted: 5/23/12 at 2:34pm

Thank you morocco. It is surprising that there really isn't much more out there on this show. It had a really good run and a respectable touring after life.

HUSSY POWER! ------ HUSSY POWER!

[morosco]

Anyone see the original #37

Posted: 5/23/12 at 2:50pm

how about a revival starring Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker?

[DAME]

Anyone see the original #38

Posted: 5/23/12 at 2:53pm

Not a bad idea. I love the show. But it is very much of its time. The production in LA with Jason Alexander was not a good idea. It kind of shelved the show mentally for me for a while.

HUSSY POWER! ------ HUSSY POWER!

[DAME]

Anyone see the original #39

Posted: 5/23/12 at 3:02pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbSG4gdm55A

HUSSY POWER! ------ HUSSY POWER!

[sondheimfan2]

Anyone see the original #40

Posted: 5/23/12 at 3:40pm

I didn't see the OBC, but I did see it with Anita Gillette and Dick Latessa. Just cannot remember if it was on B'way or a national tour? Does anyone remember?

And, I love, love , love this show. So charming and fun. The right show at right time. (the easy listening 70s!)

Updated On: 5/23/12 at 03:40 PM

[Gaveston2]

Anyone see the original #41

Posted: 5/23/12 at 5:34pm

I wonder if Lucie had some animosity that Robert was first billed even though she had a higher profile from being on Here's Lucy?

Also, she was raised by Lucille Ball who was known to drive people crazy with her perfectionism, so maybe that had something to do with it.

I was a production assistant when Lucie Arnaz did MACK AND MABEL in Florida right after the Broadway production closed. She was one of the kindest and most generous stars I worked with and literally saved my job at one point. I don't know what caused the rift with Robert Klein, but I have trouble believing it was due to pettiness on Arnaz' part. Despite her background as "Hollywood royalty", she was very down-to-earth. (This isn't to blame Klein instead. I don't know him and I don't know what caused the feud, if indeed there was one.)

As for the show, the stars were terrific. But at one point Simon gets a big laugh with a pointless joke about somebody putting a cigarette out on the last Danish. As the crowd howled around me, I suddenly realized Neil Simon wasn't funny any more. I haven't laughed at any of his work since that night.

[EricMontreal22]

Anyone see the original #42

Posted: 5/23/12 at 10:56pm

I wondered if Hamlisch is trying to grow interest in this. Here in Canada a few years back we had a musical theatre talent show televised as Triple Threat that I think ran two years, and he was one of the mentors and judges. For the second season a number of the songs he picked as well as I think the big climactic number ofr the two winners were from the show, which, while I find the show charming, seemed kinda random to me.

[ZoeTheGoat]

Anyone see the original #43

Posted: 5/24/12 at 12:09am

I'd very much enjoy seeing Lucie Arnaz on Broadway. I wasn't in NYC during her other Broadway engagements. I've seen other stuff she's done like her cabaret show where she sings and dances...she oozes talent. Hope she comes back soon!!

Smoke bomb!

[Leadingplayer]

Anyone see the original #44

Posted: 5/24/12 at 12:37am

I looked through some Best Play volumes at the library. They had pretty good lists of tours and stuff. (I couldn't check them out though so me memory may be fuzzy.) (plus a little help from IBDB)

To answer some of the questions: Ellen Greene and Victor Garber did start the Chicago production/tour but she left and earlier than Garber and Marsha Skaggs took over. Dick Latessa doesn't seem to have done the show in NY but did do it in Philly with Gillette. Lorna Luft and Dawn Wells (MaryAnn) also did the tour. Tom Conti did it in London. Donna Murphy was one of the "voices" in the original.

Just some stuff I found

[OtherDaryl2]

Anyone see the original #45

Posted: 5/24/12 at 9:17am

It was Ellen Greene at the Schubert Theatre in Chicago - it wasn't a sit down and they were only likely playing 3-4 weeks max. If I'd have seen Liza Minnelli's SISTER I'd remember - and that didn't happen until a Rainbow in the Stars engagement in the very early 90's. THAT I remember very well.

[morosco]

Anyone see the original #46

Posted: 5/24/12 at 9:20am

But at one point Simon gets a big laugh with a pointless joke about somebody putting a cigarette out on the last Danish.

Ya know, I kind of loved that line.

Vernon: Any breakfast left?
Phil: There's one danish but we're using it as an ashtray.

[morosco]

Anyone see the original #47

Posted: 5/24/12 at 9:24am

Donna Murphy was one of the "voices" in the original.

Debbie (Shapiro) Gravitte too. Debbie was also standby for the role of Sonia.

[South Fl Marc]

Anyone see the original #48

Posted: 5/24/12 at 9:47am

"how about a revival starring Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker?"


Sure, let him ruin another show by giving the same performance he's given the last 20 years. Really, why should anyone continue to hire this lazy no talent? Think of how great "Nice Work If You Can get It" would be with someone else in the lead role.

[Huey's Pop]

Anyone see the original #49

Posted: 5/24/12 at 9:56am

I saw the first public performance of the show when it opened in Los Angeles. As I recall,it was a lot of fun and very entertaining. Robert Klien is one of my favorite comedians. I believe that the show went through some changes by the time it went to Broadway. The part about Leon (the ex-boyfriend) was kind of annoying and I think it was toned-down.