Anyone see the original "They're Playing Our Song"- Page 3

[alterego]

Posted: 5/24/12 at 10:13am

The First National Tour opened in San Francisco with Greene and Garber. Ellen Green left the show to do LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. When the show moved to Chicago Marsha Skaggs (Waterbury) took over from Green.

The Second National tour had Lorna Luft and Richard Ryder (?). The Bus and Truck had Dawn Wells. After a few months she was replaced (after complaints about her vocal ability from presenters) by June Gable.

Morosco you are right. The sets were extraordinary. I think that is why some of the recent productions of this show fail. For those of us that saw the original set, new productions are left somewhat lacking. They made the whole show shine.

[PottstownTeacher]

Posted: 5/24/12 at 11:17am

I also saw Anita Gillette and Dick Latessa. It was the National Tour that played at the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia in Septemeber 1981. Still have my Playbill and I just a window card of the Tour during it's Philly engagement off of eBay. It was the 2nd show I ever saw. My Mom saw the OBC in 1979 and I still have her Playbill and souvenir program. And her OBCR on vinyl! I also got to see Lucie Arnaz and Robert Klein perform together in Atlantic City when I was in college. 1992 maybe??

[sondheimfan2]

Posted: 5/24/12 at 6:29pm

Thanks, Pottstown Teacher. That's where I saw it, too. Saw many shows in Philly growing up outside the city. Also saw the tours of La Cage with Peter Marshall, and the highlight - Sweeney with Angela and George. All at the Forrest Theatre, I believe.

Updated On: 5/24/12 at 06:29 PM

[Leadingplayer]

Posted: 5/24/12 at 6:45pm

Lea Michelle and Justin Timberlake for the revival...(sort of kidding sort of serious!)

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 5/24/12 at 7:26pm

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.


Fair enough, morosco. My problem with the gag is that it does nothing to advance the plot and it interrupts, IIRC, a fairly serious scene. To me, it was just indicative of an author who doesn't trust his characters or his story enough to let the audience go for a few minutes without a belly laugh.

And if Simon doesn't trust his work, why should I?

Updated On: 5/24/12 at 07:26 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/24/12 at 8:40pm

Made me laugh again just now.

[alterego]

Posted: 5/25/12 at 2:59am

Actual line is...

VERNON: Phil, is there any coffee and Danish left in there?

PHIL: There's one Danish but I've been using it as an ashtray.

[morosco]

Posted: 5/25/12 at 9:35am

hahaha

See? That line makes me laugh.

[aviators99]

Posted: 5/25/12 at 4:01pm

>The part about Leon (the ex-boyfriend) was kind of annoying and I think it was toned-down.

Um, no. It definitely was not!

Anyway, I saw the original cast, followed by Lucie and Tony Roberts on Broadway. It became a special show for my wife and me (much later in life), as I surprised her with her first viewing of it in 1994 in Long Beach with Jack Wagner and Lorna Patterson, to be followed by my proposal to her.

We have since seen nearly every showing of it around the country (I have a Google Alert set so that whenever anyone mentions it, I get an e-mail -- which is how I got here today).

The best I've *ever* seen (perhaps even better than Broadway) was two years ago in Los Angeles, starring Jason Alexander and Stephanie J. Block. Alexander totally made the songs his own, and added some fascinating runs. Really brilliant. Also, the producers got special permission to make several changes, including removing "Just For Tonight" and replacing it with another song that was apparently originally supposed to be in the show. I liked it. Also, they added a song about Leon in the second act, and that was the only bad thing about the production. It was terrible. I think it was called "Kill Leon". They also added another song in the final scene. It was a song from Marvin Hamlisch's "trunk", according to the producer.

I think we've seen TPOS around 30 times, including plenty of non-equity presentations that had us cracking up due to reasons other than Neil Simon's comedy!

I still have the original Playbill from 1979, signed by Klein and Arnaz.

[BWF]

Posted: 5/25/12 at 4:31pm

I saw the original London cast with Conti/Craven, I loved it to bits and have both cast recordings.

[labwyfan]

Posted: 5/25/12 at 4:52pm

I saw it on Broadway with Diana Canova and Ted Wass.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 5/25/12 at 5:14pm

Diana Canova and Ted Wass?!! Weren't they on SOAP together? Interesting...

And what *was* it about Lucie Arnaz and Stockard Channing in the 70
s? If they weren't co-starring in something together (VANITIES) they were up for the same roles (GREASE) or replacing one another (THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG).

[alterego]

Posted: 5/26/12 at 7:28am

Carol Bayer-Sagers hit song Moving Out Today is actually about the real life "Leon".

[Broadway Baby8]

Posted: 5/26/12 at 6:19pm

I saw a production of this in the early 80s with Dick Latessa and Susan Anton. Very cute show and fun show! I like the idea of reviving it with Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick!

[allofmylife]

Posted: 5/27/12 at 1:29am

I still remember that amazing set. The skyline of New York, all glittering and metallic and that amazing orchestra. And the great GREAT performances by Klien and Arnaz. Wow. Dinner before at Ma Bells. Thanks for the great memory spike.

[ooblogway]

Posted: 5/28/12 at 12:11am

I saw Tony Roberts and Anita Gillette. I was in high school, and I remember liking it.

But even at that age saw the flaws in Neil Simon's humor: AG walks in wearing a dress with bats all over it and jokes that it was a tour of Dracula or something to that effect. We'll anyone with half a brain knows that no one in any production of Dracula would wear a dress with bat decorations. Just a cheap laugh.

Was great to see Anita Gillette in The Big Meal recently. I thought she stood out in a terrific ensemble.

[alterego]

Posted: 5/28/12 at 1:14am

ooblogway, you've got it wrong. Your memory is playing tricks on you.

At no point does Sonia wear a dress with bats on it. However in the first scene she does say in reference to her being so poor she has to buy clothes secondhand and having a girlfriend who can get her clothes from shows:

SONIA: I got my eye on a terrific dress that's in 'Dracula'. It's all white with little black bats, perfect for New Year's Eve.

[ooblogway]

Posted: 5/28/12 at 4:43am

Then that's even worse (for Simon)...all credit for the cheap laugh goes to him. After I wrote my post I thought, well it could have been a cheap laugh the costume designer went for.

Thanks for clarifying, though.

[D2]

Posted: 5/28/12 at 7:38am

It was a topical joke referencing the sensational Black and White, Edward Gorey designed production of DRACULA, which was a huge hit on Broadway at the time. There were bats all over the sets and in the costumes, often cleverly hidden like the Ninas in a Hirschfeld drawing.

Sonia's line about the bat costume (and Arnaz' delivery of it) got a huge laugh at the time.

[aviators99]

Posted: 5/28/12 at 9:01am

>Then that's even worse (for Simon)...all credit for the cheap
>laugh goes to him. After I wrote my post I thought, well it could
>have been a cheap laugh the costume designer went for.
>
>Thanks for clarifying, though.

No, it just means that the sarcasm was lost on you as a high school student (or that Arnaz didn't deliver it correctly at that performance).

[alterego]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 3:14am

The line about the dress from DRACULA received a big laugh here in Australia as the actor playing Vernon (John Waters) played Dracula in the local presentation of that play a couple of years prior.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 1:56pm

My late talented friend Richard Ryder took over for Garber I believe in the 2nd national (or was it a bus and truck?) with Greene I'm almost positive. If anyone has any knowledge of this, I'd love to hear. We lost Richard many years ago, alas.

[JoshuaEads]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 2:07pm

Unfortunately, my only experience with the show was a local community theatre production about a decade ago. I found it sweet, if not a little lackluster and (sometimes) hard to follow. Of course, I'm sure that had a lot more to do with the production than the piece. I'd love to see a great production of it someday, to know exactly what I missed that first time.

[morosco]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 3:03pm

My late talented friend Richard Ryder took over for Garber I believe in the 2nd national (or was it a bus and truck?) with Greene I'm almost positive.

Richard Ryder also did the tour when Lorna Luft was Sonia. They were a very good team. Sorry to hear about Ryder.

[morosco]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 3:12pm

Here's some interesting trivia. On the original cast recording Eydie Gorme sings the last few notes on WHEN YOU'RE IN MY ARMS because it was not really in Lucie's range.