So I just heard about this show today and found it extremely odd. Does anyone else find it bizarre that it's a show about a secret group of people living in a department store....I mean doesn't that sound like a SNL skit or soemthing haha. Maybe I'm missing something here but does anyone have thoughts or wanna defend this show??
It's not really a "show", per se; it was presented on television as part of Playhouse 67. It only has four songs, and two of them-"I Remember" and "Take Me To The World"-have become cabaret staples. I think the music is beautiful, personally, and would find it very interesting to see the show in maybe a cozy Off-Broadway theatre. My ideal casting would be Malcolm Gets and Alice Ripley.
The music is gorgeous, all of it (If You Can Find Me, I'm Here; I Remember; When?; and Take Me to the World). The only cd featuring the score together is The Frogs/Evening Primrose CD; Neil Patrick Harris plays Charles and Theresa McCarthy as Ella.
I LOVE the music for this....
Theresa McCarthy has the PERFECT voice for these songs. She sings them so beautifully. Someone needs to write her a show.
By the CD; read Frank Rich's great liner notes.
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/27/05
There is a recording of Evening Primrose on the same disc as the original recording of The Frogs. I think that EP has wonderful music and I would suggest it to anyone.
I adore Evening Primrose too.
It's actually also performed in it's entirety on Mandy Patinkin's "Dress Casual" album with him playing Charles and Bernadette Peters playing Ella.
Oh don't they? I can listen to it over and over...
Me too. Mandy's voice just wraps around the part and totally envelops it.
I'm peeved I'm at work now cause I really want to listen to it.
"Take Me to the World" makes me cry. Actually most of it makes me cry, but then I'm a terrible wuss.
Makes me wish Mandy and Bernadette would do everything together.
I saw one of the few (only?) copies of Evening Primrose at the Museum of Television and Radio. It was very poor quality, but i was enthralled. Anthony Perkins SINGS, and does so beautifully. It's a bizarre story, but well acted and directed. It probably would seem stranger today on TV, considering The Outer Limits and Twilight Zone etc. were running at the time.
I'm so jealous. I would have love to see it.
Yeah, it's weird. And I bought the recording of The Frogs/Evening Primrose and I absolutely hate it. I can't bear to listen to it. The only song I remotely like is "I Remember".
I'm singing Take Me to the World with my singing teacher. It's such a beautiful song, I love singing it.
that black and white at the TV Museum is scarey!
as i am sure it was mean't to be
Anthony Perkins is Perfection
there's elevators, no escalaors and windows and that score and typewriters i think
the print I saw was in very good condition
the actors playin the mannequins still hang out at the Equity Lounge
nothing wrong with that
it's worth the watch
and both recordings are very special
Peters and Patankin really build it
and McCarthy and Harris bring a great freshnesss to a young writer's so promising score
I like it alot
Updated On: 4/23/05 at 01:20 AM
i sang take me to the world from this, ive never seen it tho, it does sound weird
I seem to recall a Varese Sarabande recording called "Sondheim at the Movies" in which Gary Beach and a gal whose name eludes me sang the EP score in it's entirety as well.
Ya never know, since Sondheim is apparently uninterested in writing new shows, maybe he'll add to the EP score like he did for THE FROGS.
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/5/04
Who says that Sondheim is uninterested in writing new shows?
He spent four years trying to fix and rewrite Wise Guys/Gold/Bounce and said at the time of his recent 75th Birthday celebrations that he has a couple of new projects he's presently working on.
Liz Callaway is the woman singing with Gary Beach on the CD Sondheim At The Movies. She has one of the most perfect voices.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
My favourite Sondheim song is "I REMEMBER ( SKY)" - such a haunting melody and such crisp lyrics.
I love the way Anthony Perkins sang it and I was very pleasantly surprised to hear Barbra Streisand sing it as a Christmas song ( with additional lyrics from Stephen Sondheim to make it fit her Christmas theme album).
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