Posted: 7/10/19 at 1:40pm
Posted: 7/10/19 at 1:41pm
Here’s the link https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/HALF-TIME-Cast-Album-to-Touchdown-August-2nd-20190710
Posted: 7/10/19 at 2:04pm
I had no idea they recorded this. I'll give it a listen for Georgia Engel. It's a shame she didn't get to record Roman Holiday. I still hope to see that show on Broadway one day.
Posted: 7/10/19 at 2:40pm
I saw this show twice -- once in Chicago when it was "Gotta Dance" and then "Halftime" at Paper Mill. I was so happy for Georgia to be the star -- she was adorable as the schoolteacher/secret hip hop fan -- it was just a whole lotta fun, and I had high hopes for the show.
Anyone who remembers the Mary Tyler Moore Show remembers Georgia surprising performance of "Steam Heat" (tried to find it online but it seems to be taken down for copyright reasons). She had thousands of fans across the country and I think many of them would have made it to Broadway to see her star turn. In Chicago the audience was absolutely over the moon for her. Happy to hear there's a cast recording. When I saw it at the Paper Mill I went with a friend of Georgia's and made this short video, which includes the stage door action and Georgia backstage. You can hear how much the audience enjoyed it -- https://youtu.be/IheKOWcJV7Y
Posted: 8/2/19 at 4:30am
Posted: 8/2/19 at 12:32pm
I finished listening to the album this morning and after that and reading the New York Times review I think it's safe to say Mr. Brantley was probably right in this case. It's a stellar cast but they deserved better material. I'm not sure which songs were written by Marvin Hamlisch but I bet one of them was the André De Shields dance number "The Prince of Swing" because it's one of the few songs that really stood out. Outside of that and the performances from Georgia Engel, Donna McKechnie and Lillias White I'm afraid there isn't much here. The story seems fun and inspiring. I have to assume there are no longer any plans to polish this up and bring it to Broadway with the loss of Georgia Engel. I think her presence would be sorely missed. I'm glad they decided to record this when they did so her performance could be preserved. She's a delight.
Posted: 8/2/19 at 12:39pm
I also saw it in Chicago under the "Gotta Dance" moniker, and remember having a blast. It's absolutely not the most perfect, polished piece of musical theater writing, but it's such a joy and a fun harmless piece of wonderfully performed feel-good theater. The whole cast (the late Engel especially) elevate the piece to ecstatic heights. I'm thrilled it's preserved in some capacity, and hopefully it finds a good life in the regional theater/licensing market.
Posted: 8/2/19 at 1:13pm
Are there still plans to bring this to Broadway? Does anyone know? I'm still thinking they may not want to do it without Georgia Engel but who knows?
Posted: 8/2/19 at 4:09pm
I saw this in Chicago as well and forgot about it within a week.
Posted: 8/3/19 at 7:59am
Posted: 8/3/19 at 12:07pm
Dollypop said: "I've always felt that Georgia Engle would have made a great Dolly. I told her that when she sat beside me at NOISES OFF! Her response? A giggle."
She may have been a delight as Dolly. Hard to believe it never happened.
