The Rothschilds

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 7/19/06 at 1:57pm

Has anyone seen this musical? I just heard the OBCR. It seems worthy of community theater, but have never heard of it being performed. Is this one of those cases, where the songs are worthy, but the book is not?

[Smaxie]

Posted: 7/19/06 at 2:06pm

Actually, the book is pretty damned good. Act Two focuses almost totally on Nathan, sort of leaving Meyer Rothschild out of the equation except for his big song "In My Own Lifetime". But otherwise, I think it's a very enjoyable show, with a fine Bock-Harnick score.

[mrsparker]

Posted: 7/19/06 at 2:41pm

I saw a production of this show in the early 70s at the old Valley Forge Music Fair outside Philadelphia. I still have the souvenir program book. It starred operatic tenor(?) Jan Peerce, the late Geraldine Brooks and a VERY young Gary Beach.

[notabb]

Posted: 7/19/06 at 4:23pm

I enjoyed the Broadway version. It had the most wonderful moment.During one of the many pogroms against the Jews , Meyer and his family hide. When they go in the boys are kids and when they come out they're young adults. Great theatrical way to show how long the pogroms continued.

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 7/19/06 at 4:25pm

Great show that should be done more.

[NYnativeinLA]

Posted: 7/19/06 at 5:08pm

The only problem with the original production was one of tone. The first act was very charming and warm (like Fiddler), but as the Sons became more cold and calculated in the second act, so did the show.

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 7/19/06 at 5:49pm

"Cold and calculated" is true to the story. The songs in the first half are optimistic in the 2nd act they seem more matter of fact.

I wonder what a Donald Trump musical would sound like after he determines he has control of the banks that are lending him money? Of course, that could be offset by an upbeat "You're Fired" dance number!
Updated On: 7/19/06 at 05:49 PM

[RobR]

Posted: 7/19/06 at 8:09pm

Just been reading Sheldon Harnick's observations on his show in 'The Art of the American Theatre: Conversations with the Creators'; he comments that they blew the second act at the time by concentrating on the love story between Nathan and Hannah, when the whole show should be about father and sons. Also he points out it needs a fairly big company, on Broadway it was 40 strong.

But it is a beautiful score.

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 7/19/06 at 10:16pm

It's one of the great scores of the 1970's.




Winthrop Paroo
River City, Iowa

[sabrelady]

Posted: 7/19/06 at 10:38pm

Classic comment that 1st acts are always better than 2nd acts cos that's all they had time to fix.

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 7/20/06 at 12:48am

Though it had a successful Off-Broadway revival in the late '80's/early '90's that starred Mike Burstyn as the father and Robert Cuccioli as one of the sons.

If you get one of the "Lost in Boston" albums or Joan Morris' "Lime Jello" album, you can hear a beautiful song for the mother that was cut called "Just A Map". It's her thoughts as her sons are sent across Europe that I often think about watching news reports about President Bush's War...

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 2:35pm

Is that the Joan Morris that is married to William Bolcom?

Is 'Lime Jello' out of print? I can't find it.




Updated On: 7/24/06 at 02:35 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 4:37pm

I saw this & remember it as being quite good. Another good song is "He Tossed A Coin". On one of his albums, Sammy Davis did a fine rendition of "In My Own Lifetime"

Updated On: 7/22/06 at 04:37 PM

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 1:57am

ErinDillyFan,

Yes, they are still married.

And, unfortunately, the times we live in are too dark and dank for "Lime Jello" to be in print...

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 7/22/06 at 9:11am

It's worth finding for its title song alone:
LIME JELLO MARSHMALLOW COTTAGE CHEESE SURPRISE

"It goes so well with Missus Bell's creation of the week:
Shrimp salad with chocolate sauce and garnished with a leek..."

Morris also performs a lovely THE MILLER'S SON as well.

Tootie 'The Most Horrible' Smith
St. Louis. MO

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 5:39pm

I know they are still married. Since, I couldn't find the album, I wanted to make sure I was looking for the same Joan Morris. It's funny, I have only seen Joan Morris once 25 yrs ago. Because the Bolcoms are from Ann Arbor, I have a chance to see her half a dozen time a year. Kind of like living across the street carnegie hall and never going. I guess I have to change that.

Sometimes, it's hard to know how well known local performers are away from home.

Updated On: 7/24/06 at 05:39 PM

[elmore3003]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 6:28pm

Joan and Bill are two of the most wonderful people I know, I've been in love with them since their "After the Ball" album. She's one of America's finest singers and he's an excellent accompanist as well as composer. All their recordings deserve to be in print, but there's no accounting the idiocy of Nonesuch and RCA!

[elimeyer]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 7:53pm

The Rothschilds is one of the GLORIOUS lost pieces of American theater. It should be revived ON broadway. Mayer Rothschild is my dream role. Living in L.A. as a kid, I had to wait till it toured to see it, by that time I had memorized all the songs. Seeing it at the Dorothy Chandler in L.A., meeting Hal Linden outside the stage door - all magic moments.

Recently I auditioned for a show here in NY and used "In My Own Lifetime" as my audition song. When I mentioned the song, the Auditor said, well, our accompanist ought to know it, since she was the conductor of the Original Broadway show!

Hey, today is my birthday, anyone want to mount this show and cast me? Huh?
-e-

[wexy]

Posted: 7/23/06 at 8:15pm

Saw it sometime in the late 80s at Circle in the Square Downtown
and I almost got clunked in the head on my aisle seat by someone carrying a gun

Its a good show.

[Flahooley]

Posted: 7/25/06 at 4:33pm

Did the failure of THE ROTHCHILDS break up Bock and Harnick? I've never really heard a clear explanation as to why they stopped working together.

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 7/26/06 at 9:22am

I doubt it. they had at least one more show after that:
Regards to the Lindsay Years (1973)

[bare_nakedlady]

Posted: 8/14/06 at 2:07pm

I just got this CD and I am enamoured with it. I wonder what it must have been like to see this and Fiddler at the same time. I'm very happy for Hal Linden getting to finally step out into the spotlight(a long time ago) after understudying for so long. "He tossed a coin" is a fantastic song. I would love to do this show.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 1/16/08 at 2:13pm

In this interview, Sheldon Harnick says that there were creative differences with the director. Anybody know anything about this?:

http://www.theaterscene.net/ts/articles.nsf/FI/A31437D163587CD685256EDE0074A064