What's That Smell/The Moony Shapiro Songbook?

[alterego]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 7:29am

Reading the storyline for WHAT'S THAT SMELL, I can't help but be reminded of the 1980's Broadway flop THE MOONY SHAPIRO SONGBOOK (London success under the title SONGBOOK) that featured Gary Beach, Judy Kaye and Jeff Goldblum. It seems almost like a blatant rip off. Anyone else notice this?

[MamasDoin'Fine]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 7:41am

Jeez that was a bore of a show in London. It played the Globe Theatre for just a few weeks in 1978- not too much of a success!
A great cast including Anton Rogers, David Healy and Diane Langton not being able to help the stinker it was.
This sounds like the same smell!

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 9:06am

I haven't seen it yet, but it got enough positive notices to warrant a transfer, so I don't think it could be all that bad, especially if you're a musical theatre aficionado. Sounds like fun to me.

[Scripps2]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 10:07am

I'm going to have to disagree with Mama on Songbook. Although I didn't see the show I have enjoyed the OLC recording as a witty take on all the shows like Side by Side by Sondheim, Cowardy Custard and Oh Mr Porter that were filling up West End theatres with low budget productions and good scores at the time.

Harold Prince must have rated the show because he did some voiceover work for it. Bob Hoskins was in the out-of-town tryout in Darlington, in the role taken by David Healy when the show moved to London.

Now what's this What's That Smell?
Updated On: 11/12/08 at 10:07 AM

[twogaab2]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 10:48am

Very, very funny, go see it. Just my opinion, I may be wrong.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 4:48pm

Pittu alone will be worth the price of admission.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 5:25pm

I think I've read that Songbook ran about six months in London.

I didn't see it there, but I did see the Broadway production, which was delightful and deserved a much better run.

But it was odd. I saw it twice during previews. The first time I saw it, on a Thursday evening, it was altogether terrific. I went again on Saturday (the opening was the following evening). Before the show started, I was chatting with Jeff Goldblum's then wife. I told her I was seeing it for the second time that night. She asked me what night I'd seen it before. I told her Thursday. She replied, "Yes, it went very well that night. No critics were here. Last night critics were here and it didn't go so well. This afternoon, no critics were here and it went very well. Critics are here tonight. Let's see what happens."

Sure enough, that night it didn't go nearly as well as it had on Thursday. It was still enjoyable, but parts of it that had gotten huge laughs died that night, cutting back the show's momentum and making it seem very spotty, whereas on Thursday it seemed fun pretty much from beginning to end.

[Scripps2]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 5:39pm

Thanks for posting nobodyhome - that's an interesting anecdote. I thought I remembered the London production having a respectable run and it did pick up two Oliviers (then the SWET awards) for best actor in a musical (Anton Rodgers) and best musical (beating the original London production of Chicago, which I can't quite believe myself).

[alterego]

Posted: 11/12/08 at 6:46pm

But have you noticed the almost too close for comfort similarities?

[alterego]

Posted: 11/13/08 at 8:16am

B-b-b-bump!