A
Chorus Line: Original Cast Recording
Michael Bennett's 1975 tale of Broadway's
gypsies--the chorus dancers--resonated with audiences as few shows
ever have, examining with both hilarity and heartbreak the
grueling life of ordinary performers always auditioning for an
opportunity to be members of a faceless chorus line. And along the
way, it picked up the Pulitzer, the New York Drama Critics Award,
and nine Tonys, and became the longest-running show in Broadway
history. The original cast (eight of whom contributed their
real-life memories to the show) included no major stars, but are
unmatched on this cast recording of Marvin Hamlisch and Edward
Kleban's score, including Priscilla Lopez's poignant
"Nothing," Donna McKechnie's yearning dance number
"The Music and the Mirror," one of Broadway's most
famous torch ballads in "What I Did for Love," and the
ultimate high-kicking chorus number, "One." Fans of the
show will welcome the 1998 remastered CD, which adds two and a
half minutes to "Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello
Love." While still incomplete, the montage now includes
"Four-foot ten," "Little brat," and "The
worst thing in school...." --David Horiuchi
Promises,
Promises: Original Cast Recording
In the late '90s, Burt
Bacharach--thanks to a boxed
set, new collaborations, and numerous reissues--just keeps
popping up. And for good reason: his music is nostalgic, filled
with great melodies, and instantly recognizable. For many, he's
the essence of pop. Promises, Promises, the composer's 1968
Broadway collaboration with lyricist Hal David, is based on the
1960 Billy Wilder film, The Apartment, written by Neil
Simon. Jerry Orbach's performance as Chuck Baxter is powerful (it
also won him a Tony Award), and though some of the music in Promises,
Promises is dated, it's simply infectious. As Fran Kubelik,
Jill O'Hara (Hair) performs reflective numbers such as
"Whoever You Are" and "I'll Never Fall in Love
Again." Bacharach's title theme (a hit for Dionne
Warwick) sounds better than ever here--both performed
instrumentally and sung by Orbach. At 45 minutes, it's a short
listen, but for fans of Bacharach or Broadway, it's highly
recommended. --Jason Verlinde
Follies:
Original Broadway Cast
The scene: an abandoned theater, where a group of
performers--alumni from the fictional musical revue The
Weismann Follies--is holding a reunion shortly before the
building is to be turned to rubble. The long-retired players
relive their careers through Stephen Sondheim's brilliant
pastiches of past songwriters, sometimes accompanied in song or
dance by the ghosts of their previous selves. At the same time,
four of the people (two married couples) are remembering their
pasts and wondering whether they chose their spouses--and the
course of their lives--correctly. The 1971 original cast of Follies
included many former Broadway and Hollywood stars--Dorothy
Collins, Gene Nelson, Alexis Smith, Mary McCarty--and the pedigree
and sheer size of the cast kept the show from profitability
despite a decent run (and also keep it from being frequently
revived).
This recording of Stephen Sondheim's legendary
show has become something of a legend itself. The score included
22 songs, but because the cost of recording a two-LP set was
considered prohibitive, a number of songs were omitted and others
were abridged. As a result, this too-brief 58 minutes can't be
considered the final statement on Follies (for more music,
try the uneven but sometimes electric 1985
concert recording or the 1998 New Jersey revival), but listen
to Yvonne DeCarlo sing the anthem "I'm Still Here" or
Collins sing the heartbreaking "Losing My Mind" and
you'll know that the original cast had a special magic that has
yet to be surpassed. --David Horiuchi
