Today in Music (1967): First stage production of Hair

Hair (cast album/soundtrack) Galt MacDermot, Gerome Ragni, & James Rado (composers)

First Stage Production: October 17, 1967 Cast Album Recorded: May 6, 1968 Cat Album Charted: August 3, 1978 Soundtrack Recorded: December 1978 – January 1979 Soundtrack Charted: April 7, 1979 Peak (cast album): 113 US, 114 CN, 128 AU Peak (soundtrack): 65 US Sales (in millions): 5.0 US (cast), 0.5 (soundtrack) Genre: show tunes/rock

Tracks (Cast Album): Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Aquarius (3/8/69, 1 US, 11 UK – the Fifth Dimension) Donna Hashish Sodomy Colored Spade Manchester England I’m Black Ain’t Got No I Believe in Love * Ain’t Got No (Reprise) * Air Initials * I Got Life Going Down * Hair My Conviction Easy to Be Hard Don’t Put It Down Frank Mills Be-In * Where Do I Go? Electric Blues Manchester England (Reprise) * Black Boys White Boys Walking in Space Abie Baby 3-5-0-0 What a Piece of Work Is Man Good Morning Starshine The Bed * The Flesh Failures (Let the Sun Shine In) * unique to cast album Tracks (Soundtrack): Aquarius Sodomy Donna/ Hashish Colored Spade Manchester England Abie Baby/ Fourscore ** I’m Black/ Ain’t Got No Air Party Music ** My Conviction I Got Life Frank Mills Hair L.B.J. ** Electric Blues/ Old Fashioned Melody ** Hare Krishna ** Where Do I Go? Black Boys White Boys Walking in Space Easy to Be Hard (4/28/79, #64 US – Cheryl Barnes) 3-5-0-0 Good Morning Starshine What a Piece of Work Is Man Somebody to Love ** Don’t Put It Down The Flesh Failures (Let the Sun Shine In) ** unique to soundtrack

Rating (Cast Album): 4.634 out of 5.00 (average of 7 ratings) Rating (Soundtrack): 3.801 out of 5.00 (average of 4 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “With a score by Gerome Ragni, James Rado and composer Galt Macdermot,” CD-C Hair was “the first and best musical of the hippie peace and love generation.” CD-C “The show and the album were quite different to the usual Broadway fare.” CD-C “Hair was both celebratory and anticlimactic at the same time. Heralded by many at the time as being a rejuvenation for musical theater, it was also supposed to ‘speak’ for the youth. The problem with that is that any time you attempt to allow a piece of written work to speak for a generation, it invariably fails. It is undoubtedly impossible for one musical to classify every attitude held by a person under 30 at that time. Given this fact, Hair was destined to be considered a disappointment.” SE “However, if you take the score out of this context and listen to it simply as a snippet of some prevalent beliefs of the time, or simply as a fictional work, it is really quite wonderful. As Claude’s best friend is expelled from high school and the love of Claude’s life loves someone else, Claude must struggle with the decision to submit to government regulations in which he doesn't believe. A youthful exuberance covers the proceedings, with the first act ending with the infamous nude sequence.” SE The cast album was recorded in RCA Studio B in New York, New York on May 6, 1968. CD-CThe “principal cast includes: Ronald Dyson (Ron); James Rado (Claude); Gerome Ragni (Berger); Steve Curry (Woof); Lamont Washington (Hud); Lynn Kellogg (Sheila); Sally Eaton (Jeanie); Melba Moore (Dionne); Shelley Plimpton (Crissy); Diane Keaton (Waitress); Jonathan Kramer (Young Recruit); Paul Jabara (General Grant); Lorrie Davis (Abraham Lincoln); Donnie Burks (Sergeant).” CD-CThe album won a Grammy for best score from an Original Cast album. CD-C More than ten years later, Milos Forman directed the “cinematic version…As with most adaptations from the stage, the results can be either hit or miss. While the film did not generate much in the way of critical or viewer acclaim, this album contains some noteworthy variations on the 1968 play. At the center is music from Galt MacDermot and James Rado, which likewise has remained as a sort of late-1960s aural time capsule.” LP “In more than a few cases, the movie’s luminous cast take the tunes to a new level. In particular, Treat Williams’ portrayal of Berger shines throughout, especially on secondary numbers such I Got Life, which he turns into one of the best on-screen performances.” LP “John Savage turns in a stellar rendering of the central figure, Claude, whose middle American roots and values are challenged by the freedom offered in the burgeoning counterculture. His substance-induced Where Do I Go becomes not only a pivotal point in the movie, but one of the best cuts on this disc.” LP “The support is of equal value with Beverly d’Angelo’s ‘Good Morning Starshine’ and Cheryl Barnes’ reading of ‘Easy to Be Hard’ being among the strongest versions available. Nell Carter’s big screen debut could not have been more perfectly cast. She captures the essence of Abie Baby and White Boys with a perfect blend of soul and drama. Additionally, Carter plays a significant role in ensemble pieces such as I Got No. The contributions of Melba Moore are not only worth mentioning due to her exceptional rendering of 3-5-0-0, but she is the only member of both the motion picture as well as the original Broadway company. Rock vocalist/ actress Ellen Foley’s solo on Black Boys should be mentioned as a cameo appearance highlight.” LP Notes: A 20th anniversary edtion of the soundtrack was released in 1999 that included a booklet with expanded liner notes and the songs “Party Music” and “My Conviction.” LP

Resources and Related Links: CD-C Cd Universe (cast album) CD-S Cd Universe (soundtrack) SE Sarah Erlewine, All Music Guide (cast album) LP Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide (soundtrack) First posted 8/11/2008; last updated 10/5/2023.

50 years ago: Fiddler on the Roof opened on Broadway

Fiddler on the Roof Jerry Bock (music), Sheldon Harnick (lyrics)

The Musical

Opened on Broadway: September 22, 1964 Number of Performances: 3242 Opened at London’s West End: February 16, 1967 Number of Performances: 2030 Movie Release: September 19, 1968

Cast Album

Charted: October 31, 1964 Peak: 7 US Sales (in millions): 2.0 US Genre: show tunes

Soundtrack

Charted: October 30, 1971 Peak: 30 US, 26 UK Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Genre: show tunes

Songs: Prologue: Tradition (aka “Prologue and Tradition and Main Title”) Matchmaker, Matchmaker If I Were a Rich Man Sabbath Prayer To Life Miracle of Miracles The Dream (aka “Tevye’s Dream”) Sunrise, Sunset Wedding Dance (aka “Wedding Celebration and the Bottle Dance”) Now I Have Everything * Do You Love Me The Rumor * Far from the Home I Love Chava Ballet Sequence ** Anatevka Finale ** * on cast album only ** on soundtrack only Singles/Hit Songs: These were covers of songs from this musical which became hits: “Sunrise, Sunset” – Roger Williams (#84, 1967)

Rating: 4.482 out of 5.00 (average of 12 ratings for cast album and soundtrack combined) Awards (Cast Album and Soundtrack): (Click on award to learn more).

About the Show: “Fiddler on the Roof is one of Broadway’s great classics. Based on the tales of Sholem Aleichem, the musical tells the humorous and heartbreaking story” DH of “Tevye, a Jewish milkman who lives in Russia with his family (including five daughters).” ER “He tries to maintain the simplicities of his traditional life even as his daughters grow up and Russia heads toward revolution.” DH “Anti-Semitic notions abound as Tevye and his family find themselves being forced from their village. Tevye’s daughters break from their village’s tradition as they marry for love, not for prosperity. Throughout all of this, a symbolic fiddler lingers over them.” ER “Fiddler on the Roof was the most successful musical up to its time, running for over 3,000 performances.” ER “The music is beautiful, and haunting at moments” ER while the musical “was also the origin of several famous and now-standard songs” ER like Sunrise, Sunset, If I Were a Rich Man, and Matchmaker, Matchmaker. “As Tevye, Zero Mostel leads – and at times dominates – the original 1964 Broadway cast, displaying irrepressible swagger and bluster.” DH “The original Broadway cast…also had Beatrice Arthur as Yente, the matchmaker.” ER “A young Julia Migenes plays his middle daughter, Hodel, while those who only know Bert Convy as a game-show host will be surprised by his pleasant voice as her suitor.” DH The movie version of Fiddler on the Roof “became the top-grossing film of 1971.” WR The soundtrack “stretched out Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s song score with musical adaptations by conductor John Williams. There was plenty of screen dialogue, too. But the appeal of the work continued to be the wonderful songs.” WR Topol, who starred in the 1967 London production, EV takes on the role of Tevye for the movie. He “wasn’t as funny as Zero Mostel…but gave it more gravity. Occasionally on the soundtrack, he sounded so tired, though, that he barely got his lines out. Happily, he nailed ‘If I Were a Rich Man,’ which is Tevye’s real showcase number.” WR The soundtrack also features Isaac Stern as the fiddler. EV “Still, the Fiddler album to buy is the original Broadway cast recording.” WR

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Jerry Bock DMDB encyclopedia entry for Sheldon Harnick ER Sarah Erlewine/ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide c DH David Horiuchi, Amazon.com c WR William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide s EV Elisabeth Vincentelli, Amazon.com s First posted 9/21/2011; last updated 12/24/2021.

50 years ago: Camelot opened on Broadway

Camelot Frederick Loewe (music), Alan Jay Lerner (lyrics)

The Musical

Opened on Broadway: December 3, 1960 Number of Performances: 873 Opened at London’s West End: August 1964 Number of Performances: 518 Movie Release: October 25, 1967

Cast Album

Recorded: December 11, 1960 Charted: January 23, 1961 Peak: 16 US, 37 UK Sales (in millions): 0.5 US Genre: show tunes

Soundtrack

Charted: November 11, 1967 Peak: 11 US, 37 UK Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Genre: show tunes

Songs on Cast Album: Overture March I Wonder What the King Is Doing Tonight (RICHARD BURTON) The Simple Joys of Maidenhood (JULIE ANDREWS) Camelot (RICHARD BURTON) Follow Me (BERRY/ MARY SUE) C’est Moi (ROBERT GOULET) The Lusty Month of May (JULIE ANDREWS) Then You May Take Me to the Fair (JULIE ANDREWS/ JAMES YARNELL/ JOHN CULLUM) How to Handle a Woman (RICHARD BURTON) Before I Gaze at You Again (JULIE ANDREWS) If Ever I Would Leave You (ROBERT GOULET) The Seven Deadly Virtues (RODDY McDOWALL) What Do the Simple Folk Do? (RICHARD BURTON) Fire on Goodness (MALE ENSEMBLE) I Loved You Once in Silence (JULIE ANDREWS) Guenevere Finale Ultimo (Camelot Reprise) (RICHARD BURTON) Songs on Soundtrack: Prelude and Overture - Orchestra I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight - Arthur The Simple Joys of Maidenhood - Guenevere Camelot and the Wedding Ceremony - Arthur, Guenevere, and Chorus C'est Moi - Lancelot The Lusty Month of May - Guenevere and Women Follow Me and Children's Chorus - Chorus How to Handle a Woman - Arthur Take Me to the Fair - Guenevere, Lionel, Dinadan, Sagramore If Ever I Would Leave You - Lancelot What Do the Simple Folk Do? - Guenevere and Arthur I Loved You Once In Silence - Guenevere Guenevere - Chorus Finale Ultimo - Arthur and Tom

Rating: 4.633 out of 5.00 (average of 14 ratings for cast album and soundtrack combined) Quotable: “One of the great Lerner & Loewe musicals” – Wikipedia Awards (Cast Album and Soundtrack): (Click on award to learn more).

About the Show: Lerner & Loewe turned to the legend of King Arthur, specifically T.H. White’s novel The Once and Future King, for their 1960 musical Camelot. Initially, Loewe agreed to write the music, but said he had no interest in the project and that it would be his last score if things went badly. WK-C The production of the show was delayed when Lerner had to seek medical attention after his wife left him. WK-C The show initially ran too long with Lerner noting that “only Tristan and Isolde equaled it as a bladder endurance contest.” WK-C However, the result was a success. “The advance sale for the show was the largest in Broadway history.” WK-C It opened on December 3, 1960, at the Majestic Theatre and ran for 873 performances. WK-C It starred Richard Burton and Julie Andrews and introduced Robert Goulet in his first Broadway role. WK-C It also won four Tony Awards. Initial reaction from New York critics was mixed, but a 1993 New York Times review noted that the musical “has grown in stature over the years, primarily because of its superb score.... [which] combined a lyrical simplicity with a lush romanticism.” WK-C A 2003 review said “Camelot has it all – a beautiful English princess swept off her feet by a shy, but passionate bachelor king; an ardent French knight, torn between devotion to his liege and an uncontrollable hunger, reciprocated, to be sure, for the king’s tempestuous wife.” WK-C The story follows Arthur and Guinevere from their first meeting when they have yet to meet, but stumble across each other accidentally. Arthur – still unknown to Guinevere – persuades her of the joys of Camelot in the title song and she agrees to marry him. Lancelot, a young Frenchman, enters the picture five years later when he comes to become one of Arthur’s knights after hearing about the Round Table, “a democratic system built around the idea of “a new kind of knight – one that does not pillage and fight, but tries to uphold honor and justice.” WC-C He is devoted to Arthur, but he and Guinevere battle feelings for each other. Their forbidden love is uncovered by Mordred, Arthur’s illegitimate son, who is determined to overthrow Camelot. He accuses them of treason and Arthur, born by his own law, is obliged to burn Guinevere at the stake. To his relief, the escaped Lancelot returns to save her. Before Mordred attacks Camelot, Arthur meets Lancelot and Guinevere and forgives them. In camp the night before battle, Arthur is inspired by boy named Tom of Warwick who wishes to join the Round Table. Arthur instructs him “to run behind the lines and survive the battle, so he can tell future generations about the legend of Camelot.” WK-S The 1964 film version directed by Joshua Logan snagged eight Oscars, but ultimately fell short of the Broadway version. “There wasn’t time for half a dozen songs, which have been deleted, leaving the highlights.” WR-S Richard “Harris is a much more demonstrative King Arthur than Burton, overplaying his role as if he's trying to be a royal Henry Higgins, as played by Rex Harrison (in My Fair Lady).” WR-S Vanessa “Redgrave has the impossible task of replacing Andrews…in fact, she can’t sing.” WR-S Franco Nero, who stepped in as Lancelot, had the singing done by Gene Merlino, who’s “ not a patch on Goulet. The result is a mediocre soundtrack album that really doesn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as the original Broadway cast recording.” WR-S

Resources and Related Links: WR-C William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide (cast album) WR-S William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide (soundtrack) WK-C Wikipedia (stage production) WK-S Wikipedia (film version) Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 6/10/2011; last updated 12/24/2021.

50 years ago: Bye Bye Birdie opened on Broadway

Bye Bye Birdie Charles Strouse (music), Lee Adams (lyrics)

The Musical

Opened on Broadway: April 14, 1960 Number of Performances: 607 Opened at London’s West End: ? Number of Performances: ? Movie Release: April 4, 1963

Cast Album

Charted: July 18, 1960 Peak: 12 US Sales (in millions): -- Genre: show tunes

Soundtrack

Charted: April 27, 1963 Peak: 2 US Sales (in millions): -- Genre: show tunes

Songs on Cast Album: Overture An English Teacher The Telephone Hour How Lovely to Be a Woman Put on a Happy Face Normal American Boy One Boy Honestly Sincere Hymn for a Sunday Evening One Last Kiss What Did I Ever See in Him? A Lot of Livin’ to Do Kids Baby, Talk to Me Spanish Rose Kids (Reprise) Rosie Songs on Soundtrack: Overture (Bye Bye Birdie – Main Title) How Lovely to Be a Woman The Telephone Hour Put on a Happy Face Honestly Sincere Hymn for a Sunday Evening One Last Kiss One Boy Kids A Lot of Livin’ to Do Rosie and Bye Bye Birdie (End Title Finale)

Rating: 3.783 out of 5.00 (average of 7 ratings for cast album and soundtrack combined) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Show: “Here is pure pleasure. Bye Bye Birdie, with a book by Michael Stewart, managed to satirize the Elvis Presley craze, racial prejudice, the generation gap, the Shriners, and so on, while retaining a thoroughly plausible air of innocence. The cast is ideal: Dick Van Dyke has an easy charm and faultless timing as pop songwriter Albert, who faces disaster when his meal ticket, the hip-swiveling teen idol Conrad Birdie (Dick Gautier), is drafted. Chita Rivera is sensational as Albert’s exasperated assistant/girlfriend, Rosie. As Kim, the winsome teenager chosen to kiss Birdie in a televised farewell, Susan Watson shows why she was a top Broadway ingenue in her day. Paul Lynde, as Kim’s harried dad, is the least likely husband and father imaginable but is hilarious nonetheless.” CA “Birdie was the making of composer Charles Strouse and lyricist Lee Adams, for good reason. This is the rare Broadway score in which the comedy numbers retain their humor. Among the comedic highlights are The Telephone Hour, in which a horde of teenagers gossip about the budding romance in their midst; Healthy, Normal American Boy, in which Albert and Rosie feed outrageous lies about Conrad to the press; Hymn for a Sunday Evening, a paean to Ed Sullivan’s insanely popular TV variety show, complete with Lynde’s priceless reading of the line, ‘Ed, I love you!’; Kids, the parents’ cri-de-coeur; and Spanish Rose, in which Rivera is a campy delight (‘I’Il be more Español than Abbe Lane!’). Add a couple of songs that became standards (Put on a Happy Face, A Lot of Livin’ to Do) and what more do you need? Robert Ginzler’s orchestrations keep the tone light and bright throughout. This recording is essential to any Broadway collection.” CA About the Movie: “Irving Brecher’s screenplay altered the show’s plot to the point of terminal silliness, adding such complications as a troupe of snooty Russian dancers and a super-effective pep pill. But Strouse and Adams did come up with a kicky new title tune, delivered with gusto by Ann-Margret’s Kim, played as a voluptuous teenager. Van Dyke is still charming and Lynde is still a riot, but a game Janet Leigh isn’t an acceptable substitute for Rivera; the role of Rosie has lost much of its humor along with the songs An English Teacher, ‘Healthy, Normal American Boy,’ and ‘Spanish Rose.’ The soundtrack recording doesn’t replace the Broadway album, but it’s fun if you’re an Ann-Margret fan.” CA Notes: A CD reissue adds a bonus track featuring Charles Strouse discussing the show and singing “Put on a Happy Face.”

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Charles Strouse DMDB encyclopedia entry for Lee Adams CA Cast Album Reviews by David Barbour First posted 12/23/2021.