Dark Monday • Tony Awards 1975

Clockwise: The Tony Award, Bernadette Peters, Ted Ross, and Rita Moreno.

While thinking about the telecast for the latest Tony Awards last night, I decided to look back 40 years to the 1975 Tony Award show, and some of the incredible work celebrated. I will begin with a performer I love, who was nominated but did not win in 1975. Bernadette Peters was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical for her work in 'Mack and Mabel'. She played opposite Robert Preston, playing real life Hollywood lovers Mack Senett and Mabel Normond. The show featured music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, and I still love hearing some of the music today. In this clip, Bernadette sings "Time Heals Everything" from 'Mack and Mabel'.

Rita Moreno sings her big number from 'The Ritz'. She won the Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play, performing a song also sung by the winner of the Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical, Angela Lansbury. Ms. Lansbury played Mama Rose in a revival of 'Gypsy'. Moreno played Googie Gomez, a performer in a gay bathhouse in Manhattan. The place gets invaded by some mobsters, and, of course, hilarity ensues. This is Rita singing "Everything's Coming Up Roses" in the film version of the Broadway hit, 'The Ritz'.

The musical that earned many of the trophies in 1975 was the new look at an old favorite. With music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown, 'The Wiz' told the story of 'The Wizard of Oz' in a more modern, urban setting. The Broadway show was such a success, it was soon also made into a film. One of the actors who made both the Broadway and film versions of the show was Ted Ross, who played the role of the Cowardly Lion. In fact, Ross was named Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical at the 1975 Tony Awards. I found this clip of him playing the role with Diana Ross, the late Michael Jackson, and Nipsey Russel in the film version. This is Ted Ross singing "I'm A Mean Old Lion" from 'The Wiz'.

Have a great week!

Dark Monday • Bernadette Sings "Not A Day Goes By"

When it comes to some of the amazing women I have managed to see performing on Broadway, I think Bernadette Peters ranks among the top. Now, I've seen some incredible talents, but her work in 'Sunday in the Park with George' still resonates with me, and that was a few decades ago. She was incredible live, sounding great, and acting the role of Dot to perfection. I was already a fan, but this still blew me away. It was said she has been a muse for Sondheim, and it was easy to understand why with this performance.

She went on to star in 'Into the Woods', as well as revivals of 'A Little Night Music' and 'Follies'. She also performed live at Carnegie Hall in 1996, as part of a fundraiser for Gay Men's Health Crisis. The show featured song from several shows Peters had starred in, and she dedicated the second half of the performance to the works of Sondheim. The recording was later released as a live album, entitled 'Sondheim, Etc.' I must admit, I do love the album, and it inspired me to do this post. One of the songs Bernadette sang was the amazing "Not A Day Goes By", a song from the 1981 Broadway musical, 'Merrily We Roll Along'. The show was directed by Harold Prince, with a book by George Furth and music and lyrics by Sondheim. The show as not a success, running on Broadway for only 52 previews and 16 performances. It marked the end of the Harold Prince-Sondheim collaborations for 22 years, which had been fruitful for both. But the score was wonderful, and Bernadette had picked this song well. This is Peters singing "Not A Day Goes By".

To learn more about Bernadette Peters, visit her official website. You can also 'like' her on Facebook, and 'follow' her on Twitter. You can find "Not A Day Goes By" on 'Sondheim, Etc.', which can be purchased from iTunes and Amazon. If you like what you heard above, you should think about buying the album - available for just $5.99 at both online stores.

The Songs of Rodgers & Hammerstein

Clockwise: Patti LuPone, Margaret Whiting, Sarah Vaughan, and Bernadette Peters.

After watching the live production of 'Sound of Music' on NBC this week, I was inspired to hear more music from Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, the songwriting team behind some very impressive musicals. I will admit I was quite inspired by Audra McDonald's breath-taking "Climb Ev'ry Mountain", and so I thought to find some versions of their songs that were not from the original Broadway productions or films. And that is what I accomplished that with the first entry, a song from the musical 'The King & I'. The Broadway show debuted in 1951, and almost instantly became a classic, with some great songs. That included "I Could Have Danced All Night", a beautiful and soaring song. Well, unless it was in the hands of songstress Peggy Lee, who added a little Cha-Cha to the proceedings. This is the ever-surprising Miss Peggy Lee singing "I Could Have Danced All Night".

In 1949, Rodgers and Hammerstein opened a little show called 'South Pacific'. The show, based on James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book, 'Tales of the South Pacific'. The show won an amazing 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, as well as awards for both Rodgers and Hammerstein. With songs like "A Cockeyed Optimist", "Some Enchanted Evening", "Younger Than Springtime", "Bali Ha'i", and others, it is no wonder the show immediately became a hit. One of the songs that registered with the audience and singers alike was "I'm in Love With a Wonderful Guy", a wonderful song about love. That same year, it was recorded by the daughter of composer Richard Whiting. This is Margaret Whiting singing "I'm in Love With a Wonderful Guy".

In 1945, Rodgers and Hammerstein had another show debuting on Broadway. After having a huge hit with 'Oklahoma', the pair feared the audience and critics would be comparing them. So they went with a very different show in 'Carousel', a musical that was darker, yet still vibrant. It had several great songs, but one that always appealed to me was "If I loved You", originally sung as a duet between John Raitt and Jan Clayton on Broadway. I decided to go with a stunning rendition by the amazing Bernadette Peters, recorded for her 2002 album 'Bernadette Peters Loves Rodgers and Hammerstein'. There is something that is just so simple and lovely about the recording, so pleasure enjoy Bernadette Peters singing "If I Loved You".

For the last song of the night, I go to the 1945 film 'State Fair'. Rodgers and Hammerstein adapted this one from the 1933 musical of the same name, directly for film. There was no stage production, well until one was produced in 1996, long after both Rodgers and Hammerstein had passed away. There were several popular songs in the score, but I thought I'd share "It Might As Well Be Spring", winner of the Academy Award for Best Original Song of 1945. And I really love this version by the spectacular Sarah Vaughan. This is Sarah singing "It Might As Well Be Spring".

Have a great weekend!

Dark Monday • All That Jazz

Above: The magnificent Bernadette Peters.

In tonight's taste of Broadway experience, I thought I would return to the electrifying Bernadette Peters to bring some magic. So I set off to explore the world of Bernadette on Youtube, and discovered a 1975 appearance on the 'Carol Burnett Show'. One the show, she sang "All That Jazz" from the recently opened 'Chicago', with lyrics by Fred Ebb and music by John Kander. And while I don't remember her ever appearing in a production of the musical, I think she did a stellar job in making the song her own. I wonder why no producers were clever enough to get her somewhere they could sell tickets playing either Velma or Roxy. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Stephen Sondheim!

Today is Stephen Sondheim's 82nd birthday. In tribute to this great composer, I thought I would find some performances of his songs by some interesting performers, something I think I managed to accomplish. I will start with a brilliantly written song from the musical 'Company'. The show offered up several wonderful songs, but I really did love this version by Madeline Kahn, a woman with impeccable comedic timing. Watch this clip as she sings "Getting Married Today".



I just love Tim Curry's voice, so when I found this clip of him singing "Losing My Mind" from 'Follies', I was ecstatic. I can overlook the lack of a stirring picture because the audio is just so damned good.



Do two voices get alone any better than those of Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters? I am not sure it is possible, especially when they are singing the devastatingly gorgeous "Move On" from 'Sunday In The Park With George'.



Now, I could hardly do this post and leave off La LuPone, could I? She has such and amazing voice, and such strong control of it, is seems only right to end the post with her beautiful "Being Alive" from the musical 'Company'.



So Happy Birthday, Mr. Sondheim!

Dark Monday • A Little Number

One can never underestimate how the greatness of Stephen Sondheim can make your week start just a little bit better. This is a clip of some amazing ladies singing Broadway Baby from the show Follies. The original production opened 40 years ago, and a revival just recently opened.



To learn more about the revival, check out the official website for the here. There is tons of information, and you can find how to buy your tickets there, too! The limited engagement has been extended through January 22, 2012!

Dark Monday • Bernadette Covers Madonna

Bernadette Peters's version of Stephen Sondheim's Sooner or Later from Dick Tracy from her 1998 concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London. The song, written by Sondheim for Warren Beatty's movie, was originally sung by Madonna. She played Breathless Mahoney, Night Club Singer with a thing for crime bosses and detectives. Well, Bernadette brings the sexy to the number, and sings it beautifully.

Dark Monday - I Heart NY

Way back when, New York introduced an ad campaign for tourism. It seemed like everything aligned when the now icon tune "I Love New York" is heard, made only better by some of the bets voices on Broadway. Not only did tourism boom once again, but the sales of simple logo for I<3NY was amazing.

Check out this version form 1982 - look at Liza, getting ready to go to Studio 54! And Cher! And so many others!

Dark Monday - Sunday In The Park With George

Adapted from a 2009 post with additional video & music.

I was lucky enough to see Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin in the original Broadway production of Sunday In The Park With George, as well as the recent revival brought over from London's West End. The musical, written by my hero Stephen Sondheim, is a brilliant homage to the painting by George Seurat, A Sunday Afternoon On The Island of La Grande Jatte. I will say I enjoyed the revival, but the original was just so damn good, with amazing performances by both Bernadette and Mandy which left an indelible memory of the experience even though with was about 25 years earlier.



The first act centers on Sondheim's take on the people who influenced the characters in the painting. The second act brings the story to the present, as Seurat's [fictional] great-grandson about to put on a 'light and color' art piece, inspired by the painting produced in the first act. Like most of Sondheim's work, the music and lyrics were textured and layered, with meaning, emotion, and storyline a focus. The first act closed with George (Patinkin) finishing the painting, and placing all the characters in the tableaux.



The show focuses on the process of art for the artist, from George songs like Color And Light, Finishing The Hat, and Putting It Together opening a discussion of the thinking of artists. I certainly remember thinking it was perhaps Sondheim's most personal musical to date. His quiet, reclusive, and ponderous George was about as close to his own reputation as any character has been. In the following clip, I think Bernadette is just outstanding.




The marquee for the revival.

For me, the music in every Sondheim show is just glorious. The following is Daniel Evans singing the simply stunning song, Finishing The Hat, from a Tony Preview Concert in 2008. While the song is about his work, it really is something much more personal, confessional. Amazing lyrics, beautiful music.



The following is a clip for the song Move On from Act II of the show. I love the song, it is gorgeous. Yes,I know I've said that about other songs, but it is true, I just think the score to this musical is brilliant.

Tony Awards Tonight with Itay Hod & Levi Kreis

Left: CBS reporter Itay Hod; Right: Tony nominee Levi Kreis

The Antoinette Perry Awards, better known as the Tonys, are on CBS tonight at 8, following '60 Minutes'. I will most certainly be watching, hoping Levi Kreis wins a Tony for his spectacular performance 'Million Dollar Quartet'. But there are other reasons to watch the Tony Awards. For one thing, out and gorgeous news reporter Itay Hod will be reporting for the show for CBS. Also, you never know when history will be made. In 1982, for example, there was a performance so strong, so perfect, it had people turning up the volume on their television, amazed at display of emotion of one Jennifer Holliday, singing "And I'm Telling You" from 'Dreamgirls'. Yep, she laid it down. And established the song as one of the 'must sing' tunes for any aspiring diva.



The following year, a different kind of history was made. When the amazing 'Torch Song Trilogy' was named winner of the Tony for Best Play, Producer John Glines come up to accept the award. It marked the first time a gay man thanked his lover on national television. I knew John back then, and he was a wonderful man, and I am certainly grateful to him for taking this first step.



Over a decade later, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Tony Awards in 1996, an amazing opening was planned. I mean, can you beat an opening with Liza Minnelli, Bernadette Peters and Nathan Lane? And the historic gallery of former Tony Winners beginning with Liza and Bernadette, that is amazing. Here is the beginning of the 1996 Tony Awards broadcast.



Later in the show, a show that started as a workshop was to have a performance, having been nominated for Best Musical. 'Rent' won the Tony, and won many hearts with the amazing showing below, a glowing and brilliant showing of diversity, both of race and sexuality, broadcast for the nation to see.



From 1996 to 2007, there was another new musical that was impossible not to see. 'Spring Awakening' took the world by storm that year, and rightfully so. It is a beautifully written musical, both touching and heart-wrenching. To showcase the musical, the cast did a mash-up of the songs from the show. Interesting, since two of the stars of the show, Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff have just been on our televisions delivering mash-ups in the cast on 'GLEE'.



Who knows, maybe there will be more history made tonight.

Worth Another Listen - Bernadette Peters

She might have already had two shout outs for her performances on Broadway in my Dark Monday series, but Bernadette Peters also had a couple of songs that made it to the radio back in the early 80s. With her kewpie doll looks, full mane of corkscrew curls, voluptuous figure and peaches and cream complexion, Peters has always seemed like a throwback to a different era, so it should come as no surprise her first hit was a 50s style doo-wop song, "Gee Whiz", from the 1980 album 'Bernadette'.



The following year she released 'Now Playing', which contained an adult contemporary hit, "Broadway Baby". The song was written by Stephen Sondheim for his show 'Follies', a show she was not cast in. However, she has gone on to be a wonderful interpreter of Sondheim's music as well as an inspiration for the composer, who wrote her role in 'Into The Woods' for her.



Those are pretty much it for the songs of Bernadette I have heard on the radio. For the most part, since those two albums, she has worked in the theater, and doing concert tours, still performing at the top of her game, despite turning 62 later this month. But I will add one more clip to the post, that of her singing the Sondheim song "Sooner Or Later", originally sung by Madonna in the movie 'Dick Tracy'. While I loved Madge's version, I have to admit Bernadette sings the crap out of it whenever she can.



Bernadette's life has not been without highs and lows. She has two Tony Awards for her exceptional work. She was a cougar before it was cool, landing a husband who as 15 years her junior, but she also lost him in a helicopter accident after 10 years together. She has worked tirelessly for many charities, and has adopted dogs from shelters. Just little tidbits. And yes, both 'Bernadette' and 'Now Playing' were in my record collection way back when. For more about Bernadette, check out her official website.

Dark Monday - Gypsy

One of the great musicals out there, Gypsy has stood the test of time. The 1959 musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Gypsy was based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist. There was also the 1962 film version, starring Rosalind Russell and Natalie Wood. It became ingrained in the modern culture, with Mama Rose being the quintessential stage mother, and you'd have to search far and wide to find a gay man who has not shouted out 'Sing out, Louise' at one time or another.



The list of women to play Rose is impressive. In the original production, Ethel Merman played the role, followed by Angela Lansbury in 1974, Tyne Daley in 1989, Bernadette Peters in 2003, and Patti LuPone in 2007. And that is just the Broadway production original casting, not replacements. There was also a 1993 version for television starring Bette Midler. Interestingly enough, Merman and Peters were nominated for Tony Awards, Lansbury, Daley and LuPone won the Tony, both Russell and Midler won Golden Globes, and Midler was nominated for an Emmy.



It is a simple story of a woman who had dreams of stardom, only to be sidetracked with marriage and kids. On her own with two daughters, Louise and June, she tours the smalltime circuit to make Baby June [based on real-life actress June Havoc, sister of Gypsy Rose Lee] a star. Baby June runs off with one of the boys in the chorus, and Mam Rose decided to make Louise a star, whether she likes it or not. She ultimately pushes Louise to be a vaudeville entertainer, and her stage name becomes Gypsy Rose Lee. She is infamous for never 'taking it all off' but instead offering a seductive dance. Eventually, Louise becomes a star and she and Mama have a falling out, leading to Rose telling Louise she made her a star.



The music was magical, and the lyrics inspired. Take, for example Some People, the first time you are introduced to Mama Rose. This is not a woman who will be content being a stay-at-home mother, no sir. She has dreams, not only for herself, but for her girls, too. Here is Patti LuPone in a fan video, that might lack a little in quality, but certainly Patti's performance shines through.



Perhaps the most famous song from the show is Everything's Coming Up Roses, a song in the show used by Mama Rose to bring up the spirits of Louise and Herbie after Baby June and the boys have left the show in the lurch. Here it is sung by original star, the incomparable Ethel Merman.



As Herbie, Louise and Mama Rose set their sites on a new show, they discuss the relationship in Together (Wherever We Go). Whether or not the singers are telling the truth about their own motivations, it certainly defines a good relationship. Here are Bernadette Peters, John Dossett, and Tammy Blanchard singing it. I also remember a time when this was a total must-sing song at any amateur night or talent show.



When the show they are talking about falls through, and Mama Rose turns down Herbie offer of marriage, she takes Louise from the respectable Vaudeville circuit to the shady burlesque halls. It is here Rose and Louise get a lesson from the girls about what it takes to be a stripper in You Gotta Have A Gimmick. I took this clip from the 1962 movie.



When they were just starting out and Baby June was the star of the act, she sang the song Let Me Entertain You with the innocence of a pre-teen child. When searching for a song for Louise to do her first strip number, Mama Rose pulls out the sheet music, and Louise makes it her own. As the performance moved forward, you see more polish and less innocence from the song that is no longer sung by a kid. Soon she was a pro. This is Natalie Wood, from the movie.



The big end to the show is Mama's Turn, the song that captures the breakdown/meltdown/epiphany/anger/disappointment of Mama Rose once Louise tells her she needs to back off, and let her live her own life.



Currently, there is no production of the show on Broadway or touring.

Dark Monday - Sunday In The Park With George

I was lucky enough to see Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin in the original Broadway production of Sunday In The Park With George, as well as the recent revival brought over from London's West End. The musical, written by my hero Stephen Sondheim, is a brilliant homage to the painting by George Seurat, A Sunday Afternoon On The Island of La Grande Jatte. I will say I enjoyed the revival, but the original was just so damn good, with amazing performances by both Bernadette and Mandy which left an indelible memory of the experience even though with was about 25 years earlier.



The first act centers on Sondheim's take on the people who influenced the characters in the painting. The second act brings the story to the present, as Seurat's [fictional] great-grandson about to put on a 'light and color' art piece, inspired by the painting produced in the first act. Like most of Sondheim's work, the music and lyrics were textured and layered, with meaning, emotion, and storyline a focus. The first act closed with George (Patinkin) finishing the painting, and placing all the characters in the tableaux.



The show focuses on the process of art for the artist, from George songs like Color And Light, Finishing The Hat, and Putting It Together opening a discussion of the thinking of artists. I certainly remember thinking it was perhaps Sondheim's most personal musical to date. His quiet, reclusive, and ponderous George was about as close to his own reputation as any character has been.


The marquee for the revival.

The following is a clip for the song Move On from Act II of the show. While not from the show, it is Bernadette singing it beautifully.