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!
This clip of Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett singing together is a wonderful example of what a great variety show could bring. To describe it, you could not do any better than Julie did on stage by saying "I thought it was be a good idea if we did a history of the musical comedies in the United States, singing songs representative of the various epochs or eras, if you will, as they were handed down through the ages and into history." It is fantastic, for Carol seemed to bring out the comedic side of Julie, and Julie brought out a wonderful song in Carol. Enjoy.
In another part of the special, Carol begins the show with "There's No Mozart Tonight", only to be interrupted by Julie. This lead them to discuss the differences between them in "You're So London." This is also from the 1962 special.
Both were part of a television special filmed at Carnegie Hall. The special won the 1963 Emmy Award for Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Music. Carol also won an Emmy for this and her work on 1963's An Evening with Carol Burnett for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Musical Program or Series, and Julie was also nominated in that category. Nine years later, the ladies teamed up again, in Julie And Carol at Lincoln Center. Once again, there were Emmy nominations, although no wins. You can purchase for download the songs from both specials the duo made, at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, from iTunes or Amazon.
The Carol Burnett Show a show on CBS was unlike any other show, even when compared to the other variety shows of the time. In part that was due to the particular skills of Carol Burnett, whose comic timing and booming voice never failed to deliver. There was the supporting cast that included Vicki Lawrence, Tim Conway, Harvey Korman and Lyle Waggoner. They were the perfect team to support Burnett, whether it was in a comic send-up of great movies, or a look at the 'real' family dynamics of everyday life.
A nice example of the collective talents of the show is the sketch Shipwrecked In Tahiti, a tribute to some of the great Hollywood musicals of years gone by. It features guest star Jim Nabors, who, after giving a nod to his TV personae of Gomer Pyle, delivers a wonderful vocal performance with a rich and full voice. Check it out.
In 1999, these performances were recorded live at the Ethel Barrymore Theater in the hear of the theater district in Manhattan. The show starred stage veterans Carol Burnett, George Hearn, and Bronson Pinchot, as well as UK musical theater stars Ruthie Henshall and John Barrowman. Putting It Together was a music review dedicated to the songs of Stephen Sondheim, the prolific and talented composer and lyricist. This week, however, I will focus on the performance of Carol Burnett.
Ladies Who Lunch from Follies.
(Not) Getting Married Today from Company.
Like It Was from Merrily We Roll Along.
A Little Death from A Little Night Music.
Old Friend from Merrily We Roll Along followed by Putting It Together from Sunday In The Park With George.
Top: Carol Burnett in 1959 production; Middle: Sarah Jessica Parker in 1997 production; Bottom: Left, SJP and Right, Zooey Deschanel and Matthew Morrison in 2005 TV production.
First produced in 1959, the show was the musical retelling of the children's favorite, The Princess And The Pea with a young Carol Burnett in headlining the cast. In 1997 the show was again on Broadway, with Sarah Jessica Parker in the role of the Princess. There was also a 1964 production for television starring much of the original Broadway cast, including Burnett. A notable casting note, the role of the Queen was played by Jane White, marking the first time a role written for a caucasian was instead played by an African American. In 2005, there was another television version, with Burnett now playing the role of the Queen, with Tracy Ullman as the Princess, and Glee's Matthew Morrison as Sir Harry. Mattress told the story of a kingdom that forbade marriage until the heir to the throne, Prince Dauntless, was married. He is the son of King Sextimus the Silent, silenced by a curse which would remain in effect until the mouse devoured the hawk, and Queen Aggravain, who ran things with an iron fist. The Queen demands the mousy Dauntless marry a princess, We meet Sir Harry, Prince of the Realm, and Lady Larkin, who wish to marry. Well, Lady Larkin is rather impatient, and we discover why when they sing In A Little While.
Princess Winnifred the Woebegone arrives on the scene, making a less than perfect first impression. Brash and rough-around-the-edges, Princess Winnifred explains a little quirk in her personality with the song Shy.
Lady Larkin and Sir Harry discuss their desire for a honeymoon in Normandy.
Winnifred discusses her bad luck in song. The girl just wants to live like princesses in the fairy tales, with every story ending the same, Happily Ever After.
In order for Winnifred to live happily ever after with Dauntless, she must pass a test prescribed by the Queen. Aggravain decides to place the tiniest pea she can find under 20 mattresses meant to be Winnifred's bed, to test her sensitivity.
In 1977, my high school did a production of the musical. I auditioned for it, and was cast in one of the smaller roles, but helped with building the set, and was quite happy. All was good, until a week before the show, when the student playing King Sextimus had an unfortunate interaction with the authorities, and no longer available to be in the show. The director, who also taught English in the school, asked me to assume the role, which surprised me. However, since something had to be done, I accepted and did some hard-core rehearsing over the next week. While the lines were limited, I was on stage for much of the show, including starting the second act with an entrance from the back of the audience and moving through getting the audience into their seats and settled before the Queen sang Quiet. So, I didn't have spoken lines, but I did have pantomimed ones, including two songs. There was one with The Minstrel, my right-hand-man, and a second with my son, Dauntless.
Top & bottom: That is me on the left.
While I couldn't find a clip from any of the Broadway productions online, but I did find this one, from the Broadway Theater Arts Academy, featuring Trevor Sanderson and Ryan Hartzell. They are performing Man To Man Talk, my big 'number,' in which the King must explain the facts of life to his son.
Winnifred finds it impossible to sleep, and after a sleepless night comes down to complain about the mattresses. Overjoyed, Dauntless starts thinking of the marriage plans. When Aggravain tries to intercede with the plans, he tells her to shut up, and the mouse, Dauntless, devoured the hawk, Aggravain, and suddenly not only can the King speak, but he is ordering the Queen to jump at his every order. The wedding will take place. And we see the Minstrel removing everything but the kitchen sink from under the mattress, from implements of war to household items, ensuring the Princess would be unable to sleep. And they all lived happily ever after, as every fairy tale should.
While Burnett had made some appearances on talk shows and the like, it was the original production that gave her the first real taste of fame. She parlayed that fame into a regular role on the Gary Moore Show, and won an Emmy for her work. And, after a few shows that didn't work out, she started work on The Carol Burnett Show, a musical comedy variety hour, which debuted in 1967 and became part of television history.
