I was coming home from work yesterday and passed by some sort of "yard sale". I saw they had some old records and decided to stop by and see if I could find something interesting.
To my surprise, I found two pretty rare Brazilian cast albums featuring the original cast of Hello, Dolly! (from 1966) and Evita (from 1983). Both albums were only released on vinyl at the time they opened and were never re-released on cd or digitally.
Getting to hear them in full was such a great experience! It made me wish I was alive when they were on stage.
I'm not sure what happened to our original Eva, but the actress who played our original Dolly, BIBI FERREIRA (a legend of Brazilian theater) just turned 90 last year and she still tours with her concerts. How amazing is that?
I was able to put some of the songs on YouTube, in case anyone is interested.
I've always been amazed by what I've heard of Claudia's (I think that's her name, correct me if I'm wrong) Evita. She makes it sound so effortless! I wish there had been a full recording of that production. It sounds like she was dynamite in the role.
Yes, sassylash3s, her name is Claudia... She became an overnight sensation when the first production of Evita opened. She was great indeed! It's a shame she didn't become a bigger name here.
Our most recent Eva, from the 2010 revival, Paula Capovila, was amazing as well... I got chills hearing her "A New Argentina" live!
Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.
Very cool. Thank you so much for sharing. I used to have a recording of Libertad Lamarque ( Mexican Superstar) doing Hello Dolly. Lost it thru the years.
There is a very rare recording of the HELLO, DOLLY international tour starring Mary Martin. My parents used to have a copy of it (they were big Hello, Dolly fans) but it seems to have gotten lost in their moves from Encino to Brentwood to Palm Springs.
Paloma San Basilio (a superstar singer/actress in Spain) starred in the Madrid and Barcelona spanish language productions of EVITA. An album was recorded. I don't know if it is still in print.
I used to have a recording of Libertad Lamarque ( Mexican Superstar) doing Hello Dolly
Ha, Lamarque and Eva Duarte were bitter rivals during her acting days. Fighting on the set of their movie La cabalgata del circo (some say Lamarque even slapped Eva) resulted in Lamarque having to flee to Mexico when Eva Perón came to power.
Killers! Murderers! You liars! All of you liars! You're only happy when you can see something die! Why don't you kill yourselves to be happy! You and your God's country! Freedom! I pity you! You are three dear, sweet, dead men! Butchers! Murderers!
Eva Duarte and Libertad Lamarque in La cabalgata del circo
From Lamarque's obituary in The New York Times:
Ms. Lamarque gained renown after leaving Argentina for Mexico in 1946, following an incident on the Buenos Aires set of the 1944 movie "The Circus Procession." She was said to have quarreled with a young actress named Eva Duarte.
The next year Duarte married Col. Juan Domingo Peron, and in 1946, Peron became president of Argentina. Exercising her power as first lady, Eva Duarte Peron effectively prevented any studio in Argentina from hiring Ms. Lamarque.
After she moved to Mexico City in the 1940's, during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, Ms. Lamarque's career blossomed. She acted in the first film that the Spanish director Luis Bunuel made in Mexico, 'The Great Casino,' and appeared in some 60 other films.
Killers! Murderers! You liars! All of you liars! You're only happy when you can see something die! Why don't you kill yourselves to be happy! You and your God's country! Freedom! I pity you! You are three dear, sweet, dead men! Butchers! Murderers!
Killers! Murderers! You liars! All of you liars! You're only happy when you can see something die! Why don't you kill yourselves to be happy! You and your God's country! Freedom! I pity you! You are three dear, sweet, dead men! Butchers! Murderers!
LOL the look on Eva's face is priceless. She's probably thinking "oh, just wait until I become first lady..."
What makes it extra delicious is that Eva was not even the star of the movie (she only had a small supporting role), but she acted like a prima donna on set, often arriving late in style (in Perón's state car and several bodyguards) and making everyone wait around for her. The film's true star, Lamarque, was over a decade older and already an established movie star. It could be that Eva resented Lamarque because she achieved the movie stardom and respect that forever eluded her.
Furthermore, Lamarque had been Juan Perón's date for the earthquake benefit at Luna Park. When it was Lamarque’s turn to take the microphone, Eva slipped into the empty chair beside Perón and the rest, as they say, was history.
What's also interesting is that Lamarque's co-lead, the tango singer Hugo del Carril, gained favor with the Peróns. He worked more than ever under the Peronist regime and even wrote and recorded the party's anthem "Marcha Peronista" and the Peronista Feminist Party equivalent "Evita Capitana," which exalted the Peróns and preached blind devotion to them.
Killers! Murderers! You liars! All of you liars! You're only happy when you can see something die! Why don't you kill yourselves to be happy! You and your God's country! Freedom! I pity you! You are three dear, sweet, dead men! Butchers! Murderers!
Somebody created a youtube channel with cast recordings of Broadway musicals from lots of different countries, several versions of Hello Dolly youtube channel- Broadway Around the World
joined:5/3/09
Posted: 1/29/13 at 08:07pm