SOUND OFF: Sondheim Palooza Part 2

Heroes In The World

Today, we are taking a listen to ANYONE CAN WHISTLE and COMPANY, two of the most genre-bending and revolutionary musicals of the latter twentieth century, both boasting Sondheim's strongest songs of the sixties. These recordings contain some of the most legendary and illustrious Broadway casts of all time and include the names Angela Lansbury, Lee Remick, Bernadette Peters, Elaine Stritch, Raul Esparza, Dean Jones, Larry Kert and Jane Krakowski, just to name a few...

You Don't Judge A Book By It's...

ANYONE CAN WHISTLE

The 1964 Broadway production of ANYONE CAN WHISTLE starring Angela Lansbury, Lee Remick and Harry Guardino was an infamous flop that lasted a mere nine performances in its original Broadway production directed by book-writer Arthur Laurents, yet there is a lot to love in this score - and even the show itself - though the edgy, ironic tone of much of the material is always a dicey bet with audiences in live performance. The score is a marvel and the first score to exhibit Sondheim's considerable gifts as a composer of not only high-quality songs in the Broadway vernacular, but some highly sophisticated musical/book/ballet sequences which originally had choreography courtesy of the estimable Herb Ross, in addition to the direction of Laurents from his own book and the effect of that on the material, which brought these sections to new heights of style and symbolism which seems to have been the purpose of the majority of the heavily political and social metaphors inherent to the material. It is a tricky show, both for performers and new audiences, and may take a while to warm up to for some. Once you begin to understand the story, you begin to understand the symbolism and then the score hits you in the heart, the gut and the head and the show proves itself to be something of a masterpiece, a word that is inevitable when discussing our next show COMPANY, yet COMPANY would surely not have been possible if not for the intellectual and dramaturgical exercise that is ANYONE CAN WHISTLE...

ANYONE CAN WHISTLE - Original Broadway Cast Recording

SCORE: 10/10

Angela Lansbury, in her first musical comedy performance, is absolutely breathtaking and commands our attention with her searing, slinky, seductive "Me And My Town", as well as her powerful and exciting "A Parade In Town" which is an early indicator of the vivacious vigor and vim she would bring to MAME a few seasons later, as is the rest of her performance which is so three-dimensional and multi-faceted as to make your head spin. Lee Remick is sweet and unassuming, stealing our hearts over the course of the album, particularly in her heartbreaking performance of the title song. While Guardino is slightly tentative on "Everybody Says Don't", that is a very minor complaint and he generally is very good, indeed, as the hapless Hapgood. When we begin to assess the excessive riches of this magnetically attractive and beguiling score, we soon realize it is so many things at once: by turns witty, wondrous, bitchy, beautiful, mind-blowing and, uniformly idiosyncratic. Broadway has never heard a score like this since, a true anomaly that is nearly indescribable and it has never sounded better than it does on this lovingly remastered, absolutely sparkling remaster courtesy of Masterworks Broadway. Every voice pops, each instrument shines, each sibilance is tangibly present in the superb sound of this album. Also, as if the cast recording, all material from previous releases included, weren't enough from our generous friends at Masterworks Broadway: five bonus tracks, including the demos for the cut songs "The Lame, The Halt and The Blind" and "I‘m Like The Bluebird"! This album is an essential entry in every cast album collector's library and representative of the genius of Sondheim's songwriting just being born on Broadway. Get this album immediately and "see what it gets you"!

ANYONE CAN WHISTLE - Live At Carnegie Hall

SCORE: 8.5/10

The 1995 Carnegie Hall Concert to benefit the Gay Men's Heath Crisis stars Angela Lansbury as the Narrator with Madeline Kahn in Lansbury's original role of Mayoress Cora, and Bernadette Peters as Nurse Fay Apple, with Scott Bakula in the role of Hapgood. As it happens, it is absolutely fantastic. Thrilling. Truly one of the best live concerts of a Broadway flop ever captured on an album, minor audio problems and some flub-covering-patches notwithstanding. Peters is sublime with her emotional and emphatic "Anyone Can Whistle" and positively perfect in the comic numbers and group material. Perhaps her greatest performance, and the best of the concert, comes with the bracingly powerful "See What It Gets You" that Peters milks for every single bit of its tour de force velocity and power. Kahn is deadpan and deliciously wry in her take on Cora, and she scores with "I've Got You To Lean On" more than perhaps any other actress to essay the role to date. This recording is a definite recommendation for fans of any of the stars, Sondheim or the show itself and it is also notable for its inclusion of the bitchy cut song "There's Always A Woman" performed with palpable panache by Peters and Kahn. It must be said that the whole recording has a bit of a hollow sound, but it was recorded live and I suppose not every cast album can have the exemplary technical precision evident in every single second of the OBCR. A definite must and a perfect companion piece to the absolutely essential original album.

What Would We Do Without You?

COMPANY

Perhaps the most important musical of the last forty years, COMPANY is a landmark in so many ways, surely too many to make mention of here. Of what must be said for purposes of our consideration of the show: first and forement, it is absolutely elemental to consider the fact that COMPANY was the first musical with no clear linear plot in the traditional sense. COMPANY was the first concept musical, though Kander & Ebb's CABARET and Weill's LOVE LIFE do contain very provocative themes and ideas for their eras, but in some ways so does ANYONE CAN WHISTLE. For the simple fact of COMPNAY being Sondheim coming into his own as a composer, even beyond the brilliance that was all over ANYONE CAN WHISTLE or his other shows up until that point, and that alone, this is a landmark musical that requires rapt attention from all serious Broadway fans. Undoubtedly, at least one or two of these recordings are required listening for everyone wanting to get to know Sondheim and wonders why his work has had such a profound effect on the course of theatre. COMPANY was Sondheim at the height of his compositional powers (at least until 1970) and he was working with brilliant collaborators who brought out the very best in his work, among them: Hal Prince directing, Michael Bennett choreographing and George Furth writing the book. The combined talents of these men converged to create a perfect storm of literate, erudite sophistication and a commentary on society at that very moment in a way that had never been done so successfully - or entertainingly - before. COMPANY is all of these things and so much more... Just as the show lyric goes "Love is company", so, too, is COMPANY love.

COMPANY - Original Broadway Cast Recording

SCORE: 10/10

One of the greatest cast recordings ever recorded. A truly remarkable, fresh cast album that still seems new even today, forty years later. Of course, the show boasts a near-unsurpassable cast performing an exceptional score combining to create the theatrical conflagration of comedy & social commentary that is COMPANY. This is what one imagines the gates of Theatrical Heaven sounding like, or at least Sondheimaniac heaven. Never has this material been performed better than by the original cast, as if often the case but never more so here, who seem to truly inhabit their roles. Indeed, the cast were among the best musical comedy actors on Broadway and their names alone say it all in reference to their talent and abilities: Elaine Stritch, Barbara Barrie, Charles Kimborough, Pamela Myers; the list goes on and on. COMPANY is the very best of Broadway and the superbly produced cast album on Masterworks Broadway is one of those absolutely necessary desert island cast albums for so many reasons, the least of which is Elaine Stritch's "The Ladies Who Lunch", as well as Beth Howland's "Getting Married Today" and the inimitable original trio of "You Could Drive A Person Crazy". Dean Jones is very good, indeed, as Bobby and everything works well about his characterization. This album cannot be recommended any more highly! A masterpiece.

Additionally, the Masterworks Broadway edition contains a particularly well-sung "Being Alive" courtesy of the replacement Bobby, and also the originator of Tony in WEST SIDE STORY a decade or so earlier, Larry Kert.

COMPANY - Original London Cast Recording

SCORE: 6/10

Larry Kert is featured on the London Cast Recording which bizarrely uses the majority of the tracks from the original Broadway cast recording sessions and splices Kert's vocals in for Jones‘s vocals, which works better than it may indicate though there is some vocal bleeding on a few of the tracks. It is a collectable curiosity for some, but not really revelatory as Jones is so excellent on the original recording, though Kert is committed, in-the-moment and does much better than expected given the bizarre circumstances of the recording. Given its relative obscurity, it is for fans only but interesting to note its existence, though the bonus track of Kert's performance of "Being Alive" on the OBCR re-issue should be enough to satisfy any curiosities for most.

COMPANY - 1995 Broadway Revival Cast Recording

SCORE: 6.5/10

This recording is a bit of a bland, uneventful affair but it does reflect a more modern take on the material which actually, fifteen years later, makes it still seem dated but just in a completely different way. This is due in particular to the different orchestrations which, to be kind, are not very effective. The show is so good, and the score is so strong, that it can stand up to almost anything, but this recording is inert and certainly challenges that claim. There are some highlights to be found, and there is only one performance that is completely wrongheaded, but Jane Krakowski and Veanne Cox are quite good in their roles and, accentuating the positive, Boyd Gaines is the true star of the show here and makes his presence felt on this recording. This is one of the best renditions of "Barcelona" you are likely to find thanks in no small part to the near-perfect performances of Krakowski and Gaines. Also, his "Someone Is Waiting" is winning, if his "Marry Me A Little" and "Being Alive" lack the gravitas of Esparza, Kert or Jones. I do not enjoy Debra Monk's take on "The Ladies Who Lunch" and I'll leave it at that. Fine, even good, but not great.

COMPANY - 1996 London Cast Recording

SCORE: 4/10

Adrian Lester gives one of the best-acted performances of Bobby ever, but his singing is quite nasal and definitely an acquired taste. Sheila Gish is quite marvelous as a seemingly broken-glass-gargling Joanne (in voice and acting effrontery) and her sneering, spiteful spin on "Little Things You Do Together" is appropriately uproarious, at least to me, as is her "Ladies Who Lunch" which is also packing a powerful emotional bite near the end. Gish is the strongest member of this cast, which is usually not the case with the role, but Bobby becomes a bit of a cipher (even more than usual) in Lester's take on the character, even with the addition of a impassioned if technically questionable "Marry Me A Little". Lester affects a sort of baby-voice at points throughout the recording - perhaps to aid in reaching notes he can't, and doesn't, quite hit - that are not evident in his stage performance to very destructively detrimental effect. I quite like his performance on video, but Lester is pretty poor-sounding on this cast album. If you are not aware, this production was recorded for television, although it is not available on DVD, and the performances come alive much better on that capture than they do here. The Sam Mendes-directed production at the Donmar Warehouse was quite unique and edgy, complete with a more contemporary spin on the material and a present day updated setting. This is a very well-acted COMPANY but it is not very well-sung with many rough patches and wrong notes. Some people may like their COMPANY with some straight character and raw edge and, if so, this is it. If not, the best revival recording is up next and highly recommended for you as it is very well sung, indeed, and also excellently acted by all involved.

COMPANY - 2006 Broadway Revival Cast Recording

SCORE: 9.5/10

Raul Esparza is the best Bobby on disc, at least to my ears. He is positively perfect and brings the material such depth and performs with such conviction that he leaves us, even as mere listeners, in complete awe of his formidable talents and abilities as both an actor and a singer. While Barbara Walsh is good as Joanne and the rest of the cast is quirky and create charming characterizations, Esparza owns this recording. All praise for Esparza - who, I reiterate, gives the best "Marry Me A Little" and "Being Alive" on a cast album - Angel Desai does well with her material and the cast truly feels all of one organic whole, which is oftentimes not the case with this show as it sounds on a cast album due to its fragmented structure. The plentiful helpings of dialogue on this masterfully produced album, courtesy of the always accomplished recordings by Nonesuch, as well as the complete score as played by the actors themselves - this is a John Doyle production, in case you have forgotten - and the new orchestration is stylish and vivid. Of course, Jonathan Tunick's original orchestrations are among the best ever created for the theatre, so this recording acts as a wonderful respite once you have had your fill of the unbeatable Original Broadway Cast Recording.

See What It Gets You

While ANYONE CAN WHISTLE and COMPANY are both revolutionary shows, in most dramaturgic ways they could not be any different. While COMPANY is mostly contemporary, urbane social commentary, ANYONE CAN WHISTLE is pastiche-heavy, ironic political sarcasm, yet they both contain a few similar elements, but none more so than the biting brilliance of the music and lyrics of both shows courtesy of Sondheim. Recently, it seems that ANYONE CAN WHISTLE is finally beginning to be appreciated for the amazingly accomplished score that it is, while the very controversial and complex book seems to hamper productions of the show, though this month's Encores revival staging, albeit a concert version, was met with much well-deserved praise. Given the absolutely phenomenal performance of Raul Esparza, as well as the icily ingratiating Cora of Donna Murphy and an open-hearted Fay from Sutton Foster in that concert, one hopes that cast is recorded sometime soon or, perhaps, the production will transfer to Broadway. It should also be noted that a complete recording of the score was made about ten years ago featuring Maria Friedman, Julia MacKenzie and John Barrowman on the Jay label, but has never been released due to "lack of interest". ANYONE CAN WHISTLE is a show that rewards the attentive listener, but a lot will be lost on those looking for mere light entertainment. COMPANY manages to be both entertaining and intellectually engaging and seems to function on many levels, whereas ANYONE CAN WHISTLE is a bit too academic in much of its style, structure and dramatic/thematic sensibilities for the more casual listener or theatergoer. In any case, both of these shows offered a glimpse to audiences at the time of what was to come from Sondheim and Prince with the spectacular series of masterpieces they would present in short succession following the resounding success of COMPANY. To quote the next show we will be discussing, FOLLIES, it was because of COMPANY that "everything was possible."

Stay tuned tomorrow for FOLLIES, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, PACIFIC OVERTURES and SWEENEY TODD!