Richard Fawkes
The History Of The Musical
Louise
Gold featured as one of the singers in the illustrative musical extracts
(actually Reno Sweeney from Anything Goes)
Catalogue
number: (CD) NA422712, (Cassette) NA422714
STOP PRESS: Louise Gold has
two nominations in the Broadway World West End Awards: http://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/vote2015region.cfm
In particular she has been
nominated for Understudy of The Year Female: http://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/liveupdate2015region.cfm?btype=4338®ion=UK%20/%20West%20End#sthash.2TIlL8gx.dpbs (for her performance as Momma
Rose – she understudied Imelda Staunton)
Cast
Narrator
Kim
Criswell
Performers In Illustrative Extracts
Mark Adams (as Frank Butler from Annie Get Your Gun)
Thomas Allen (as Emile de Beque from South Pacific)
Kenny Baker (as Whitlaw Savoury from One Touch Of Venus)
Adam Bareham
(as Timothy from Salad Days)
John Barrowman
Josephine Blake
(as Nickie from Sweet Charity)
Ann Brown (as Bess from Porgy And Bess)
Maurice Capitaine
Len Cariou (as The Narrator in Sweeney Todd)
Peggy Coudray
Kim Criswell (as Grizalbella from Cats)
Vaughn de Leath
John Diedrich (as Curly from
Jamieson Dodds
Mary Ellis
Ruth Etting (as Sal from Simple Simon)
Nick Ferranti
(as Bernado from
Beverly Fite
Tim Flavin ( Brad Majors from The Rocky Horror Show - uncredited)
Julian Forsyth (as Fagin from Oliver)
Ethan Freeman (as Tommy from Brigadoon)
Sarah French (as Annie from Annie)
Maria Friedman (as Sally Bowles from Cabaret)
Jane Froman
Edward Fuller
Kurt Gerron (as The Moritat Singer in Die Dreigrpschenoper / The Threepenny Opera)
Olive Gilbert
Louise Gold (as
Simon Green
(as Tony from The Boyfriend)
Brian Greene (as 1st Gangster from Kiss Me Kate)
Binnie Hale
Ray Heatherton
Mike Holoway (as Littlechap from Stop The World I Want To Get Off)
Ann Howard (as Old Lady from Candide)
Walter Huston
Dan Jones
Trefor Jones
Janis Kelly (as Fiona from Brigadoon)
Ingrid Kertesi
Dorothy Kirsten
Felix Knight
Harold Lang
Jerry Lanning
Gertrude Lawrence (as Evangeline Edwards from Nymph Errant, and, Liza Eliot from Lady In The Dark)
Christopher Lee (as The King from The King And I)
Shona Lindsay (as Maria from The Sound Of Music)
Helen Marshall
Valerie Masterson (as: Anna Leonowens from The
King And I, Marsinah from Kismet, and, Nina Hagerup from Song
Of
Christina Matthews (as Jane from Salad Days)
Donald Maxwell
(as Hajj from Kismet, and,
Edward Grieg from Song Of
George Metaxa
Margaret Mitchell (as Yum Yum from The Mikado)
Ron Moody (as Honore Lachailles from Gigi)
Helen Morgan (As Julie Le Verne from Show Boat)
Sylvia Neils
Caroline O’Connor (as Annie Oakley from Annie Get Your Gun, Velma Kelly from Chicago, Anita from West Side Story, and others)
Tinuke Olafimihan (as Eliza Dolittle from My Fair Lady)
Frank Parker
Catherine Porter
Shezwae Powell
(as Helene from Sweet Charity)
Jonathan Pryce (as MC from Cabaret)
Louis Quilico
Ron Raines (as: Sid from The Pajama Game, Don Quoxti from Man Of La Mancha, and others)
Frederick Ranslow
David Rendall
(as The Caliph from Kismet)
Grania Renihan (as Eva Peron from Evita)
Faney Revoil
Dick Robertson (as John P Wintergreen from Of Thee I Sing)
Howard Samuels (as Frank ‘n’ Furter from The Rocky Horror Show)
Julia Sanderson
Jules Schmidt
Harry Secombe (as Pickwick from Pickwick)
Rosamund Shelley (as Laurey from
Teddy St Denis
Don Stephenson (as Nicely-Nicely Johnson from Guys And Dolls)
Richard Tauber
Richard Van Allan (as The Wazir of Police from Kismet)
Issy Van Randwyck (as Mary Magdalene from Jesus Christ Superstar)
Ethel Waters
Milton Watson
Jane Wellman
(as Polly Browne from The Boyfriend)
Lee Wiley
Jane Wilson (as Adriana from The Boys From
Iva Withers
Peggy Wood
Howett Worster (as Gaylord Ravenal from Show Boat)
Matt Zimmerman (as 2nd Gangster from Kiss Me Kate)
Orchestra’s and
Companies In Illustrative Extracts
Abe Lyman and his Californians
Al Starita & His Novelty Orchestra
Columbia Light Opera Company
Czech Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
The
The Eva Jessaye Choir and Orchestra
Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians
Hungarian Operetta Orchestra
Leo Reisman & His Orchestra
The Lewis Ruth Band
Light Opera Company
Lyric Theatre Orchestra
Max Kaminsky & His Orchestra
Max Meth and his Orchestra
National Symphony Orchestra
New Promenade Orchestra
One Touch Of Venus Orchestra and Chorus
Palace Theatre Orchestra
The Piccadilly Dance Orchestra
The Victor Choral and On The Town Orchestra
The Victor First Nighter Orchestra and Chorus
Victor Light Opera Company
The Victor Mixed Chorus
Victor Salon Group
Musical Directors In Illustrative Extracts
Maurice Abravanel
Harry Acres
Victor Arden
Craig Barna (uncredited on sleeve notes)
Bunny Berigan
Marc Blitzen
Gustave Cloez
Emile Cote
Lehman Engel
Herman Finck
Henry Geehl
Sir Edward German
Isidore Godfrey
Harry Jacobson
Leonard Joy
Max Kaminsky
Abe Lyman
Theo Mackeben
Percival Mackey
Max Meth
Ray Noble
John Owen Edwards
Charles Prentice
Clarence Raybould
Leo Reisman
Robert Shaw
Nathaniel Shilkret
Alexander Smallens
Harry Sosnik
Al Starita
Alfred Walter
Fred Waring
Johannes Wildner
Martin Yates (uncredited on sleeve notes)
Production Team
Written by - Richard Fawkes
Original idea - Christina Hardyment
Sourcing - John
Produced by
Track Listing
(Please note this only mentions the illustrative excerpts tracks)
CD 1
1.Memory
(from Cats) - Kim Criswell
3. Where I Laid On
5. Oh Quil Etait Beau (from Le Postillion de Longjumeau) - Maurice
Capitaine
7. Can Can
(from Orpheus In The Underworld) -
9. La Dispute (from La Fille De Madame Angot) - Fanely
Revoil with orchestra conducted by Gustave Cloez
11. Overture Die Schone Galathee -
13. Overture Die Fladermaus - Czech Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
15. The Moon And I (from The Mikado) - Margaret Mitchell with
the New Promenade Orchestra conducted by Isidore Godfrey
17. And Her Golden Hair Was Hanging Down Her Back (from The Shop Girl)
-
19. The Girl With The Brogue - Julia Sanderson with orchestra conducted by Harry
Sosnik
21. The Amorous Goldfish - Light Opera Company
23. Dan Cupid Hath A Garden (from Merrie England) - Dan Jones with
orchestra conducted by Clarence Raybould under the supervision of Sir
Edward German
25. Teach Me How To Kiss (from The Belle Of
27. Give My Regards To Broadway (from Little Johnny Jones)
29. Ah, Sweet Mystery Of Life (from Naughty
31. Vilja
(from The Merry Widow) - Ingrid Kertesi with the Hungarian
Operetta Orchestra
33. Will You Remember (from Maytime) - Helen Marshall and Milton
Watson with the Victor Light Opera Company
35. The Cobbler’s Song (from Chu Chin Chow) - Jamieson Dodds
37. I’m Just Wild About Harry (from Shuffle Along) - Vaughn de Leath
39. Tea For Two (from No No Nanette) - Binnie Hale and Seymour
Beard with Palace Theatre Orchestra conducted by Percival Mackey
41. Indian Love Call (from Rose Marie) - Victor Light Opera Company
43. Cossack Love Song (from The Song Of The Flame) - Victor Light
Opera Company
45. They Didn’t Believe Me (from The Girl From Utah) - Julia Sanderson
with orchestra conducted by Harry Sosnik
47. Make Believe (from Show Boat) - Howett Worster with Drury
Lane Theatre Orchestra conducted by Herman Finck
49. Ol’
CD 2
1. Bill
(from Show Boat) - Helen Morgan with orchestra conducted
by Victor Arden
3. Softly As In A Morning
5. The Man I Love (from Lady Be Good) - Jane Froman with Victor
Salon Group conducted by Nathaniel Shilkret
7. I Got Rhythm (from Girl Crazy) -
9. Love Is Sweeping The Country (from Of Thee I Sing) - Dick Robertson
with Abe Lyman and his Californians
11. Summertime (from Porgy And Bess) - Ann Brown with The
Eva Jessye Choir conducted by Alexander Smallens
13. Let’s Do It (from
15. I Get A Kick Out Of You (from Anything Goes) - Louise Gold, with The
National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards
17. Art For Art’s Sake (from The Cradle Will Rock) - Edward Fuller,
Jules Schmidt, and, Peggy Coudray with Marc Blitzen on
Piano
19. Easter Parade (from As Thousands Cheer) -
21. Here In My Arms (from Dearest Enemy) - Lee Wiley with Max
Kaminsky & His Orchestra
23. Ten Cents A Dance (from Simple Simon) - Ruth Etting
25. The Lady Is A Tramp (from Babes In Arms) - Ray Heatherton
27. You Are My Heart’s Delight (from Land Of Smiles) - Richard Tauber
29. I’ll See You Again (from Bitter Sweet) - Peggy Wood & George
Metaxa, orchestra conducted by Ray Noble
31. Shine Through My Dreams (from Glamorous Night) - Trefor Jones with The
Drury Lane Theatre Orchestra conducted by Charles Printice
33. Spread A Little Happiness (from Mr Cinders) - Binnie Hale with Al
Starita & His Novelty Orchestra
35. How Could We Be Wrong (from Nymph Errant) - Gertrude Lawrence,
orchestra conducted by Ray Noble
37. Your Eyes (from The White Horse Inn) - Columbia Light
Opera Company
39. Moritat / Mack The Knife (from Die Dreigroschen Oper / The Threepenny Opera)
- Kurt Gerron with the Lewis Ruth Band conducted by Theo
Mackeben
41. September Song (from Knickerbocker Holiday) - Walter Huston,
orchestra conducted by Maurice Abravanel
43. The Lambeth Walk (from Me And My Girl) - Lupio Lane, Teddie
St Denis and company
45. I Can Give You The Starlight (from The Dancing Years)
- Mary Ellis with The
CD 3
1. Falling In Love With Love (from The Boys From Syracuse) - Fred Waring
& His Pennsylvanians, soloist Jane Wilson
3. Taking A Chance On Love (from Cabin In The Sky) - Ethel Waters
with Max Meth and his orchestra
5. I could Write A Book (from Pal Joey) - Harold Lang & Beverly
Fite, orchestra conducted by Lehman Engel
7. My Ship
(from Lady In The Dark) - Gertrude Lawrence, orchestra
conducted by Leonard Joy
9. West Wind
(from One Touch Of Venus) - Kenny Baker & The One
Touch Of Venus Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Maurice Abravanel
11. People Will Say We’re In Love (from
13. What’s The Use Of Wonderin’ (from Carousel) - Iva Withers &
original
15.
17. Anything You Can Do (from Annie Get Your Gun) - Caroline O’Connor
and Mark Adams
19. Strange Music (from Song Of
20. And This Is My Beloved (from Kismet) - David Rendall, Valerie
Masterson, Donald Maxwell and Richard Van Allan
21. My Heart And I (from Old Chelsea) - Richard Tauber with orchestra and
chorus conducted by Henry Geehl
23. We’ll Gather Lilacs (from Perchance To Dream) - Olive Gilbert,
orchestra conducted by Harry Acres
26. Brush Up Your Shakespeare (from Kiss Me Kate) - Brian Greene and Matt
Zimmerman , with The National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John
Owen Edwards
28. Some Enchanted Evening (from South Pacific) - Thomas Allen
30. The Heather On The Hill (from Brigadoon) - Ethan Freeman and Janis
Kelly, with The National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Martin Yates
32. They Call The Wind Maria (from Paint Your Wagon) - Ron Raines
34. I Could Have Danced All Night (from My Fair Lady)
- Tinuke Olafimihan with The National Symphony Orchestra conducted
by John Owen Edwards
36. I Could Be Happy With You (from The Boyfriend) - Simon Green and Jane
Wellman
38. We Said We Wouldn’t Look Back (from Salad Days) -
Adam Bareham and Christina Matthews
40. Sit Down You’re Rockin’ The Boat (from Guys And Dolls)
- Don Stephenson and company, with The National Symphony Orchestra
conducted by John Owen Edwards
42. Shall We Dance (from The King And I) - Valerie Masterson and
Christopher Lee, with The National Symphony Orchestra conducted
by John Owen Edwards
44. Singin’ In The Rain (from Singin’ In The Rain) -
47. Hey There (from The Pajama Game) - Ron Raines, with The
National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards
49. Mamma, Mamma (from The Most Happy Fella) - Louis Quilico
50. Overture
CD 4
1.
2. I Am Easily Assimilated (from Candide) - Ann Howard and chorus
4. Maria
(from
6. Do-Re-Me
(from The Sound of Music) - Shona Lindsay and children
8. Reviewing The Situation (from Oliver) - Julian Forsyth
10. What Kind Of Fool Am I? (from Stop The World I Want To Get Off) - Mike
Holoway, with The National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Martin
Yates
12. If I Ruled The World (from Pickwick) - Harry Secombe
15. If I Were A Rich Man (from Fiddler On The Roof) - Jerry Lanning
17. I Remember It Well (from Gigi) - Sian Phillips and Ron
Moody, with The National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Martin
Yates
19. Mame
(from Mame) - Jerry Lanning and chorus
21. Try To Remember (from The Fantastics) - John Barrowman
23. The Impossible Dream (from Man Of
25. Money Money (from Cabaret) - Jonathan Pryce and Maria
Friedman, with The National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John
Owen Edwards
27. Big Spender (from Sweet Charity) - Shezwae Powell, Josephine
Blake and girls
29. Aquarius
(from Hair) - Caroline O’Connor
31. Sweet Transvestite (from The Rocky Horror Show) - Howard
33. Company
(from Company) - company of More
35. Send In The Clowns (from A Little Night Music) - Sian Phillips
with The National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards
37. I Don’t Know How To Love Him (from Jesus Christ
Superstar) - Issy Van Randwyck with The National Symphony
Orchestra conducted by Martin Yates
39. Another Suitcase In Another Hall (from Evita) - Grania
Renihan
41. Memory
(from Cats) - Kim Criswell
43. All That Jazz (from
45. What I Did For Love (from A Chorus Line) - Catherine Porter
47. Tomorrow
(from Annie) - Sarah French, with The National Symphony
Orchestra conducted by Martin Yates
50. Sweeney Todd (from Sweeney Todd) - Len Cariou and
company
52. The People Song (from Les Miserables) - company from More West
End The Concert
The
Cassettes follow the same track listing as the CDs with: the first cassette containing
CD1 Tracks 1 to 24 on Side 1 and Tracks 25 to 49 on Side 2; the second cassette
containing CD2 Tracks 1 to 21 on Side 3 and Tracks 22 to 45 on Side 4; the
third cassette containing CD3 Tracks 1 to 25 on Side 5 and Tracks 26 to 50 on
Side 6; and the fourth cassette containing CD4 Tracks 1 to 23 on Side 7 and
Tracks 24 to 52 on Side 8.
Louise Gold herself has appeared in productions (tours, revivals or concert stagings) of a number of the musicals mentioned on this audio book, notably: The Pirates Of Penzance, The Gondoliers, Of Thee I Sing, Let ‘Em Eat Cake, Anything Goes, The Boys From Syracuse, Du Barry Was A Lady (see Du Barry Was A Lady (1993 Production) and Du Barry Was A Lady (2001 Production)), Panama Hattie, By Jupiter, Something For The Boys, One Touch Of Venus (see One Touch Of Venus (1992 Production) and One Touch Of Venus (2000 Production)) , Kiss Me Kate, My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins, Oliver!, Man Of La Mancha, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 110 In The Shade, Hair, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (see: Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (York Production), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Touring Production), and, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Norwich Production) ), Godspell, Follies, and Assassins. She has also featured on recordings of: Anything Goes, Cabaret, On The Town, and, Stop The World I Want To Get Off. In addition her film work includes The Pirates Of Penzance and Topsy Turvy (a film about the original production of The Mikado. Apart from her recording of I Get A Kick Out Of You from Anything Goes - Website Recommended Album (a song which she has also sung on stage in Anything Goes ), at one time or another in her career Louise has also sung a number of the songs featured in the illustrative excerpts in this album including: The Moon And I (LOUISE GOLD ... By Appointment and Defiant Dames), I’ll See You Again (Noel/Cole: Let’s Do It (recording)), Let’s Do It (Noel/Cole: Let’s Do It), The Lady Is A Tramp (A Time To Start Living), Falling In Love With Love (The Boys From Syracuse), Brush Up Your Shakespeare (Noel/Cole: Let’s Do It), I could Have Danced All Night (admittedly only as a member of the chorus in My Fair Lady) Aquarius (Hair - only as a member of the chorus though) Send In The Clowns (Side By Side By Sondheim).
Narrator Kim Criswell has also appeared in productions (tours, revivals or concert stagings) of a number of the musicals mentioned on this audio book, notably: Sitting Pretty, Babes In Arms, The Threepenny Opera, Girl Crazy, Of Thee I Sing, Let ‘Em Eat Cake, Anything Goes, Du Barry Was A lady, One Touch Of Venus, Annie Get Your Gun, Kismet, Call Me Madam, The Sound Of Music, Man Of La Mancha, On The Town, Guys & Dolls Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Jesus Christ Superstar, Annie, and Cats. Her other recording work includes: Anything Goes, Annie Get Your Gun, Kiss Me Kate, On The Town, Guys & Dolls (twice), The Pajamia Game, Annie, and Encore The Very Best From The Musicals. Apart from her recording of Memory, at one time or another in her career Kim has also sung a number of the songs featured in the illustrative excerpts in this album including: I Got Rhythm, I Get A Kick Out Of You, Ten Cents A Dance, and, Anything You Can Do,
Kim Criswell has long been associated with keeping alive the history of Musical Theatre, as a student at the legendary Cincinnati Conservatoire, she was a member of the Cincinnati University Singers when they recorded an album of early American Music Theatre songs called I Wants To Be An Actor Lady, on which Kim herself sang a solo, I Can’t Do The Sum, and a duet, How’d Ya Like To Spoon With Me.
Louise
Gold’s recording of I
Get A Kick Out Of You can be heard in it’s entirety on: Anything Goes (Recording) - Website Recommended Album, The Best Of Broadway Musicals,
and, Cole Porter - Night And Day.
She also sang a spoof version as I Get A Kick Out Of
U on Sesame Street.
Maria
Friedman and
Jonathan Pryce’s recording of Money Money can be heard in
it’s entirety on Cabaret.
Mike
Holloway’s recording of
What Kind Of Fool Am I can be heard in it’s entirety on Stop The World I
Want To Get Off.
Thomas
Allen, Ethan Freeman,
Thomas
Allen, Kim Criswell,
Tim Flavin, Ethan Freeman, Sarah French,
Thomas
Allen, Ethan Freeman,
Janis Kelly,
Thomas
Allen, Brian Greene,
Schezwae Powell, Julia Shore, Issy Van Randwyck and Matt
Zimmerman, along with The Piccadilly Dance Orchestra and The
National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards and Martin
Yates, are also featured on Cole
Porter - Night And Day, which also includes Louise Gold’s recording
of I Get A Kick Out Of You, and, Brian Greene & Matt
Zimmerman’s recording of Brush Up Your Shakespeare.
Kim
Criswell, Tim Flavin,
Ethan Freeman, Valerie Masterton, Tinuke Olafimhan, Matt
Zimmerman and The National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John
Owen Edwards are also featured on On The Town
Maria
Friedman is also
featured on Merrily We Roll Along
(recording)
Maria
Friedman, Jonathan
Pryce, Caroline O’Connor, Howard
Brian
Greene,
Conduction
Martin Yates, like a few other current musical directors, has also made
his own contribution to Musical Theatre, he has
written the music for a musical called The Soap
Opera
John
Owen Edwards’s musical
direction credits include Gilbert & Sullivan spoofs in Metropolitan Mikado and a concert of
highlights from Ratepayers'
Iolanthe & Metropolitan Mikado
Kim
Criswell, Matt
Zimmerman, and, Louise Gold all appeared together in Let ‘Em Eat Cake
Christina
Matthews appeared in
the film Billy The Kid And The Green Baize Vampire
John
Barrowman and Matt
Zimmerman appeared on stage in Anything
Goes (stage)
John
Barroman, Josephine
Blake, Maria Friedman appeared in Chicago
& Company
Josephine
Blake, Maria
Friedman, Simon Green appeared in A Tim To Start Living, where Maria
Friedman and Louise Gold were among a trio of girls singing The
Lady Is A Tramp.
Nick
Ferranti, Maria
Friedman, Simon Green, Schezwae Powell appeared in Kids At Heart and Josephine
Blake may have appeared in it.
Len
Cariou appeared in Ziegfeld and on Ziegfeld
(recording)
Ethan
Freeman appeared in One Touch Of Venus
(2000 Production)
Maria
Friedman appeared in Sondheim At The
Barbican and Merrily We Roll
Along (Stage)
Maria
Friedman and Simon
Green may have appeared in Will-Aid
Mike
Holoway appeared in The Pirates Of
Penzance (Stage)
Schezwae
Powell appeared in Follies
Issy
Van Randwyck appeared
in: Love Life, By Jupiter,
Kiss Me Kate, Hot
‘n’ Spicey 2, and, The Regents Park 70th
Anniversary Gala.
Matt
Zimmerman, and The Drury Lane Theatre Orchestra
appeared in The Royal Variety
Performance (1982)
Issy
Van Randwyck and Grania
Renihan appeared at Dress Circle
Grand Reopening
Josephine
Blake and Tim Flavin
appeared in Broadway To
Brighton
Tim
Flavin and Jonathan Pryce have appeared on
television on A Week In The West End.
Mark
Adams, Kim Criswell,
Louise
Gold, Kim Criswell,
Ethan Freeman, Brian Greene, Ron Moody, and, Tinuke
Olafimihan, along with the conducting talents of Lehman Engel, John
Owen Edwards and Martin Yates, as well as the National Symphony
Orchestra can also be heard on The Greatest Musicals of
the 20th Century; along with complete tracks of two excerpts
heard on this album namely: I Get A Kick Out Of You, and, Brush
Up Your Shakespeare.
Simon Green has appeared in Side By Side By Sondheim 30th Anniversary
Gala, A Love Letter To Dan, and, Flaunt It 2008.
Thomas Allen was a guest on the TV programme The Ghost Of
Faffner Hall.
Howard
Kim Criswell, Ethan
Freeman, Christopher Lee, Valerie Masterson, Donald Maxwell, Ron Moody,
Caroline O’Connor, Tinuke Olafimihan, and, Jonathan Pryce, along with the National Symphony Orchestra, and the
conducting talents of Lehman Engel, John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates can be heard on The Great Musicals - Wonderful Tales
Thomas Allen, Kim
Criswell, Louise Gold,
John Barrowman, Maria
Friedman, Shona Lindsay, Valerie Masterson, Caroline O’Connor, Tinuke
Olafimihan, and Jonathan Pryce’s
recording credits include Centre Stage
Showtime!; which also features The National Symphony Orchestra, along
with maestros John Owen Edwards,
and, Martin Yates.
Thomas Allen, Ethan
Freeman, Mike Holoway, Janis Kelly, Caroline O’Connor, Catherine
Porter, Ron Raines, Julia Shore, and, Don Stephenson’s recording credits include The Great Musicals – Dashing Heroes,
Blushing Maidens; This also involved The
National Symphony Orchestra, and, The
Piccadilly Dance Orchestra; with maestros Lehman Engle, John Owen Edwards,
and, Martin Yates.
Kim Criswell, Valerie
Masterson, Catherine Porter,
and, Ron Raines’s recording credits
include The Great Musicals – Laughter And
Tears; This also involved The
National Symphony Orchestra; with maestros Craig Barna, John Owen
Edwards, and, Martin Yates.
Issy Van Randwyck has gone on to take part in Shopping With The
Stars 2008.
Thomas Allen, John
Barrowman, Kim Criswell, Tim Flavin, Julian Forsyth,
Mark Adams, John
Barrowman, Len Cariou, Kim Criswell, Jerry Lanning, Caroline
O’Connor, and, Ron Raines, can
also be heard along with the National
Symphony Orchestra/NSO Ensemble,
along with maestros Craig Barna, John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates on The Best Of The Musicals. That album
includes the complete track of the excerpt of Anything You Can Do heard
on this album.
Christina Matthews, Shezwae Powell, Grainne Renihan, and, Simon Green may have taken part in Thing A Thon, which Maria Friedman was involved with.
Sian
Phillips went on to take part in Shopping With The
Stars 2009.
John Barrowman, Len
Cariou, Kim Criswell, Nick Ferranti, Ethan Freeman, Sarah French,
Maria Friedman, Christopher Lee, Shona
Lindsay,
Thomas Allen, John
Diedrich, Christopher Lee,
Len Cariou, Kim
Criswell, Julian Forsyth, Maria Friedman, Simon Green, Janis Kelly,
Ann Howard took part in Camberwell Pocket Opera’s First Fundraising
Gala.
Review
by Emma Shane, September 2002
If you ever wanted a painless way of gaining an
overview (and some detail) of the history of Musical Theatre and how it became the
art form that it is, now’s your chance. This stunning audio book is amazing for
its shear breadth and detail (although as with any such work it is quite
possible there may be a few dubious details - for example was Anything
Goes really drastically rewritten because the producer didn’t like the
book, or was it because of the S.S. Morrow Castle fire?). A project of
this kind needs someone suitable for a narrator, you couldn’t have just any old
actress. Kim Criswell, however, is a perfect choice (always assuming of
course that you enjoy hearing her distinctly Southern States accent. If you
don’t like Southern States accents then this audio book won’t be your cup of
tea). To my mind Criswell, the Broadway ex-patriot from
The shear detail included on this album is quite outstanding. I am particularly surprised and delighted to find that the left-wing Unity Theatre in London gets a mention, admittedly only because of the key role it played in the development of Lionel Bart’s career (and even then it is only mentioned for staging the first production of Wally Pone, Bart’s previous five years of experience there being overlooked) but at least it is a worthy mention. I am very amused by much of the detail, examples include: Hair opening in London the day the censorship that would have prevented it was lifted, and the difficulties of actually getting Man Of La Mancha on - which rather reminded me of the flame-haired actress who was determined to play Aldonza but kept being told not with red hair (Kim Criswell eventually did play Aldonza, with red hair and all, at The Peacock Theatre in London in the Covent Garden Festival in the summer of 2000). It is also fascinating to learn just how often something heralded as a new or modern thing in musical theatre is not actually all that new. You think nudity came in with The Full Monty? think again, there was nudity in Hair, even if it was only momentary. While, in 1905, The Merry Widow became the first musical to go in for mass merchandising, in very much the same way as the big musicals are today (hats, clothing, crockery etc), in fact the merchandising on The Merry Widow went far further than that on many of today’s shows.
Being an audio book rather than a written book
permits the work to be interspersed with appropriate musical extracts. Although
this is certainly a plus, it has to be said that some of the extracts,
especially involving quite well known musicals, are not always to my mind the
best choice of recording, at least in terms of capturing a sense of the
historic role this or that number or indeed musical played in the development
of the genre. In this respect the first CD is entirely satisfactory, using historical
recordings as much as possible, but the subsequent three are a rather mixed
bunch. There are some delightful original or near original recordings, such as:
The greatest failing in the choice of illustrative excerpts is that there are many great stars of the musical theatre who have certainly recorded some of the fabled performances and who get mentioned, but whom we never get to hear on this audio book, such as: Fred Astaire, Carol Channing, Alfred Drake, Mary Martin, and, above all Ethel Merman. The Mighty Merman was one of the greatest stars of the Broadway musical, and a favourite of several songwriters, including Irving Berlin and Cole Porter, with a number of major roles in classic shows written for her, among them: Reno Sweeny in Anything Goes, Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun, Sally Adams in Call Me Madam, and, Mama Rose in Gypsy. The role of Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly was also originally created with her in mind. Her debut in Girl Crazy changed the world of the Broadway musical, without her the vogue (apparent for much of the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s) for having your big brassy comic song belter as the leading lady may well never have occurred. She introduced Broadway audiences to a large number of hit songs (I Got Rhythm, I Get A Kick Out Of You, You’re The Top, Anything Goes, Blow Gabriel Blow, It’s Delovely, Friendship, Do I Love You Do I?, They Say Falling In Love Is Wonderful, I Got The Sun In The Morning, Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better, You’re Not Sick You’re Just In Love, Everything’s Coming Up Roses, Rose’s Turn, Mutual Admiration Society, and, There’s No Business Like Showbusiness). Naturally she is mentioned, but never actually heard: I Got Rhythm is sung ineffectively by Julia Shore - oh she can sing, but she doesn’t give the song the brassy punch that made it the big hit it became (One really needs either Merman herself, or Criswell, to demonstrate how this song should sound). Meanwhile Caroline O’Connor’s rendition (with Mark Adams) of Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better while being entirely satisfactory in ordinary terms, for example on a solo album, or a recording or production of Annie Get Your Gun is more like a Mary Martin rendition of the song than Ethel Merman’s. It is a very good performance of the number, but it just doesn’t fit the context. The closest this audio book gets to that distinctive brassy sound of Ethel Merman’s powerful pipes is Louise Gold singing I Get A Kick Out Of You. This may not be the sweetest ever recording of the song (that honour probably goes to Kim Criswell), but it is extremely well sung and Gold does wonders in giving us a proper sense of how this song would have sounded, and if we can’t have the extraordinary sound of Ethel Merman herself on this album then well the lady they call ‘The English Ethel Merman’ is the next best thing. In any case Louise Gold is a wonderful performer in her own right, who thoroughly deserves to be singing on this audio book, it is curious however, that she is not credited in the commentary, one has to read the sleeve notes to find out that it is her singing.
For Louise Gold’s performance alone this album would not be worth collecting, one would be better off buying the Showtime CD The Best Of Broadway Musicals. However for anyone interested in Musical Theatre it is well worth having, as it really is a great way to learn about the history and structure of the genre and where different musicals and indeed different kinds of musicals fit within that history. It is a fascinating album. It is also a delight to hear the history narrated by a performer such as Kim Criswell who appears to be so genuinely interested in what she is narrating. For anyone who is a fan of Musical Theatre or Kim Criswell then it is well worth having.
Critics Comments On Richard Fawkes - The
History Of The Musical
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Links about The History Of The Musical
