Subways Are for Sleeping (1962 Original Broadway Cast) ( Visit this link)
Browse The Shows
# - A -
B - C - D -
E - F - G -
H - I - J -
K - L - M -
N - O - P -
Q - R - S -
T - U - V -
W - X - Y -
Z
Previous
Subways Are for Sleeping (1962 Original Broadway Cast)
Music by Jule Styne
Book and Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Directed by Michael Kidd
Musical Direction by Milton Rosenstock
Opened at the St. James Theatre, New York City, December 27, 1961
205 Performances
Fynsworth Alley CD 202 962 123
No one ever even talks about reviving the 1961 Comden/Green/Styne musical SUBWAYS ARE FOR Sleeping. Produced by David Merrick, whose antics aimed at keeping the show afloat included the notorious quote-ad featuring raves from men who were the namesakes of New York's seven daily newspaper critics, SUBWAYS ARE FOR SLEEPING stands out in my memory as a colorful and busy musical, notable as much for the somewhat laidback performances by leads Carol Lawrence and Sydney Chaplin, as for the more frenetic turns taken by featured actors Orson Bean and Phyllis Newman (then the newly minted Mrs. Adolph Green).
Based very loosely upon Edmund G. Love's plot less book of anecdotes about a sort of genteel underclass hiding out under the very noses of job-ridden New Yorkers, the Comden-Green libretto sticks mainly to the romance between magazine writer Angie McKay (Lawrence) and proto-hippie Tom Bailey, a drop-out from the corporate world. A subplot chronicles the love between Tom's friend Charlie, and Martha, a wannabe beauty queen who staves off eviction from her hotel room, by means of dressing solely in a bath towel.
Granted, this contrived plot was hardly brilliant, but no show by Betty and Adolph could possibly be devoid of wit and humor, and any score by Jule Styne had to include any number of melodic, cheerful songs. Thus, the SUBWAYS cast album, first issued as a Columbia LP and now, 40 years later, as a CD by the enterprising folks at Fynsworth Alley, is chock full of surprisingly good numbers, including a couple cut from the show right after its Broadway bow.
The most soulful songs go to Angie McKay, and Miss Lawrence sings them warmly, although without the dramatic passion that animated her Maria in WEST SIDE STORY, Poor Carol! She never had another role that showed off her talents the way Maria did. Still the star does well with I Said it and I'm Glad , and, with the chronically raspy Chaplin Comes Once in a Lifetime, the show's 11 o'clock song.
Sydney Chaplin was, in 1962, a good looking young man with a relaxed air on stage. However, he was a lightweight in the talent department, and his soft-edged performance is anything but galvanizing.
Phyllis Newman, abetted by Orson Bean, carried off a tour de force in I Was a
Shoo-In, which chronicles her character's woes as a beauty-contest contestant.
Chaplin had two cute ballads, I'm Just Takin' My Time and How Can You Describe a
Face, but the best song, easily, was the rousing chorus, complete with Swiss Bells, of
Be a Santa, a number in which Tom instructs fledgling department store Santa Clauses how to behave. Michael Kidd's Choreography still stands out in my memory when I hear this song, but the number works on record as well as onstage, such was its infectious energy.The present, well-annotated edition of SUBWAYS contains several bonus tracks, where the material ( Cut songs and
Takin' My Time) is performed by Comden and Green themselves, as well as contributions by Rose Marie, and Jack Haskell. SUBWAYS ARE FOR SLEEPING was not top drawer Broadway, but its cast album provides some pleasure to the sympathetic listener.
Reviewed by Kenn Harris
Kenn Harris has been reviewing theatre, opera, ballet, and film for more than twenty-five years. His published books include The Ultimate Opera Quiz Book (Penguin, 1997 a biography of opera star Renata Tebaldi (l974) and Opera Recordings A Critical Guide.
For many years he worked in cable television in New York City. Kenn Harris has written criticism for numerous magazines and newspapers, and is currently at work on The Ultimate Broadway Musical Quiz Book
Submitted by: admin
Hits: 24
Added: Tue Apr 05 2005