Lincoln Center
Cast – 1965 / Music and lyrics by Robert Wright & George Forrest, based on
themes by Alexander Borodin
Starring: Alfred Drake,
Anne Jeffreys, Lee Venora, Richard Banke, Rudy Vejar, Albert Toigo, Henry
Calvin and Anita Alpert
Rate: 8 (from 1 to 10)
Review: My first contact
with this musical was the MGM movie starring Howard Keel and Dolores Gray, that
was deliciously kitsch and I remember falling in love with some of the songs.
The show, which
opened on Broadway in 1953, won the Tony for Best Musical and it’s star, Alfred
Drake, won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical. Years later, in 1965, he lead
the Lincoln Center production of the show and he sounds simply great in this
recording. At his side, Anne Jeffreys is a terrific Lalume and sings her
numbers with gusto. As the young couple in love, Lee Venora and Richard Banke
sing their songs with sweet operatic voices.
Composers and
lyricists Robert Wright & George Forrest adapted the beautiful music of
Alexander Borodin and transform it into a melodious, beautiful and funny
musical score, the kind no one writes anymore. I love the way the Arabian
melodies blend perfectly with the Broadway traditional sound. My favorite
tracks are the unforgettable “Baubles, Bangles and Beads” and “Stranger in
Paradise”. Of course I can’t resist the delights of Lalume’s songs “Not Since
Nineveh”, “Bored” and “Rahadlakum”. There are other great songs, like “Night of
My Nights”, “And This is My Beloved”, “The Olive Tree” and the comic
“Gesticulate”. There’s also a strange one, “Zubbediya” sung by Anita Alpert in
the style of Yma Sumac. Curiously, I realized that “He’s in Love” sounds too
much alike to one of the songs of MISS SAIGON, “The American Dream”.
If you never
listened to KISMET you’re in for a pleasant surprise. If you already have the
score, this recording is a delightful rendition of it!
I grew up with this recording! You can't beat the consistent performances combined with the unusually large orchestra and chorus. Of course the melodies from Alexander Borodin predate Miss Saigon by a century, so if anyone is guilty of appropriation it is Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil. Some of the best songs were plucked fro Borodin's "Polovtsian Dances" (from his unfinished opera Prince Igor) and his Second String Quartet.
ReplyDeleteI grew up with this recording! You can't beat the consistent performances combined with the unusually large orchestra and chorus. Of course the melodies from Alexander Borodin predate Miss Saigon by a century, so if anyone is guilty of appropriation it is Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil. Some of the best songs were plucked fro Borodin's "Polovtsian Dances" (from his unfinished opera Prince Igor) and his Second String Quartet.
ReplyDeleteYes Ric, the guilty ones are Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil.
ReplyDelete