Original Broadway Cast – 1957
/ Music by David Martin and lyrics by Langston Hughes
Starring: Claudia McNeil, Melvin Stewart, Anna English,
Marilyn Berry, John Bouie, Brownie MgGhee, Duke Williams
Rate: 6 (from 1 to 10)
Review: “Based on “Simple Takes a Wife” and other “Simple”
stories by poet Lansgton Hughes”, this Negro musical opened Off-Broadway and was then
transferred to a Broadway theatre where it played 62 performances.
The jazz and blues score
begins with the delightful title song, beautiful sung by Marilyn Berry, and
what follows is an enjoyable recording; later Berry delivers the romantic “Gatekeeper
of My Castle” with Melvin Stewart. Anna English has a lot of fun with “Let Me
Take Your for a Ride”, “Let’s Ball Awhile” and “The Men in My Life”, and
surprises me with her rendition of the melodious torch song “Look for the
Morning Star”. Claudia McNeil, whose voice reminds me of Pearl Bailey, delivers
the best song of the score “Good Old Girl” and has a good time with her duets
with John Bouie, “Did You Ever Hear the Blues?” and, specially, “When I’m in a
Quiet Mood”. In the leading role of Simple, Melvin Stewart kind of talks through
his songs and, for me, his numbers are the less interesting of the score,
although in terms of lyrics they are the ones who reflect the issue of race: “Flying
Saucer Monologue” and “Mississippi Monologue”.
There's a 2005 London recording of this show, that includes other songs and strangely it cut Simple's monologues; unfortunately, I'm not familiar with that recording. Anyway, I believe you’ll have a good
time with this not very famous score and it may even surprise you with some of its
simple and unpretentious songs.
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