Original Broadway Cast – 2016 / Music and lyrics by Irving
Berlin
Starring: Bryce Pinkham, Lora Lee Gayer, Corbin
Bleu, Megan Lawrence, Megan Sikora,
Rate: 8 (from 1 to 10) / Photos by Joan Marcus
Review: If, like me, you love Broadway’s
golden age, a “new” musical by Irving Berlin is always a reason to get excited.
Based on the Fred Astaire & Bing Crosby 1942 movie that introduced the song
“White Christmas” to the world, this score plays like a Berlin songbook and
there’s nothing wrong with it.
Larry Blank is the responsible for the new and exciting orchestrations
and Bryce Pinkham, Lora Lee Gayer (my favorite), Corbin Bleu, Megan Lawrence
and Megan Sikora sung the songs like if they were written for them. Of course
we all heard these songs before, but even so is always a pleasure to rediscover
less known (at least for me) songs like “Marching Along with Time”, “Plenty to
Be Thankful For”, “Nothing More to Say”, “Let’s Start the New Year Right”, “Be
Careful, It’s My Heart”, “Song of Freedom” and “Let’s Say with Firecrackers”.
There’s also more than a couple of big Berlin hits like “Steppin'
Out with My Baby”, “Blue Skies”, “Heat Wave”, “It’s a Lovely Day Today” (a song
that I simply love), “Shaking the Blues Away” (the big production number), “You’re
Easy to Dance With”, “Easter Parade” and, it couldn’t fail, “White Christmas”.
A reminder of simple days, when the musicals only pretend to
entertain and people get out of the theatre humming the songs, with a smile in
their heart and rhythm on their feet. In fact, no one seems to write songs like
this anymore (exception for the guys who wrote YANK!). You know what? I believe
“it’s a lovely day today” to listen to this nostalgic cast recording!
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