Wednesday, September 6, 2017

HOLIDAY INN: A CD Review

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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