“There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This” from Sweet Charity (Original London Cast, 1967)

music Cy Coleman lyric Dorothy Fields

performance Josephine Blake, Paula Kelly, Juliet Prowse

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Meanwhile, Across the Pond: London Cast Recordings of Broadway Hits, Day 4

This is most certainly my favorite song in the score—and perhaps by favorite in Cy Coleman’s catalog.  I find the hook in the accompaniment irresistible.  All three ladies give joyous and idiosyncratic performances here (click on their names to learn more about them), and the recording is more complete than the version found on the OBCR.

You may want to check out my earlier post from this recording of Prowse singing “You Should See Yourself”.

theatreaficionado:

Michele Lee belts the hell out of “Poor Everybody Else” live in the original Broadway production of Seesaw.

“On the Sunny Side of the Street” from Lucky in the Rain (2000 Studio Cast Recording)

music Jimmy McHugh lyric Dorothy Fields

performance Barbara Cook

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verms:

“Bedroom Sets” lol

She’s somewhat charming on this number.  

“You Should See Yourself” from Sweet Charity (Original London Cast)

music Cy Coleman lyric Dorothy Fields

performance Juliet Prouse

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I seem to have fallen down a Sweet Charity rabbit hole, inspired by this video.  And I ain’t even mad.  

And I love Prouse’s take light, bouncy take on this song.  The Verdon version (verd-sion?) somewhat annoys me.  

dorothyfields:

Pearl Bailey sings “If My Friends Could See Me Now” from Sweet Charity.

Linda Clifford - If My Friends Could See Me Now 

a disco version.  with dancing spaceman robots.  like ya do.

dorothyfields:

Debbie Shapiro Gravitte sings “Big Fat Heart,” cut from Seesaw. (Recorded on Lost in Boston III.)

HOW DID I MISS THIS?!?!?!?!?!  

Also, can DSG just sing the rest of Seewsaw?  Because it’s perfect for her.  PERFECT.  

“Welcome to Holiday Inn” from Seesaw (National Tour)

music Cy Coleman lyric Dorothy Fields

performance Lucie Arnaz

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Because this song is better than most songs.  And I’m at a Holiday Inn (in Bowling Green KY).  And it’s not like the song AT ALL.

beltingandbeveling:

Chita Rivera, Donna McKechnie, and Bebe Neuwirth sing “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This” from Sweet Charity

yourdailybway:

Redhead | I’ll Try
Gwen Verdon and Richard Kiley on the original Broadway cast recording

Music: Albert Hague
Lyrics: Dorothy Fields
Book: Dorothy Fields, Herbert Fields, Sidney Sheldon, and David Shaw 

So apparently—and coincidentally-yourdailybway and I have decided to countdown to the Tony’s by posting different songs from the same lesser-known shows over the course of the week!  

This number is certainly the jauntiest in the show with the strongest/catchiest melody, but it feels more like an in-one number for the secondary characters than an 11 o’clock number for the Tony winning leads.  But as I said, this show is worse than Memphis.

-COUNTDOWN TO TONY TOWN: The 1950s*-

“Erbie Fitch’s Twitch” from Redhead (Original Broadway Cast)

music Albert Hague lyric Dorothy Fields

performed by Gwen Verdon

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There really aren’t any good songs in this show, but this number is worth it for some good old fashioned Dorothy Fields wordplay.  The plot of Redhead is too complicated and insiped to try to explain in detail, but here is the set up for this song (taken from MTIshows.com):

She [Verdon’s character] needs a place to stay where no one would think of looking for her. What about right here in the theater? Everyone wonders just what she could do in the theater. Before anyone can stop her, Essie jumps into a song and dance her daddy made famous in all the music halls. 

I would argue that Redhead is the worst musical to win the Tony Award for Best Musical.  Even Memphis is better than Redhead.  

Redhead is perhaps best known for marking Bob Fosse’s debut as a director.  It is also Gwen Verdon’s last Tony Award, and her fourth in just seven seasons.

Redhead’s competition in the Best Musical category was Flower Drum Song and La Plume de Ma Tante.  There must have been some severe disappointment in Flower Drum Song and/or some R&H backlash for that show—slight as it may be—to lose to Redhead.  I’m serious, Redhead is the stinky-poo.  

Famed flop Goldilocks also opened that season, and though it was apparently deemed worse than nothing in the Best Musical category, it did net awards in the Featured Acting categories for Pat Stanley and Russell Nype, though leading lady Elaine Stritch failed to get nominated.  Stanley would go on to have a featured role in one of the following season’s big winners, Fiorello!.  Stanley’s sole competitor in her category was Julienne Marie from Whoop-Up!.  Marie, like Stanley, would also take a featured role in a big show the following season, replacing Sandra Church as the titular Gypsy (and also playing the role on tour). 

*This week—in anticipation of Sunday’s Tony Awards Telecast—will be “Countdown to Tony Town” week here at Me2ism.  Each day’s MP3 post will discuss a show/song that holds a special place in Tony Award history/lore/controversy in its respective decade. 

dorothyfields:

Sam Harris sings a medley of “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This” by Dorothy Fields and Cy Coleman (from Sweet Charity) and “Move On” by Stephen Sondheim (from Sunday in the Park with George).