rec.arts.theatre.musicals

Greetings:


I also
> grabbed the much more recent autobio of Cy Feuer, producer of Where's
> Charley, Guys & Dolls, Can-Can, Silk Stockings and others, plus the
> films of Cabaret and A Chorus Line. It was a fun, breezy read, and I
> can't imagine anyone here wouldn't love it.

I've read that book, it's terrific. And I'm with you 100% about used
bookstores being a great source for weird old theatre books - I've
bought some of my favorites in musty old shoppes in the French
Quarter..

>
> (I also caught a local production of Baby that had an incredibly
> talented cast, although the canned music made it feel a little too
> much like karaoke night... I enjoyed the show, but it's very clear
> why the original never ran. There's barely a laugh in the entire
> first act, and too much of it is filed with episodic song moments that
> don't really have much to do with the story, which is probably why
> M&S's stuff is so successful in cabarets and so rarely successful in
> their shows...)

I really like "Baby," having done it in college, but it's hard for me
to imagine that anyone thought it would be a commercial success. It
really has not held up over time - specifically, the repeated use of
the word "punk" really makes me cringe, especially since Danny and his
band are so obviously NOT "punk" (if they were, Danny would have
knifed Lizzie somewhere along the way, or he would be unable to
support their child because of his terrible heroin problem...) Pam and
Nick's fertility predicament is touching and sad, but Alan and
Arlene's issues seem pretty quaint these days, given that so many
parents are in their forties when they are having children nowadays.

I think it is interesting that both Arlene and Lizzie touch on the
issue of abortion (though I don't think the word is ever used) - that
must have been rather revolutionary for the time, or at least for the
context, as "Baby" is decidedly light fare.

I think the show has some very witty and touching lyrics, specifically
"Fatherhood Blues" and "I Chose Right," which rather reminds me of
some of William Finn's more tender work.

"Baby" seems a show that is perfect for colleges and small community
theatres, and it's been fun for me to listen to the score during my
pregnancy - "The Ladies Singing Their Song" is still relevant - all
anybody does is tell me horror stories about their labor!

Cheers!
Amy :)