The Greatest Musicals of the 20th Century
Louise Gold
starred on Volume 4, Track 5 as Reno Sweeney from Anything Goes, Readers Digest
Recording
Catalogue
number: (CD) Readers Digest 0350915, (Cassette) Readers Digest 0370915 issued in 2001.
Cast
Featured
Joan Baxter (as Eva Peron from Evita, Sally Bowles from Cabaret and other assorted characters)
Andy Brown
Julie Bryant (as Nellie Forbush from South Pacific)
Betty Buckley (as Grizalbella from Cats, and, Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard)
Clare Burt (as Simon Pistache from Can Can)
Steve Butler
Mary Carewe (as Mary Magdalene from Jesus Christ Superstar, Vera Simpson from Pal Joey and other assorted characters)
Petula Clark
Judy Collins (as Desirie from A Little Night Music)
Jess Conrad
Gemma Craven (as Nellie Forbush from South Pacific and other assorted characters)
Kim Criswell
Lorna Dallas (as Marsinah from Kismet and other assorted characters)
Julie Dawn (as Dolly Winslow from Leave It To Me)
Barbara Dickson (as
John Dulieu (as assorted characters)
Ivor Emmanuel (as Curly from
John Farlow
Ethan Freeman
Fiona Fullerton (as Guinevere from Camelot)
Louise Gold (as
Brian Greene (as First Gangster from Kiss Me Kate)
Richard Harris (as King Arthur from Camelot)
Rex Harrison (as Professor Higgins from My Fair Lady, and, Gaston Lachille from Gigi)
Fiona Hendley (as Christine from The Phantom Of The Opera, and, Fanny Brice from Funny Girl)
Marilyn Hill-Smith (as Eliza Dolittle from My Fair Lady)
Edmund Hockridge (as Francois Durnet from Can Can)
Tricia Holliday
Doreen Hume (as Anna Leonowens from The King And I, Maria from The Sound Of Music, and Lilli Vanessi from Kiss Me Kate)
Bryan Johnson (as Fred Graham from Kiss Me Kate)
Paul Jones (as Mr Mistoffelees from Cats, The Phantom from The Phantom Of The Opera, and other assorted characters)
Sylvia King (as Maria from
Darryll Knock (as Francois Durnet from Can Can)
Helen Landis (as Carrie from Carousel)
Stephanie Lawrence (as Eva Peron from Evita)
Adele Leigh (as Anna Leonowens from The King And I)
Fred Lucas
Michael Maguire (as The Phantom from The Phantom Of The Opera, Freddy Eynsford-Hill from My Fair Lady, Tony from West Side Story and other assorted characters)
Robert Mandell (as Curly from
Simon Masterson-Smith
Alec McCowen (as Henry Higgins from My Fair Lady)
Julia Mckenzie (as Anna Lia Owens from The King And I)
Anna Moffo (as Julie Laverne from Showboat, and other assorted characters)
Ron Moody (as Alfred P Dolittle from My Fair Lady)
Stella Moray (as Charity Hope Valentine from Sweet Charity)
Margot Moser (as Laurey from
Johnny Nichols
Les Nichols (as Joseph in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat)
Marni Nixon (as Maria from The Sound Of Music)
Tinuke Olafimihan (as Eliza Dolittle from My Fair Lady)
Oliver aka William
Oliver Swofford
Rosalind Page (as assorted characters)
Sheila Parker (as Fanny Brice from Funny Girl)
Mike Pearn (as assorted characters)
Robert Peterson (as Curly from
Nigel Planer (as The M.C. from Cabaret)
Tom Saffery (as Littlechap from Stop The World I Want To Get Off)
Mike Sammes (as Alfred P Dolittle from My Fair Lady)
Mark Sellers
Jim Smilie (as The Caliph from Kismet, Honore Lachaille from Gigi and other assorted characters)
Rosemary Squires (as Julie Laverne from Showboat, Annie Oakley from Annie Get Your Gun, Maria from The Sound Of Music, Fanny Brice from Funny Girl, and, Nancy from Oliver)
Tommy Steele
Topol (as Tervye from Fiddler On The Roof)
Ian Wallace (as Mr Bumble from Oliver)
Carl Wayne (as Jesus from Jesus Christ Superstar and other assorted characters)
Dave Willets (as Joseph in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and others)
Gary Williams
Gary Wilmot
Matt Zimmerman (as Second Gangster from Kiss Me Kate)
Orchestras and choruses
The Alan Braden Orchestra
The Broadway Choir
The Frank Devol Orchestra
The Gerry Allison Orchestra
The Gordon Langford Orchestra
The Gordon Lorenz Singers
The Hill Bowen Orchestra
The James Walker Chorus
The James Walker Orchestra
The Ken Thorne Orchestra
The Lee Roberts Orchestra
The Lehman Engel Orchestra
The Michael Westlake Orchestra
The Michael Westlake Singers
The Mike Sammes Choir
The Mike Sammes Chorus
The Mike Sammes Girls Chorus
The Mike Sammes Orchestra
National Symphony Choir
National Symphony Orchestra
NSO Ensemble
The New York Theatre Orchestra
The Nick Ingman Orchestra
The
The Paul Clayton Orchestra
The Peter Night Chorus
The Peter Night Orchestra
The Reg Owen Orchestra
The Richard Benson Orchestra
The Robert Mandell Chorus
The Robert Mandell Orchestra
The Roland Shaw Orchestra
Sinfonia Of
The Wally Stott Orchestra
The
West End Theatre Orchestra
Production Team
Conductors - Gerry Allison,
Compiled by - Henri Heymans
Annotated by - John Comber
Producer - The Readers Digest Ltd
Executive Producer - Dermot Hoy
Designed by - Deborah Hau
Track Listing
Volume 1: The Magic Of Andrew Lloyd Webber 0350915-1
1. Superstar
(from Jesus Christ Superstar) - Carl Wayne and the Gordon
Lorenz Singers
2. I Don’t Know How To Love Him (from Jesus Christ Superstar) - Mary Carewe,
with
3. Any Dream Will Do (from Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat)
- Les Nichols
4. Close Every Door (from Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) - Dave
Willets
5. Half A Moment (from Jeeves) - Carl Wayne
6. Don’t Cry For Me
7. High Flying Adored (from Evita) - Dave Willets
8. Another Suitcase In Another Hall (from Evita) - Stephanie
Lawrence
9. On This Night Of A Thousand Stars (from Evita) - Carl
Wayne
10. Oh What A Circus (from Evita) - Jess Conrad
11. Nothing Like You’ve Ever Known (from Song And Dance)
- Johnny Nichols
12. Memory
(from Cats) - Betty Buckley
13. Mr Mistoffelees (from Cats) - Paul Jones
14. Starlight Express (from Starlight Express) - Mark Sellers, John
Farlow, and, Tricia Holliday
15. The Phantom Of The Opera (from The Phantom Of The Opera) - Paul Jones
and Fiona Hendley
16. The Music Of The Night (from The Phantom of The Opera) - Michael
Maguire with the
17. Love Changes Everything (from Aspects Of Love) - John Dulieu
18. As If We Never Said Goodbye (from Sunset Boulevard) - Betty Buckley
19. No Matter What (from Whistle Down The Wind) - Steve Butler
with The West End Theatre Orchestra conducted by Matthew Freeman
Volume 2: Broadway Classics 035015-2
1. Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin’ (from
2. The Surrey With The Fringe On Top (from
3. People Will Say We’re In Love (from
4.
5. Ol’
6. Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man (from Showboat) - Rosemary Squires with Ken
Thorne and his Orchestra
7. Bill
(from Showboat) - Anna Moffo with Lehman Engel and
his Orchestra
8. The Girl That I Marry (from Annie Get Your Gun) - Ivor Emmanuel
with Richard Benson and his Orchestra
9. There’s No Business Like Show Business (from Annie Get Your Gun)
- Robert Mandell, his Chorus and Orchestra
10. They Say It’s Wonderful (from Annie Get Your Gun) - Rosemary Squires
and Stanley Grover with Robert Mandell and his Orchestra
11. What Kind Of Fool Am I? (from Stop The World I Want To Get Off) - Tom
Saffery with Mike Sammes, his Chorus and Orchestra conducted by Gordon
Langford
12. C’est Manifique (from Can Can) - Edmund Hockridge with the
West End Theatre Orchestra conducted by Matthew Freeman
13. It’s Alright With Me (from Can Can) - Darryll Knock with the National
Symphony Orchestra conducted by Martin Yates
14. I Love Paris (from Can Can) - Clare Burt with the NSO
Ensemble conducted by Martin Yates
15. Bewitched (from Pal Joey) - Mary Carewe and Mike
Penn with the Sinfonia of London conducted by Charles Gerhardt
16. Tea For Two (from No, No, Nanette) - Margot Moser and
17. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (from Roberta) - Anna Moffo with Lehman Engel and
his Orchestra
18. Hello Young Lovers (from The King And I) - Julia McKenzie
with Orchestra
19. March Of The Siamese Children (from The King And I)
- James Walker and his Orchestra
20. Getting To Know You (from The King And I) - Adele Leigh with Richard
Benson and his Orchestra
21. We Kiss In A Shadow (from The King And I) - Lorna Dallas and Jim
Smile with Gordon Langford and his Orchestra
22. Shall We Dance (from The King And I) - Doreen Hume with Hill
Bowen and his Orchestra
Volume 3: Musical Movie Favourites 0350915-3
1. The Rain In
2. Wouldn’t It Be Loverly? (from My Fair Lady) - Tinuke Olafimihan
with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen-Edwards
3. With A Little Bit Of Luck (from My Fair Lady) - Ron Moody with the National
Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards
4. I Could Have Danced All Night (from My Fair Lady)
- Marilyn Hill Smith with the National Symphony Orchestra
conducted by John Owen Edwards
5. Get Me To The Church On Time (from My Fair Lady) - Mike Sammes with Roland
Shaw and his Orchestra
6. I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face (from My Fair Lady)
- Rex Harrison
7. On The Street Where You Live (from My Fair Lady) - Michael Maguire with
the
8. Thank Heaven For Little Girls (from Gigi) - Jim
Smile with Gordon Langford and his Orchestra
9. Gigi (from
Gigi) - Rex Harrison
10. The Sound Of Music (from The Sound Of Music) - Rosalind Page, Robert
Mandell his Chorus and Orchestra
11. My Favourite Things (from The Sound Of Music) - Rosemary Squires
with Lee Roberts and his Orchestra
12. Do-Re-Mi
(from The Sound Of Music) - Doreen Hume with Hill Bowen
and his Orchestra
13. Climb Ev’ry Mountain (from The Sound Of Music) - Marnie Nixon
with Frank Devol and his Orchestra
14. Edelweiss (from The Sound Of Music) - Mary Carewe
with
15. People
(from Funny Girl) - Rosemary Squires with Ken Thorne
and his Orchestra
16. You Are Woman (I Am Man) (from Funny Girl) - Fiona Hendley and Paul
Jones with Ensemble conducted by Ian Lynn
17. Don’t Rain On My Parade (from Funny Girl) - Sheila Parker with
orchestra conducted by Del Newman
18. Supercalifragilisticespialidocious (from Mary Poppins)
- The Broadway Choir and the New York Theatre Orchestra
19. Maria
(from West Side Story) - Michael Maguire with the
20. Tonight
(from
21.
22. I Feel Pretty (from
23. Somewhere (from
24. Beauty And The Beast (from Beauty And The Beast) - Gemma Craven
with the West End Theatre Orchestra conducted by Matthew Freeman
Volume 4: Showtime! 0350915-4
1. Hello Dolly (from Hello Dolly) - The Robert Mandell Chorus
and Orchestra
2. Wonderful
3. Mame
(from Mame) - Fred Lucas and the Mike Sammes Choir
with Alan Braden and his Orchestra
4. Night And Day (from The Gay Divorce) - Robert Peterson
with Wally Stott and his Orchestra
5. I Get A Kick Out Of You (from Anything Goes) - Louise Gold with
the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards
6. The Lady Is A Tramp (from Babes In Arms) -
7. My Heart Belongs To Daddy (from Leave It To Me) - Julie Dawn with Roland
Shaw and his Orchestra
8. Prologue: The Carousel Waltz (from Carousel) -
Reg Owen and his Orchestra
9. If I Loved You (from Carousel) - Margot Moser and Robert
Peterson with Robert Mandell and his Orchestra
10. You’ll Never Walk Alone (from Carousel) - Helen Landis and the Mike
Sammes Choir with Roland Shaw and his Orchestra
11.
12. Guys And Dolls (from Guys And Dolls) - Gary Wilmot, Gary
Williams, and, Andy Brown, with orchestra conducted by Bruce
Baxter
13. Wunderbar (from Kiss Me Kate) - Bryan Johnson and Doreen
Hume with Hill Bowen and his Orchestra
14. Brush Up Your Shakespeare (from Kiss Me Kate) - Brian Greene and Matt
Zimmerman with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John
Owen Edwards
15. What I did For Love (from A Chorus Line) - Joan Baxter and the
Mike Sammes Choir with Nick Ingman and his Orchestra
16. If My Friends Could See Me Now (from Sweet Charity)
- Stella Moray with Roland
Shaw and his Orchestra
17. Hey Big Spender (from Sweet Charity) - Joan Baxter and the Mike Sammes
Choir with Nick Ingman and his Orchestra
18. Aquarius
(from Hair) - Joan Baxter and the Mike Sammes Choir
with Alan Braden and his Orchestra
19. Good Morning Sunshine (from Hair)
– Oliver (aka William Oliver
Swofford)
Volume 5: The World Of The Musical 0350915-5
1. Willkommen (from Cabaret) - Nigel Planer with
orchestra conducted by Matthew Freeman
2. Cabaret
(from Cabaret) - Joan Baxter with Nick Ingman his
Chorus and Orchestra
3. The Money Song (Money Makes The World Go Round)(from Cabaret) - The
Broadway Choir with the New York Theatre Orchestra
4. If I Were A Rich Man (from Fiddler On The Roof) - Topol
5. Sunrise, Sunset (from Fiddler On The Roof) - Robert Peterson
with Robert Mandell his Chorus and Orchestra
6. Some Enchanted Evening (from South Pacific) - Ivor Emmanuel with
Richard Benson and his Orchestra
7. I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair (from South Pacific)
- Julie Bryant with Michael Westlake Orchestra and Singers
8. I’m In Love With A Wonderful Guy (from South Pacific)
- Gemma Craven with the West End Concert Orchestra conducted by Matthew
Freeman
9. I Talk To The Trees (from Paint Your Wagon) - Ethan Freeman with
the National Symphony Choir conducted by Martin Yates
10. Wandrin’ Star (from Paint Your Wagon) - Simon
Masterson-Smith with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Martin
Yates
11. I wonder What The King Is Doing Tonight (from Camelot) - Richard
Harris with Gerry Allison and his Orchestra
12. Camelot
(from Camelot) - Richard Harris and Fiona Fullerton
with Gerry Allison and his Orchestra
13. How To Handle A Woman (from Camelot) - Richard Harris with Gerry
Allison and his Orchestra
14. If Ever I Would Leave You (from Camelot) - Michael Maguire with
the New York Pops
15. Stranger In Paradise (from Kismet) -
Lorna Dallas and Jim Smilie with Gordon Langford
and his Orchestra
16. Baubles, Bangles And Beads (from Kismet) - Lorna Dallas with Nick
Ingman and his Orchestra
17. Oliver!
(from Oliver!) - Ian Wallace with the West End Concert
Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Matthew Freeman
18. As Long As He Needs Me (from Oliver!) - Rosemary Squires with Wally
Stott and his Orchestra
19. Send In The Clowns (from A Little Night Music) - Judy Collins
with orchestra conducted by Jonathan Tunick
20. I Dreamed A Dream (from Les Miserables) - Petula Clark with Paul
Clayton and his Orchestra
21. The Last Night Of The World (from Miss Saigon) - Kim Criswell and Carl
Wayne
The Cassettes
follow the same track listing as the CDs with: the first cassette containing
CD1 Tracks 1 to 10 on Side 1 and Tracks 11 to 19 on Side 2, the second cassette
containing CD2 Tracks 1 to 11 on Side 1 and Tracks 12 to 22 on Side 2, the third
cassette containing CD3 Tracks 1 to 12 on Side 1 and Tracks 13 to 24 on Side 2,
the fourth cassette containing CD4 Tracks 1 to 10 on Side 1 and Tracks 11 to 19
on Side 2, and the fifth cassette containing CD5 Tracks 1 to 10 on Side 1 and
Tracks 11 to 21 on Side 2.
The track I
Get A Kick Out Of You on this album is from the JAY/TER
recording of Anything Goes - Website Recommended album. An album which also includes the singing talents
of Brian Greene, Simon Masterson-Smith, and, Matt Zimmerman,
with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards.
Louise Gold has also sung a parody
of I Get A Kick Out Of You, as I Get A Kick Out Of U on Sesame Street
Louise Gold, Clare Burt, Brian Greene, Darryl
Knock, Simon Masterson-Smith, and, Matt Zimmerman, along with
the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards
and Martin Yates can also be heard on another Readers Digest
album, Cole Porter - Night And Day,
as can the recordings of I Get A Kick Out Of You, I Love
Paris, It’s Alright With Me, and, Brush Up Your
Shakespeare on this album.
Clare Burt along with the National Symphony Orchestra
conducted by John Owen Edwards can also be heard on Cabaret.
Clare Burt, Kim Criswell, Ethan Freeman, Richard
Harris, and, Tinuke Olafimihan along with the National Symphony
Orchestra, and the conducting talents of John Owen Edwards, Martin
Yates, and Gerry Allison can also be heard on Encore The Very Best From The
Musicals, as can the versions of Wouldn’t It Be Loverly and How
To Handle A Woman on this album.
Clare Burt, Kim Criswell,
Mary Carewe, and, Lorna Dallas appeared in Broadway To Brighton.
Mary Carewe, and, Dave Willets appeared in Chicago & Company.
Mary Carewe, Petula Clarke,
Lorna
Dallas appeared in Kids At Heart, which Petula Clarke and Stephanie
Lawrence may have appeared in, and which
Kim
Criswell, and, Matt Zimmerman
appeared in Let ‘Em Eat Cake.
Kim
Criswell, Ethan Freeman, Simon
Masterson-Smith, Tinuke Olafimihan, and, Matt Zimmerman along
with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards
can also be heard on On The Town.
Kim
Criswell appeared in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
Louise Gold, Kim Criswell, Ethan Freeman, Brian
Greene, Ron Moody, and, Tinuke Olafimihan, along with the
conducting talents of Lehman Engel, John Owen Edwards, and, Martin
Yates as well as the National Symphony Orchestra can also be heard
on The History Of The Musical, as
can an excerpt from the versions of I Get A Kick Out Of You, and,
Brush Up Your Shakespeare that are heard on this album.
Lorna
Dallas, Richard Harris, Topol,
and, Matt Zimmerman may have appeared in The Royal Variety Performance
(1982).
Lorna
Dallas, and, Julia McKenzie
appeared on Let’s Do The Show Right
Here, and, in the Side By Side By Sondheim 25th
Anniversary Gala.
Ethan
Freeman appeared in One Touch Of Venus (2000 Production).
Louise Gold, Ethan Freeman, and Alec McCowen
along with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen
Edwards and Martin Yates can be heard on The Best Of Broadway Musicals, as
can the version of I Get A Kick Out Of You heard on this album.
Ethan
Freeman, Ron Moody, and, Tinuke
Olafimihan along with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John
Owen Edwards and Martin Yates can be heard on Great Duets From The Musicals.
Alec
McCowen has appeared in The Cherry Orchard.
Julia
McKenzie starred on stage in Side By Side By Sondheim 30th Anniversary
Gala; on television in Julia And Company,
and appeared on the radio in Ned Sherrin’s Review
Of Revue.
Nigel
Planer can also be heard on Utterly Utterly Live Comic Relief,
appeared in Man Of La Mancha, and took part
in Comic
Relif 1986..
Jim Smile appeared on Sondheim
At The Barbican.
Topol appeared in Ziegfeld
(Stage Show).
Carl Wayne did voices on Spitting
Image (or at least he was a backing singer on some of their musical
numbers).
Gary Wilmot appeared in Regents
Park 70th Anniversary Gala, and, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Matt
Zimmerman appeared in Anything Goes (Stage Show), along with Louise
Gold.
Matthew
Freeman was Musical Director for Noel/Cole: Let’s Do It, and played on a few
tracks on Noel/Cole: Let’s Do It
(Recording).
John Owen
Edwards was the conductor on the Metropolitan Mikado and a concert of
highlights from the Ratepayers
Iolanthe & Metropolitan Mikado.
Jonathan
Tunick did the orchestrations for
the Leicester Haymarket’s Merrily We
Roll Along (Stage Production) which were of course used for Merrily We Roll Along (Recording).
As well as
being a conductor, Martin Yates is also a composer who wrote the score
for The Soap Opera.
The National
Symphony Orchestra conducted by Martin Yates can be heard on Stop The World I Want To Get Off
Lorna Dallas has appeared in Happily Ever After.
Clare Burt has gone on to appear in A Love
Letter To Dan.
Gordon Langford has gone on to take part in Hubert Gregg’s Memorial
Service.
Andy Brown, Steve Butler, Kim Criswell, Ethan Freeman, The Gordon
Lorenz Singers, Richard Harris, Anna Moffo, Ron Moody, and, Tinuke
Olafimihan, along with the Lehman
Engel Orchestra, and, the National
Symphony Orchestra, and the conducting talents of Gerry Allison, Lehman Engel,
Ian Lynn, Del Newman, John Owen
Edwards, and, Martin Yates can
also be heard on The Great Musicals - Wonderful Tales, which was
also produced by The Reader’s Digest.
Kim Criswell, Lorna Dallas, Louise Gold, The Gordon Lorenz Singers, Stanley
Grover, Richard Harris, Marilyn Hill-Smith, Doreen Hume, Alec McCowan, Carl Wayne,
and, Dave Willets’s recording
credits include The Great Musicals – Glamour
And Majesty, which Anne Moffo
may have sung on. This also involved The
Hill Bowen Orchestra, The Lehman
Engel Orchestra, The National
Symphony Orchestra, The Nick Ingman
Orchestra, and The Robert Mandell
Orchestra; with the maestros Gerry
Allison, Hill Bowen, Lehman Engel, Nick Ingman, Robert Mandell,
John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates. This was also produced by
The Readers Digest, and includes the
same recordings of: I Wonder What The King Is Doing Tonight, Superstar, I Get
A Kick Out Of You, and, Shall We Dance. It also has the same
version of Baubles, Bangles and Beads.
Clare Burt, Richard Harris, and, Tinuke Olafimihan’s recording credits
include Centre Stage Showtime!, which
also features The National Symphony
Orchestra; along with maestros Gerry
Allison, John Owen Edwards, and,
Martin Yates. This includes the same
recordings of Wouldn’t It Be Loverly, and, How To Handle A Woman.
Mary Carewe, Lorna Dallas, Ivor Emmanuel, Ethan Freeman, Stanley
Grover, Marilyn Hill-Smith, Edmund Hockridge, Stephanie Lawrence, Adele
Leigh, Carl Wayne, and, Dave Willets’s recording credits
include The Great Musicals –
Dashing Heroes, Blushing Maidens, which Anne Moffo, and, Margaret
Moser may have sung on; This also involved The Gordon Langford Orchestra, The
Lehman Engel Orchestra, The National
Symphony Orchestra, The Richard
Benson Orchestra, The Robert Mandell
Orchestra, and, The West End Theatre Orchestra; with maestros Gerry Allison, Richard
Benson, Lehman Engel, Matthew Freeman, Gordon Langford, Robert
Mandell, John Owen Edwards, James Walker, and, Martin Yates. This was also produced by The Readers Digest. It
also includes the same recordings of Half A Moment, and, C’est
Manifique.
Clare Burt, Mary Carewe, Gemma Craven, Kim Criswell, Lorna Dallas,
Barbara Dickson, The Gordon Lorenz Singers, Stanley Grover, Fiona Hendley, Darryl Knock,
Ian Lynn, The
Clare Burt, Kim Criswell, Richard Harris,
Kim Criswell, Richard Harris, and,
Clare Burt may have taken part in Thing A Thon.
Nigel
Planer, and, Dave Willets went
on to take part in Shopping With The Stars 2009.
Petula Clark, Kim Criswell, Ethan Freeman, Fiona Hendley, Stephanie
Lawrence, Tinuke Olafimihan,
and, Tommy Steele can also be heard
on 100 Hits Musicals; accompanied by The National Symphony Orchestra, with
maestros John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates.
Besides Anything Goes (Recording) - Website recommended album, Louise Gold has herself appeared either
in productions or on recordings of several of the greatest 20th
Century musicals profiled on this album, namely: Joseph And The Amazing
Technicolor Dream Coat (Joseph and the
Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat (York Production) , Joseph And The
Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Touring Production) & Joseph And The
Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Norwich Production)), Stop The World I Want To Get Off,
My Fair Lady, Anything
Goes (Stage Production), Kiss Me Kate, Hair, Cabaret, Mary Poppins, and, Oliver!.
Besides I Get A Kick Out Of You (in Anything Goes (Stage Production) & on Anything Goes (Recording)), she has also
sung such songs as It’s Alright With Me (in LOUISE GOLD...By Appointment), Wunderbar
(in Kiss Me Kate), Brush Up Your
Shakespeare (in Noel/Cole: Let’s Do
It), Aquarius ( in Hair), Good
Morning Sunshine ( in Hair), Wilkommen
(on Cabaret), Money Makes The World Go Round
(on Cabaret), Send In The Clowns (in Side By Side By Sondheim) and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
(in Mary
Poppins – admittedly an end of show reprise version).
Louise Gold has appeared in six and a half Cole Porter
shows (and one of those she’s done twice), namely the five shows he wrote for Ethel
Merman: Anything Goes, Red Hot & Blue, Du Barry Was A Lady
(see: Du Barry Was A Lady (1993
Production), and, Du Barry Was A Lady
(2001 Production)), Panama Hattie, and Something For The Boys, as well as Kiss Me Kate, the half being Noel/Cole: Let’s Do It (since it is half by
Cole Porter and half by Noel Coward).
The
Readers Digest, besides a
variety of mentions in a diverse array of musicals, was itself the inspiration
for one Cole Porter musical, Something
For The Boys.
Review
by Emma Shane, 7 September 2005
This is one of those compilations that one would probably only get for one of two reasons. Either because you found it by chance cheaply (say in a charity shop, or a friend’s throw out) and liking this kind thing would take a chance on it, or you make the effort of getting it on online auction because you are one of those collectors who trying to get “everything” (say by a particular performer or composer). This is a very mixed musicals album, and many of the best tracks on it are probably more easily available elsewhere. The album comprises five broadly themed CD’s, referred to as volumes.
Volume One: The Magic Of Andrew Lloyd-Webber, is to my mind the least satisfactory, but then I am none too fond of Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s music. And this album seems to consist largely of some rather mediocre recordings of his work. The performances on the more readily available Simply Musicals compilation album’s Andrew Lloyd-Webber disc were far superior to this. That said, I did enjoy Betty Buckley’s performance on the album, I don’t think she is quite as good as Kim Criswell with either song, but that could be because I am more familiar with the way Ms Criswell does those two. Anyway Betty Buckley’s renditions of Memory and As If We Never Said Goodbye are the highlight of the volume. The latter is one of my favourite ALW songs anyway.
Volume Two: Broadway Classics, is
to my mind a huge improvement on Volume One, not least because the songs
(involving work by the likes of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein
II etc) are so great. Some of the arrangements may be a little odd, most
notably Surrey With The Fringe On Top, but by and large there are
some pretty good performances, from some less well-known performers. Clare
Burt is as reliable as ever with I Love Paris, and Mary
Carewe makes a pretty good job of another classic Bewitched.
However, one singer who really stands out on this volume is the Welsh
baritone Ivor Emmanuel. (Whom I had never heard of before) He was of the
same era and very much in the fine tradition of the great American musical
theatre baritones: Howard Keel, John Raitt and Gordon Macrae.
(Indeed he actually took-over from Howard Keel in the Original London
Cast of
Volume
Three: Musical Movie Favourites is a rather mixed bunch. It almost seems a
shame that except for Rex Harrison’s classic I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face, none of the other songs are actually sung
by the people who sang them on the films. That said some of the substitutes are
fairly good, such as those from the JAY/.TER studio cast recording of My Fair Lady. Others like Jim Smilie and Mary Carewe are entirely
reliable. There are also two surprising treats. Rex Harrison making a
pretty decent job of the title song from Gigi; and that great
underrated singing star of film musicals, Marnie Nixon singing Climb Every Mountain from The Sound Of Music.
However, some replacements on this volume are less satisfactory. While it is
nice to hear Jule Styne’s Don’t
Rain On My Parade, and I had
no idea that Jule Styne could write something with such a pop-like sound
to it. (Somewhat akin to the work of such musical-comedy writers as Marvin
Hamlish & Carol Bayer-Singer or even Bjorn Ulvaeus & Benny
Anderson). Unfortunately Sheila Parker seems to lack the vocal power
to really do this song justice; and after hearing Louise Plowright sing
a parody of it in pantomime in
Volume
Four: Showtime is naturally my
favourite. That said, it is not perfect. I didn’t exactly take to Good Morning Sunshine from Hair, sung by someone
billed only as Oliver, whoever that was; and I found Julie Dawn’s
My Heart Belongs To Daddy rather unconvincing (not a patch on, for
example, Liz Robertson’s version of that song). I wasn’t too convinced
by Joan Baxter either, though she sang nicely. This volume does however
contain some surprises which are well worth discovering, such You’ll Never Walk Alone and Wunderbar. The latter
is sung by Bryan Johnson and Doreen Hume, and I was quite
impressed by Doreen Hume’s voice. Although Wunderbar is one of less telling Kiss
Me Kate numbers, her voice
sounded good, at least on a par with Marin Mazzie (I still think that
the best I have ever heard are Kathryn Grayson in the film, and, Louise
Gold on stage). It might be worth hearing how well Ms Hume could tackle the
rest of that role in Kiss Me
Kate. As for You’ll Never Walk Alone, which is sung by Helen Landis, I
found I was so moved that I almost had tears in my eyes listening to that. I
think her performance could almost be comparable with
Volume
Five: The World Of The Musical,
is like Volume Three, a very mixed bunch. Some of the tracks just aren’t exactly
great, including a surprisingly unremarkable Miss Saigon
contribution sung by Kim Criswell and Carl Wayne, a forgettable
Judy Collins rendition of Send
In The Clowns, and Petula
Clark tackling Les
Miserables (On the whole I am
not very keen on Bournbill and Schonberg at the best of times). However,
there are also some good performances. Martin Yates conducts a couple of
well performed excerpts from Paint
Your Wagon. Lorna Dallas
acquits herself satisfactorily with a couple of pieces from Kismet, Richard Harris is a passable as King Arthur out of Camelot. However the best performance on the volume is Some Enchanted Evening from South Pacific, another
fine performance from Ivor Emmanuel (and another song associated with
those great American Musical Theatre Baritones). The volume also includes a few
performances which are worth hearing once, just to have heard them, such as Rosemary
Squires’s As Long As He
Needs Me from Oliver, and, Nigel Planer’s Wilkommen from Cabaret, Mr Planer is not perhaps one of the best M.C.’s, however, his
performance is perfectly satisfactory, and rather funny.
So on
the whole, perhaps not an album to go out of ones way for (unless you like
going out of your way collecting oddities). If you chance to come across it,
and its not too expensive, then maybe worth considering. It is a very mixed
bunch of performances. Some of them, I really didn’t like, but I also came
across some gems I had not hitherto known about. One might be interested in the
performances of: Mary Carewe, Tinuke Olifimihan, Clare Burt,
Lorna Dallas, Jim Smilie, Brian Greene, Matt Zimmerman,
Ethan Freeman, Nigel Planer and Rosemary Squires; but
these could well be more easily available elsewhere. It is, perhaps worth
looking out for the performances of: Betty Buckley, Ivor Emmanuel,
Doreen Hume, Louise Gold, and, Helen Landis that are
featured on this album, for those five are high lights.
Critics Comments
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Links about The Greatest Musicals Of The 20th
Century
