Pearl Bailey is Magnificent!
02/26/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've got several cast versions of "Hello, Dolly!" -- including the Streisand movie soundtrack -- but this is the one that I always seem to come back to. The whole album is well-sung and well-orchestrated, but the ultimate reason to listen to it over and over is Bailey's incredible performance. There's a genuinely impish quality to her rendition of "I Put My Hand In," but below that you hear the strength of a real survivor. She's all personality in the show's title number, and this really comes through as she kids with the waiters. Maybe the highpoint on the album, though, is the version of "So Long, Dearie" near the end of the album -- you'll never forget the way she delivers the line about Horace's cash register. If you're a fan of musical theatre, this unforgettable performance is a must-have for your collection. Buy it as a document of one of the last performances of a truly great lady. Buy it to celebrate Black History Month. Just buy it!"
Simply the best Dolly ever
muco | Tulsa, OK USA | 07/03/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The classic Jerry Herman score has never been done better than it is here. Pearl Bailey is superb, as is Cab Calloway. It outshines the original Carol Channing version. The woefully miscast movie version (with Streisand reprising her Funny Girl role under the guise of Dolly Levi)isn't even in the same league. In fact, it isn't in the league under this one or the one under that one. If you like musicals, you'll probably like the orginal version, but this one is a treasure not to be missed."
JERRY HERMAN'S CLASSIC SCORE AT ITS VERY BEST . . .
J. T Waldmann | Carmel, IN, home to the fabulous new Regional Perf | 06/20/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
""What is it about Dolly, the meddlesome widow of Ephram Levi that has continued to attract leading ladies of a certain age? Unless you are a Dolly addict, you might wonder what makes the character such a perfect fit for so many different personalities. [Carol] Channing, who played the role on Broadway from January 16, 1964 until August 8, 1966, and [Pearl] Bailey, who captivated a whole new audience when she played it from November 12, 1967 to mid December 1969, were hardly similar types. During Bailey's run the extraordinarily beautiful and petite Thelma Carpenter played Dolly at Wednesday matinees.
"Dolly was also a refreshing and revitalizing showcase it proved to be for fabled and still able film stars and dancers and comediennes. The Broadway run featured in succession: As of August 9, 1966, Fred Astaire's best dancing partner Ginger Rodgers appeared. She was followed by big band singer/big mouth comedienne of radio, stage and screen Martha Raye from February 27, 1967. 20th Century Fox musical film star Betty Grable, known for her "million dollar legs"" may or may not have tried to show them off from June 12th, 1967, until she was replaced by hilarious TV/ nightclub standup comedienne Phyllis Diller on December 26, 1969.
"After Diller it was time for the legendary Ethel Merman to belt out Herman's tunes, including two he wrote especially for her. Actually, Merman was Herman's first choice to play Dolly. Her gig began on March 28, 1970 and she harnessed the miserly Horace Vandergelder for the last time on December 27, 1970. After Bailey returned with the first revival on November 6, 1975 for approximately seven weeks, Channing made a successful return in the role on March 5, 1978. She returned again, presumably for the last time, and ate those dumplings from October 19, 1995 to January 28, 1996." -- Simon Saltzman,[...]
Because Ms. Channing never missed a performance, no one ever got the chance to see her understudy, Jo Anne Worley. But other Dollys include Barbra Streisand in the 1969 film version, Betsy Palmer and Tovah Feldshuh (Paper Mill Playhouse), Mary Martin in the London production, Bibi Osterwald (Bailey's replacement for a week in November 1969), Lainie Kazan in Atlantic City, Dorothy Lamour in the national road company, Molly Picon at the North Shore Music Theatre, and Michelle Lee and Eve Arden in separate road tours.
I'm not going to tell you that Ms. Bailey is the best Dolly on records, for it's impossible to hear anyone in the part and prevent my subconscious from immediately referencing Carol Channing. I sat third row center in Minneapolis during her 1995 farewell tour of HELLO, DOLLY! And she was spectacular, even at 70-plus years.
However, overall this IS the best DOLLY on records. Philip J. Lang revamped his orchestrations and wrote a brand new overture for this recording of the 1975, all-Black revival. Jack Crowder's gorgeous baritone gives us a Cornelius far different from Charles Nelson Reilly's interpretation, and Emily Yancy's sweet soprano is softer and less forceful than Eileen Brennan's, which is fine with me. But back to Ms. Bailey. Michael Portantiere writes ("TheaterMania Guide") "The performance of the title song is the best ever recorded: Bailey and the boys have the time of their lives as saxophones wail, trumpets blare, a banjo strums, and the xylophone player goes nuts. A real pistol as Dolly, Bailey is very funny, but just as strong when delivering a serious song like 'Before the Parade Passes By.'" My only carp is with the slightly ragged singing by the chorus.
The recorded sound is swell, and thanks to ArkivMusic, you can now own this marvelous recording, since it's available as an ArkivCD, part of their CD-on-Demand service. You can order it either from amazon.com or directly from ArkivMusic. Unfortunately, this one does not come with liner notes.
It's a must have!
"
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1
