Search - Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Isabel Bigley :: Me and Juliet (1953 Original Broadway Cast)

"MINOR" RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN RESURRECTED BY THE BRITS . . .

J. T Waldmann | Carmel, IN, home to the fabulous new Regional Perf | 10/18/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

""In 1952 Richard Rodgers suggested to Oscar Hammerstein that as a change of pace they might write a musical comedy. The experience of writing four hugely popular shows was bound to colour any future work that was to be written, and the result was a highly successful musical hybrid. The story is set in the theatre world and theatre people, revolving around the inner mechanism of a musical show and two sets of lovers, who inevitably find happiness before the final curtain." -- The Guide to Musical Theatre



"Here, as in every musical production, Rodgers and Hammerstein have again attempted something new. Thackeray subtitled VANITY FAIR 'A Novel Without a Hero.' This is a musical comedy without a hero. Rather, the hero is the theater itself." -- George R. Marek, LP liner notes



One might also add, "This is a musical comedy with a book so corny, clichéd, and banal (Wait. "Banal" is the word one critic used when referring to the score!), that it could have been written as a joint project of a high school creative writing class. (If you're lucky - as I am - to have a copy of SIX PLAYS BY RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN, you'll be able to read it for yourself. Why lucky? Because "used" copies are selling for outrageous prices on amazon.com.) Even so, ME AND JULIET had a respectable run (for its time) of 358 performances.



"Banal" might be too harsh when describing the score. Yes, there are some lyrics that will make you groan: "I wake up each morning/With a feeling in my heart/that today will be a very special day./I keep right on clinging/To that feeling in my heart/Till the winds of evening blow my dreams away." or "When first I laid my longing eyes on you/And when you smiled and murmured 'Howd'you do?'/The room became a dream-enchanted place." Reminds me of those famous lyrics from a 70's troubadour named Lobo: "When I saw you standin' there/I 'bout fell out of my chair/And when you moved your mouth to speak/I felt the blood go to my feet."



However, Hammerstein redeems himself with "Intermission Talk" and "Marriage Type Love" and "Keep It Gay," if you're partial to 50s "inspirational" pop lyrics. The music? Rodgers borrowed the best melody in the show - "No Other Love" - from his score for the NBC series "Victory at Sea." The rest of the tunes aren't bad; it's just that you've heard them before in those other "four hugely popular shows." (Incidentally, the songs are in the same order as on the LP, which means that the numbers in Act I are not in show order; that is: (1) A Very Special Day (2) That's the Way It Happens (3) Overture to Me and Juliet (4) Marriage Type Love (5) Keep It Gay (6) The Big Black Giant (7) No Other Love (8) It's Me (9) Intermission Talk. I guess that's why God gave us a programming key.)



The singers? Bill Hayes is quite fine in his only Broadway role; Joan McCracken (OKLAHOMA, BLOOMER GIRL, BILLION DOLLAR BABY) is her usual wisecracking self, which is good; Mark Dawson uses his fine baritone to great effect in "It Feels Good," even though the song might remind you of Billy Bigelow's "Soliloquy;" Isabel Bigley's performance does nothing to answer the question: "How did she ever get the lead in GUYS AND DOLLS?;" and Ray Walston (SOUTH PACIFIC) doesn't get to sing at all!



The sound? 1950s vintage RCA, although a LOT better than my LP, which was released in "Electronic Stereo," a bad idea if there ever was one. According to Flare, "This original cast recording has been out of print for some time, and Flare is proud to make it available again, after the most careful digital remastering, which has restored the sound to its inherent brilliance." Obviously, the occasional distortion was on the master tape. The liner notes by Lewis Sussex are short and informative.



Though not top-drawer Rodgers & Hammerstein, ME AND JULIET deserves a spot on your shelf along with the rest of their shows."

Music+Lyrics-8/Remastering-1

Robert Mcdonald | West Hollywood, CA United States | 10/08/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I love even minor Rodgers + Hammerstein, and this one gives me great pleasure. But I am writing about this new remaster. I have to admit, every time a company bumps up the sound bites, or freshens up the sound, I plunk my money down and rarely have a beef. It amazes me to hear some of these recordings cleaned up and sound like it came out of the studio yesterday. This Flame re-release, however, sounds like it was among the first batch of CD's to enter the market. I have the original RCA, and A/B'd them back to back, and the sound on the RCA is superior in every way, almost giving a "stereo" bloom to the sound, though it is mono. The Flame issue sounds like they got hold of a good LP pressing and did a master. The vocals sound like the singers are in a tin can. And the booklet (it's not actually a booklet, just a one page spread.) redefines skimpy. One wonders if they did actually use the RCA master tapes for this. The RCA one sounds like it was redone in 2007 compared to the Flame one. If you really are interested in this recording, spend some extra money and try and get your hands on the 1993 RCA release."

A minor Rodgers and Hammerstein work in a very major key

Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 08/29/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"ME AND JULIET was one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's least successful works, opening on Broadway in 1953 and running for only ten months, despite favourable reviews and a highly talented cast (led by Isabel Bigley, Joan McCracken and Bill Hayes).



The score for this show didn't yield as many hit tunes as did the previous (and later) Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, yet standouts would surely include "Marriage-Type Love" (recycled for the 1958 London production of "Cinderella"); and "That's the Way It Happens" (which later found a second life as part of the score for the 1996 Broadway re-working of "State Fair").



The cast of ME AND JULIET was led by Isabel Bigley, fresh from her acclaimed starring role of mission-doll Sarah Brown in the original cast of "Guys and Dolls". Playing her love interest was a fresh-faced young man named Bill Hayes (who'd later find another kind of fame on the daytime soap "Days of Our Lives" opposite his real-life wife Susan Seaforth Hayes).



Also appearing in the show was the talented dancer/comedienne Joan McCracken (from the original casts of "Oklahoma!" and "Bloomer Girl"), in her last major stage role. In 1947 she'd attempted to break into movies; and did find considerable acclaim playing Babe in 1947's "Good News, though audiences sadly never quite warmed to her. Credited with helping to kick-start the career of Bob Fosse (she was later "replaced" by Gwen Verdon); McCracken passed away from heart and diabetes-related illnesses in 1961, at the age of 44.



Following a recent public domain CD reissue on the UK-based Flare label, this official DRG re-release of the cast album features some choice bonus tracks, highlighted by a fascinating recorded interview, where Columbia Records president Goddard Lieberson quizzes composer Richard Rodgers on his amazing career; plus Perry Como's fun cover versions of "Keep It Gay" and "No Other Love".



[DRG-19115]"