Broadway 2 A Day: 1966 - 1968 (Just listen to the 1998 recording of Cabaret)

Me again! This was another boring week, so far the 60s is not delivering for me. Although I'm sure if I were sitting in a theatre seeing some of these live with the dancing, and the costumes and the sets I would enjoy them more.

This week we did have Cabaret which has become one of my favorite shows over the past couple years. The movie is terrible, but if you ever get a chance to see it live (or find a bootleg of the 1998 cast or something), give it a go, it's got a lot more depth than you might think.

On an administrative note, Blogspot will no longer be supporting email subscriptions come July so stay tuned while I try to figure that out so that you, my *loyal fans,* can continue to hear these hot takes. Let's dive in.

• The Apple Tree
• Have I heard of it before? No
• Did I enjoy it? I don't even remember listening to it to be honest
• Synopsis: The Apple Tree is three one-act musicals that can be presented separately or in any combination to provide a full evening of entertainment. The first act is The Diary of Adam and Eve. Adapted from Mark Twain’s Extracts From Adam’s Diary, this story takes a look at the relationship troubles of the first couple on Earth. The second act is The Lady or the Tiger? Based on the story by Frank R. Stockton, this mythical story investigates forbidden love. The third act is Passionella. Based on Jules Feiffer’s offbeat Cinderella story, this fairy tale explores the meaning of true love. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: The Diary of Adam and Eve: What Makes Me Love Him?
• Cabaret
• Have I heard of it before? You bet. I saw the movie freshman year of college and hated it. Then Point Park put on a production of it my senior year and it changed the game for me. I was supposed to see a professional production last summer, but COVID rained on my parade.
• Did I enjoy it? Yeah.
• Synopsis: Set in 1929–1930 Berlin during the waning days of the Weimar Republic as the Nazis are ascending to power, the musical focuses on the hedonistic nightlife at the seedy Kit Kat Klub, and revolves around American writer Cliff Bradshaw's relations with English cabaret performer Sally Bowles. A sub-plot involves the doomed romance between German boarding house owner Fräulein Schneider and her elderly suitor Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor. Overseeing the action is the Master of Ceremonies at the Kit Kat Klub, and the club itself serves as a metaphor for ominous political developments in late Weimar Germany. (Wikipedia)
• Favorite song: Don't Tell Mama, but honestly there's a ton of bops
• I Do! I Do!
• Have I heard of it before? No way
• Did I enjoy it? This was pretty boring
• Synopsis: The story follows newlyweds Michael and Agnes starting on their wedding day and explores their life together over the next 50 years until they finally sell their home to the next pair of newlyweds. During that time, the couple goes through their wedding night jitters, raises a family, negotiates mid-life crises, quarrels, separates, reconciles and grows old together. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Someone Needs Me
• Hallelujah Baby!
• Have I heard of it before? Nope
• Did I enjoy it? Can't say I did, although the plot seems okay
• Synopsis: The story focuses on Georgina - a young African-American woman who is on a quest to follow her dreams to be a theatrical performer in an America that constantly discriminates against Black people. The show starts in the 1900s with Georgina working with her mother as a maid on a Southern plantation. By the 1950s, she has become a success and is singing and dancing at a chic supper club. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: Another Day
• How Now, Dow Jones
• Have I heard of it before? No, but the name is cute
• Did I enjoy it? This one had potential, gave me How to Succeed in Business vibes and had some funny moments
• Synopsis: Kate’s fiancé, Herbert, won’t marry her until the Down Jones average his 1000. Since it’s already been a three and a half year engagement, she is extremely frustrated. She then meets a total loser, Charley, and they bond in their mutual depression. Kate ends up pregnant after a one-night stand with Charley. However, she soon discovers that Charley is engaged to his childhood sweetheart, Sue Ellen. In an act of desperation to get Herbert to marry her, Kate lies and announces that the Dow has hit 1000. At first, investors are in a frenzy but soon realize it was a fraud and the market tanks. Charlie, who now realizes Kate does not love Herbert, happily volunteers to help. Together with Cynthia they persuade "A.K.", Wall Street's shrewdest and most-watched player, to buy. The market fall is then reversed and Charlie and Kate marry. (Stage Agent)
• Favorite song: A-B-C
• The Happy Time
• Have I heard of it before? No (seeing a theme?)
• Did I enjoy it? This was pleasant to listen to and I really enjoyed a couple of the songs
• Synopsis: A magazine photographer remembers visiting his French-Canadian home and family, including an aging father and impressionable nephew, after years of travel, in this musical adaptation of the Robert L. Fontaine novel and Samuel Taylor play. (Playbill.com)
• Favorite song: The Life of the Party
• Darling of the Day
• Have I heard of it before? No
• Did I enjoy it? No, this was pretty boring (it closed in 31 performances...)
• Synopsis: The show was set in England in 1905 and dealt with a famous painter, played by Vincent Price, back home after a long absence, who decides to swap identity with his recently deceased valet, the better to study his contemporaries without constraint or social obligations. Problems arise when a young widow, who had been corresponding with the valet for matrimonial reasons, enters his life. (Masterworks Broadway)
• Favorite song: I've Got A Rainbow Working For Me