Broadway 2 A Day: 1959 - 1961 (We finally get to The Sound of Music)

Month two complete, I have officially listened to 83 shows, I think I'll have to buy champagne or something once I hit 100.

This week we had a few shows that closed quickly and never were recorded for posterity, sucks for them but makes my life easier! Let's dive in.

Have I heard of it before? No
Did I enjoy it? No, snooze-fest to the max
Synopsis: In ‘Take Me Along’ the literary-minded teen-ager, Richard Miller comes of age and has his first big crush, as his newspaper-editor father, Nat Miller, begins for the first time to feel old. Meanwhile, Nat's fun-loving, alcoholic brother-in-law, Sid Davis, returns to Centerville, having lost his job in Waterbury. A bon vivant on whom the years have begun to weigh heavily, he has made a vow to stay sober and to marry Nat's sister Lily, his longtime sweetheart. (Stage Agent)
Favorite song: Staying Young

Have I heard of it before? I've heard this mentioned as a "classic" but I couldn't tell you why
Did I enjoy it? I wanted to because I like a political comedy, but I did not
Synopsis: Fiorello! is a musical about the rise to power of New York's Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia (1882 “ 1947). Beating all odds, La Guardia breaks the crooked Tammany Hall political machine and fights against vice and corruption. Meanwhile, he falls in love with his loyal secretary, Maria, and they eventually marry. (Stage Agent)
Favorite song: The Very Next Man

Have I heard of it before? I'm familiar with the place, but not this show
Did I enjoy it? This left my brain so fast
Synopsis: Based on Edna Ferber's sprawling novel Saratoga Trunk, it focuses on Clio Dulaine, an "illegitimate" Creole woman who seeks revenge on the New Orleans family who exiled her mother when she became impregnated by their son. Posing as a countess raised in France, she joins forces with Montana cowboy Clint Maroon, whose family's property was appropriated by railroad tycoon Bart Van Steed. Clint persuades Clio to seduce Bart into proposing marriage, but the conspirators soon find themselves falling in love while scheming to settle old scores. (Wikipedia)
Favorite song: Saratoga (Duet)

Have I heard of it before? No
Did I enjoy it? No, too many weird racist undertones
Synopsis: The musical begins with Lady Christine FitzSimons arriving in the little town of Akbarabad, India. She has come to visit her daughter who, against her mother's wishes, has married an older Indian doctor, Rashil Singh. Soon though, Christine learns that her daughter has died during childbirth. After a period of time, Christine and Rashil grow close and even start falling in love. In the end, Christine realizes that her world and Rashil's world are still too far apart and she returns to Ireland. (Stage Agent)
Favorite song: I Love Him

Have I heard of it before? No, I try not to know anything about revues
Did I enjoy it? If I saw this live I probably would have but a lot of the humor doesn't translate on just a recording
Synopsis: At the Drop of a Hat is a musical revue by Flanders and Swann, described by them as "an after-dinner farrago". In the show, they both sang on a nearly bare stage, accompanied by Swann on the piano. The songs were linked by contemporary social commentary, mostly by Flanders. (Wikipedia)

Have I heard of it before? Of course, this is a classic.
Did I enjoy it? I've seen the movie twice in the last six months and always enjoy it. This is one of the shows where the Broadway community seems to agree that the movie is better than the original production.
Synopsis: Based on the true story of the Von Trapp Family Singers, this play captures a personal tale of growth and hope amidst the horrors of World War II. The Sound of Music tells the tale of young postulant Maria Rainer, whose free spirit has trouble fitting into the rules and regulations of Nonnberg Abbey. Commissioned by the Mother Abbess to serve as the governess for seven motherless children, Maria transforms the Von Trapp family home from a place of dour rules and regulations to one filled with joy, with laughter, and with music. In the process, Maria wins the hearts of all seven children--and their widower father, Captain Von Trapp. (Stage Agent)
Favorite song: It was hard to pick but it's hard to beat the opening number/title track

Have I heard of it before? Yes, the song Shy always comes up as a suggestion for mezzo-sopranos in theatre
Did I enjoy it? Yes! I didn't know the plot beforehand and I thought it was clever and the music was good. I'd like to watch the movie.
Synopsis: Many moons ago in a far-off place, Queen Aggravain decreed no couples could marry until her son, Prince Dauntless, found a bride. Princesses came from far and wide to win the hand of the prince, but none could pass the impossible tests given to them by the Queen. That is, until the “shy” swamp princess, Winnifred the Woebegone, showed up. Would she be able to pass the Sensitivity Test, marry her prince and help Lady Larkin and Sir Harry to the altar? Carried on a wave of wonderful songs, by turns hilarious and raucous, romantic and melodic, this rollicking spin on the classic tale The Princess and the Pea provides some side-splitting shenanigans. For after all, a princess is a delicate thing. (Concord Theatricals)
Favorite song: Shy (you can find Sarah Jessica Parker's rendition on my Spotify playlist)

Have I heard of it before? Yes but I never listened to it because I assumed it was boring
Did I enjoy it? More than I expected, I didn't feel the need to skip through it quickly
Synopsis: When the draft selects rock star Conrad Birdie, his fans are devastated, but none more than struggling songwriter Albert Peterson, whose song Birdie was just about to record. Albert's longtime girlfriend, Rosie, pushes Albert to write a new tune that Birdie will perform on television to a fan selected in a contest. The scheme works, with young Ohio teenager Kim McAfee declared the winner, but no one has counted on the jealous wrath of her boyfriend. (Wikipedia)
Favorite song: What Did I Ever See In Him?

Have I heard of it before? Yes, but only because a song was included in a medley of Shirley MacLaine's best roles for her Kennedy Center Honors tribute.
Did I enjoy it? The music flowed pretty well and I think I would potentially watch the movie to get a better sense of the plot.
Synopsis: This entertaining comedy finds disgraced former police officer Nestor Patou falling for beautiful Parisian prostitute Irma La Douce. Though Nestor becomes Irma's pimp, he can't stand the idea of her being with clients, so he devises a way to keep her all to himself. This scheme leads to plenty of trouble, however, and soon Nestor is forced to avoid his old law-enforcement peers in an attempt to stay with Irma and out of jail. (Wikipedia)
Favorite song: Irma La Douce

Write Around The Corner // Beth Turnbull