Most know
John Travolta flexed his singing and dancing muscles in the seventies films "Saturday Night Fever" and "Grease," but few may
realize he began his career on Broadway in Grease and Over Here! One of the
highlights of the latter, which starred the Andrews Sisters, was a beautiful
medley of "Dream Drummin'" and "Soft Music," which also
featured Phyllis Somerville and the Over Here! Company.
Travolta may be the only "household name" on this new Masterworks
Broadway/Playbill Records release — "Scene Stealers: The Men" — but
those who were lucky enough to catch any of these artists probably still remember
their performances. Such is the case with scene stealers, those actors whose
performances are so breathtakingly original that they are permanently etched
in our memories.
Perhaps his shock of red hair helped him stand out
in a cast that featured Broadway favorites Bernadette
Peters and Joanna Gleason, but when a young Ben
Wright sang of "Giants in the Sky" in Into the Woods, his pure tenor
made the exciting, moving Stephen Sondheim lyrics even more touching.
Gypsy may focus on "Momma" Rose and her two daughters, but for one
scene, a young, aspiring dancer named Tulsa takes centerstage and wows the
audience with "All I Need Is the Girl." The original production of
Gypsy was Paul Wallace's only Broadway gig, but he certainly made his moment
in the spotlight count.
Ain't Misbehavin' featured a stellar cast that included Nell Carter and Broadway
veteran AndrÈ De Shields. It was De Shields who had the chance to strut
his stuff while singing about the pleasures of marijuana in "The Viper's
Song," a performance that earned the actor a Drama Desk nomination.
Merrily We Roll Along may have played less than 70 performances, but thanks
to the original cast recording, its tuneful score has long been a favorite
of theatre lovers. One of the highlights of that Sondheim score, the show-stopping "Franklin
Shepard, Inc.," was delivered by Lonny Price, who would go on to become
an acclaimed director.
The signing of the Declaration of Independence may have seemed an odd subject
for a musical, but with songs like "Sit Down, John" and "Molasses
to Rum," audiences couldn't resist 1776. In fact, actor Ronald Holgate — who
delivered "The Lees of Old Virginia" to perfection — director
Peter Hunt, and the show all won Tony Awards.
Leonard John Crofoot proved that "Bigger Isn't Better" when he sang
and danced his way into the hearts of audiences in Barnum, which featured Jim
Dale in the title role with Glenn Close as his long-suffering wife Charity.
As Tom Thumb, Crofoot delivered such witty lyrics as "Bigger isn't better,
Taller isn't braver, Stronger isn't always wise. Smaller isn't necessarily
the lesser. Guts can come in any size."
One of the great moments of Fiddler on the Roof occurs after Tevye consents
to allow his daughter Tzeitel to marry Motel Kamzoil, the tailor. In Miracle
of Miracles, Motel — the role created by veteran actor-director Austin
Pendleton — joyously sings of his newfound strength and his road to manhood.
Probably only Cy Coleman could have penned the jazzy, toe-tapping song of
seduction "I've
Got Your Number," which features lyrics by Carolyn Leigh. Swen Swenson
created the role of George Musgrove in the original production of Little Me
and performed that song so thrillingly that he won a Theatre World Award and
a Tony nomination.
Frank Loesser's almost operatic score for The Most Happy Fella features a
host of beautiful tunes, and one of the finest is "Joey, Joey, Joey," which
was delivered by Art Lund in his rich, soaring baritone.
Every good children's story needs a hero to root for and a villain to root
against, and one of the all-time great evildoers is Peter Pan's Captain Hook.
Just listen to the way Tony winner Cyril Ritchard revels in Hook's wicked ways
in "Captain Hook's Waltz."
Barney Martin is probably remembered best for his work as Jerry Seinfeld's
dad on "Seinfeld," but the late Martin also appeared in the original
production of Chicago. As put-upon husband Amos Hart, Martin had the chance
to stop the show eight times a week with the wonderful ballad "Mr. Cellophane."
As you will hear, these 12 tracks all have one thing in common — the
perfect mix of song and singer.
Andrew Gans, Senior Editor
PLAYBILL
January 22, 2007