Musicals

Adler has a new memoir about his career in musical theater. He wrote songs with Jerry Ross for The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees. Ross died early in their partnership in 1955.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz says the one downside of the current crop of Broadway CDs is that few releases feature excellent singers. A reissue of the once-rare Mary Martin Sings, Richard Rodgers Plays is a noteworthy exception.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a never-before-released recording of two Kurt Weill pieces...."The Lindbergh Flight," a collaboration with Bertolt Brecht, and "The Ballad of the Magna Carta," with a text by Maxwell Anderson.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new reissue of the 1932 recording of "Show Boat," on CD. It includes performances by Paul Robeson and Helen Morgan. (It's part of the CBS Special Products Series).

Writer, producer, and director Arthur Laurents. Laurents wrote the stories for the plays "Gypsy" and "West Side Story" and the screenplays for the movies "The Way We Were" and "The Turning Point." Laurents is currently directing the Broadway revival of "Gypsy," starring Tyne Daly.

Actress Elaine Stritch. She appears this week on public television's "American Playhouse" series, starring in Richard Nelson's story of three aging friends. Elaine Stritch is an established Broadway star, who appeared on Broadway in "Company," "Pal Joey," "On Your Toes," and "Bus Stop." She currently stars on Broadway with Jason Roberts in "Love Letters," and she plays Mrs. McGee on "The Cosby Show." (Interview by Sedge Thomson)

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews the soundtrack of the new Broadway revival of Anything Goes.

Actor Jerry Orbach. Orbach has had a long career on Broadway, starring in shows such as "The Three Penny Opera," "Promises, Promises," and "42nd Street." More recently he's appeared on TV and in films. His latest role is in the new Woody Allen movie, "Crimes and Misdemeanors."

Choreographer Eliot Feld. He founded the Feld Ballet in 1974 as a place where classical ballet and modern dance could exist together. The company is still going strong, touring throughout America and overseas. Feld has also created ballets for many of the world's great companies, among them the American Ballet Theatre, the National Ballet of Canada, and the New York City Ballet.

Songwriters Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane. They wrote the songs for the 1944 Judy Garland film classic, "Meet Me in St. Louis," including "The Trolley Song" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." A musical based on the film is opening on Broadway this week.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz has a review of a never-before-recorded Kurt Weill (Vile) opera. Weill is best-known for his collaborations with playwright Bertolt Brecht, such as "The Threepenny Opera" and "The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahogany".

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new release of Mozart's comic opera, "The Abduction from the Seraglio." It's a 1961 performance of a little known German comedy by Mozart, but Lloyd says it compares favorably with his best known Italian works.

Actor AVERY BROOKS. He reached stardom with his TV portrayal of "Hawk," the strong, almost silent partner in the detective series "Spenser for Hire." He took that character into its own series last season. Brooks brings to his TV work the same concern for African-American culture that has marked his stage career and his life. He won acclaim for his reinterpretation of the Harriet Beecher-Stowe character "Uncle Tom" in a production on the Showtime cable channel, and for his stage portrayal of Paul Robeson.

Linguist Geoff Nunberg reflects on the use of racist terminology in the musical Show Boat. He says that later revisions were still problematic: they illustrated the enduring assumption that white liberals can accurately and authentically portray African American culture.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new Smithsonian box set of American musicals from throughout the twentieth century. His only complaint is that, with such a wealth of archival material, he wonders why more serious and contemporary music was included.

Harnick collaborated with composer Jerry Bock on hit musicals like Fiorello! and Fiddler on the Roof. One of their earlier works, She Loves Me, has found newfound success; the original cast album has just been reissued on CD.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says the movie star had a range of about six notes, but he had personality and a swinging house band. Yet Astaire deserves praise for making famous several songs which later became standards.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews an all-star recording of Stravinsky's jazz-inspired theater piece, which features Sting, Ian McKellen, and Vanessa Redgrave.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz never saw She Loves Me on Broadway, but recently discovered the reissued original cast recording. He says the musical has the feel of classic operetta, and succeeds at everything it sets out to do.

A revival of Ain't Misbehavin', featuring the original cast, is now playing on Broadway. Critic-at-large Laurie Stone says she jumped at the chance to see it. Overacting and exaggerated choreography plagued the first act, but the cast showed restraint during the last half.