Oklahoma Opening

It has been a while since doing a show. The last show I learned in pretty much ten days. I didn't really have time to get to know the cast or enjoy the process until after the show opened. With that in mind I didn't do anything for opening night. For "The Fantasticks" I did do a mix-disc for closing night - and gave a copy to each cast member.

For "Oklahoma!" I decided to do one for opening night. It was a bit tough putting it together. I wanted to do a disc of all the great songs that Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers did...either together, or by themselves. Finding the right songs and the right versions was tough. On top of that - trying to figure out what order to put them in was more difficult. I'm a fan of bookends when it comes to my mix-discs - and a really good flow to the disc as well. For me this means not only musically, but also lyrically.

The other thing that made this specific disc and time difficult is that my Grandma Bourn passed away on Monday - the week we opened. I took an early out from work that Monday as I was tired and not feeling my best. I got home and heard the news. I went into work on Tuesday, then to rehearsal. I had the rest of the week off (I work Fri - Tues) so Wed, Thurs were my weekend, then I took Fri/Sat off for the Funeral, and Sunday was off because of our matinee. My sister came into town on Thursday so it was great to see her and have her here for the funeral and opening night. But it was still a tough week.

So - here is my Opening Night Disc for Oklahoma!, April 23, 2010.

1) The Sound of Music - Julie Andrews from "Broadway: The Music of Richard Rodgers"

How do you start a disc of Rodgers and Hammerstein? By probably the most famous song of theirs ever - and sung (in a new version) by the voice best known for the song. Lyrically it says what it needs to - that there is music everywhere, and that we need to embrace and enjoy it.

2) So Far/Getting To Know You/Shall We Dance - Phillip Officer

I picked this disc up many years ago because I'm a fan of R/H (Rodgers and Hammerstein). On top of that, here was a guy singing some songs that are usually only sung by women. I also think that the song itself is a great way to start a disc. "We have nothing to remember so far" - that is right. We have just met and are going to be working on a show together. The medley then moves into "Getting to Know You." Again, a great the process of getting to know your fellow cast member, getting to like them, hoping they like you, etc. And of course - what is a musical without Dancing right?

3) The Surrey With The Fringe On Top - Barbara Cook

I don't think you can put any CD of songs from classic musicals without having Barbara Cook. The original Cunegonde in Candide, the original Marian from The Music Man - her voice is amazing. As Seth Rudetsky once said - when you listen to her is like she is talking and she has an amazing speaking voice no matter where it is placed....and now she is adding vibrato. Her voice is one of a kind - her tone is brilliant and every song she sings is so individual. She is a consumate performer. And while this song is in the show (I had to put some OK songs on this disc) it is a version that I dig a lot. I like the speed to it, it changes it up and makes it interesting.

4) Stepsister's Lament - Jessica Molaskey

I think this song is just a fun little throw-away number from a show that is discounted. It is from "Cinderella" that originally stared Julie Andrews when it was first shown on TV...a very very young Julie Andrews. Typically it is a duet - but I do like the solo version. In fact, I've used this song as an audition piece because it is a fun song.

5) Nothin Like A Dame - Sammy Davis Jr

There was a time that Reprise records put out versions of four different musicals - all sung by various artists on the Reprise roster. Frank Sinatra, Dinah Shore, Sammy Davis, Andrews Sisters, etc. I believe that you can purchase a box set with all four "cast recordings" on it - but I have a sampler disc. Considering that this song is a classic R/H song I figured I needed a version that was a bit different. On top of that - I needed a male voice right now on the disc. After seeing Ben Vereen at The Dakota this past fall, I have a new respect for Sammy Davis Jr. (Vereen is working on a show about him). I only really know Sammy Davis Jr from the film "Sweet Charity" so this is a cool little track. As a added bonus - "South Pacific" happened to be in town during the run of the show so - bonus!

6) The Gentleman Is A Dope - Barbara Cook

This is taken from the show "Allegro." Written between "Carousel" and "South Pacific" it was one of the few "flops" that R/H had. The show was experimental in the sense that it had a Greek chorus, fluid staging (done by a scrim that cut the stage in half diagonally) and not much of an interesting story. The recent full recording is brilliant - Audra McDonald, Nathan Gunn, Marni Nixon, Patrick Wilson, Danny Burstein, Liz Callaway, Judy Kuhn - you can't go wrong with this cast. This song and the song "So Far" are both from this show. On a side note, I was having some issues getting Sunday's off for the matinee and so the first couple lines were very appropriate ;-) (further side note - I did actually quit a job because they wouldn't let me have a night off for a preview)

7) Out Of My Dreams - Bernadette Peters

If I had to pick a favorite song from "Oklahoma!" it would be this song. There is something so romantic and sweet about it. And if you are looking for a good interpreter of songs with a good voice...why not pick Bernadette. Sure, some people think she has a bit of an odd voice, but I've been a fan for a long time - ever since "Song and Dance." I don't really like the tempo of this version, but i do like her solo bridge (without the amazing backup womens chorus we had). Plus, there is that sense of hope that the song has. I'm a fan of hope. There is a security that the singer has knowing that while she is longing to fly into his arms, she knows and believes that he will be there. Of course, at this point I don't know if I'll be able to hear the song without looking both ways waiting for a row of women to go running past me ;-)

8) Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise - Phillip Officer

The first song on this disc that is NOT an R/H song. The lyric is Hammersteins, the music is Sigmund Romberg. Romberg was a writer of operettas. It is from the operetta "The New Moon" which also had the song "Stout-hearted Men." I first heard this song on a disc of jazz standards being sung in English by a Japanese singer. I thought the lyric was nice, but it was the melody that caught my attention. I also have a great recording of this with Gordon MacRae and Kristen Flagstad.

9) We Kiss In A Shadow - Holly Cole

Holly Cole has one of the best jazz voices in my humble opinion. This song is from "The King And I" which is a show I did with Janice. It was my first time doing an R/H show and I really had a great time doing it. I played the Kralahome so I didn't have to sing, and I got to speak Thai! (note: this was back in the 90's, and I would never play that role now, knowing what I know) I had seen Donna Murphy and Lou Diamond Philips perform this show live on Broadway the first time I went to NYC. I thought it was a gorgeous show and really enjoyed seeing the kids on stage. Donna Murphy deserved the Tony Award she won for this role - it was great! Holly Cole - Canadian singer/ songwriter who always puts a very interesting twist on standards. She also comes to The Dakota so go see her next time she is here.

10) Make Believe - Jessica Molaskey

Show Boat. Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein. This song will always make me cry when I'm watching the movie. I think it is really sweet the first time it is sung in the film, but when the reprise comes along...I'm a goner. Watch the movie and tell me it doesn't move you. After "Out of My Dreams" and "Softly.." I continue the love/romantic section with "We Kiss..." and "Make Believe." Of course, this song is a good transition to the next song. From "Make Believe" to...

11) This Can't Be Love - John Pizzarelli

What makes this transition even better for those who know - John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey are married. Jessica is a Broadway singer who I first heard in Jason Robert Browns "Songs for a New World." John Pizzarelli is someone who I first heard working at Barnes & Noble. I thought his voice was sweet, and his guitar playing is brilliant. I didn't see him at The Dakota last time he was here - but next time I hope to. I think he is very old-school while being modern at the same time. And here we have a song with music by Richard Rodgers, and lyric by Lorenz Hart. I'm sure if I did some research I'd be able to tell you that is was written for the show "The Boys From Syracruse" which is a musical version of "Comedy of Errors."

12) Lover, Come Back To Me - Barbara Cook

Some people may know this song best in the version by Barbra Streisand. Streisand's version is very different but also very good in it's own way. This song is another Hammerstein/Romberg piece - from "The New Moon." I'm not sure when I first heard it - I think it was probably the Streisand version - but i dig it a lot. Again, you can't go wrong with Barbara Cook.

13) Falling In Love With Love - Mary Cleere Haran

Another Rodgers/Hart song - also from "The Boys From Syracruse." Most people have never heard the verse, nor have they heard of Mary Cleere Haran. Mary is a cabaret singer in NYC who has a very beautiful voice and interpretation. I bought this CD on a whim a while back - all songs with lyrics by Hart. Since that time I fell for her voice and have bought other albums by her. This specific song will always remind me of theatre. We used it in a production of "Torch Song Trilogy" that I stage managed and teched many years ago at the Unicorn Theatre downtown Mpls. I love the piano solo and the bass solo in this version - and I really like the lyrics. While I certainly am a romantic, there is a part of me that thinks that falling in love with the idea of love...well, too many people do that in my book. They don't really fall in love with the person, but they do fall in love with the idea of being in love.

14) I Have Dreamed - Kelli O'Hara

One of the best new voices on Broadway right now. I first heard of her in Adam Guettel's "Light in the Piazza." She then was in "Pajama Game" with Harry Connick Jr, and most recently "South Pacific" where she re-teamed up with Matthew Morrison. And we are back to the R/H team - another song from "The King And I." And another uber-romantic song - similar to Make Believe, or even Out of my Dreams. Hope in the dreams that eventually become reality.

15) People Will Say We're in Love - Fred Hersch

Fred Hersch first came to my attention with this disc. It was a promo at Barnes & Noble and i thought it was very cool. All songs by R/H (which I love) and being played on piano (which I play and love) and in a jazz form. What can be wrong with that? nothing! I also felt that after all this time, it might be time for another song from "Oklahoma!" but again in a version very different than most have heard. I believe one of his more recent albums was based on Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass - and is very very cool. Vocals, brass, piano, orchestration...a very cool concept and album.

16) All The Things You Are - Phillip Officer

Kern/Hammerstein - written for "Very Warm for May." This is another one of those super romantic songs that I fall for. Lyrically it is so good - but musically it is amazing! Check out the Wikipedia entry on it. I didn't know it had so many modulations and changes.

17) I Can't Say No - Jessica Molaskey

Back to R/H. Just another version of a cute song. I like the slower tempo, and I also like the fact that Jessica sings the first version almost accapella. It brings you into a song that you have heard many many times, and it makes it easy to hear the song in a new way.

18) Everything I've Got - Malcolm Gets

I first heard this song sung by Holly Cole. She, being the cabaret/jazz singer that she is, took is about half the speed of this version. I think the song is awesome - in both versions. The reason I chose this version is two-fold. First - it was time for a male vocal. Secondly, I like hearing all the verses/choruses. Lorenz Hart has such a great way with words. This was originally written for a show called "By Jupiter" which also included the song "Nobody's Heart."

19) Where Or When - Tierney Sutton

Another Rodgers/Hart song - written for "Babes In Arms." I like the song and I'm sure you've heard it before sung by Sinatra, or one of the other classic Standards singers. Here is another performer that I just really dig - Tierney Sutton. She is consistently smart with her arrangements and interpretations. Her backing band is always amazing and with her. I love her voice. Plus, isn't there something about getting into a cast where you have this sense of the other actors? You just feel like you've seen them before, or worked with them before? You get that closeness (if you are lucky) quickly. And if it a show that you love - it makes it easier. There are times to get to a first rehearsal and you just feel like you've come home. Maybe that is just doing theatre - the theatre is home no matter what.

20) Many A New Day/A Cock-Eyed Optimist - Phillip Officer

This is one of those songs that is the reason i bought this album. How many times have you heard a guy sing "Many A New Day"? It caught my attention and I think it is a good version. On top of that - the medley is near perfect. The first song talking about why look to the past? Many a new day will pass before I start looking back - in fact, I'll keep looking forward with hope and optimism...because I'm a cock-eyed optimist. And really, if you don't know by now - I am a cock-eyed optimist. I have faith that things will be alright (remember this theme) and that everything will work out for the best. Sure, things may happen and I have no idea why they happened, and I'm sad about it - yet at the same time I know that it is part of a bigger plan for my life. I also think this songs leads well into the next song - after all, who is almost always cheerful and upbeat? Julie Andrews...that is who...

21) Edelweiss - Julie Andrews

Remember what I wrote at the start about bookends? This one is a double bookend (sort of). Julie and Phillip open the album, and they both close the album. I didn't think of the following until just now so bear with me. Edelweiss is about the love of country - Austria in the story of "Sound of Music". Not necessarily about patriotism but about a homeland. Isn't that what 'Oklahoma!' is about as well? about the land and knowing that we are from a land that is great! Being a part of a bigger scheme - belonging to the land and nature. For some reason the show "Oklahoma!" reminds me that I am a part of this land that is called America. At the same time, it reminds me of the land that I grew up in as well - the mountains and streams of Japan - having that gorgeous Mt. Fuji visible almost everywhere I was on a daily basis. it isn't so much about belonging to a country, but belonging to the land. (also - this specific arrangement is stunning - with the linder folk dance in the middle of the bridge). I love this song...

22) In The Musicals - Bjork

Bonus track!! yeah, I know that this is a crazy song to finish this album with. It is from a very difficult movie called "Dancer in the Dark." Bjork plays a women who is losing her eyesight and so she keeps falling into these musical fantasies. This number comes towards the end of the movie - I believe that they are doing a dance rehearsal for West Side Story, or some other classic musical. She hears the dancing, the squeeking of the tennis shoes on the floor and goes into this song. Just pure joy - nothing can go wrong because we're in a musical! And in a musical there is always some one there to catch me... The bonus part of this is that Joel Grey is in the movie as well ;-)

so - I know this was a long post, but hopefully it shared a bit of info into how this mind of mine works...especially when it comes to making mix-discs.

ciao -

krl