You could call it a “mini-album,” with ten tracks featuring Martin and a studio cast. The concept was still a little new, which may help explain why the results were less than perfect. However, that might change if you see him in action and on stage, one day, as Rodney Hatch. Yes, I know. singing "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" and following a sojourn in Hollywood. The JAY Records version of Romberg’s “THe Student Prince”. Broadway Musical Original. When future generations of operetta researchers will deal with adaptations of classic sagas and antiquity in general, they should include One Touch of Venus in their discussions of Orphée, Hélène, Ixion (the burlesque spectacle starring Lydia Thompson), Schöne Galathée in the Suppé version and the Max Hansen modernization, and many other glorious operettas. If you no longer have access to the email you registered with, contact. I especially liked the gangsters singing “The Trouble With Women” with Damon Runyon-ish accents, bringing a cartoonish quality to the show that goes well with the more slapstick (or operetta) side of proceedings. Rodney is the ultimate suburbanite, a drab conformist whose one dream in life is to buy a little box in the new development of Ozone Heights, and commute daily to his barber’s shop. During that same month, on October 7, 1943, another musical opened on Broadway, One Touch of Venus. Venus in particular suffers. Their UK and International grant-making strategy is based on five criteria that raise awareness, educate, and provide care and support for the most vulnerable in society. Its star was Mary Martin, who also recorded for Decca as a solo artist. Steve Suskin reports on Playbill.com: “UK-based Jay Records arranged to make their own studio recording of the score. How Big Is The Stretch From “Fosse/Verdon” And “Judy” To A TV-Series About Erik Charell And Fritzi Massary. JAY Records, you might remember, is the label that has issued some beloved operetta albums, for example ENO’s Orpheus in the Underworld, The Mikado and some other shows such as Countess Maritza and, most famously, the complete Student Prince. The rest of the plot revolves around two related themes; Savory’s search for the now-missing statue, and Venus’s courtship of Rodney, since by bringing her to life he has bound her inextricably to him. Three recording sessions were held in 2000, and then–nothing. They give grants to set up small, sustainable businesses that bring financial independence and security. And the National Symphony Orchestra under John Owen Edwards and James Holmes make Weill’s superb orchestrations sound good, but rarely exciting. And you certainly wouldn’t consider Venus a cousin of operetta heroines such as Hélène and Galathee listening to Mary Martin. All Rights Reserved. My only reservation about this new recording is that it doesn’t have much theatrical flair or noticable personality. But what was included gave a good sense of why the show, which went on to run for 16 months, was such a success. There’s none of the irresistable Jackson swagger in Barrett’s singing. However, his singing voice is true, and he pulls off his big number ‘Speak Low’ well. Data provided courtesy of the Edinburgh Festivals Listings API, Brighton Fringe, Encore and user submissions. It was admiration mixed with suppressed envy that Weill managed to get his show(s) produced on Broadway, while most other Europeans had no such luck. Of the principals, Kendra McMillan (Venus) is very tall and statuesque, while David Jay-Douglas (Rodney) is a little butterball. Forget the weaknesses, the glories of Weill’s score and the way it is sung more than justifies a trip to darkest Walthamstow. ‘One Touch of Venus’ is Kurt Weill’s most ‘commercial’ American score, attached to a kind of variation on the Pygmalion theme, in which an ancient statue of Venus, brought to America from Anatolia by dodgy art collector Whitelaw Savory, is accidentally brought to life by a humdrum little barber, Rodney Hatch. If this review has either helped you discover a gem or avoid a turkey, consider doing some good that will really make a difference. Also intact from the original are the vocal harmonies in the chorus work. They deeply influenced his own style. Even though everyone raved about it, including the New York Times. Instead of playing to this mismatch for comic effect, the production seems to be trying to ignore it or apologise for it. Even two decades after her original Venus at Encores. So, not surprisingly, Venus was an instant hit. Here the Ensemble has been drilled within an inch of its life, and the result is glorious. An achievement everyone involved can be proud of. Recently, a production of Franz Lehár’s Land des Lächelns at, Her Soldier’s Boy: Young World War Heroes Laid Bare, Embarrassment of Riches? Ogden Nash, great versifier though he was, is not a natural lyricist. So, all’s well that ends well? How To Sell Your Show At The Edinburgh Fringe, Jacques Brel is Alive and Living in Paris, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Clingham has the tact and sense to allow the ballads room to breathe, and give the performers time to be quiet, and to establish rapport with the audience. Acting for Others provides financial and emotional support to all theatre workers in times of need through the 14 member charities. A New Franz Lehár Reader At Böhlau Publishing. However, the film omits most of … Reading “The Cambridge Companion To Operetta” In Times Of Self-Isolation, Body Shaming In The Operetta World: Or The Cry For Help From Soprano Kathryn Lewek, “Barbe-Bleue” In Lyon: A Night Of Perfection, Observations Of A Traveling Operetta Enthusiast. McMillan is more Martin than Dietrich. ). Moreover his lyrics are clogged and over-wordy, running towards a succession of list songs in which the lines go straight over the audience’s head. She’s not helped by her costume; whatever else Venus might wear, she would emphatically not arrive in polyester, change into a rather creased M & S petticoat, or sport battered black ballet pumps. Rodney's shrewish fiancée doesn't like this one bit, and Savory will do anything including framing Rodney for murder to recover his beloved statue. However, after a promising start the book muffs this in a maze of plot mechanics and a haze of romantic perfume. Rodney keeps trying to set things right, and poor Venus can't understand why he doesn't respond to her seductions. After a series of comic setups and mix ups, earthly order is restored and new love found. Whatever the reason, I feel these talented singers could have easily come up with a more bouncy and liberated version of Venus than heard here. Fans of Errico […] waited impatiently as the years turned into a decade. But for all its limitations, the cast recording of One Touch of Venus helped establish the pattern by which the "original Broadway cast" album became a staple of the record business from the 1940s on. featuring members of the cast of the initial production is considered the first example of a new genre in the record business, the "original Broadway cast" album. One Touch of Venus (Original, Musical, Comedy, Broadway) opened in New York City Oct 7, 1943 and played through Feb 10, 1945. They are also fogged by numerous period references now totally lost – how many now remember Maxwell Parish or Platinum Fur Tax? For one thing, the "long-playing" (LP) disc was still several years away from being introduced, and while Decca was willing to devote five 78s to the One Touch of Venus album, that still only allowed for ten individual tracks and a running time not much over half an hour.

During that same month, on October 7, 1943, another musical opened on Broadway, One Touch of Venus. One of the great glories of Weill’s American period is his orchestration (he and Gershwin were the only two Broadway composers to do their own orchestrations in the 30s and 40s), and there are inevitable losses where ‘One Touch of Venus’ is presented, as here, with piano accompaniment only. This turned out to be a long and tortured undertaking, apparently due to problems of financing.