Well thank you Mr Olesker, for your kind words! Wish I could have seen your work as Toto
Mikey, you can definitely find Little Women online - I saw clips of it in a playlist a few months ago, though these things sometimes get "pulled", only to eventually resurface - but keep in mind, that show wasn't especially successful. Sure, there's Sutton and the original story from the book and singing...but not much magic. And as much money as the show made, apparently she wasn't well-suited to her part in The Music Man. Fans of the material were disappointed in her and Hugh. They're both talented but not quite right for the parts they played in that show, according to some.
Since you enjoyed Ten Commandments, though, may I recommend the pro-shot (that's the term) video of
Jekyll & Hyde? It's bombastic, a sort of Phantom-wannabe with broad performances, lousy lyrics and very little to say, but
hoo-boy is it memorable. Case in point: the version they filmed stars
David Hasselhoff in the title role. Oh yes! The Hoff himself!
And no, he cannot sing. He tries though, and boy is it...something else.
The show was composed by Frank Wildhorn, who is famous for having had a ton of "flop" musicals, some of which have even turned into almost cult favorites or guilty pleasures among Broadway fans. Jekyll & Hyde was intended as a vehicle for his then-wife, former "Star Search" champ Linda Eder, who sang the role of prostitute Lucy. If you look up some clips of her in the show, you'll find the promotional proshot versions of her big soaring ballads. A later replacement plays Lucy opposite Hoff in the official proshot, but Eder made Lucy's songs famous. She still sings them in her cabaret act.
If you can't make it all the way through Hyde - and I wouldn't blame you if you couldn't - just go watch clips of Eder singing songs from the show. She's incredible, with a Barbra Streisand-like voice that soars and belts and sustains and sustains. She's really remarkable.
...since you mentioned Gypsy, I have to tell you, the video I found online of the last Broadway revival starring Patti Lupone pretty much ruined all other versions of the show for me. You have the advantage of seeing and loving those other versions first. Patti's version was my introduction to the material, and she's...amazing. Intense as all get-out, but it gives the show a thrilling edge and a sinking feeling of dread. Her Rose's Turn at the end is volcanic. Please do yourself a favor and go find it. I'd be very curious to see what you think of her interpretation, since you've enjoyed Midler's for so long.
And yes - we are ALL frustrated that they didn't do a proshoot of Bette Midler in Hello Dolly. They didn't even do the title song during that year's Tony Awards broadcast, which seemed obvious. But again, I think if you look online you'll find a full video of her performance, or barring that, one of her incredibly talented replacements, like Bernadette Peters or Donna Murphy.
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Originally Posted by Neophron
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