Broadway by the Year: 1978

I must admit to a certain measure of surprise and dismay when I opened the programme to the finale of this year's Broadway by the Year season, The Broadway Musicals of 1978. The programme listed fourteen musicals that opened in 1978, and yet only eight were to be represented in the concert. Worse yet, of the 25 songs listed (24 were actually performed), eight were from the 30's and 40's. Bitterness set in, and for the first time in its five year run, I was apprehensive about a Broadway by the Year concert.

Silly of me, I know. These concerts are must-see events for lovers of history and lovers of Broadway both classic and new. Any given concert might breathe new life into a classic song, or introduce a forgotten gem to a new audience. It's always a gamble and a balancing act, and so far, it's always paid off. Monday was a greater gamble than most: two of the biggest hits of 1978 were Eubie! and Ain't Misbehavin', revues that resurrected the songbooks of Eubie Blake and Fats Waller, and made the largely-forgotten composers household names again. The influence of these shows cannot be ignored, but neither can the fact that their featured songs were written forty years before they made their Broadway bows. As I said, a delicate balance.

And so it was that a third of the evening's songs were classics from the '40's, and six shows that opened during the year received practically no recognition at all. It could have been a recipe for disappointment, but Mr. Siegel chose his songs well, and made certain that old and new flowed seamlessly together into an exciting whole. It might have been nice to hear more of Angel (a flop musicalization of Thomas Wolfe's Look Homeward, Angel) than just "Railbird" as an entr'acte, or anything at all from Timbuktu! (a revision of Kismet that kept much of the original score, and might well have seemed repetitive as Kismet has already been featured at Broadway by the Year), but the selections were not only logical, but genuinely enjoyable.

The primary cast opened the evening with the enthusiastic titular song from the one-night wonder A Broadway Musical (complete with fantastic dancing from Sean Martin Hingston), and the concert's director Bryan Batt sang a bitter diatribe against "Lawyers" that was too angry to truly be funny, even with Mr. Batt's flawless comic timing. (There were audible groans in the house when Mr. Siegel announced that Mr. Batt would only be performing one song in the evening. I doubt they were lamenting the lack of any more songs from this musical in the concert.)

Lari White, late of the ill-fated Ring of Fire, made an impressive BBTY debut with a soulful "Doatsy Mae" from The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and comedienne cabaret star Christine Pedi sang a funny and smart "It's an Art," one of Stephen Schwartz's contributions to Working. Young Julie Garnyé sang a sweet and sassy "I'm Just Wild About Harry" from Eubie!, and Tony nominee Nancy Opel sang a surprisingly lackluster "Just a Housewife," one of Craig Carnelia's contributions to Working, capturing the depression of the character but not her anger or frustration. Cabaret star Lennie Watts sang a poignant "Fathers and Sons," another one of Stephen Schwartz's songs from the same show. Felicia Finley was scheduled to sing "Honeysuckle Rose" from Ain't Misbehavin', but due to illness had to drop out of the concert at the last minute. BBTY vet Mary Bond Davis stepped effortlessly in, and joyously belted out the number without a microphone. She followed that showstopper with a soulful "Mean to Me" from the same show, using a mike but keeping it at a good distance. (Wise of her: she never needs one.) Tony-nominee Carolee Carmello sang a lovely and powerful "The Mason," another of Carnelia's songs from Working, expertly capturing the pride of anyone who has ever created something to last.

After a devastating leg injury earlier this year, Noah Racey returned to Broadway by the Year in glorious triumph to sing an only too apropos "Keeping Out of Mischief Now" from Ain't Misbehavin' entering on a cane and turning it into a prop for an extended tap sequence that could not have been healthy for his injured Achilles tendon. It was wonderful to see the dancer back where he belongs and doing what he does best. The act was brought to a rousing finale with an unamplified rendition of the titular song from Ain't Misbehavin', performed by Tony-winner Chuck Cooper and Mary Bond Davis, who conjured Lady Day at her brightest with a red flower in her hair.

Mr. Cooper returned to begin Act Two with an adorable "Your Feets Too Big," another popular number from Ain't Misbehavin', and Christine Pedi returned to sing a rousing "I Rise Again" from On The Twentieth Century. (She really would make a brilliant Oscar Jaffe in that show. Has anyone ever considered reversing the genders of the two leads?) Lari White returned to sing James Taylor's poignant "Millwork" from Working, and Ms. Garnyé sang a soulful "Lullaby of Baby to Baby" from Runaways.

Lennie Watts conjured Charles Schulz's Linus with an adorable "I'm a Great Big Baby" from Eubie!, and Mmes. Pedi, Opel, Garnyé and White sang a beautifully harmonic "Hard Candy Christmas" from Best Little Whorehouse. Dancers Joyce Chittick (late of The Pajama Game) and Sean Martin Hingston (Contact) performed a dazzlingly acrobatic "More of the Same," one of the first disco Broadway showtunes, from the musical Ballroom.

Lari White returned to sing a powerful "There's a Terrific Band and a Real Nice Crowd," also from Ballroom, made all the more impressive by the fact that she only learned the song a few days before the concert. Nancy Opel returned to sing the quasi-operatic "Never" from On The Twentieth Century, but once again was somewhat less dynamic than normal, not hitting the comic heights that usually come easily to her. Carolee Carmello took the coveted penultimate spot, bringing down the house with an impassioned "Fifty Percent" from Ballroom, and (no doubt) making Dorothy Louden smile proudly. The evening ended with the full cast singing (and dancing to) "The Joint is Jumpin'" from Ain't Misbehavin', a wonderfully energetic finale to a wonderful season of history and music.

And for those who simply can't wait until next March to hear classic showtunes performed without a microphone, grab tickets to Novenber's Broadway Unplugged now.

Phogographs courtesy of Maryann Lopinto