The Best Is Yet to Come: Cy Coleman Songs

[After Eight]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 9:27am

A 90 minute compendium of Cy Coleman songs. The problem with the format presented here is that no matter how good the performers or the material, a succession of uninterrupted songs is very hard to pull off. One has to fight both surfeit and tedium, and that's the situation again here. It's enjoyable for about half its length, and then it becomes wearying.

Part of the problem is also the choice of matrial. The early standards and show songs written with Carolyn Leigh are, as always, a delight to hear. It's always a joy to hear the Little Me songs, and "Don't Ask a Lady" from the first revival is a gem. Unfortunately, there are too many later songs written with David Zippel that are just not that good, and they bring the show down. Zippel directed this show, incidentally.

Of the performers, Lillias White was a standout, and her rendition of "The Oldest Profession" was the high point of the evening. Billy Stritch was in fine form, and the band did a great job.

Depiite the shortcomings, if you're a fan of Cy Coleman's work, I'd say it's worth seeing.

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 10:07am

The show desperately needs a director--Zippel doesn't cut the mustard. Having Lillias White make her entrance in a short skirt that does her no favors and a fright wig (which she thankfully removes later) really is appalling---what is the point except to make her look ridiculous? You feel the audience's expectation immediately deflate like a balloon (it's as grossly misjudged as Rob Ashford submitting poor Daniel Radcliffe to choreography that leaves him positively breathless and shown up by hardcore Broadway dancers who don't even break a sweat). And for Zippel to jettison far superior Coleman material from early in the man's career in favor of Zippel's lackluster songs from City Of Angels and other sources is outrageous. Why nothing from Barnum? Why no The Way I See It or Pass Me By or I'm Gonna Laugh You Out Of My Life or When In Rome or On Second Thought or Isn't He Adorable? or I Walk A Little Faster or Firefly...any of these are superior to the Zippel-Coleman efforts. And the musical arrangements are strictly standard-issue: there's very little imagination or invention on display here and the poor performers are left to carry on as best as they can given the circumstances. Some tribute.

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 11:04am

We saw a version of this show with almost the same cast in Santa Barbara a year ago, also with David Zippel directing. Lots of good things in it and great rapport between the cast and the band. When the interactions between performers sparkled, the whole thing came to life. And Lilias White's showstopper stopped the show then as well.

[bk]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 11:06am

What's always fascinating to me is the fact that they seem to have done no work on the show since the West Coast - it was not well received and you'd think they'd do something about it, but apparently not.

[mallardo]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 1:06pm

Lackluster songs frrom City of Angels? Give me a break. It's Coleman's second greatest show and ALL the songs in it are wonderful. If you don't like Zippel, okay, but in THAT show his lyrics really clicked.

[darquegk]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 1:34pm

Can someone post a song list?

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 1:37pm

I'm rather confused by the City of Angels comments as well. I think it's one of Coleman's best and Zippel's lyrics are masterful. Easily one of the top scores of the 90s.

[After Eight]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 1:59pm

David Burnham, Sally Mayes, Howard McGillin, Billy Stritch, Lillias White, Rachel York

The Best Is Yet to Come, cast
Nobody Does It Like Me, S
You Can Always Count on Me, R,L,S
You Fascinate Me So, H
Don't Ask a Lady, L
I've Got Your Number, D
What You Don't Know About Women, S, R
Come Summer, R
It Amazes Me, B
Money Medley, S,R,H,D
Five Zeroes
On the Other Side of the Tracks,
Big Spender
Never Enough
I Wanna Be Yours
Never Met a Man I Didn't Like, L
The Oldest Profession, L
Only the Rest of My Life, R,D
Little Me, B,L
The Measure of Love, S,H
Some Kind of Music, B
With Every Breath I Take, S
Hey, Look Me Over, R
The Doodling Song, R
Witchcraft, D
I'd Give the World, H
Those Hands, L, cast
It Started With a Dream, cast
Megamix, cast
It's Not Where You Start
If My Friends Could See Me Now
Hey There, Good Times
We're Nothing Without You
The Best Is Yet to Come, cast

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 5:16pm

"I think it's one of Coleman's best.."

Nonsense. Except for YOU'RE NOTHING WITHOUT ME, the score is eminently forgettable. Yes, Zippel's lyrics are accomplished but THE BEST IS YET TO COME is NOT a tribute to Zippel and for him to showcase his work at the expense of Coleman's better work is unconscionable.

[canthumthetunes]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 7:51pm

What do you mean, "not well-received"? To which negative review are you referring? Do you mean the LA Times rave, the Hollywood Reporter rave, the BroadwayWorld.com rave, the Backstage West rave, the talkinbroadway rave, or the Variety rave? Backstage West and BroadwayWorld gave it a Critic's Pick. Please, link us to a single negative review from a major press source.

[canthumthetunes]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 7:57pm

As I understand it, a lot of the David Zippel songs come from a show that he and Cy were in the process of writing when Cy passed away, which explains their presence. I thought the opportunity to hear some never-before-heard Cy songs alone was worth the price of admission. At the performance I went to, McGillin's "I'd Give The World" stopped the show.

[bk]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 8:07pm

Dear can't hum the tunes - welcome to the board. :) David? Billy? You know I adore you both, but here's the LA Times "rave" - it's a good review but not a rave and his suggestions are basically what others in this thread are saying. There's no reason to be disingenuous, nor would there be any reason to go on the attack unless it's someone connected with the show - BTW, I enjoyed the show, but felt as others do, it needed a little work before coming in to NY. I don't always agree with Mr. McNulty, who's a bit of a pedant, but I do think he's right about the patter and historical background. It's all horse racing, isn't it?

"The problem with this mostly enjoyable 90-minute offering of wall-to-wall music is that it’s not easy for us to get intimately acquainted with the distinctive personalities of the tirelessly energetic six-person cast. Popping in and out of musical theater attitudes, the performers try to reflect the various moods and styles of Coleman and his collaborators, who include such notables as Carolyn Leigh, Dorothy Fields and Betty Comden and Adolph Green.

More choreographed than a cabaret yet less dramatically structured than a musical, the production spins about in a pleasant enough limbo. But the stage, a good portion of which is reserved for an elegantly attired swing band, seems at once overcrowded and under-utilized.

Cramped, the ensemble resorts to phony comic affectations to liven things up. Clearly, the performers would like it, to paraphrase Coleman and Fields' “Sweet Charity” classic, if their friends (including Liza Minnelli, who was in attendance on Sunday night) could see them now. But boy, could somebody get them to cut out all the trite mannerisms?

Those who don’t have to break a sweat to convey essentials fair best. Billy Stritch, parked behind his piano with a cabaret king’s imperturbability, seems to embody the very soul of Coleman’s cool as he leads the company in a bubbly opening rendition of “The Best Is Yet to Come.” (Stritch’s singing, by the way, is as strong as his musical supervision and arrangements.)

Lillias White starts off slow yet simmers into a steady boil for “The Oldest Profession” from “The Life,” the Coleman-Ira Gasman show in which she won a Tony. Softly purring or belting at full blast, White seduces (wigged or wigless) with a readily available sassiness, which is put to good effect in "Never Met a Man I Didn't Like," from Coleman and Comden and Green's "The Will Rogers Follies."

Sally Mayes and Julia Murney deliver a bouncy version of Coleman and Zippel’s “What You Don’t Know About Women,” one of the many numbers diagnosing the darker side of love. In a similarly unrosy yet nonetheless uptempo vein is Mayes’ delivery of “Nobody Does It Like Me,” Coleman and Fields’ self-deprecating anthem from “Seesaw.”

Jason Graae, who strains at moments with bug-eyed campiness, memorably croons “Witchcraft,” the indelible ditty Coleman wrote with Leigh. Graae is no Frank Sinatra, but he has a swanky voice that suggests the right amorous ambiance even when he’s signaling a mischievous smirk. (Graae's understudy, Tom Lowe, will be filling in for him for the rest of the run, though Graae will return if the show extends beyond its scheduled Aug. 2 closing date.)

In the romantic lead department, there’s David Burnham, an eager-to-please charmer with a winsome air. He seems young and occasionally goofy, but he certainly makes beautiful music with Murney in “Only the Rest of My Life,” a song Coleman wrote with Zippel that’s bound to have a healthy posthumous life.

The show’s galloping pace makes it slightly difficult for us to settle in. A little bit of patter might have dramatically situated the songs for the audience and provided a better sense of their place in Coleman’s career. Personally, I would have preferred more historical background and less tongue-in-cheek choreography (there’s hardly any room for Lorin Latarro’s dance high jinks, anyway). And a better microphone system, one that doesn’t distance the singers from the audience, would definitely add some coziness."
Updated On: 5/21/11 at 08:07 PM

[canthumthetunes]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 8:11pm

Thanks for the welcome. I still don't see how a single lukewarm review means that it was not well-received. I was mistaken in calling it a rave, I give you that. But you were mistaken in calling it anything other than well-received with a few qualifications.

I for one appreciated not having song introductions or historical background. If I want historical background, I'll go to a college lecture (or Side by Side by Sondheim...but that's another story ). Updated On: 5/21/11 at 08:11 PM

[bk]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 8:21pm

As I said, I enjoyed the show - what's not to enjoy. I loved Cy, I love the creators of this show (you know who you are), and I love each and every member of the cast. But most of the folks I went with and most of the folks I talked to pretty much felt the same way - we just wished for some patter - that's not much criticism coming from me and others or even the LA Times, but sometimes if enough people say the same thing it's worth considering, yes?

Side By Side by Sondheim is a good example, actually, but I don't think anyone is talking about that kind of chatter.

Wishing everyone the best, and that I mean from the bottom of my heart :)


Updated On: 5/21/11 at 08:21 PM

[canthumthetunes]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 8:27pm

That's perfectly reasonable. Then again, I'm a musician, so I appreciated being able to listen to awesome musical theatre songs without filler dialogue. Patter's typically my least favorite part of a revue (now, a solo act or a book musical, that's another story). Personal taste, I suppose.

[bk]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 8:38pm

It's all personal taste, of course. And the songs are indeed awesome - no one wrote 'em like Cy. After I saw The Life, I went up to him and said, "Are you always the hippest guy in the room?" And he was. He could write anything, in any style, and his melodies are amazing. And he worked with the creme de la creme of lyricists - Carolyn Leigh, Dorothy Fields, Comden and Green, Zippel - amazing wordsmiths all.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 8:38pm

Only one song from Seesaw? I mean, I never expect to hear "Ride Out the Storm" live, but at least "Nobody Does it Like Me" or "Holiday Inn" or "We've Got It" could have been used.

[After Eight]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 8:55pm

Huskcharmer,

"Nobody Does It Like Me" is in the show. But I too would have loved to hear "We've Got It."

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/21/11 at 9:41pm

Looking forward to seeing it tomorrow.

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 5/22/11 at 9:50pm

"After I saw The Life, I went up to him and said, "Are you always the hippest guy in the room?""

Only if your idea of hip was 1960's playboy. Which was the dated, embarrassing sensibility of The Life in a nutshell.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/22/11 at 10:09pm

Except for YOU'RE NOTHING WITHOUT ME, the score is eminently forgettable.

I'm sorry you feel that way, but I think this is the first time I've ever heard that comment about City of Angels. It's pretty much the opposite I've heard from just about anyone who has ever seen it. You Can Always Count on Me became something of a cabaret standard and With Every Breath I Take was almost equally popular. And I've heard Funny at countless auditions.

[bk]

Posted: 5/22/11 at 10:19pm

"Only if your idea of hip was 1960's playboy. Which was the dated, embarrassing sensibility of The Life in a nutshell."

Sorry, don't agree at all, especially about the score, which has nothing to do with 1960s Playboy, and if you knew anything about 1960s Playboy or 1970s Playboy or 1980s Playboy, you would know that.

[Joanna3]

Posted: 5/22/11 at 10:39pm

The song choices are odd, certainly. I was most baffled by "Big Spender" and "If They Could See Me Now" both getting sandwiched into medleys. And the performers definitely seem to be directed to ham it up as much as possible. And yes, the show would benefit from allowing some expansion, notably ANY dialogue about Coleman. It's also true that the hardworking cast doesn't get to establish their personalities very much.

That's a lot of complaints, but...I just still really loved watching it. It's the corny version of something that could be great. But even at its silliest, it's just so damn fun. And really, I will take ANY opportunity to see Lillias do "The Oldest Profession" live. She's phenomenal. And her and Billy's "Little Me" is also a highlight.

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 5/22/11 at 10:53pm

"You Can Always Count on Me became something of a cabaret standard and With Every Breath I Take was almost equally popular. And I've heard Funny at countless auditions."

Which proves absolutely nothing. For the record, City Of Angels as a show is, like its score, not very good.

"Sorry, don't agree at all, especially about the score, which has nothing to do with 1960s Playboy, and if you knew anything about 1960s Playboy or 1970s Playboy or 1980s Playboy, you would know that."

The chauvinistic 'sexiness' of THE LIFE is strictly old-school, written by two guys well into their senior years. In fact, Cy Coleman was the house musician for a tv show called Playboy's Penthouse. And it goes a long way to explain why the show was an outright flop, given its dated, antique attitudes toward women and sex.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 5/23/11 at 10:39am

Just drop the City of Angels argument, everyone. TheEnchantedHunter thinks only their opinions are the only correct thoughts on musical theater and is not open to debate.

I just music directed a production of City of Angels. The score is one of the most beautiful and compelling I've had the honor of working on. I am not, however, particularly interested in a 90 minute concert of Cy Coleman songs. I like his music, but I prefer revues with at least some kind of structure.