ROZA (with Georgia Brown) - MARY TESTA studio recording? Please!- Page 4

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 7/24/14 at 7:49pm

I love the film and Georgia Brown, and I really looked forward to the production in LA.

Alas, Dimitri2 sums it up well. He only neglects to mention a truly appalling song about being crowded by the Nazis into the Paris velodrome, in which Roza sang repeatedly that "They put a number on my arm!" (as if that were the worst thing the Nazis ever did). (The song is based on an historical incident, but that was cold comfort.)

I in no way blamed Miss Brown for the production's failure. She worked as hard as she always does in my experience. Bob Gunton played a transvestite, so there was that.

Updated On: 7/24/14 at 07:49 PM

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 7/24/14 at 8:18pm

It's odd--Wiki says that composer Gilbert Bécaud brought the property to Hal Prince, because he was such a fan of Sweeney, and always wanted to do a musical of the property. Prince finally gave in as long as Prince got to choose the librettist/lyricist. He chose Julian More. I can't find ANY info on Julian--was he the son of Prince's college roommate or something? Because the lyrics are pretty awful--and you'd think with Prince's circle of friends he coulda gotten... well someone else.