John Kander, Fred Ebb - Flora The Red Menace: The Original Broadway Cast Recording (1965)

Don't waste money on this one

Recently I saw a revival of FLORA and loved it. I was fooled to buy the original version, and I can see why it closed after playing 87 performances. Minnelli might have been great on stage, but she is raw and shrill on this CD. FLORA has been redone in 1987, and it has better story and music! This CD is a waste of money -let it die in peace. March 14, 2007

I LOVE THIS MUSICAL

Gosh,I wish I could have seen this in person.
Liza was only about 17 if I remember.She was mesmerizing when
she was young and a star ready to burst in her own right.

It is unfortunate things have not worked out well for her in
later years.She is so interesting,and what a family to come from.
I actually think she could be as commanding on stage as her mom,
she was that good !

Good luck Liza.
October 31, 2005

liza kander and ebb- the early years

WHat fun...bright brassy...at times it appears that liza may be auditioning for the road tour of funny girl. For shear energy and and fun show music..don't miss it. The last song has always seemed kind of lame to me...but hey....DO NOT mistake this for the 1987 revival- i love peter frechette...but its just not the same. August 26, 2005

Flora, The Red Menace: Early Kander and Ebb

If you listen to the 1987 off-Broadway recording or read the script which I believe is still out there, I have a copy of it, you will get quite attatched to it and enjoy it's intimacy and small cast.
But if you listen to the 1965 recording...this once and you read the production synopsis, you get the feeling the book is very weak and the story choppy which is absolutely true.
I think this: The first Kander and Ebb Broadway score is one of their most beatiful and meledious. The late Fred Ebb's lyrics often use witty and comic rhymes, with his touch of sentiment while John Kander's music truely is a standout for a first Broadway show.
If the show had 1-Been written by another author other than George Abbot and 2-Directed by Hal Prince, it would have taken Communists more seriously. George Abbott treats the show as a musical comedy, treating "The Flame", a song about a truely evil communist as a comic number and adding "Palomino Pal", "Hello Waves" and "Knock-Knock" as comic relief. I also feel, from the production synopsis, the story has too many charachters and secondary plots and oldschool ideas. Communist is not musical comedy material.
But back to the score and the recoring: Liza Minnelli's vocals stand out, she brings that quiet-ness to "A Quiet Thing" and that alive-ness to "Sing Happy" (my personal favorite from the show.) Other performers do not vocally stand out, but are just as decent.
I really did enjoy this CD, the score and Liza and the cast's performances are terrific, it would have been more sucessful if it hadn't been a musical comedy.

December 4, 2004

endlessly enjoyable Kander-Ebb score

FLORA THE RED MENACE features an endlessly-delightful score by John Kander and Fred Ebb. It marked the Broadway debut of Liza Minnelli in the title role (following her acclaimed performance in an off-Broadway revival of BEST FOOT FORWARD the previous year), and netted the young belter her first Tony Award. FLORA was a middling failure, running only 87 performances at the Alvin Theatre (by the time Minnelli received her Tony, the show had well and truly vanished into the void). As mentioned above, the score is endlessly delightful, there is not a single clinker here. The beautiful ballad "A Quiet Thing", the manic "Sign Here" and the waltz-like "Dear Love" are only a few of the big stand-outs. There are also hilarious numbers like "The Flame", "Express Yourself" and "Palomino Pal". The supporting cast includes Bob Dishy with Mary Louise Wilson (CABARET) and Cathryn Damon (THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE) as the two main female comrades, Ada and Charlotte respectively. The cast album for FLORA THE RED MENACE is a must-own for all serious Broadway fans. August 14, 2004

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