 |  | This musical got me hooked |  |
I saw Little Me in its pre-Broadway tryout in Philadelphia in 1962, at age 15, it was the first time I was ever in a theater, have been going for the past 46 years. I have great memories of Little Me, in spite of sitting in a cheap, balcony seat in a long-since demolished theater (the Erlanger),where I couldn't hear all the words (but at least what I did hear had a natural sound). Sid Caesar dominated, but all the supporting actors were good, especially Swen Swenson doing "I've Got Your Number". I have this only on an lp record, haven't heard it in a long time, but I still remember the music and lyrics. This is real theater history for me.
December 27, 2008 | | Five Stars for Carolyn Leigh | |
Despite complaints about sound quality, and whatever one's opinion regarding vocal talent (I for one would rather listen to Gwen Verdon than to Sarah Brightman) -- anyone with a taste for sharp, witty songwriting MUST own "LITTLE ME"! With all due respect, that's a no-brainer.
Laugh-out-loud funny.
December 26, 2008OK, so maybe "Little Me" isn't quite lost -- there have been two Broadway revivals, the last of which won Martin Short a Tony -- but it's certainly a treasure that too few people know about. Perhaps that's because the show doesn't quite work onstage. No such worries here; this cast album is an absolute delight, one I never tire of listening to. Most of the credit goes to Carolyn Leigh, for her remarkably clever lyrics. "No man is a true pariah deep down inside.../No-one is a true Uriah Heep down inside" has to be one of the wittiest lyrics ever written. Who knows why Leigh isn't remembered as one of the greats -- she died prematurely, and is rumored to have been a little nuts -- but on the basis of "Little Me," she should be. Cy Coleman's music is, as always, tuneful and fun, and the performances are superb. The show was written for Sid Caesar, who was at the pinnacle of his career, and his performance on the album makes you long to see it live; it's wacky, silly and altogether hilarious. If you don't know "Little Me," and you're a fan of traditional musical theater, this is a must buy.
November 7, 2008| | | A JOYOUS TRIP BACK INTO TIME WITH BELLE POITRINE | |
Based on the hysterical Patrick Dennis novel, Little Me is the musicalization of the fictional biography of that great star of stage, screen, television and the tabloids, Belle Poitrine. If your French isn't up to it, her name translates as her two best features. In the course of the story, La Belle goes through husbands, fortunes and careers while trying to remain true to herself. The CD of this musical, recorded more than 45 years ago and long out-of-print, has been re-issued by ArkivMusic, to whom praise, kudos, and lots of business should be given. It is a brassy, bouncy, bodacious score---music and lyrics by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh, and it weathers the years admirably. As a matter of fact, it sounds a hell of a lot better than a spate of recent Broadways shows. There are some standards ("Real Live Girl," "Here's to Us"), a song or two that was popular ("I've Got Your Number," "The Other Side of the Tracks") and a few really funny and really touching sleepers that deserve to be remembered. The show's star was Sid Caesar, an incredibly popular television comic, but the supporting players were all Broadway musical stalwarts of the period, and this reissue is like taking a time capsule back to the `60. Unpretentious, touching, rollicking and bold, this score deserves a listen. And a relisten.
June 2, 2008 | | A "tour-de-farce" for Sid Caesar | |
"Little Me" opened to raves from the New York critics and a lack of response from New York audiences. Building an entire musical around a single TV comic seldom works well. And leading men who cannot sing rarely make good music. Yes, there are exceptions--Burton in "Camelot," Harrison in "My Fair Lady," and Chevalier in everything he did. But not Sid Caesar.
But, this is a review about the recording, not about the musical. For whatever good vibes it created on stage, "Little Me" does not translate to sound recording. The songs do not flow into any story line. Aside from "I've Got Your Number," no song stands on its own. Without the visual, whatever excitement the show provided is just not there.
If you have seen "Little Me" and can picture the action as you listen, or if you want a complete collection of Broadway musicals, you may need this recording. If you just enjoy listening, you can do without it.
November 27, 2007More reviews at Amazon.com ...
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