Many of us miss the days of original musicals generally performed live on television, but on this week’s Dress Circle (12/15 7:00 p.m.), we’re going to give you the chance to relive five of them through selections for their scores.
We’re beginning with our most recent work: Jerry Herman’s “Mrs. Santa Claus” which featured Angela Lansbury as the Mrs. to Charles Durning’s Santa. While trying to iron out the “kinks” in Santa’s Christmas route and ends up singing and dancing her way through turn of the century New York issues like child labor and suffrage.
After that, we’ll go back to 1965 and the Styne and Merrill vehicle for Liza Minnelli, Cyril Ritchard, Vic Damon, and The Animals entitled “The Dangerous Christmas of Red Riding Hood.” It’s a wonderfully silly story about Red, the wolf, the woodsman, The Animals, and Christmas. What else?
In 1958, Richard Adler wrote a musical for his then wife, Sally Ann Howes based on O. Henry’s (William Sydney Porter) short story, “The Gift of the Magi.” Her co-star in the recording is Allen Chase in this touching story about unselfish giving at its most heartfelt.
Basil Rathbone in a musical? Yup! He was Scrooge in the 1956 work by Spielman and Torre entitled “The Stingiest Man in Town.” The cast for this retelling of “A Christmas Carol” also starred Johnny Desmond, Robert Weede, Betty Madgan, and Robert Wright.
Our final musical is from 1964 and is one that is just as popular today. It’s the perennially charming “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” featuring Burl Ives as the narrator. Even after all these years, this one is still able to transport us back to a happier time in life.
It’s a bit of holiday nostalgia this week, and we hope you’ll join us on Sunday for the fun.
