Customer Reviews

Applause: Original 1970 Broadway Cast

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've been waiting forever for a CD version of this classic showbiz musical. I bought the vinyl version years ago and had played it so many times, it was warped and useless. It's so exciting to hear the overture and all those great Adams and Strouse songs again! Quite simply, Lauren Bacall is at the zenith of her career here. How lucky we are to have the performance preserved forever. Her edgy, urbane and ascerbic persona makes her the definitive Margo. Her songs range from the high voltage "But Alive" to the wonderfully bitchy "Welcome to the Theater" in which she pulls no punches, and she shows a touching insight in "Something Greater." Her Tony Award was well-deserved. Penny Fuller is also a force to be reckoned with. Her Eve is disturbed, calculating and immensely talented. Fuller metamorphoses from saccharine to sinister in "The Best Night of My Life" and especially "One Hallowe'en." And let's not forget Bonnie Franklin who blows us away with the title song which has become an anthem of the theater. Len Cariou is also strong in one of his early musical roles. But the women rule here. If you love the theater and theater people, this is the musical for you. I never got to see the show, which I truly regret. It must have been one thrilling theatrical experience.

APPLAUSE is the acclaimed musical stage-version of the classic film "All About Eve", which memorably told the tale of conniving Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) who worms her way into the life of stage diva Margo Channing (Bette Davis) and begins her climb to eclipse Margo as the most successful actress on Broadway.

The stage version moves the story forward from the 50's into the swinging 70's, making good use of the music-style from the period. APPLAUSE opened on Broadway starring Lauren Bacall (in her musical debut) as Margo Channing, and Penny Fuller as Eve Harrington. The cast also included Len Cariou (A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC), Bonnie Franklin, Lee Roy Reams (42ND STREET), Ann Williams and Robert Mandan.

The songs, written by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams, are uniformably excellent, with standouts including "But Alive", "The Best Night of My Life", "Applause", "Who's That Girl?"; the canny "Welcome to the Theatre"; and Eve's semi-breakdown in "One Hallowe'en" which dissolves into a frenzied and frightening reprise of "But Alive".

Later in the run when Bacall completed her contract, producers scored a huge coo by convincing Anne Baxter (Eve in the movie) to replace Bacall as Margo. A fantastic, must-own cast-album.

A show that deserves "the sound that says love!", "Applause" is a smart, witty show that captures the essence of the immortal "All About Eve" in a way that few could expect it to. Thrilling and magical and sometimes downright bitchy, "Applause" is a kaliediscopic look at the backstage happenings in the crazy world of show business, told with a timeless story and a marvelous score.

In her Broadway debut, the legendary Lauren Bacall shines as Margo Channing, an aging Broadway star still at the top of the heap when a stagestruck young fan, Eve Harrington (Penny Fuller), enters her life. At first charmed by the charming young woman, Margo soon feels uneasy and finally paranoic about her protegee... and with good reason. Eve soon cozies up to MArgo's director boyfriend, Bill Sampson (Len Cariou), and best friends Buzz and Karen Richards (Brandon Maggart and Ann Williams). The manipulative Eve manages to wheedle her way to become Margo's understudy, and becomes a sensation when Margo is intentionally sidetracked from performing her show one night, and it is finally realized that Eve was up to no good from the start. Has Eve seized Margo's happiness away for good... or will Margo have the last laugh?

The Charles Strouse-Lee Adams score is just perfect, based on the book by the legendary team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Though no Ethel Merman, Lauren Bacall nevertheless pounds out song after song in an owlish, whiskey-and-cigarettes voice that is just perfect for her character, and makes her singing a veritable thrill on its own: in her best number, "But Alive", the tired but stimulated Bacall declares, "I feel groggy and weary and tragic... punchy and bleary and fresh out of magic, but alive.. but alive!... but ali-i-i-ive!" to perfection. in another number Bacall as Margo makes fun of her nineteen-year-old self in the amusingly satiric "Who's That Girl?". She sings a poignant, bittersweet ballad, "Hurry Back", and shines with the ironic "Welcome to the Theater"...Other sparkling songs include a familiar-sounding "Fasten Your Seatbelts", (in which Bacall does a brief but hilarious drunken spiel) "One Hallowe'en" (sung by a malicious Eve), Bill and Margo's duets "One of A Kind" and "Something Greater" and the brilliant title song, "Applause" are pure gems in this wonderful show.

A four-time 1970 Tony winner, including Best Musical, Best Director, Best Choreography, and Best Actress for Lauren Bacall, "Applause" is as immortal as its 1950 predecessor, and is great fun for fans of "All About Eve"."Welcome to the Theater" to a night of great entertainment!

When I did this show in High School, no one had heard of it, and even I was sceptical. But it has an amazing story, based on the film, All About Eve. The score is typical Strouse, and is very well written. It fits into the story perfectly and helps a great deal with character development. Some of the songs do make much more sense in the context of the show, such as backstage babble, and fasten your seatbelt.

When I did the show in 1998 there was no available recording of the CD. I was thrilled to learn that it was finally available. It is an excellent recording of one of Broadway's most forgotten musicals. I hope the reissue will bring it some much deserved recognition. I also hope that the TV movie will someday soon see video and DVD format. I would really love to see that.

I've been waiting for the re-release of this Broadway classic. I was fortunate enough at age 8 to see the show when it debuted in N.Y.C. From the first note of the Overture to the last beat of the Finale, "Applause" keeps you well entertained. All the music is both upbeat and refreshing. Lauren Bacall is fantastic. Her talent is wonderfully exciting and brings life to the songs she sings. This is definetly an entertaining and enjoyable soundtrack to own. I had a copy of the original cassette tape and played it so much it started to ware down. If you really want to be entertained, buy this CD. Thanks for the re-release!

Anyone with a weakness for 60s/early70s razzle-dazzle Broadway musicals will love this CD. "Applause" was, in some ways, the last of its kind: a shiny, brassy show (vehicle, really) that did nothing more than entertain. Sondheim, Prince and the 70s helped kill off the genre. How terriffic to have it back! The songs range from terriffic ("Welcome to the Theatre") to good ("Who's that Girl") to tolerable ("She's No Longer A Gypsy"), so this is not Strouse and Adams at the level of "Bye Bye Birdie." But it's a smart, hummable score...and, of course, there's LAUREN BACALL. Who cares that she's not a trained singer?? She sings the same way Rex Harrison did in "My Fair Lady": rendering a crisp articulation of the song in a one-of-a-kind voice. Listen to her on the opening of "But Alive," that acerbic, foghorn intonatin will give you shivers!! That song alone, and her delivery of it, is worth the price of this CD.

A good, charged musical. No, it's not perfect, but it has so many successful and emotionally charged moments that it climbs on up there. Of course not to be missed is Bonnie Franklin singing the title number (I'd buy the recording for that alone), and Lauren Bacall's voice stakes out its own ground as unique and character-ful, especially once one accepts it on its own terms.

Bacall is not a singer, but her emotional delivery and husky growl make her a believable character. She is her own Margo, very different from the superb Bette Davis, but still valid and memorable. There are also elements of Tallulah (whom I still believe was the inspiration for the original Margo). The other performers,especially Penny Fuller and Bonnie Franklin, are fine. The quality of the songs varies-some are excellent, some are good,some are only pleasant. Two are especially fine: "But Alive" and "Welcome to the Theater". The title song is brassy and tuneful. All-in-all, a great night in the theater!

Don't get me wrong. I love "Applause". It is a joy to listen to. However, it has a couple of flaws. It is not the best score ever written and with the newly remastered cd Lauren Bacall's voice cracks in places you didn't notice on the LP version.Putting this aside, it is a joy to listen to. Philip J. Lang's bright orchestrations are wonderful. The overture really sets the tone for the show and all the way through they enhance the score and the actors.Of course, Lauren Bacall is wonderful in the part despite the fact she is not a singer. Lee Roy Reams, Bonnie Franklin (in the title number), Penny Fuller, Len Cariou give wonderful support in the vocal department.Any fan of musical theatre should have this for their collection.

Lauren Bacall! Len Cariou! Penny Fuller! Who could ask for anymore??!! This is a wonderful musical with an outstanding cast and amazing music and lyrics. We are all so lucky to have this cd available to us once again. America has gone too long without this cd on the shelves. It's a classic that every Broadway fan should add to their collection no matter their age. It's one of my personally favorite shows.