Customer Reviews

Bajour (1964 Original Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

a generation ago -- or two -- the broadway musical season would usually produce one blockbuster, several flops, and 2 or 3 "nice shows" that would play to theatre parties and tourists and show queens, and then after six months to a year, close at a modest profit or a modest loss.

BAJOUR is a classic of this type of show. it is replete with almost hilarious comedy songs, and almost lovely ballads. its ambitions were modest, but it accomplished them 100%. and there are some great performances here by broadway legend chita rivera, and the sadly ignored and underrated nancy dussault.

if you expect every show to be MY FAIR LADY, this album is not for you. but if you want to spend a thoroughly enjoyable hour listening to what the broadway musical once was, you cannot do better than BAJOUR!

Chita Rivera and Nancy Dussault are the stars of this show. The score isn't wonderful, but there are plenty of tunes to keep you humming. Two songs, "Mean" and "I Can," demonstrate why Ms Rivera has been a plus for any musical production

I was lucky enough to see this show when I was 21, and all my life I have enjoyed soaking up the succulent score. Even today's hits don't have songs this good any more. If Styne & Hart could have collaborated on a score, it would turn out something like this. And to think one man wrote it ! Chita's "Love Line" still gives me chills & tears. Nancy's tribe song is adorable. "Mean" refuses to let go of you. "Honest Man" makes you want to get up and perform it with someone good ! These lyrics are brilliantly clever fun, and the melodies actually have MELODY ! Remember melody ? Just listen to that thrilling overture. Remember Overtures ??? Hey, Broadway originals ! How about getting Chita & Nancy to re-create "Yes I Can" ? GET THIS CD !!!

Bajour had most of all the ingredients for a successful show. Talented cast, colorful costumes, witty scenery, tuneful and lively songs, torrid choreography and the fantastic and uncannily thrilling dancing of Chita Rivera who single-handedly nearly caused a fire alarm from the sparks shooting from her heels. The problem which could not be solved was the book which was too convaluted and had a premise stretched beyond the breaking point. Nancy Dussault as Emily is a student who in order to obtain a degree in anthropology must write a thesis on the primitive customs of a tribe. She settles on a "tribe' of Gypsies in NYC and that was the stretch that stopped the show from becoming a hit and a shame it is to anyone who hears the delightful score. The cd is now out of print but worthwhile for theatre buffs if it becomes available again but unfortunatly the fiery dancing of Ms Rivera (on the numbers 'The Haggle' 'Mean' 'Bajour' and 'The Sew-up' the last not on the cd because it is a dance number only)can't be appreciated.

Here's a great treasure for the serious musical theatre collectors. With it's zesty story of a troupe of gypsies in New York, BAJOUR ran for a none-too-shabby 232 performances on Broadway; a perfect example of the tidy, one-season wonder. It's sparkling cast includes Chita Rivera as fiery gypsy maiden Anyanka; and Nancy Dussault as Emily Kirsten, the anthropology student fascinated by the culture clash in progress.

Originally, BAJOUR was to have been a reunion for the producers and creative team behind "Bye Bye Birdie", but for whatever reason that never quite panned out. Instead, the score of BAJOUR was fashioned by Walter Marks with a book by Ernest Kinoy (loosely based on stories which originally appeared in the New Yorker magazine, written by Joseph Mitchell). Chita Rivera, who had recently returned from her duties in the London company of "Bye Bye Birdie", was a shoo-in for the role of Anyanka and delivers handsomely. Nancy Dussault had been the final Maria in the original run of "The Sound of Music", and her pert, vivacious stage personality was likewise a perfect fit for Emily.

Tuneful and bouncy, the score of BAJOUR glistens with several wonderful pieces that will prove irresistible for the serious Broadway enthusiasts. "Love-Line", "Mean!", and "I'll Try" (the latter a comedic duet for Anyanka and Emily) are ideal for the livewire talents of Chita Rivera. Ms Dussault has some excellent pieces like "Living Simply", which climaxes into a swirling three-part melody with Robert Burr and the male ensemble; the manic "Where is the Tribe for Me?" has a zany, Carol Burnett-feel to it (she was originally considered for the role of Emily); and "Love is a Chance", a gangbusters 11 o'clock gem.

BAJOUR fell on hard times when Nancy Dussault fell ill and needed to leave the show for several weeks; reviews weren't entirely favourable, and even a mid-run move to a more suitable theatre couldn't save it's descent into the void. Ms Dussault was nominated for a Tony Award but lost out to Liza Minnelli's Broadway debut in "Flora, The Red Menace" (another show which also faded quickly from the scene).

Grab it while you still can. [Sony Broadway SK48208]

The CD of Bajour is the perfect example of a "nice" Broadway show: Plesant score with a few nice songs such as "Words, Words, Words" and "Where is the Tribe for Me", but nothing groundbreaking or remarkable about it. Great performance by Chita Rivera, Nancy Dussault and, Herschel Bernardi also help. A good CD for Broadway fans.

First I had the piano score, then I had to get the vinyl, and then, thank goodness, the CD came out to preserve this relic of a simpler and more innocent time in musical theatre history. BAJOUR had a short life back in the days when a Broadway season had lots of shows to choose from and budgets weren't sky-high. So, what's the deal with this one? Well, listen to "Guarantees" and "Words, Words, Words," for starters. Just terrible....but in such a wonderful, Broadway sort of way, that you have to listen to the entire show. Then there's "Love Line," which as a piano solo is very pretty. And "Honest Man," a good, old-fashioned Broadway "show stopping" number. MY FAIR LADY it ain't, but good-bad Broadway it is, with Chita Rivera, Herschel Bernardi, et al, belting 'em out in the type of show that, alas, doesn't come along very often, but, in the 60's did, more often than not. (By the way, if you want another show that fits in this particular good-bad 60's mold, try I HAD A BALL, with Buddy Hackett and Richard Kiley.)

Bajour is a perfect example of a sixties musical that was nothing more than sheer, mindless entertainment. While it is considered a flop, it had a run of 232 performances, recorded a cast album, and is an entertaining curiosity. Chita Rivera as a gypsy queen? Perfect! She got to wear a bunch of colorful gypsy type costumes, had a couple big, fast and furious dance numbers, and played the comedy to the hilt! Nancy Dussault as the ingenue had the fun of playing opposite Rivera, had a couple fun, catchy comedy numbers, and got the guy in the end, and was charming. I find Hershel Bernardi and Herb Edelman (yeah, Stan on the Golden Girls, 20 yrs later), a bit over the top and trying too hard as the chiefs of opposing gypsy clans.

While the book is ridiculous and incredulous, the score is fun, hardly memorable, but gives the performers oppurtunities to strut their stuff. The composer, Walter Marks, would gain a bigger hit a few years later with Golden Rainbow, the paper thin musical designed for the talents of Steve and Eydie, actually a fun show with a good score that included I've Gotta Be Me.

Overall, Bajour is a fun addition to any theater collectors libraries.

How bad is it,they ask. Not as bad as you'd think; though "Bajour" has bland,and even horrid aspects,
it's still good often enough to remind you why its stars are so highly admired. Good orchestra.
If you were wondering,you may as well give it a go.
Songwriter Walter Marks had the chops, and showed them again a few years later
in the wildly tacky, glossy-professional "Golden Rainbow"("I've Gotta Be Me"). Whatever happened to him?
Anyway,you'll laugh at least sometimes during "Bajour" -- it's got glee,that's for sure.