Customer Reviews

Bea Arthur on Broadway - Just Between Friends

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a huge fan of Bea Arthur's, I was very excited when I heard she would return to Broadway to do a one-woman show. Not since winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for "Mame" has Bea Arthur been on stage. Well, what a way to follow up! This cd (which was recorded during a live performance) Bea gives fans an intimate look into her show business life. The stories are very funny and touching, and the songs (which Bea picked out herself) are fun, beautiful, and magical. A favorite part of this cd for me, is when Bea talks about her days on TV. She was the star of two very successful and groundbreaking sitcoms, "Maude" and "The Golden Girls" I am a huge fan of "The Golden Girls" and Bea's character Dorothy was always my favorite. This cd is a must for any Bea Arthur fan, but the appeal of this amazing show goes beyond her hardcore fans. Any fan of classic Broadway and cabaret songs will love this cd. This is one of the favorite cds I own, and should be treasured by more people. And finally, as a sidenote, Bea's one-woman show was nominated for a Tony Award in 2001 in the category of Best Special Theatrical Event.

BEA ARTHUR ON BROADWAY: JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS, recorded live during the last stand of a lengthy pre-Broadway tour (on the road, the show was called ANS THEN THERE'S BEA), captures the incomparable actress-comedienne in prime latter-day form. Fans like myself who have been long aware of the deep-voiced Ms. Arthur's unique and very potent singing style have been hoping for a show like this one for many years. While her trademark wit (presented here in all its unexpurgated glory, including a number of words Maude couldn't say on TV, even today) is reason enough to enjoy this CD, there are a number of very moving highlights as well. It's hard not to be moved hearing the 78-year-old legend offer a wistful "Fun to be Fooled", or a truly heart-rending version of "Where Do You Start?", in which an aging woman deals with divorce. Ms. Arthur ambitiously tackles "Pirate Jenny" from "The Threepenny Opera", and "Some People", both songs traditionally performed by singers of much greater range--but fear not, the results here border on electrifying. The gifted composer-pianist Billy Goldenberg accompanies Ms. Arthur. The bottom line: a legend, to be sure--doing it her way, and damn well.

Bea Arthor is one of a handful of entertainers that I truly admire. I loved her in The Golden Girls and even in Maude though I was pretty young when that was on. this CD will have you laughing and singing along with Bea as she takes you down memory lane. From the monologues and stories she tells you can see she has had a wonderful life and still going strong. I loved every minute of this CD and its my first choice when I want to hear something unique. Highly recommended.

Luckily I was able to see this show at the Booth Theatre in its opening week on Broadway. I can assure you that the cd captures the charm and humor that Bea Arthur brought to the stage that evening.

With this show (and cd)expect an accomplished actor, working her way around each song and presenting each one with an entertaining and surprisingly fresh perspective. Even more exciting to me, however, is catching a glimpse of the person Bea Arthur is in "real" life. A compassionate, intelligent and very funny lady.

If you are big a fan of "Maude"'s Bea Arthur, you will LOVE this CD. In her triumphant return to the Broadway Stage in "Just Between Friends: An Evening With Bea Arthur", Bea shares with us intimate stories from her years of experience, all the way from the 1950s, where she got her big start as Lucy Brown in "Three Penny Opera" to her hysterical 80's TV sitcom playing Dorothy in "The Golden Girls". In this CD,(recorded during a live show), we can hear some of Bea's personal favorite songs that she chose herself to share with us. They include "Some People", "Pirate Jenny", "Fun to be Fooled", and "What Can You Get a Nudist For Her Birthday?". This is the first time since winning her Tony Award for her portrayl of Vera Charles in "Mame" that Bea has performed in a Broadway show, and this delightful and touching collection of songs is something all of her fans should own and treasure.

Again, 100% entertaining. Before my first listen of this CD I wasn't exactly sure what I was in for; since then it has been my constant companion from the car to my kitchen. What makes this hour of your time so enjoyably spent is what it is not--meaning an overtly sentimental, preciously embellished, and pointless recount from another entertainment "legend", or an overtly dramatic cabaret run-through. For starters, Bea Arthur is indeed a legend minus quotation marks, talanted and high-ranking. Every recount she relates here is hysterical and with candor, every familiar song engagingly sung with her own unigue wit, and all delivered with the intimacy as if she really is among just friends. Those of you who know Arthur almost exclusively from her television work (as I do) will be elated and surprised by how down-to-earth her real-life character truly is. But not to suggest that her real-life is missing Dorothy's or Maude's edge; she simply possesses the finesse those TV counterparts were missing. What is missing from this, however, is the visual. I agree with the previous reviewers and do hope that there may be a DVD release in the works. But in the meantime this CD is perfectly amusing. It has some of everything: tasteful 'language', sentiment, sincerity, bawdy behaviour, terrific humor, and Bea's great voice.

Very enjoyable.I really hope this could get a dvd release along with her show" And then there's Bea".
People like her come only once in a lifetime. I just wish Hollywood would realize this and put talent and substance back into movies and television.
If your a fan of Bea Arthur or just appreciate real talent then buy this.
Amazing performance by Ms.Arthur

This is a wonderful cd! I had the pleasure of seeing the opening performance of this show, then titled "And then there's Bea," at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis. This had to be one of the most relaxing, joyous evenings I've had in a long time. The entire audience was amazed at how captivating she was and after she fell off the stage she got helped back on and continued without skipping a beat! Truly amazing. The only disappointment about this cd is that it is very much toned down from the raunchy humor Ms. Arthur is known for and the songs I most wanted to hear from the production are missing from this recording (Garbage, and Times, They Are A Changing). This show really isn't a biography but more of a conversation you may hear at a dinner party, and a dinner party where everything is discussed!

Contrary to what I have read in the past reviews I have to tell you that this show is amazing. The CD captures the essence of Bea's energy and work put into this show but for people who didn't actually see the show I could see how it could put a damper on what it really was. I would say that to buy this CD you need to love Bea Arthur. Everything about her, from her voice to her 5'11" frame.

Bea Arthur on Broadway - what a hoot and what a lot of fun. Stories are great, songs are excellent - Have to think that her version of Pirate Jenny from Three Penny Opera is just about the best I have heard. Her rendition of FiftyPercent from Ballroom is magnificent - never really cared for that show that much, but she did a terrific job on selling that song! This is a have-to buy for anyone serious about Broadway and about solo performances. I'll never be able to look at Gravy Ladles again without smiling, or think about Pia Zadora. Give this one a listen - it will wow you - God will get you for that one, Bea!