Customer Reviews

Carnival (1961 Original Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

CARNIVAL is a gorgeous Broadway musical based on the MGM musical "Lili". "Lili" was adapted by Helen Deutsch from Paul Gallico's story.

The musical CARNIVAL is essentially a showcase for the amazing talents of Anna Maria Alberghetti, as Lili herself. Alberghetti has the most interesting voice I have ever heard, and was a child prodigy with her huge vocal range. Just listen to her soaring voice in "Beautiful Candy" (where she hits a high-C), "A Very Nice Man", "I Hate Him" and "Mira".

The story of CARNIVAL is Lili's tale; the charming orphan happens upon a troupe of performers from a travelling circus, and joins the act. The lame puppeteer Paul (Jerry Orbach) unwittingly hires her, and she ends up performing with his puppets in a charming show that ends up as the circus' star attraction.

Adding to the cast are Kaye Ballard, Henry Lascoe, Pierre Olaf and James Mitchell.

A fantastic under-rated musical which was recently revived in the City Center's Encores! series, starring "The Princess Diaries" Anne Hathaway as Lili.

A charming recording which features bonus tracks from composer Bob Merrill as well as lovely cover-versions from Richard Chamberlain, J. J. Johnson and Mel Torme.

This musical adaptation of the movie "Lili"---itself an adaptation of the dark love story "Love Of Seven Dolls"---is a wonderful tale of unrequited love set in the colorful world of a traveling carnival. The songs are delightful and the cast a very talented group of people. Anna Maria Alberghetti is Lili, the childlike young woman who enchants the bitter puppeteer Paul, adeptly portrayed in this version by Jerry Orbach. Their two voices, hers sweet and clear and his strong and virile, are well-suited to their conflicting roles as the innocent gamine and the cynical and damaged man who cannot show her the love he feels except through his puppets. The shallow and opportunistic magician is charmingly done by James Mitchell, while his world-weary assistant is done by the delightfully brassy Kaye Ballard. One of the best characters is Paul's assistant Jacquot, who functions almost as a conscience to the bitter puppet master. In this original Broadway production, Jacquot is done by the small but very talented Pier Olaf. Add a small group of gifted supporting players and a solid production, and the result is a delightful excursion into a love story that blends reality and fantasy.

The story unfolds in the songs. The listener is introduced to the carnival(Opening), to the magician and his assistant(Direct From Vienna), then to Lili(A Very Nice Man), and Paul and Jacquot(I've Got To Find A Reason). Jacquot, realizing that Lili has a crush on the undeserving magician and that the broken Paul has an attraction to her, begs Lili to leave the carnival and go home. Lili tells him she is too far from home(Mira) and wants to stay near her beloved Marco the Magnificent. Marco keeps up his efforts to seduce Lili but is thwarted(A Sword And A Rose And A Cape). His upset assistant keeps threatening to leave but admits to the carnival manager her addiction to the scoundrel(Humming). Marco convinces the manager to hire Lili on and she's delighted(Yes, My Heart); Paul, however, remains cynical and hateful, while secretly lamenting his inability to show kindness except through his puppets(Everybody Likes You). When Lili accidently ruins the carnival's grand finale, she is fired and decides to end her life. Paul, secretly frightened for the poor waif, calls out to Lili through his puppets. They interact with her as though they are alive and she sings for them(Love Makes The World Goes Round). She becomes part of their show and is a delight to audiences with her childlike interaction with Paul's dolls(Yum Ticky, The Rich, Beautiful Candy). Paul, meanwhile, grows more enchanted with the girl but realizes that she fears him(Her Face). He subdues his own pain to expand her role in his show, pleasing Jacquot(The Grand Imperial Cirque de Paris). Eventually, however, Paul cannot contain his jealousy and is vicious to Lili, who cannot bear his harsh treatment(I Hate Him). Marco, who strings poor Lili along shamelessly, seduces Rosalie to steal a contract from her for a prestigious show(Always, Always You). He then promises to take Lili with him as his new assistant. Paul catches on to the scheme; he destroys his puppet stage and admits his true feelings for the sweet unspoiled young woman(She's My Love). Lili awakens to the truth about Marco and turns her back on him, preparing to leave the carnival. However, the puppets call out to her, pleading with her to stay, bargaining with her and offering gifts. All of a sudden, Lili realizes that the tenderness the puppets have shown her really flows from the hurt man behind the curtain. Still afraid to show his feelings openly, Paul flings his puppet to the ground, but Lili cradles the doll to her heart, showing him that she loves him, too. They embrace and go together after the carnival, to a future full of hope and healing(Finale).

This CD is well recorded, considering the poor quality of the master tapes, and includes bonus tracks recorded by Bob Merrill, J.J. Johnson, Paul Smith, Richard Chamberlain and Mel Torme. However nice the bonus tracks are, the best performances are by the original cast. Alberghetti's sweet voice is clear, used like an instrument to convey her character's innocence. Orbach's strong baritone is rich and masculine, even a bit rough around the edges at times, like Paul himself, and he does a wonderful job of coming up with different silly voices for the puppets. This is a very sweet and charming production. We highly recommend this as an excellent example of musical theater.

A magical creation that both was part of the proud succession of hit Broadway musicals in the 1950s and 1960s and has a special quality all its own, "Carnival" is a memorable show that is too little known today and awaits rediscovery (and a major, full-scale New York revival). Rarely has a musical captured the mystery and enchantment of live performance as movingly and ingeniously as this multifaceted theatrical gem.

Adapted from the film "Lili", "Carnival" goes its source material one better by virtue of Bob Merrill's memorable score, best known for "Love Makes the World Go 'Round" and filled with delightful, often uniquely beautiful songs and numbers, truly without a dud among them. And the story, apparently based in part on the real-life relationship between Burr Tillstrom and Fran Allison of "Kukla, Fran and Ollie" fame, provides the basis for a Broadway book of rare literary merit.

The cast is the stuff of legends.

Fans who know the great Anna Maria Alberghetti only through her delicious comic turn as the Mafia don's wife in the film "Friends and Family" may not be familiar with her accomplishments as a singer. Alberghetti originally made her mark as a child prodigy operatic soprano, and she created the role of Lili on Broadway when still barely out of her teens. Her combination of grit and vulnerability, part woman, part adolescent, combined with her gorgeous singing voice, make her Tony-winning performance a classic.

Suffice it to say that the supporting cast includes Jerry Orbach, in his original glory days as a musical theater leading man, and the marvelous all-around entertainer Kaye Ballard, and you'll get some idea of the depth of talent on display here.

For the score, the touching story and Anna Maria Alberghetti's indelible performance, "Carnival" is a must for everyone who cares about musical theater.

I had a chance to become familiar with Carnival last summer, and this consistently melodic, varied, and interesting soundtrack never grows old. Especially (but certainly not exclusively) if one sees the stage production, this music has an incredible capacity for combining fantasy and poignancy in ways that allow me to lose myself in the music. From lush, rich songs like "I've Got to Find a Reason" and "Mira" to colorful numbers such as "A Sword and a Rose and a Cape" and "Humming," this album does not contain a single weak link. Particularly catchy tunes include "Yum Ticky Ticky Tum" as well as "A Very Nice Man," and the centerpiece of the show, "Love Makes the World Go Round," is utterly sweet and touching. Anna Marie Alberghetti brings both fluidity and precision to the role of Lili, and is well matched by the surrounding cast in terms of artistic merit. The aural quality of this CD is quite clean and rich for its age, and the bonus tracks are worth hearing as well. Anyone should give Carnival a chance, it is a beauty.

I uncovered this gem in my local library, only to discover what a neat musical it is! I've never seen it performed onstage, which is too bad--the music is great! Ms. Alberghetti has such a nice, "legit" voice, contrasting with the hilariously bawdy, strong Kaye Ballard ("Humming" is probably one of the best overlooked songs in this genre!). Another thing I really liked was Jerry Orbach's singing--he has two angry, difficult songs, and does a masterful job with both. To sum up, this is a fantastic album for anybody who likes old-style musical theatre. It's not slickly produced, but it is well-sung good music that tells a compelling story.

My school put on a production of Carnvial recently, and they did a magnificent job. Well enough to get me obsessed with the show.

Now, this is the original cast- this means Anna Maria Alberghetti is in it. Her songs (A Very Nice Man, Yes,My Heart, Mira) are all song very well.

The performers on this CD are of very high-quality; Paul is a wonderful singer.

Now, the CD itself- for some reason, it cuts out heavy chunks of songs. "A Very Nice Man" was cut drastically.

It also just takes out a whole song, "Magic,Magic"- Which is a shame, because it is a wonderful song.

The CD seems to attempt to make up for these short comings by offering a variety of other tracks- Most of the Tracks on Carnival sung by Bob Merill are included. There is also a instrumental of Magic,Magic..but it sounds a tad weak.

The most note-worthy bonus track on the collection is Mel Tormes "Her Face". Even if you don't like that particular style of music, you will enjoy the song.

Now, there are a few other things- the song "Love Makes The World Go Round" Is a very catchy song, and will be stuck in your head forever. However, this CD seems to make the track shorter than it really is...

Another thing is unnessecary track seperation. For some reason, two tracks which should be one are seperated- "I Hate Him" and "Her Face (Reprise)" Now, this isn't normally a problem, if you have a current CD player- because the CD doesn't give a cool-down time between the 2 songs.

However, some CD players will support the cooldown time themselves, disrupting the flow.

Overall, this is a Very good CD. The Bonuses are nice, and will entertain you. It has a few small flaws that are annoying at best. If this CD just had "Magic,Magic" in it, it would have gotten a 5.

Carnival was the 2nd broadway show I saw. It was splendid. Wonderful cast, beautiful scenery and lighting, and a wonderful score. There aren't too many broadway shows that can boast such a beautiful score. Lovely ballads, lively songs like Beautiful Candy and of course Love Makes The World Go Round. The original cast album on MGM records was a disaster. The sound was terrible with a lot of hiss and the songs were not in the origial sequence of the show. The new cd is splendid. They cleaned up most of the hiss as best as they can and now the score is in its origianl sequence. They added a couple of bonus tracks that i felt were not needed, but who cares. Just listen to this great show with great songs and terrific talent. The whole cast is splendid. A must to have if you love show music. I have the origianl London cast on vinyl and hope some day it will be re-issused on cd. It is also very good.

If you love the gentle charm of classical musicals, give this a listen. Alberghetti and Orbach are superb, as is Kaye Ballard. The score is uncommonly tuneful and conveys the emotional content of the script very well. It clings to the memory. My favorite tracks include Her Face and She's My Love. Again, Jerry Orbach's performance, as recorded here, must have been mesmerizing.

This recording is amazing! The sheer emotion combined with the already moving music makes for a rollercoaster ride for the emotions. While listening to Anna Maria Alberghetti sweetly sing "Love Makes the World Go 'Round", I found myself almost in tears. My tears turned to giggles after listening to the comical "Yum Ticky" and "The Rich" and my giggles blossomed into full-stomach laughs while listening to Kaye Ballard's gutsy, bravado-filled lament in "Humming." If you are a fan of classic musicals, don't overlook this diamond in the rough. It's an absolutely astounding score with talented vocalists to back it up.

I very very highly recommend this musical. It is such a sweet love story, with wonderful songs. Sadly not many people know about the musical "Carnival," based on the film, "Lili." It is definitly a gem. The song that especially touched me, was the hauntingly beautiful, "Her Face." It's such a romantic musical with unforgetable cute songs and romantic ones as well.