Customer Reviews

Celebration (1969 Original Broadway Cast)

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What has tragically proved to be Jones and Schmidt's final Broadway show (not counting the too-many aborted workshop productions and out-of-town closings since) is an odd bird indeed, but so were all their shows, and that's why they were special. The entertainment pundits blamed its premature closing on a small-scale show playing a big-scale house, and while that may be true there's something in this score that's off-kilter; it tries for the sweetness and innocence of "The Fantasticks" against a clashing world-weariness, all set to that feathery "Fantasticks" small-pit-band sound. Unfortunately the duo could not come up with a hit here, as with "Try to Remember", nor even anything to be resuscitated by Barbra Streisand; one leaves this recording humming the arrangements. But because the sound is so musical, and so memorable, this album has long survived the production, and serves as a true memorial to Jones and Schmidt's vision of a simpler, more humane theater.

Diamond in the rough. Great for it's time, and in some ways is better than the Fantasticks. Should be performed more. Buy it

CELEBRATION is a forgotten gem from the crown jewels of the entertainment world. The Tom Jones - Harvey Schmidt score is melodic and delightful. I recommend this to any musical theatre aficionado.