Customer Reviews

The Happy Time (1968 Original Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A wonderful score. As many reviewers indicated it was a flop. But it had what most mega-hits have, emotional clout. The story involves a world renowned photographer, who makes a journey back to his hometown of St. Pierre, French Canada. It is a story of reflection. and the authors do their very best to make it a very poigant piece.

The music is very melodic, and covers a wide range of musical style,from the swirling title song, to the French Canadian anthem, St. Pierre. It has some bright, bouncy tunes that are too many to name, but at the same time never loses it's poigant edge. It also has it's share of ballads suited to Robert Goulet perfectly. Those that loved him in "Camelot" will cherish the songs "Walking among my Yesterdays", and "Seeing Things".

Kander and Ebb prove that they were the most versatile composers of their time. Do not expect another "Chicago" or "Cabaret". Those were wonderful shows, but the team was aiming for a different target this time. This show has music that just screams "rediscover me". Do yourself a favor and purchase this wonderful score before it is deleted. Highly reccomended.

I never got to see "The Happy Time" on the stage. Actually, I had never even heard of it until the mid-70's after the success of "Cabaret" and "Chicago." I loved those two scores and wanted to hear more of Kander and Ebb's music. I bought "The Happy Time" (on an LP, back then) and played it to death. When my stereo broke down, just about the time CD's became popular, "The Happy Time" got shoved into a closet with all my other obsolete LP's. Recently, while browsing Amazon.com, I found it on CD and ordered it. I can't believe this show ran under a year in New York. Great, great score. The songs are as great as anything Kander and Ebb have ever written. From the rousing "Without Me" and "The Life of the Party" to "Please Stay," "A Certain Girl," and "I Don't Remember You," it seems like nearly every song is a showstopper. I highly recommend this CD to any lover of Broadway musicals. You won't be sorry.

This is a little known show, but FILLED with Melodies and Fun songs. Very hard to find anyone who knows it. DO NOT believe the ignorant who haven't listened. THESE are some of the prettiest, melodic show tunes you will ever hear. Give it to a kid, mine love it, never have they seen the show. "I Don't Remember You", "(Walking) Among My Yesterday's" are songs that someone should/need/must cover, "Seeing Things" is a hit waiting to be discovered. "He's Back" is a wonderful round, 4-5 voices, wonderfully melded together.
The faster numbers are just as hummable, it is "Entertainment" that will make you HAPPY, Goulet et al are just fine. Forget the other JUDGES based on box office, this is a winner.....

Whatever you do, buy this recording. Steal it if you have to. Along with the original casts of "Cabaret" and "Zorba", "The Happy Time" has some of the greatest songs and the greatest performances in the world of original cast recordings. Robert Goulet's voice is velvet and the control is astonishing. And David Wayne brings his character to life in the few numbers he has. And Michael Ruppert is wonderful in "Please Stay." Again, please buy.

I saw this musical in 1968 with my girl friend, now my wife for 30 years and decided to buy the CD as a gift to honor the occasion of our anniversary. We both loved it then and after listening to the score again we can't understand why the musical was the first to lose 1 million dollars! The play is full of toe tapping songs as well as some wonderful ballads that suited Robert Goulet perfectly, with his deep melodic voice. If you love Broadway Musicals I recommend the investment in this recording.

I can't say this is one of the classic scores of Broadway, and it may not even be Kander and Ebb's best. That said, it's tuneful and generally delightful, and listening to it you would not think this was a flop. All of the songs are at least good, and there are several excellent numbers that stand out.

I Don't Remember You is a beautiful ballad. Without Me is a lively self-affirmation by a young Michael (named as Mike here) Rupert who, thirty-nine years later, is still having a pretty good career on Broadway. It's almost the sort of thing Jerry Herman wrote, but less annoying than many of Herman's numbers in this genre. Rupert also held his own with vets Goulet and Wayne in Tomorrow Morning and in That Certain Girl, no mean feat. With the possible exception of I Don't Remember You, Tomorrow Morning is probably my favorite song in the show - a tuneful and funny party song. I also like A Certain Girl, done in a charming three-part harmony.

The cast is generally very good, at least in terms of singing. From what I've read here and elsewhere this show flopped on Broadway for reasons similar to what happened to Herman's Dear World. A story that called for an intimate production with real emotion was overproduced, and the clashing aesthetics did it in. One flaw that does come though on the recording is the uneveness of the accents. They range from thoroughly stilted and on/off attempts at French Canadian accents (Wayne, some of the smaller roles) to non-existent (Rupert). Goulet is the only one who really got it right, which was only natural, since he grew up in Quebec. I'll grant that it's not the easiest accent to do, but the others could still have done better. I read the original NY Times Review of the show, and the problem was bad enough on stage that it garnered a long mention by the reviewer.

All in all, I'd say this was a flawed but basically good show. The recording is less flawed, and generally shows a very good score to good advantage. If you appreciate broadway musicals, this one is well worth having.

With a snappy, tuneful score, Kander and Ebb's Broadway musical offering for the 1968 season, THE HAPPY TIME, remains one of the duo's most cruelly-underrated works. Featuring Robert Goulet in his first big post-"Camelot" musical role, as well as David Wayne (a Tony-winner for "Finian's Rainbow"), THE HAPPY TIME only lasted for a brief run, nevertheless the cast album preserves a score that is far from forgettable. Songs like "Seeing Things", and "Walking Among My Yesterdays" should have become standards in every self-respecting cabaret singers' repertoire. Other enjoyable numbers are "Catch My Garter" (a cute little throwaway number for the chorus girls), and "The Life of the Party".

THE HAPPY TIME was unfortunate, because the 1968 season boasted several big hits including "Promises Promises" and "Hallelujah, Baby!" (which took out the Tony Award for Best Musical that year); not to mention several holdovers, with Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway notably leading the special all-black cast of "Hello Dolly!". THE HAPPY TIME did manage to score awards for Robert Goulet (Best Actor in a Musical) and Gower Champion (Best Director of a Musical), but facing stiff competition from other shows, folded quietly after 285 performances (famously becoming the first Broadway show to record a net loss of over 1 million dollars).

[RCA 09026-61016-2]

I saw the original "The Happy Time" on Broadway with Robert Goulet and company. It was considered a somewhat revolutionary show for it's time with the use of screen images (for the character that Goulet played who was a photographer).Being a Robert Goulet fan I have always felt that he was extraordinary in "The Happy Time". Remember he won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical and he really gave it his all which comes through on the recording.David Wayne and Michael Rupert are delightful and who would have dreamed that the character actor Charles During would be appearing in a musical. Bottomline, this is an intimate musical that they tried to give the Broadway touch to.

This recording, although from the late 1960's, is really entertaining! I love the music and the storyline is plausible. "The Happy Time" is really about not having misgivings or thinking about what "could have been". It is also about reminiscing and the importance of family in our lives. The "Prodigal Son" storyline is also so important today. Everyone makes mistakes as they go through life, but it's all about what you do after making them.

Robert Goulet is tremendous on this recording!!! It is interesting to find performers (i.e. Michael Rupert) on old recordings from their early days and compare them to what they are performing today. The title song and many of Goulet's pieces are sung so effortlessly well, and the recording has been preserved so that we can appreciate his talent! Kander & Ebb should have received a lot more accolades for this musical than they got. It is a shame that this show is not done by many community theater groups or on Broadway in revival!

A terrific show, with a beautiful score, great performances, lovely and sentimental book. Why was it a flop? According to the liner notes in the newest release it was done in by the critics who were kept waiting by producer David Merrick, for a half an hour on opening night, in order to allow Times critic, Clive Barnes to arrive from out of town. Not too happy to have the curtain held for a competing critic, the rest were not too receptive to the show and were rather harsh in their assessments of it's virtues.

Robert Goulet gave what was probably his finest performance (and won a well deserved Tony), before he turned into the Vegas schmaltz singer that defined the later part of his career. His voice here is clear, rich and gorgeous!!

The rest of the cast are superlative as well. The great David Wayne is delightful as the aged Grandpierre, and Mike Rupert is fine as his young grandson. The 3 men had a showstopper with A Certain Girl. And Julie Gregg in her duet with Goulet, Seeing Things, was beautiful.

A shame the show wasn't more successful! Get the CD, you won't be sorry!!