Customer Reviews

Here's Love (1963 Original Broadway Cast)

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

 

 

This CD is a great reminder of how much the American musical theatre owes to Meredith Wilson, creator of, in my opinion, THE American Musical, that is, The Music Man. A classic. Although this show does not meet the high standard set by The Music Man...it comes awfully close. The songs are tuneful and catchy...and I especially like the title song and Arm in Arm...it's a shame that this is not as popular as it should be. This recording combines everything and leaves an impression on the listener...everything clicks...the performers are wonderful and the songs...again...are very good...however the book, in my opinion is a bit tedious. But other than that...a good show all round.

Here's Love is the last musical to complete the Meredith Wilson Broadway musical trifecta. Mr. Wilson had already written his smash hit, The Music Man and his mild success, The Unsinkable Molly Brown when he wrote, Here's Love in 1963. This is the musical version of Miracle on 34th Street. When compared to The Music Man, Here's Love can't compete, but don't be so quick to dismiss this show. Here's Love has some good numbers such as Pine Cones and Holly Berries, Arm in Arm, the title song, and She Hadda Go Back. The show is, overall, well sung and acted. Now on to the bad news. Here's Love has a lot of filler songs. It was hard for Mr. Wilson to musicalize the movie because it was some tight and compact there was little room for change. Most Broadway aficionados dismiss this show as fluff and that is what it mostly consists of. So if you are a fan of Meredith Wilson or a showtune collector like myself please pick this up. Otherwise, you might want to pass it by.

HERE'S LOVE! is a musical version of MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, which began life as a story written by Valentine Davies before being transformed into the evergreen movie classic with a screenplay by George Seaton.

HERE'S LOVE! features a good score by Meredith Willson, though it hardly compares to mega-hit THE MUSIC MAN (or the uneven UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN score). Despite having a strong cast led by the ebullient redhead Janis Paige, HERE'S LOVE! folded after 338 performances at the Shubert Theatre.

Janis Paige; who originated the role of Babe in THE PAJAMA GAME and who would go on to replace Angela Lansbury in MAME; is a great presence here on disc, though her voice is a little threadbare. She is especially fetching with the reprise of "Look, Little Girl", as well as her duet with the young Valerie Lee - "Arm in Arm".

The cast also featured veteran British actor Laurence Naismith as Kris Kringle, with Craig Stevens, Paul Reed, Fred Gwynne and David Doyle.

The Overture is quite thrilling in its recreation of the approaching Macy's Parade, and other standout numbers include "Expect Things to Happen", "Love, Come Take Me Again", "My Wish" and "She Hadda Go Back".

A lovely cast album.

I saw this show at age 13 at the National Theater prior to Broadway. Even though I wouldn't regard this show as totally successful, I loved the show then, and I still love a lot of it now: like the long introduction with overture morphing into song (The Big Clown Balloons) then into Michael Kidd's choreographed Macy's Parade. Willson also made some rather interesting attempts to deepen the charactor of Doris Walker (Janis Paige--that unique Broadway voice that's a treat to hear) with operatic

parlando songs like "You'll never know" and "Look, Little Girl", unfortunately leading the show in an entirely inappropriate direction from the satirical "Miracle". Finally Willson hits his comedic stride with clever patter--"She Hadda Go Back" and the cheerfully absurd declaration by R.H.Macy "That Man Over There (is Santa Claus)",robustly performed by Paul Reed. There is,of course, the ubiquitous Willson March--"Here's Love" and some not very natural sentimental songs. The whole is very well orchestrated by the great Don Walker. Unfortunately he never really found a way to come up with songs that would launch this particular story into the stratospheric realms of "The Music Man". Mainly of interest to fans of the rich background of 50's and 60's Broadway.

Every year as Christmas approaches I usually pull this turkey out for a listen, and then promptly refile it afterward reassured that time has not improved my impression of the score.

Meredith Willson gave us a great score for THE MUSIC MAN and a good score for THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN, but somehow the film MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET didn't inspire the composer. The only memorable songs in the show is "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas", a song Willson had written (and score a popular success with) 10 years earlier. Hard to believe but nothing in the score even comes close to matching that evergreen melody.

The title song (a list of all the business rivals who should become friendly in the spirit of the season) is a nosy march but not the least bit memorable.

Given the source, you might think the show would be relivable as a seasonal offering. A local community group has staged it twice, but the show needs so much rewriting and changing to work on stage that one might as well start from scratch.

Someday a composer might find the right approach to this material. HERE'S LOVE just isn't it.

It must have sounded like the ideal thing on paper: Meredith Willson adapting "Miracle on 34th Street." But by the time he got to it Willson had already written two Broadway hits and was clearly pooped; he resorted to stealing from his own work. (And not just his -- don't tell anybody, but the title tune comes from the opening notes of the fourth movement of Beethoven's First Symphony! I guess he figured if Lenny Bernstein could steal "Somewhere" from the Emperor Concerto....) There are patter songs and glorified recitatifs without a true melody; the rest is a carbon copy of "The Music Man". But Broadway was once so stocked with talent that this is a thoroughly captivating recording. It's a shame Craig Stevens didn't come sooner or he could have been the American Cary Grant of musicals, at the very least another William Gaxton. Perhaps the surfeit of talent as demonstrated here led to the surfeit of third-rate musicals in the early and mid sixties, living only through their cast albums. That said there's hardly a bad one in the bunch; even the tired-businessman's specialties like "Bajour" have a zing to them, and "Here's Love" shares in it.

Odd CD production note: at the close of "She Hadda Go Back" (the buzzer-and-door-opening routine) the Craig Stevens character takes a normal pace to the door. Possibly Goddard Lieberson (prodded by Willson?) had second thoughts, for he also recorded it so the footsteps were in tempo with the music. That take wound up on the LP. Either is credible stage business; but for some reason the reissue producer Didier Deutsch chose the former, and elected not to explain why. Standing rule of thumb with any reissue: when making a change, explain it.

I was recently in a production of Meredith Wilson's "Here's Love" as a Macy's clerk. Having my first real line EVER in a show in it, I missed the "Plastic Aligator Song" on the soundtrack. My favorite song remains "She Hadda Go Back" because it reminds me of Prof. Harold Hill and his salesman voice. I think "Here's Love" is a great play to be in, and lots of fun to watch, so this CD is a great way to hear some of the music! "This Famous Plastic Aligator's guarrenteed for life! It'll swim like a fish, blow like a whale, pour you a beer or a ginger ale, wriggleing around from head to tail! Buy one today!"

I am currently portraying the role of Mr. Sawyer in Here's Love at the Cocoa Village Playhouse in Florida. It's a great show and very fun to perform on stage. As I have never heard or seen The Music Man (believe it or not), this was my introduction to Meredith Willson. The songs are wonderful and the story is both funny and moving.

Our community theater put up this show. I needed to learn the music. It's a fun show.

I am currently performing Here's Love and it's lovely. The mood the costumes the music. If you bought this make sure you see the show too!