Customer Reviews

House Of Flowers (1954 Original Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

From the start of its unusual Overture (with it's strange transitions) HOUSE OF FLOWERS is something unique. The Harold Arlen score has the proper Carribean flavour, but is still rooted in the Broadway vernacular. Truman Capote's book and lyrics are more variable, and the show has failed twice (1954 and an off-Broadway revival in 1968, recorded by United Artists but not issued on Cd) for the same reason most shows fail: A faulty or unintresting book. Still, its not the book that is showcased on the CD.

Although Columbia's original 1954 LP release was a fairly full record for its day (53 min 55 seconds) this CD offers longer takes of both "Mardi Gras" and "Slide Boy Slide" adding nearly 2 minutes to the album proper. The reissue also includes 12 minutes of bonus tracks making a very attractive mid-priced reissue.

The original LP artwork adorns the CD cover, and there are excellent liner notes and a synopsis. The original LP jacket did not include a synopsis, a rare omission for Columbia records. The LP also juggled some of the songs so the record actually ended with the Mardi Gras number (which actually belongs in the first act!)

Some people here have questioned placing "The Turtle Song" as the last number in the show. This is correct. According to my copy of THE BEST PLAYS OF 1954-55, the song listing indicates that "Don't like Goodbyes" was sung in Act II, Scene 5 with "The Turtle Song" (and the un-recorded Finale) in Act II, Scene 6. What is strange about this song listing (which was taken from the opening night playbill) is that the song "Gonna Leave off Wearing My shoes" is NOT listed at all (although a song called "Husband Cage" is listed at the top of Act II, it is sung by Pansy, Tulip, Gladiola and Ensemble...but not Ottilie!) Even stranger... a 1980 reissue in Time Life's AMERICAN MUSICALS series puts the song in Act One but that placement may be based on the out-of-town try-outs. The song certainly makes a pleasing opening to Act II on the Cd. On this CD reissue it is listed as "Can I Leave off Weaing My Shoes" but Diahann Carroll clearly sings "Gonna..." in the lyric.

The sound quality of this reissue is greatly improved over the muddy sound of the previous Columbia Special Products issue, and restores the original mono mix. (In 1963 Columbia re-released this LP in fake stereo and that was the version in general circulation though to the end of the LP era.)

The performances are unmatchable today. Pearl Bailey's now famous quip at the end of "One Man Ain't Quite Enough" ("Supposed to have an ad-lib filled in here for the record date but we've been so terribly busy over at the theatre we haven't had time!") alludes to the show's tumultuous try-out and preview period, even though Bailey herself was cause of much of the trouble. Despite a cold, Diahann Carroll sounds fine. Juanita Hall is given surprisingly little to do for 3rd billed role.

Richard Rodgers has cited "A Sleepin' Bee" as one of has favoutite songs from the score, and Barbra Streisand has recorded several songs from this show on her early albums, so even if the show spun off few "hit parade" hits, the songs did become standards.

Given Sony's desire to concentrate on re-mastering and re-issueing teh big hit shows from their catalogue (MY FAIR LADY, WEST SIDE STORY etc) it's nice the label has given attention to this forgotten flop.

Columbia Masterworks has announced that HOUSE OF FLOWERS will be reissued May 2003 with bonus tracks. You might want to consider this before paying $75+ for one of the rare original issues.

Frankly, this score is not as great as the sum of its parts. However, there are indeed some great numbers in this show. Arlen's music is always wonderful. Capote's lyrics are beautiful (it's hard to believe that he had never written lyrics before or that he never wrote them again - what a waste for musical thaetre fans.) Probably the best known song from this score is "A Sleepin' Bee" sung in the show by Diahann Carroll and included on Barbra Streisand's first Grammy award winning album [Streisand loves this score and has also recorded "Don't Like Goodbyes," "House of Flowers" and "I Never Has Seen Snow" - this last is one of her finest vocal performances ever and can be heard on "Barbra Streisand and Other Musical Instruments"]. Pearl Bailey has a couple of terrific numbers here, especially "One Man Ain't Quite Enough." "Can I Leave Off Wearing My Shoes" is lots of fun. However, what makes this CD an absolute must is the inclusion of Capote reading from his original short story "House of Flowers" and Arlen's demo recording of "A Sleepin Bee" as a work in progress. What a treat.

This unlikely collaboration between Truman Capote (words) and Harold Arlen (music) has to be one of Broadway's great lost treasures. Pearl Bailey dominates with great singing and witty asides and Diahann Carroll sings sweetly as she makes her Broadway debut. The melodies are strong, the orchestration and rhythms are right on the money and the story is touching and hilarious. Also, unlike many cast albums of the period (1954), Columbia Masterworks did a beautiful job with the recording. I have not met anyone personally who remembers this piece. Hopefully Sony will reissue this masterpiece soon! Until then, keep your eyes open for a used copy on vinyl or CD.

This recording couldn't be bettered, but the new release includes as a bonus a smattering of interesting related material - an alternate version of "Two Ladies in the Shade," Capote reading part of the original short story, Arlen performing an early version of "A Sleepin' Bee," et al. There are new liner notes, more photos, and an expanded version of "Mardi Gras."

Though it's wonderful to have this gem available again, it is puzzling and annoying to note several flaws. The tracks of the original recording are out of order ("Mardi Gras" is back where it should be, but Royal's "Turtle Song" now follows what should have been the final number). The booklet is not without typos or factual errors (the writer places Pearl Bailey's famous ad-lib in the wrong song). Considering they had years to put this together - couldn't they have double-checked it before printing?

That said, if you love Broadway or American music, this is a must for your collection. Nothing could dim this score.

For pure unmitigated oomph this recording has few peers. It has oomph in such abundance it covers up flaws -- starting with Harold Arlen's score. From "Bloomer Girl" on he forgot how to write a memorable melody. His songs make all the right moves and all the best noises, but they don't sing. Compare anything in the score's latter half (or in its cousin "A Star is Born") with "It's Only a Paper Moon": where that song flows easily, naturally, these numbers have lots of swaying back and forth of the baton, lots of impassioned harmony, lots of the prerequisite blue notes and a little bit o' Copland for good measure -- and they don't sing. Still it's not a bad score -- "A Sleepin' Bee" was Arlen's last standard, and the production numbers are rip-roaring -- just one that slowly runs out of steam as flop musical scores do. An A-1 cast singing and shouting its heart out does help.

Another flaw, sadly, is in Goddard Lieberson's production. The show ends with "Don't Like Goodbyes", but perhaps as Pearl Bailey already disliked it (Howard Kissel's liner notes tell us she had it replaced with another Arlen tune) the album ends with the out-of-place "The Turtle Song," a quirk that in its own way confirms this show was doomed to failure. The great diva Miss Bailey's ad-libs are also uncalled for. Several minutes' restored edits do underline what a great experience "House of Flowers" is as a record, whatever its theatrical failings.

This new remaster (with typically excellent sound, thanks to its first-string session engineers Fred Plaut and Edward T. "Bud" Graham and the remastering engineer Darcy M. Proper) has four most interesting bonus tracks: Percy Faith's rendition of the waltz from "Mardi Gras" (from an album since reissued on Collectables), a tune that vaguely calls to mind "The Paris Waltz" in Leonard Bernstein's "Candide"; Enid Mosier reprising "Two Ladies in de Shade of de Banana Tree" for a calypso album (that ought to be reissued); the inimitable (or should I say easily imitable) Truman Capote himself reciting an excerpt from his story without quite so much of the lavender of the Johnny Carson years; and most memorably, Harold Arlen's demo of "A Sleepin' Bee," which proves he was perhaps his own best interpreter -- and counters the incorrect statement in the liner booklet that only Capote wrote the lyrics. Arlen's "dummy" lines went straight into the show, and it's sad to think in those later years that he didn't write more lyrics, and thus better tunes.

In "American Songbook" retrospectives, Harold Arlen is usually given about 20 seconds of due compared to the 10 - 15 minutes given to the likes of the Gershwins, Jerome Kern, or Richard Rodgers. Buy this album and you'll see why that is such an injustice.

Arlen's complex, blues-style melodic phrases add extreme beauty to the title song and "I Never Has Seen Snow". The latter is now one of my all-time favorites. "Have I Let You Down" is a sneaky comic delight, and "A Sleepin' Bee" provides a nice moment of hopefulness.

Pearl Bailey adds her signature tartness to the proceedings, and thereby sometimes undermines your enjoyment. Diahann Carroll goes from girl to woman quite nicely. I'm not so sure Juanita Hall's song ("Slide, Boy Slide") contributes much to the musical but it may appeal to one's prurient side.

I suggest reading the liner notes AFTER you have heard the CD.

HOUSE OF FLOWERS is a gorgeous vintage Broadway musical, with a beguiling score by Harold Arlen and (believe it or not) Truman Capote.

The original production featured Pearl Bailey (HELLO, DOLLY!) in her first leading role, with a young Diahann Carroll as the play's young ingenue Violet. The amazing ensemble cast included Geoffrey Holder, Juanita Hall (SOUTH PACIFIC, FLOWER DRUM SONG), Ray Walston (DAMN YANKEES), Dino Diluca, Rawn Spearman, Ada Moore, Enid Mosier, Dolores Harper and Frederick O'Neal.

The score is simply to die for: the heart-rending, impossible-to-forget "A Sleepin' Bee" (sung by Diahann Carroll), "I Never Has Seen Snow", Pearl Bailey's seductive belt in "One Man (Ain't Quite Enough)" and the lovely "Mardi Gras Waltz".

This sparkling new reissue from Columbia Broadway Masterworks restores the song's to the original show-order, and includes Percy Faith's version of "The Mardi Gras Waltz", Enid Mosier and her Trinidad Steel Band's version of "Two Ladies in De Shade of De Banana Tree", and a rare recording of Truman Capote himself reciting the dialogue from the "Sleepin' Bee" scene.

Utterly priceless.

I agree with Tillio. I know this is supposed to be a crummy record, but in the 1970s I played my copy much more than the Broadway Cast. The people just sounded like they were having fun, Josephine Premise was fascinating, and some of the new songs - Something Cool to Drink, Madam Tango - were amusing. One caveat, I missed Gonna Leave Off Wearing My Shoes, my favorite from the original.

This is the case where the revival outshines the OBC, at least, musically. The original, with a lackluster Peal Bailey, is flat and with little charm. She had never acted, a revelation to the producer at rehearsal time. They were looking for a name, which they got, but poor Pearl couldn't do the job. She was completely lost on stage and it you can hear it in the songs. Although, the revival opened in 1968 off-Broadway and didn't last very long,it had a much better cast and the music direction was tight and well done. I remember how much I enjoyed my record back then on my tinny phonograph player, and what a pleasant surprise to find a CD. This one is filled with plenty of charm. It was fun to hear things on my top-of-the-line 2010 Onkyo system which I couldn't on my old RCA portable. Nice recording. Highly recommended.