Customer Reviews

I Love My Wife: A Musical (1977 Original Broadway Cast)

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

 

 

Changing times and morality have possibly made I Love My Wife seem a bit like a museum piece now, but it certainly does not deserve to be as neglected as it seems to have become. A classic example of a 1970's small scale musical - just a few cast members, imaginative rather than lavish sets - its strengths lay in its performances and its score. At the time, its central theme of suburban wife-swapping seemed quite racy and daring although, like in that other "swinging" classic Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, the couples involved never quite go through with it. The script was very New York Jewish so there were equal helpings of guilt and sharp one-liners. Luckily, the sex is secondary to the songs which are brilliantly performed by a (then) virtually unknown cast of four. (Interesting note: The male characters were subsequently played by the Smothers Brothers!) From bouncy Cy Coleman numbers like "Hey There Good Times" and the crowd-pleasing "Everybody Today Is Turning On" to more wistful ballads like "Married Couple Seeks Married Couple" and the title song, the show provided laughs and an occasional insight into modern marriage. An enjoyable experience and a must for any serious collector of Broadway show albums.

I gave this CD four stars because I was feeling nice. The story might be very effective, but I'm not too sure, as there is no synopsis in the booklet. And from listening to the songs you can only barley make out the entire wife-swapping story line. And a lot of the songs are just ho-hummers and not all too memorable ("Married Couple Seeks Married Couple," "A Mover's Life").

However, this makes it sound like I hate the CD. I do not. How could anything penned by Cy Coleman be all bad? The brilliant musical mind that brought us SWEET CHARITY and CITY OF ANGELS could never do ALL wrong with a show, IMHO. And this score has many delights indeed, and not just because of Coleman's bouncy melodies, but also because of Michael Stewart's clever lyrics. (Coleman has quite a knack for picking talented lyricists, just look at Zippel, Fields, and Leigh on his other shows).

The pleasures are many. First off, there's the down-right hilarious barrlehouse "Sexually Free." The show has a strong opening in the number "Friends." The jubilant and (according to the reviews on the booklet) show-stopping "Hey There, Good Times" (no Coleman compilation should be complete without it). But all of the witty words and catchy music comes to an explosive high (pun not intended) in "Everybody Today is Turning On," an hilarious song about the travails of drugs and how they played such a prominent part in society during the time period in which I LOVE MY WIFE was written. However, my absolute favorite song in the show is "Love Revolution," one wife's cry for freedom, with a '70s funk flavor to it. And two great duets worth mentioning are "Someone Wonderful I Missed" and "Lovers on Christmas Eve."

Despite all of the negative things I said above, I constantly find myself pulling out the CD every now and then to listen to "Love Revolution" or "Hey There, Good Times" or "Everybody Today is Turning On" (the latter so I can make an attempt to learn the many words). And the cast, which includes Joanna Gleason (INTO THE WOODS, NICK & NORA) and James Naughton (CHICAGO, CITY OF ANGELS), is top-notch in just about all instances.

So I would suggest buying this CD if you are a musical theatre scholar, as a lot of it is a lot of fun. Although, I am warning, it is very uneven.

This remains a fun recording of a fun show, back when you could tap your toes along with the music. Like alot of the musicals between 1977 and 1979 (ie. On The 20th Century, Theyre Playing My Song), it stood in the shadows of Annie. For its time, its plot was rather edgy, but fundamentally sweet. Lennie Baker, Ilene Graff, James Naughton, and the awesome Joanna Gleason were great - and still sound great.

An extremely catchy bunch of songs by the prince of "hummable" himself, Cy Coleman. The songs vary from vaudeville, to country, to 70's schmaltz pop. The c.d features performances by Tony winners Joanna Gleason and James Naughton. Once you listen to this c.d, I guarantee that you'll be humming along to "Love's Revolution" and bopping away to "Hey There, Good Times". It's Coleman, so go ahead and buy it!

This was a fabulous show when it was on Broadway. The music was outstanding and the band and performers rounded out a great afternoon. This CD brings back all the memories and it is thoroughly enjoyable. Give it a chance and you won't regret it.

Ordinarily, I would not be interested in a musical that glorified wife-swapping. Yes, I know, the characters go back to their respective spouses at the end, but with no absolute guarantees of fidelity. Anyway, the plot, in this case, is not the point. What did attract me was the brilliant score by Cy Coleman, jazz man turned Broadway composer. He has turned his sharply tuned ear for jazz chords and variations to original, high calibre songs. There are warm, tuneful ballads such as the title song, "I Love My Wife" and the bittersweet "Someone Wonderful I Missed", as well as the melodically fascinating "Hey There, Good Times". These songs are both musically and dramatically well-rendered by a game cast: James Naughton, Lennie Baker, and Joanna Gleason. For good listening and top-notch Broadway songs, you can't beat a Cy Coleman score.