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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
But Darling! I'm Your Auntie Mame!, March 11, 2005
The fictional character of Mame Dennis has been one of the most beloved figures in American entertainment. The Patrick Dennis novel AUNTIE MAME was a runaway bestseller of the 1950s. Playwrights Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee quickly adapted the novel to the stage, where it became a smash with Rosalind Russell in the leading role. In 1958 Russell recreated her acclaimed performance for the screen, and the result was yet another smash.
In 1966 Jerry Herman, creator of such Broadway hits as the earlier HELLO DOLLY and the later LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, turned his attention to the Lawrence and Lee script. The result was MAME, and every musical actress jumped at the thought of playing the title role--including the legendary Judy Garland. In the end, however, it was Angela Lansbury who walked off with the role.
Lansbury was not an actress associated with musicals in the public mind, but the choice was not actually as radical as it may have seemed. Lansbury had a fair amount of dance and vocal training, and she had indeed made use of them on the screen. One of her earliest Hollywood films, TIL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY, featured her as star singer in an elaborate MGM musical number, and she had danced in such films as THE HARVEY GIRLS. In addition to all this, she also had considerable stage experience.
Needless to say, MAME opened to extremely positive reviews and ran close to five years on the New York stage--and to this day it remains an extremely popular choice for both professional and amateur theatres around the world. In addition to its memorable tale of an eccentric aunt unexpected saddled with her orphaned nephew, it has a remarkably memorable score, the sort that is easy to humm as you leave the theatre, plus some of the witty lyrics going. Just like the character of Mame Dennis, it is a charmer all the way.
The spotlight, of course, is on the character of Mame, who participates in no fewer than eight of fifteen songs. And whether it's the jazz-age "It's Today," the comic duet "Bosom Buddies," or the emotionally charged "If He Walked Into My Life Today," Lansbury's slightly brittle but powerful tones seem to capture something essential about the character that generations had come to know and love from previous incarnations.
The supporting cast is particularly fine, most notably Bea Arthur as the hard-drinking and adder-tongued Vera Charles; "The Man In The Moon" is a masterpiece of theatrical satire, and when Arthur and Landsbury team up for "Bosom Buddies" the result is one of the most screamingly funny things you'll ever hear. But whether it is "St. Bridget," "We Need A Little Christmas," "Gooch's Song," or "That's How Young I Feel," the whole thing is a delight from start to finish. And the remastering here is very, very good and the selections include several demos performed by Jerry Herman and Alice Borden for good measure.
Rosalind Russell was lucky: not only did she originate the role of Mame on Broadway in AUNTIE MAME, she repeated the role for film, and the result was a classic. Angela Lansbury was not; although Lansbury was eager to make the film, the role went to Lucille Ball instead. And controversy has raged ever since, for--for all her great talent--Ball was not and never had been a singer in any way, shape, or form, and the film failed largely due to her inability to carry the vocal demands of the score. Whatever your sentiments about Ball as Mame, it is a great loss that Angela Lansbury's performance was not preserved on film. This is as close as you can get, and it's a class act all the way. Recommended.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A JOY ON BROADWAY BECOMES A JOY "TODAY!", January 5, 2001
"Tune the grand up, dance your shoes off, strike the band up, it's today!" So begins Mame Dennis' (Angela Lansbury) joyous celebration of life, and one of Broadway's greatest musical masterpieces of all time. "Mame", the story of Mame Dennis and her orphaned nephew Patrick building a colorful life together, sparked one of the most enjoyable musicals of all time with a perfect cast, dynamite songs, and the joy and pratfalls of life to add glitter to the beloved story. Starring as Mame, four-time Tony-winner Angela Lansbury gives a sensational, brilliant performance as the golden embodiment of life lived to the fullest. Lansbury sings with great strength, full-throated joy, and genuine warmth and tenderness, instilling the character of Mame with an endearing humanity and joy of being alive: "I have the feeling that time has halted; I'd like two straws and a chocolate malted..." Co-starring Beatrice Arthur in her greatest theatrical role as Mame's "cobra-tongued" best friend, Vera Charles, Arthur is absolutely delicious in her Tony-winning performance of Vera, the uppity gin-soaked prima donna. Arthur gets to toss off great acerbic, witty phrases with Lansbury in a duet, "Bosom Buddies": "And if I say your sense of style's as far off as your youth, it's simply that who else but a bosom buddy will tell you the whole stinkin' truth!" The stellar supporting cast includes Frankie Michaels (Tony winner) as Patrick, Charles Braswell as Mame's Southern husband Beauregard Burnside, and a perfectly cast Jane Connell as the dazed and befuddled nanny Agnes Gooch. And the great power behind these magnificent performances is the music and lyrics of the incredible Jerry Herman. His wonderful musical numbers are the emotional backbone of the show with the revelry of "It's Today", Mame's joyous message to "Open A New Window!", Arthur's big theatrical number, "The Man In The Moon", Lansbury and Michaels' charming duet with "My Best Girl", Lansbury's up and happy "We Need A Little Christmas", and of course, the real gem of the show, Jerry Herman's greatest triumph: the ode of the people of Georgia to "Mame": "Your special fascination'll/ Prove to be inspirational/ We think you're just sensational/ MAME!" and much more! The quality of the sound and musical numbers is clear as crystal and even fun to sing along with (you can't help it!). And as a bonus to this, five never-released tracks include Jerry Herman's original singing of five of the show's songs with soprano Alice Borden: "St. Bridget", "It's Today!", "Camouflage" (this number was not used in the final show and revolved around Mame preparing to meet Patrick's trustee with the aid of Vera), "Open A New Window!", and "Mame". "Mame" is truly a joy, with its timeless tunes, wonderful heart, and stellar performances all captured forever on this CD. If you're a fan of Broadway or just love outstanding musicals, you will love this show and treasure this CD always.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
...just Sensational!, January 22, 2005
I agree with another reviewer who states that this is Jerry Herman's best score, but am inclined to go further with my praise and lable it one of the greatest musicals not only of the 60's (a period of hefty competition; consider Camelot, Hello Dolly, Fiddler on the Roof) but of the entire 20th century. (And the 21st for that matter, i have heard no post 2000 scores that I feel are comparable to the greats of the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s) Like Herman's most famous work, Hello Dolly, Mame is an entirely uplifting and energy-driven piece. There are very few gentle, quiet moments in this brashy, overwhelming score. Those that do exist, serve to strengthen the appeal and the magnitude of the characters, and in so doing add a touching, sentimental elemant to this enchanting score. The music is uplifting from start to finish and the sparkling lyrics only serve to enhance the already dazzling experience. Very few Broadway CDs captivate me from the very beginning. This is one noteworthy exception. Herman is in his element here, he is truly the master of Grande Dame musicals, and this is irrevocably his masterpiece! What is lacking in Hello Dolly,(which is, without doubt another truly great musical) that indescribable something which stops it from being an entirely wondeful experience, has been palpably attained in Mame; Herman's awareness that he is working magic here can be felt in his own enthusiastic renditions of several of the songs. Naturally, he is not the only star in this recording. Angela Lansbury's performance as Mame is quite simply out of this world. From her first appearance in the decadent, charming extravaganza It's Today to her final heartbreaking rendition of If He Walked Into My Life, she shines, glows, sparkles and radiates energy and warmth to such an extent that she would utterly outshine and eclipse any but the best supporting cast. Fortunately, she has the best. The Ensemble is perhaps not extraordinary but the central figures around Mame are all excellent. Jane Connell is delightful as Gooch; she offers up a sweetly pathetic St. Bridget and an entirely captivating rendition of Gooch's Song, with an unnashamed earnesty which is terribly endearing. Frankie Michaels is excellent as Patrick; he is right up there with Andrea McArdle(Annie) and Micheal Goodman(Oliver) as one of the greatest child performers Broadway has ever seen. Even on the recording, his amazing amount of stage presence for one so young is palpable. Bea Arthur is of course a star in her own right. Her version of the utterly ridiculous Man In The Moon drips with sardonic pathos; it is almost as if she is a coinesseur who delights in her own power to entertain. The biting, sarcastic duo between her and Mame, Bosom Buddies, is one of the greatest moments on the CD. Naturally the title song,(which is not only riveting and incredably catchy but also intensely amusing at times) cannot be overlooked. The same can be said of the rolliking We Need A Little Christmas and the intensely satisfying Open A New Window. (With a philosophy like that, is it at all surprising that Mame was a runnaway success?) An absolutely essential addition to any Broadway Collection.
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DVD ~ Lucille Ball
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~ Alan Jay Lerner
by Jerry Herman 
