Customer Reviews

Paint Your Wagon: Original Broadway Cast

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Even if you own the video and 'track of the movie version of "PYW," you should get this CD of the original Broadway incarnation just for purposes of comparison. Several good songs that appear on it ("I'm On My Way," "What's Goin' On Here?," "How Can I Wait?," "In Between," "Carina Mia," "Another Autumn," "All For Him") were sacrificed to the necessities of the altered plot in the latter. There's also a nice liner pamphlet that tells the history of the play and gives a synopsis of the story.

The best thing about this music is that it really *sounds* as if it took place during the Days of '49. Olga San Juan (Jennifer Rumson) has a raw, country-sounding voice that's nevertheless flexible and true, and Tony Bavar as her lover Julio sounds smooth and sophisticated. There's banjo and guitar in the orchestrations as well as traditional accompaniment. And, like all good show music, it spans the spectrum from the wistful ("I Still See Elisa") to the humorous ("Hand Me Down That Can o'Beans," "In Between") to the thrilling (the classic "They Call the Wind Maria"). This is a show disc that deserves to be better known.

PAINT YOUR WAGON opened in 1951 and was Lerner & Loewe's first work after their sublime BRIGADOON (1947). It was also Lerner's first attempt at an entirely original script (since BRIGADOON clearly owed its origins to German legend whether Lerner would concede it or not). Alas, the book he produced was lumbering and dramatically weak. The score, however, he penned with Loewe was just superb.

I think this is one of the best albums produced in the 1950's. It rings out as if it were made yesterday with a clarity that curiously one only ever got with a good mono recording. The performers are all top notch, from the veteran James Barton through to the exuberant Olga San Juan. PAINT YOUR WAGON produced standards of the very first water such as "They Call The Wind Maria", "Wandrin' Star", and "I Talk To The Trees", but all the songs are really quite wonderful. "How Can I Wait?" with San Juan and a very rich-sounding orchestra is a particular highlight, but the show's best number and its most moving must surely be "Another Autumn". Lerner & Loewe: songwriters of the most exceptional class.

Even though the show was not a huge hit on stage, the original cast recording helped popularize the songs and RCA has kept it in circulation without interruption since 1951.

The leads do not posess the most musical voices but they sound so right for the characters. The mens chorus gets to sing quite a bit and they sond properly robust. The recording has been laid out to include some bits of dialogue and these segments help give the disc some theatricality.

The CD transfer has very good sound and comes with good background notes and a detailed synopsis.

The boom for PAINT YOUR WAGON was the main problem which is why it has never been revived, but since the score contains such gems as "I Talk to the Trees"; "They Call the Wind Maria" and "Wand'rin' Star" it would seem an ideal candidate for Encores or some other group that specializes in concert stagings of forgotten shows.

Although Lerner and Loewe's "Paint Your Wagon" will forever stand in the imposing shadows of the other L&L works, "Brigadoon," "My Fair Lady," "Gigi," and "Camelot," I can't understand why this one has just been left by the wayside. This recording is pretty generous, with 15 cuts. Although there were time restrictions (albums were still being released on 78RPM in 1951, in addition to LPs), Paint Your Wagon does not sound truncated or sped up by any means. Sound quality is generally excellent throughout, even though in monaural. Great cast, beautiful score, great sound, what can I say? A worthy addition to your L&L collection.

Tony Bavaar's voice is spectacular and rich. I could listen to "I Talk to the Trees" over and over again. I was surprised his name is not listed in the cast list. After all he did win a Tony Award for his performance in this show playing the role of Julio. Besides being a wonderful performer he was a wonderful person. I think his name should be in the cast list on your site if it is possible to give him that credit. It would be a very special gift. He past away yesterday, 11/29/00.

A charming Original Cast Recording of a rarely performed Lerner and Loewe work - the book was the problem. The score however is glorious and both dramatically and beautifully sung. The music is wonderfully orchestrated and performed. A small gem but a gem nevertheless.

With Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, this musical offers some great songs, such as They Call the Wind Maria, Wand'rin Star,and All For Him. The music is a perfect fit with the story. I like all the songs.This show will definitely be on my playlist.

Hello,

The copy of the LP that I have owned for years was in phony stereo. It is really good to hear the re-mastered version of this show. It has an astonishingly low price as well.

This was a treat for me - the show dates back to the 50's when my parents got this album to play on their first "hi-fi". I don't think it is widely known but this show is the source of the song "They Call the Wind Maria". The movie (with Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin) was not the same story line and the singing (I still love you Clint) was not the same level as the Broadway version.

The backdrop is the struggles and lonliness of the miners who have left everything behind in hopes of striking it rich. Humor is built around the coming into maturity of a miner's daughter, who finds the men in the camps in which she has grown up suddenly treating her differently, setting the stage for the song "What's Going on Here". She finds love with a sympathetic young Mexican man who sings "I Talk to the Trees", however her father does not approve and she is sent away to boarding school. Love triumphs after all (of course) and the finale is the song "I was Born under a Wandering Star".

The poignancy came through to me even though I only had the story from the liner notes. One song which touched me particularly was "I Still See Elisa" as the father remembers his lost wife. I hope others will enjoy it as much as I have.

According to IMDB.com, what Tony Bavaar won was the 1952 Theatre World Award for his work in Paint Your Wagon.