Customer Reviews

Seesaw (1973 Original Broadway Cast)

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

 

 

SEESAW is my favorite show. The score is absolutely brilliant. Cy Coleman is, in my opinion, the greatest Broadway composer and Seesaw really portrays that. Michele Lee has the perfect husky/raspy voice and Tommy Tune is fantastic. Ken Howard is a great Jerry Ryan, and really shows off Dorothy Fields' beautiful lyrics in his solo number, "You're a Lovable Lunatic." The lyrics are witty and the tunes range from the upbeat and wacky "It's Not Where You Start" to Gittel's mellow number, "He's Good For Me." The score really fits the story line, and unlike Coleman's other early works (i.e. Little Me, Sweet Charity, Wildcat) the songs are not all big jazzy vaudeville numbers (Little Me and the others are still great, just different). I would have loved to see this on the stage, but at least I have the CD! This is what Broadway's all about!

Cy Coleman's Seesaw overture is a wonderful start to a wonderfully breezy CD. Most of the chorus numbers are very poor ( Spanglish, Ride Out the Storm), but the spotlighted Michele Lee, Ken Howard, and Tommy Tune are preserved fantastically. Michele Lee's husky voice is capable of making your heart soar and break at the same time. Her comedic timing is wonderful (Welcome to Holiday Inn), her down-on-her-luck song is perfection(Nobody Does It Like Me), and Poor Everybody Else will have you rooting for Michele instantly. Ken Howard is truly a Lovable Lunatic. And Tommy Tune's Tony Award winning performance is captured here with "It's Not Where You Start." It is typically Coleman music, but he is wonderfully aided with Dorothy Fields's lyrics. If you can find it for a discount, don't resist!

"Seesaw" is a wondrous Broadway Musical that has all the elements of the Ultimate Broadway Musical...great score, tremendous leads and Tommy Tune is fascinating co-starring in a role tailor made to his unique character & is he ever a total showstopper! Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields are at the peak of there legendary power here and create a mind whirling group of great songs making "Seesaw" the Ultimate Broadway Fantasy Musical. Michele Lee in great voice must have blown audiences away and out of their seats with her magnificent solo spots and Ken Howard is engrossing throughout as Jerry Ryan but these memorable leads not touring must have been what kept this incredible musical from getting deserved legendary status that many lesser works have acheived. Los Angeles had an exhuberant production with Lucie Arnaz and John Gavin giving amazing performances plus the incredible Tommy Tune from Original Broadway production playing to packed houses evenings this music lover experienced the greatest musical ever to be housed in The Music Center Ahmanson Theater...standing ovations filled those memorable evenings but that wasn't enough to give acclaim deserved to such a great work. Original Broadway Cast is awesome & hold up great with the passage of time and Michele lets it rip with her great passionate voice making one wonder why this magnificent talent stopped singing...the lady can really SING and believe at the time "Nobody Does It Like Me" was fact! Bravo to Michele and company and will be forever inspired by the message of "It's Not Where You Start, It's Where You Finish"...can still see Tommy Tune doing this wondrous production number and it is a true CLASSIC!!!

I agree with all of the other positive reviews already posted... This show would have been perfect had it not included "Spanglish" and "Ride Out The Storm" which are completely incongruous with the rest of the songs on this otherwise great recording. Even "My City" was an ill-advised adventure in funk. These three detours though, are only detours along a super highway of 14 other wonderful, finely crafted, well-tailored, perfectly fitted, blue-suited broadway songs. It doesn't get much better than "Poor Everybody Else" and the reprise blended with "Chapter 54, Number 1909." Incidentally, "Poor Everybody Else" was originally written for the earlier Coleman/Fields collaboration Sweet Charity, but was not absorbed into that musical. Michele Lee blew me away with a 44 magnum. Her performance is the best I've ever heard in a broadway musical. Every note she sings is exhilerating. She purrs and prowls through every one of her songs like a lioness. And the musical (as a recording) for me is as good as Mame, Gypsy, Company, Chorus Line and Funny Girl. Colman's music here sometimes sounds like Bachrach, only better than Bachrach. It also sometimes reminds me of Gershwin's Piano Concerto, which is appropriate given that one of the main characters of this show seems to be the city of New York itself. Dorothy Fields' lyrics are tricky, simple, knowing and universal with content that is often sexy, often funny and always warm and clever. The orchestration is perfect, right down to the choice of each instrument. If you like Broadway soundtracks, you'll love Seesaw (except for those three detours I mentioned). I wish I would have been an adult living in New York when Seesaw was playing. In 1973 after all, I was 6 years old and living in Los Angeles.

I've often wondered if I'm the only person alive who saw "Seesaw!" It's been sadly neglected. Michele Lee was wonderful, and it was a great introduction to a guy named Tommy Tune.. The music is very enjoyable. Highly recommended for Broadway show lovers!

Before Michael Bennett provided us with the masterpiece A CHORUS LINE, he was involved with a hidden treat, SEESAW. This score that still resonates today, is highlighted by Michelle Lee's outstanding performance, terrific music, and a charming story that isn't necessarily "happy-ever-after."

I SAW THIS SHOW AND LOVED EVERY MOMENT. I TILL REMEMBER HOW MUCH FUN I HAD. I WAS IN COLLEGE AT THE TIME AND HAD THE GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SEE IT AGAIN. THE SCORE IS WONDERFUL, TUNEFUL AND MEMORABLE.

SEESAW was a musical version of William Gibson's rueful comedy-drama TWO FOR THE SEESAW, which originally starred Anne Bancroft. For the musical version, the leading lady was the delightful Michele Lee (BRAVO GIOVANNI) who earned a Tony nomination for her performance.

The Cy Coleman-Dorothy Fields score includes great numbers like "Nobody Does It Like Me", "In Tune" and the 11 o'clock number "Poor Everybody Else".

The supporting cast includes the always-reliable Tommy Tune, as well as Ken Howard, Cecelia Norfleet and LaMonte DesFontaines.

Highly-recommended for fans of Broadway musicals as well as the incantory Miss Michele Lee. [DRG CDRG6108]

In reading the other reviews, I am sitting here in wonderment. Seesaw was a workman like show, by some pretty great people named Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields. Both of them did much better work elsewhere. Like any show that did not fold in a week, there are a couple of decent songs. Here they are Welcome to Holiday Inn, Its Not Where You Start and Nobody Does it Like Me. Michele Lee was decent in the role of Greta Moscow, but then so was Lucie Armaz when the show went on tour. Forgive me for saying this but Ken Howard is blah, very blah. I saw the show, and found it forgettable. The album is so so, also. The only reason I have it on CD instead of just keeping my vinyl is that DRG sent me a free copy. With that said, the transfer to CD is outstanding, fully up to the level I expect from DRG. If I want excitement from these same people, I just toss on the cast album of Sweet Charity. That show also has some book problems, but WOW WHAT A SCORE!!!