Customer Reviews

Tenderloin (2000 Encores! Concert Cast)

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

 

 

I have always been frankly baffled as to why musicals fans cherish this score so much in comparison to the authors' gems FIORELLO!, SHE LOVES ME, and FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. Okay, the overture kicks in with a freshly prancy figure, and the original album's artwork and design were a lot of fun. But the dedication to writing several songs within the genre of the Police Gazette period means a lot of songs with a rather bland harmonic pallette for 1960; the lyrics are certainly smooth, but there is nothing in my view as deliciously clever and singular as in FIORELLO, a show which in general TENDERLOIN parallels too closely in tone and subject matter to stand as an original statement. Character is spread thin in this one -- take away the pastiches and the preaching (which says little about Brock as an individual) and all you have is "Gentle Young Johnny" and "Tommy, Tommy". I have always gotten the sense that one needed to SEE this one.

The show is, as other reviewers note, not particularly well-served by the recording. These ENCORES albums range oddly from magnificent (BOYS FROM SYRACUSE, LOUISIANA PURCHASE) to almost strangely perfunctory affairs where the orchestra sounds tinny (OUT OF THIS WORLD) and whole chunks of the score are left out for no reason (CALL ME MADAM, otherwise great). I simply do not think we are getting our money's worth to buy something which is little more than a slightly crisper-sounding version of an older recording which modern technology now has made sound almost as good anyway.

If Goddard Lieberson and Thomas Z. Shepherd beefed up the strings for recordings, would it really be prohibitively expensive to do so today? Seeing how fabulous the dance music to shows like KISS ME KATE and BOYS FROM SYRACUSE is, why skimp on it when recordings are the only way to hear these marvelous arrangements today (revivals necessarily omit or rewrite it, old recordings didn't have space)?

Of course all in all the ENCORES project is wonderful, but TENDERLOIN is the first one that I, as a diehard collector and listener, basically ran through twice and doubt if I will spend much time with in the future. What worries me is that BABES IN ARMS was miscast; the "restoration" of ST. LOUIS WOMAN is pleasant in its way but sounds in arrangement and singing style more like BUBBLING BROWN SUGAR than 1946; OUT OF THIS WORLD is often conducted too slowly and the orchestra sounds like seven people. Please tell me that money has not dried up to really do these shows proud in the future -- and let's hope the next project is not a recording of the LI'L ABNER concert with seven more minutes than the original album.

This is a recording of the Encores 2000 concert production of "Tenderloin," a 1960 Broadway effort by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, the esteemed composing team of "Fiorello!" "She Loves Me," "Fiddler on the Roof," and "The Rothschilds". The show, which was written after "Fiorello!" and prior to "She Loves Me" ran 216 performances, but despite its failure, does have an interesting score that is worth checking out.

"Tenderloin" is set in New York City of the 1890s and concerns the battle to clean up New York's Tenderloin (ie: 'red-light') district, waged by the overzealous Dr. Brock. The score has an interesting, period sound, with many of the numbers attempting to sound like parlor songs of the day, such as "Artifical Flowers" and "My Miss Mary". There are also some rousing numbers for the ladies of the night, including "Little Old New York," "Picture of Happiness," and "The Money Changes Hands".

The original Broadway cast recording was available on Angel, but apparently has gone out of print. That performance of the score has a lot going for it, including the zesty performances of Eileen Rodgers, Ron Husmann and an idiosyncratic star performance from the famous Shakespearean actor Maurice Evans as Dr. Brock.

What the Encores recording has going for it is infinitely better sound quality than the original recording, which does have a strange boxy, slightly muffled sound. The Irwin Kostal orchestrations, in particular, sound better on the new recording, even if the orchestra has a few tenuous moments. And the Encores cast is a decent group, with David Ogden Stiers making the Dr. Brock songs sound a little more musical than Maurice Evans did. Patrick Wilson, in the Ron Husmann role, sings strongly, sounding much more tenor-ish than the baritone Hussman. The new recording includes the Entr'acte, and a brief reprise of "The Picture of Happiness," and a little more dialogue, but apart from that, the two albums are almost identical in the amount of recorded musical material. (A shame, because the show features some wonderful Jack Elliot dance arrangements that could have been included on the new recording -- a missed opportunity.)

"Tenderloin" fans will want to have both recordings. Anyone seeking but unable to find the original recording should not fret about purchasing the Encores version, but the original one still has a slight edge over this recording, despite its assets.

I bought this album mainly due to the wonderful belting voice of Debbie Gravitte. "Little Old New York" is a perfect song for her and it was a pleasure to hear it. She also nailed her part in two other songs as well. The rest of the cast did fairly well and David Ogden Stiers' performance even quite grew on me. I have been a little ambivalent the few times I have seen him live but I thought he brought a nice touch to the role on CD of Dr. Brock.

This is not a favourite score of mine. It is quite weak Bock and Harnick (their weakest in my opinion) with too many songs capturing a period flavour without adding any passion of feeling. I have not listened to the original Broadway cast in a while but I do not remembering enjoying the ensemble prostitute numbers as much. They come across quite lively on this album.

All in all, a good CD of a mediocre show that perhaps did not need a second CD but I would never turn down an opportunity to hear Debbie Gravitte.

I'd like to correct something which was stated in another review: It was stated that at under 52 minutes, this new recording of Tenderloin is shorter than the Original Cast Recording.

The running time given on the back of the CD of the Original Cast, 52:45 or thereabouts, is a typo! The actual running time, as given in the display on your player when you insert the CD, is about 48:30. So, this new recording is actually longer than the Original Cast Recording.

Other reviewers have stated it's a weak score for Bock and Harnick. I don't agree. Although it falls below Fiorello!, and certainly below She Loves Me, I think it's a great score, both musically and lyrically.

I want to thank Hugh Fordin for recording these Encores! recreations. It almost seems too good to be true. I thought last year's Do Re Mi was outstanding, one of the best cast recordings I've ever heard.

However, having said that, I do wish they could fill up the CDs by including even more of the scores than they already do. I'm not sure why the dance music has to be excluded. Often there are reasons for these things we laymen don't understand, I guess. The model would be what John Yap does with his complete recordings of Broadway musicals on his JAY label. He records the WHOLE SCORE -- dance music, incidental music, scene change music, the Bows, the Exit Music -- all of it. That's treating these classic scores with the same respect operas are given -- and that's the way I like it.

I do wish all the Encores! shows could be recorded. I'm still disappointed that there were no One Touch of Venus, DuBarry Was a Lady, Allegro, or Sweet Adeline! Boy, I wanted those!

Again, I'm sure there are reasons they weren't recorded (copyright problems, most likely), but I really wish I lived in a different world or a different time where there was a bigger audience for musical theatre. Maybe it's what Shakespeare calls caviar for the general.....

I was one of the few people (it was not the biggest hit on Broadway) to actually attend a the original production of Tenderloin. I also have the first "original cast" LP. I've never known why the show itself flopped, since the music is certainly catchy and fits the story-line perfectly. Perhaps there was just too much competition on Broadway in the 60's for musicals. This rendition of the show doesn't quite have the livliness or depth of the original, particularly the orchestral support, but the improved technology of a CD over the old LP makes up for it and makes this a valuable addition to anyone's collection of show songs.

I got this CD for free, and I did not have high hopes for it. However, once I got past the insanely long ovcerature, I was hooked. This is a very varied score from the good ol' bbshop "Little Miss Mary" to the sweet "Tommy, Tommy" and the rousing "The Money Changes Hands." this is totally delightful. I don't care much for the story--the "what's wrong with a whorehouse?" idea is probably better delt with in this show then in the VERY similarly themes Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the idea is still stupid and basically not funny.

The performances are solid--Patrick Wilson really shows off his voice in "Artificial Flowers" and, like all Bock-Harnick scores, the chorus stuff is fantastic. Even though I didn't pay for this CD, I would in a heartbeat.

This CD is a good concert version of the original Broadway show. Jerry Bock's score and Sheldon Harnick's lyrics can be schmaltzy, but they invite one to sing along. Some of that schmaltz is satirical. Adding some of thew dialogue helps the listener to understand the context for a song. Still a favorite, "The Picture of Happiness" is a politically incorrect assessment of prostitution. "Artificial Flowers", while satirizing the kind of pulp fiction of the day, still manages to be sentimental. And "My Gentle Young Johnny" combines satire and sentiment in the yearning of a prostitute for one special man. One surprise for this listener was realizing that David Ogden Stiers can sing.

I JUST PURCHASED THE NEW RECORDING OF TENDERLOIN. THE ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST ALBUM WAS ALWAYS UP THERE WITH SOME OF MY FAVORITE SHOWS ALBUMS. I WAS EXCITED WHEN I READ THAT A NEW RECORDING WAS COMING OUT. I SAID TO MYSELF, NOW I WILL HAVE A FULL RECORDING OF THE SCORE. WELL, I WAS WRONG. BACK IN 1960 WHEN CAST ALBUMS WERE RECORDED, THERE WAS A TIME LIMIT ON THE AMOUNT OF MUSIC THAT COULD BE PUT ON AN LP, SO USUALLY MOST SHOWS WERE FORM 45 TO 55 MINUTES AT MOST. WELL, HERE IS THE 2000 CAST RECORDING OF TENDERLOIN AND IT'S SHORTER THAN THE ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST. A CD WITH 80 MINUTES OF ROOM FOR MUSIC AND THIS ALBUM HAS UNDER 52 MINUTES OF MUSIC. THE CAST IS FINE AND SING WELL. IT DOES SEEM LIKE THEY ARE RUSHING THOUGH THE SONGS AND THE ORCHESTRA DOESN'T SOUND AS FULL AS THE ORIGINAL. SINCE TENDERLOIN WASN'T A CLASSIC SHOW IN IT'S DAY, IF YOU ARE GOING TO RECORD A NEW ALBUM, AT LEAST IMPROVE ON IT. IF YOU CAN STILL GET THE ORIGINAL CAST ALBUM, I WOULD PASS ON THIS ONE. IF NOT, THE MUSIC IS WORTH BUYING THE NEW ONE.

Having been a cast member of many American Musicals in Community Theatre, I want to say, this was one of my very favorites. It is simple but so was Oklahoma. I oftened wondered why this show did not get to be better known; and my guess is that casting was off, especially on Broadway. Maurice Evans played Rev. Brock and I think, a big mistake. Mr Evans was a fine actor but not suited to American Musicals. It was imperative that Rev. Brock have an "X" factor. It is possible for a minister to have pizazz and certainly necessary for this show to take off. I do love the music and play the CD often and sing along.