Customer Reviews

Out Of This World (1950 Original Broadway Cast)

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

 

 

Now is the perfect time to buy the CD of this.

Sony's transfer engineers used state-of-the-art restoration software to remove the roughness and surface noise from the originals, but (thankfully) they resisted the urge to tart-up the sound with artificial reverb, faux stereo, and thundering bass. This is by far the best-sounding CD of this ever released, and it may be the last.

The age of music ownership in America may be drawing to a close. Five years from now, this music may only be available by download, you may only be "borrowing" it, and it probably won't come with the the authentic cover art or the 16-page booklet.

(See also the original broadway Out of This World.)

The book was a mess, but the score is pure-Porter! From the first, the brassy overture more than hints at the humor that we are in store for. Mercury's introduction is a delight. Jupiter, his Father, turns his "I Jupiter Rex" into a football cheer. The "List" songs don't end---who would want them to! There are lovely love songs, but every time Greenwood starts singing, it's those humorous songs that remain in your mind. "When I Was Younger" and "Climb Up The Mountian" are really masterpieces. The musical themes and borrowings are everywhere. From Afro-American spirituals to Yale-inspired cheerleader lieder---this is one rich patch-work quilt of a show. And it has been revived! City Center's "Encores" series brought out a fine CD, several years ago---and a few daring colleges have staged this silly and very sexy show. Go for it, no Porterite will be disappointed.

This is one of those show legends - intriguingly written, never revived, leaving only the original cast recording for us to muse over. This is the second of four extant Cole Porter original cast recordings (KISS ME KATE preceded, CAN CAN and SILK STOCKINGS followed). About half of the score is run of the mill but there are some real gems. Charlotte Greenwood excels in the humorous I SLEEP EASIER NOW and NOBODY'S CHASING ME - hymns to old age. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MEN? is a trio for divergent attitudes concerning the male sex and a wonderful example of Porter's incisive lyric writing. There is also great wit in THEY COULDN'T COMPARE TO YOU and a lush composing moment in NO LOVER. Truly pleasant listening and lots of fun. Worth a listen.

I can confirm that while Porter originally tried to get Carol Channing and then Judy Holliday for the part of Juno, he was thrilled when Charlotte agreed to do the role - it was a big deal for her, as she was taking the New York stage for the first time since leaving Broadway in the late 1920's, and Porter worked with her at his house in Beverly Hills, making sure she was OK with the material. He wrote three new songs for her, interspersed throughout the rehearsal and tryout phases - "I Sleep Easier Now" was the last new song he wrote, with "Men, Men, Men" (as Charlotte called it) and "Nobody's Chasing Me" coming before that.

In my biography of Charlotte (just published this past April), I talk about OUT OF THIS WORLD's trials and troubles, and relate the confirmation I got from some of Charlotte's co-stars that she kept the show from closing within the week. It ran for over four months, and as George Gaynes (who played Jupiter) told me, "It was because of Greenwood."

- Grant Hayter-Menzies

OUT OF THIS WORLD features a catalogue of second-rate Cole Porter songs, the cast headed by comedienne extraordinaire Charlotte Greenwood. Greenwood was the show's main saving grace on Broadway, and on the cast album she operates in the same capacity. The rest of the cast is fine and stong (William Eythe, Priscilla Gillette, William Redfield, Barbara Ashley, George Jongeyans-Gaynes and David Burns), but none equal the sparkle and finesse that Greenwood possesses. Greenwood and the cast give the score more fanfare and credibility than it deserves, none of the songs could be counted among Cole Porter's finest (remarkably "From This Moment On" was dropped during tryouts), but numbers like "I Got Beauty", "I Sleep Easier Now" and "Nobody's Chasing Me" are turned into showstoppers thanks to Miss Greenwood. Sound quality is excellent for its 1950 vintage. For completists only.

Hello,

I have had this recording for a number of years and always enjoyed it. My cd was transferred from my original LP. The sound although adequate, was not any where as good as this re-mastered version. If you love this recording, the CD is a good upgrade-- especially at this price!

...you may realize that this is some of Cole's finest music and wittiest lyrics. It takes a few listens for it to dawn on you. There is quite a gamut of emotion here as well. 'Use Your Imagination' and 'I Am Loved' are sensitive and beautiful songs. The numbers performed by Priscilla Gillette are often pointed out as comedic highpoints in the recording, but 'They Couldn't Compare To You' (William Redfield) will snare you into giggles with every listen. My favorite is Barbara Ashley's 'Where, Oh Where?' The song opens with a grand verse which hearkens back to forgotten times when men were noble and women were sweet. But my, what is she really singing about? Oh, how very funny and how naughty of Cole, like so many of these songs. I just love this recording so much. I find myself going back to it frequently, even more frequently than Kiss Me Kate.

This is one of those show legends - intriguingly written, never revived, leaving only the original cast recording for us to muse over. This is the second of four extant Cole Porter original cast recordings (KISS ME KATE preceded, CAN CAN and SILK STOCKINGS followed). About half of the score is run of the mill but there are some real gems. Charlotte Greenwood excels in the humorous I SLEEP EASIER NOW and NOBODY'S CHASING ME - hymns to old age. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MEN? is a trio for divergent attitudes concerning the male sex and a wonderful example of Porter's incisive lyric writing. There is also great wit in THEY COULDN'T COMPARE TO YOU and a lush composing moment in NO LOVER. Truly pleasant listening and lots of fun. Worth a listen.