Lucky Stiff (1993 Original Cast Members) [CAST RECORDING]

Mary Stout, Mary Testa, Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens, Judy Blazer, Debbie Gravitte, Jason Graae

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 15, 1994)
• Original Release Date: February 15, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording
• Label: Varese Sarabande
• ASIN: B0000014TX
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #96,375 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Something Funny's Going On

2. Mister Witherspoon's Friday Night

3. Uncle's Last Request

4. Good to Be Alive

5. Rita's Confession

6. Lucky

7. Dogs Versus You

8. Phone Call

9. Monte Carlo!

10. Speaking French

11. Times Like This

12. Fancy Meeting You Here

13. Something Funny's Going on (Reprise)

14. Him, Them, It, Her

15. Nice

16. Welcome Back, Mr. Witherspoon

17. Confession #2/Fancy Meeting You Here (Reprise)

18. Finale: Good to Be Alive

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LUCKY ME!!!, November 20, 2000

By	John Adams "Farley Flavors" (Fort Lauderdale, Florida United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Answer me this... Why are all the best musicals so underrated. I ask this because Lucky Stiff (only 15 performances) for me is right up there with "Assassins" (only 73 performances) as an underrated masterpiece. Lucky Stiff is a musical that is bursting with humor that can't be overtaken. I never laughed so much with a cast recording since I first listened to "You're A Good Man Charlie Brown." This musical supplies us with a charming set of characters ranging from bizarre to just plain loony, and not to mention an original, wacky plotline. Try and name any other musical or anything for that matter where our main character is stuck toting his dead uncle to the Riviera to collect on an inheritence, while at the same time he has a crazy gun-toting "Would-you-please-wear-your-glasses-before-someone gets-hurt" woman, and her panicky brother and plus and dog-activist on his tail all trying to get ahold of the money for some reason. Please have the sense to find this one. Don't deprive yourself of such humourous songs like "Lucky, Dogs V.S. You" and "Fancy Meeting You Here." you'll laugh all the way to the surprise twist and the touching finale / reprise of "Good To Be Alive." And trust me after listening to this musical you'll also feel "you're one lucky stiff, and so am I."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "then you say 'ooh la la' which causes...BOOM! I love that!", January 1, 2004

By	Portia (United States) - See all my reviews

Based on a (now) obscure novel by Michael Butterworth, "Lucky Stiff" is a frothy little musical that has been made into an album worth owning. I ran across it totally by accident when a friend loaned it to me because she was planning on auditioning for a role in it at her college. At first, I wasn't sure if I liked it that much, but after listening to the whole thing, decided that it was way too witty and enjoyable to be passed up.

The plot is silly and complicated. The leads are unassuming and stereotypical. It is Agatha Christie meets Cole Porter. The general idea is that a young, poor, British shoesalesman inherits a fortune from his dead uncle from New Jersey. The twist is, in order to get the cash, he's got to take his uncle (posthumously, of course) on his dream vacation to Monte Carlo. Chased there by the dog charity who is also up for inheriting the money and his uncle's mistress (who accidently is also his murderer) and her brother, chaos and humor naturally commence. But is Uncle really dead? Will uptight British nephew loosen up and find love in the south of France? None of these questions are exactly deep, but the show moves at such a clever, quick pace and the double twist at the ending, though expected, is satisfying.

The best numbers on the soundtrack, by far, are "Rita's Confession" (which has strains spookily reminiscent of "Little Shop of Horrors" song "Mushnik and Son", which is probably only interesting to the handful of people who like that number), "The Phone Call", "Speaking French" (my personal favorite), "Fancy Meeting You Here" and "Nice".

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious and heartfelt music from "Ragtime" team, October 19, 1999

By A Customer

A fantastic album, with songs both funny and full of heart. The score has most of the numbers, as well as several sections of dialogue which help set up the scenes. Since this is a studio album, the singing is absolutely wonderful, with Evan Pappas, Judy Blazer, and Mary Testa as standouts. Debbie Shapiro Gravitte's "Speaking French" is also superb. Written by the same team (Lynn Aherns and Stephan Flaherty) who wrote Once On This Island, Ragtime,My Favorite Year, and Anastasia (the film), this is my favorite. Aherns and Flaherty, like Sondheim, have a unique style appropriate to each project they work on, so it is not identifiable as a A/F project, but one very special to this story. All are recommended, but especially Once on This Island and Ragtime. Other highlights from the score include: "Nice", "Something Funny's Going On", "Rita's Confession", "At Times Like This", and "Good to Be Alive".