Bea Arthur on Broadway - Just Between Friends [CAST RECORDING] [LIVE]

Bea Arthur

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 12, 2002)
• Original Release Date: February 12, 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording, Live
• Label: Drg
• ASIN: B00005YTRL
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #42,469 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

More comedy monologue than musical performance, Bea Arthur's one-woman show Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends collects memories from the silver-haired star's life on Broadway (Fiddler on the Roof, Mame, The Threepenny Opera) and television (Maude, The Golden Girls).

"I wanted to see if I had the guts to just come and be myself," Arthur says in this performance recorded in front of a live audience in December 2001. Alongside co-creator and pianist Billy Goldenberg, she offers wry and often funny anecdotes about her career and the people she's worked with (Angela Lansbury, Pia Zadora). When she does sing ... well, even decades ago Arthur didn't have a beautiful voice, but she's well-suited to the comedy songs. And her versions of Kurt Weill's "Pirate Jenny" and Goldenberg's own "Fifty Percent"--while they won't make anyone forget Lotte Lenya or Dorothy Loudon--are effective in their own right. Bea Arthur on Broadway is definitely more Bea than Broadway, but it's a career well worth remembering. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Truly Remarkable Accomplishment, June 15, 2003

By	Adam J. Wishman "Broadway Bound" (IA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a huge fan of Bea Arthur's, I was very excited when I heard she would return to Broadway to do a one-woman show. Not since winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for "Mame" has Bea Arthur been on stage. Well, what a way to follow up! This cd (which was recorded during a live performance) Bea gives fans an intimate look into her show business life. The stories are very funny and touching, and the songs (which Bea picked out herself) are fun, beautiful, and magical. A favorite part of this cd for me, is when Bea talks about her days on TV. She was the star of two very successful and groundbreaking sitcoms, "Maude" and "The Golden Girls" I am a huge fan of "The Golden Girls" and Bea's character Dorothy was always my favorite. This cd is a must for any Bea Arthur fan, but the appeal of this amazing show goes beyond her hardcore fans. Any fan of classic Broadway and cabaret songs will love this cd. This is one of the favorite cds I own, and should be treasured by more people. And finally, as a sidenote, Bea's one-woman show was nominated for a Tony Award in 2001 in the category of Best Special Theatrical Event.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Bea" Cd preserves Ms. Arthur's delicious stage show, March 11, 2002

By	Robert J. Ramos (Long Pond, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

BEA ARTHUR ON BROADWAY: JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS, recorded live during the last stand of a lengthy pre-Broadway tour (on the road, the show was called ANS THEN THERE'S BEA), captures the incomparable actress-comedienne in prime latter-day form. Fans like myself who have been long aware of the deep-voiced Ms. Arthur's unique and very potent singing style have been hoping for a show like this one for many years. While her trademark wit (presented here in all its unexpurgated glory, including a number of words Maude couldn't say on TV, even today) is reason enough to enjoy this CD, there are a number of very moving highlights as well. It's hard not to be moved hearing the 78-year-old legend offer a wistful "Fun to be Fooled", or a truly heart-rending version of "Where Do You Start?", in which an aging woman deals with divorce. Ms. Arthur ambitiously tackles "Pirate Jenny" from "The Threepenny Opera", and "Some People", both songs traditionally performed by singers of much greater range--but fear not, the results here border on electrifying. The gifted composer-pianist Billy Goldenberg accompanies Ms. Arthur. The bottom line: a legend, to be sure--doing it her way, and damn well.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classy lady will entertain you, December 8, 2002

By	"honeydick" (Toronto Canada) - See all my reviews

Bea Arthor is one of a handful of entertainers that I truly admire. I loved her in The Golden Girls and even in Maude though I was pretty young when that was on. this CD will have you laughing and singing along with Bea as she takes you down memory lane. From the monologues and stories she tells you can see she has had a wonderful life and still going strong. I loved every minute of this CD and its my first choice when I want to hear something unique. Highly recommended.