Currently Listening To 2023/24

Don't exaggerate The age difference is only 872!

 

I was at the dress rehearsal on 28th April 1958 (I think that was the date with the Technical on the 29th and opening night on the 30th) at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Rex Harrison, Julie Andrews and Stanley Holloway were all brilliant. I saw each of the productions of it every time they changed the main cast and they were all just as good.

Willard White did a brilliant job of it. I also liked Paul Robeson's version.

Robeson was originally scheduled to play Porgy opposite Lena Horne in an early 1940's film but but there were problems with it and the rights to it were sold to MGM for the 1959 production with Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge - both of whom were dubbed. Sammy Davis wasn't dubbed in the film but was dubbed for the sound track because of recording contracts!

Another musical that I thought was superb was Fiddler on the Roof. I saw Topol perform it on stage at Her Majesty's Theatre and his stage presence was electrifying. Funnily enough when he stopped performing there he was replaced by Alfie Bass (the actor/comedian) whose performance was also brilliant but his voice, although good, couldn't really compare to Topol's.