Flahooley (1951 Original Broadway Cast)
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Music Reviews of Flahooley (1951 Original Broadway Cast)
Music Review: Show music collectors: DON'T MISS IT THIS TIME !!!
Rating: 4 Stars
FLAHOOLEY has had a checkered career in record company catalgues. The musical was a flop that folded after 5 weeks (40 performances) in the spring of 1951. Capitol records issued the cast album on June 18th ..2 days after the show had played its final performance. With the show no longer playing, interest was minimal and the Lp was deleted in 1955. Since very few copies had been sold, collectors who wanted the score had a difficult time tracking down the album. By the early 1970s its estimated value in collectors circles was $300. Finally in 1977...22 years after the album had left the catalogues, Capitol brought it back. A mid-priced ($6.98) reissue that duplicated the original album cover. The reissue was short-lived, for beyond harcore show music collectors there was no mass market for FLAHOOLEY and the Lp was deleted again.In 1993 EMI launched a major Cd reissue campaign called Broadway Angel transferring 40 of the Capitol cast albums to CD, including FLAHOOLEY. This time the liner notes were expanded to include a history of the show, a detailed synopsis and an interview with Barbara Cook.
The CD again was bought mainly by collectors and was deleted in 1996. You would think that after 3 go-rounds, this would have been the end of FLAHOOLEY. But now DRG has brought it back.
The score by Sammy Fain and Ey.Y Harburg has several charming numbers: "Here's to your Illusions", "The World is Your Balloon"
and "The Springtime Cometh." None of the songs became hits, and FLAHOOLEY is never revived... not even in concert format.
Don't miss out on a chance to own a copy of FLAHOOLEY before it gets deleted for the 4th and final (?) time.
Music Review: Barbara Cook in her Broadway debut!
Rating: 4 Stars
FLAHOOLEY remains notable for being the Broadway debut of Barbara Cook in the ingenue role of Sandy, though the musical was a showcase for the amazing four-octave voice of Yma Sumac, truly one of the most fascinating singers ever. The actual cast album of 40-performance flop FLAHOOLEY has long been a collector's item. It received a brief CD edition in the early 90s which was quickly deleted and was only issued a scant few times on LP. The score by Sammy Fain and E.Y. Harburg contains several gems including "Najla's Lament", "Najla's Song of Joy" and "Birds/Enchantment" as prime showcases for the voice of Yma Sumac.Barbara Cook impresses with her charming duets with Jerome Courtland, "He's Only Wonderful" and "The World is Your Balloon".
Music Review: A resounding success for a resounding flop
Rating: 4 Stars
Flahooley, if you've read some of the other reviews, has got to be the most (in)famous flop, next to "Carrie". I bought this album because I am an avid collector of showtunes, but I was quite pleased with the recording. The sound quality is quite good, as the manufacturer opted (thankfully) to update the sound to stereo format. Barbara Cook sounds wonderful on this recording, but the award goes to Yma Sumac for having the most memorable songs. Sure she has no actual purpose in the show's plot, but the album is worth every cent just to hear her sing two notes in different octaves at the same time. A truly memorable performance from an otherwise generic 1950's show.
Old-time Broadway fun at it's best and floppiest.
Music Review: Maybe I Should Lsten to This One Again
Rating: 3 Stars
I can't really say anything in this really did it for me. After reading all about Yma Sumac's incredible range, it was a little disappointing to find that what she did was a remarkable but weird version of humming. Her songs don't actually have lyrics. There are a few nice numbers here, but nothing really stands out in my mind - Here's to Your Illusions is probably the best number and it's pleasant. I'd say the main reason to buy this one is its collectors value, and Barbara Cook. It probably won't be around much in the future.Music Review: I've never heard a worse one
Rating: 1 Stars
In all the years of my life, I'm sure I've never heard such an awful musical. No wonder it was a flop! The story is ridiculous, the songs are silly and the music is incredibly bad. It makes COCO, BIG or LI'L ABNER ( a trilogy of disastrous music) sound like WEST SIDE STORY. Among the ten worst Broadway musicals of all times, this one has the honor to be TOP 1!