Search - John Kander, Fred Ebb, Rupert Holmes :: Curtains (2007 Original Broadway Cast)

There's No People Like Show People

Tom S. | New York City | 06/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here's a terrific cast album, one that will remind you of an earlier, more sophisticated time in the history of the Broadway musical. John Kander and the late Fred Ebb wrote some of my favorite scores--CABARET, CHICAGO, THE RINK, and my personal favorite, ZORBA, among others. CURTAINS is a charming show, a real throwback to the musicals I loved when I was younger. Musicals have definitely changed in the last few years, and not all those changes are for the better. This original cast album is a brilliant reminder of that fact.



The score of CURTAINS is a delight, start to finish. It's deliberately silly and old-fashioned, and it's very witty, too. You can always count on Kander and Ebb to provide one new standard song per score, and here the showstopper is the rousing, infectious "Show People." There are also some genuinely funny comedy numbers and a couple of lovely ballads. David Hyde Pierce and Debra Monk are right at home with this material, and they are joined by a supporting cast that really knows how to put on a show.



I don't know when we'll see such a tuneful, intelligent work of art on Broadway again, if we ever do. CURTAINS may well be the last of a vanishing breed of American entertainment. Let's enjoy it while we can. Highly recommended."

THE RETURN OF THE GOOD OLD FASHIONED BROADWAY MUSICAL!!!

the masked reviewer | Boston, MA | 06/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This old-fashioned murder-mystery musical (and one of the final collaborations of composing team Kander and Ebb) is an amusing, tuneful show that frequently dazzles as it quietly builds charm making for a satisfying entertainment by it's final curtain. Much of the credit goes to it's expertly chosen cast. Chief among them -- David Hyde Pierce, delightfully mixing wide-eyed, kid-in-a-candy-store wonder with wry earnestness as Boston detective Frank Cioffi, whose community theater credits have given him an addiction to greasepaint. Matching him is Debra Monk, dead-panning up a storm as brassy, trash-talking producer Carmen Bernstein. (One can picture the great Ethel Merman in this role had it actually been written and produced back in 1959!)



Set in 1959, the show opens, appropriately, with the closing scene and curtain calls for "Robbin' Hood of the Old West" (think Destry Rides Again) at Boston's Colonial Theater, its proscenium re-created within that of the Hirschfeld by designer Anna Louizos. The disastrous and detested leading lady (Patty Goble) flubs her lines and screws up her dances before collapsing during the bows. Blistering reviews from the Boston critics next morning coincide with news of her death by poisoning. Enter Cioffi, who sequesters cast and crew in the theater for the investigation's duration.



While sizing up suspects, Frank becomes de facto show doctor, making subtle creative suggestions at first and later entirely overhauling numbers. His ideas are happily accepted by swishy director Christopher Belling (Edward Hibbert, all precision whip-turns and haughty attitude), who has no problem taking credit for other folks' work. Running parallel to the search for the killer in a company rife with motives is the bid to salvage the show's Broadway hopes. Former stage performer Georgia Hendricks (Karen Ziemba), the show's lyricist, is recruited to replace the slain lead, adding further friction to her relationship with ex-husband and composing partner Aaron (Jason Danieley). There's also a gentle courtship between Frank and peaches-and-cream ingenue Niki (Jill Paice).



The first act is like a congenial game of Clue, and as the conductor turns to face the audience at the top of act two to confirm the second murder, the musical really starts clicking. One musical high point, made irresistible by Monk's effortless delivery, is Carmen's cynical showstopper "It's a Business," in which she disses Gorky, Moliere, Beckett and O'Neill in favor of crowd-pleasing commercial froth. Also witty is "He Did It," in which suspicion rips through the company ranks; and "A Tough Act to Follow" a sugary fantasy that transforms Frank and Niki into Marge and Gower Champion. The most poignant moment is the sweet lament for a broken collaboration, "I Miss the Music," with lyrics, as well as music, penned by Kander after Ebb's death.



More than anything, Curtains is a glittery, hysterically funny homage to the those fluffy musicals of the1950s. An old-fashioned musical comedy that spares no expense in its quest to wow, amaze and excite."

Better than wicked

Chloe Davis | 06/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i saw this show on broadway the week it opened and it is the most amazing show ever. it spoofs thespians and if you are one, you will love the song "show people" it gives you an inside look at putting together a broadway musical. you don't have to have seen the show to understand the music and the show! it is awesome! buy the cd, you won't regret it! and if you can, i highly recommend going to see the show on broadway."