Search - Nancy Ford, Gretchen Cryer, David Cryer :: Now Is the Time for All Good Men (1967 Original Off-Broadway Cast)

A glorious musical comedy score!

krebsman | New York, NY United States | 10/25/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Presented in 1967 at the Theatre de Lys, NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL GOOD MEN was an anti-war musical very much of its time. There were many "anti-war" musicals in the late 60s and early 70s and invariably featured a rock score that was not inherently theatrical. But this score, written by two women in their early 30s, had a glorious musical comedy score with songs good enough to be standards. None other than Barbra Streisand recorded "He Could Show Me" as a single (but it was curiously never included on any of her albums). Other A+ ballads are the lush and romantic "Rain Your Love on Me," and "All Alone." "My Holiday" is a gorgeous Christmas song. There are some funny satirical numbers like "Keep `Em Busy, Keep `Em Quiet" (which is sung by a high school principal as advice to the new teachers) and "A Star on the Monument" (sung by a pro-War father as he tells how proud he would be of a son who died a hero). The show's story centers on a young teacher, David Cryer (Gretchen's then-husband) and his attempts to expand the intellectual horizons of the inhabitants of a small town in Indiana. The townspeople like him, but wish he wouldn't say such controversial things. Mr. Cryer has a glorious voice and shines on the aforementioned two big ballads as well as "What's in the Air" and "See Everything New." (He later starred in several Broadway shows and TV soap operas.) Ingenue Anne Kaye has a sprightly clear soprano and scores on "Down Through History." I also enjoy Judy Frank as a white trash seductress on "Stuck Up." As a result of having to step into the role a week before opening when the original actress landed a lucrative TV job in Hollywood, author/lyricist Gretchen Cryer (under the pseudonym "Sally Niven") sings the female lead. She's delightful. Ms. Cryer was fighting the flu when this album was recorded and she sounds a little adenoidal in places, but on the whole she sings quite well. Ms. Cryer and her composer partner Nancy Ford two seasons later wrote the off-Broadway smash THE LAST SWEET DAYS OF ISAAC and two years later became the first female composer-lyricist team to have a show produced on Broadway with SHELTER. A few years later, they hit paydirt with the long-running I'M GETTING MY ACT TOGETHER AND I'M TAKING IT ON THE ROAD. I love all the Cryer-Ford scores, but this one will always be my favorite. I was crazy about this show and saw it several times during its 6-month run. I have virtually worn out my vinyl copy. This is a wonderful score and it's great to have it on CD. In my opinion, it's a must-have."

I Didn't Not Like It

~Amante | Frederick, MD | 01/15/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This Musical is pretty good. I didn't hate the lyrics, singers, or orchestrations, but the CD as a whole wasn't the most impressive thing I've ever listened to. I got bored and there wasn't anything that snapped me from the boredom and that's never good. I think the themes in this show are great, anti-war, pro-independence; and the characters and lyrics do a great job of bringing that out. But if you hunting for a musical that will make you want to listen to it over and over... this isn't it. I would probably only suggest this CD for collectors, and fans of early musicals. Favorite Song: "A Star on the Monument""