Search - Jule Styne, Betty Comden, Adolph Green :: Two on the Aisle (1951 Original Broadway Cast)

One indespenible gem in dross

Kockenlocker | Portland, Oregon United States | 10/05/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The only reason for my 4-star rating is Bert Lahr's extraordinary number, "The Clown." In this three-minute tour-de-force, Lahr's unparalled comic genius left me laughing snd happily replaying it twice. A pity Decca didn't have the understanding that this was Lahr's show (not Dolores Gray's) and didn't record the baseball sketch. I saw Lahr do it on TV when I was a kid and it is indescribably wonderous. In that sketch, written by director Abe Burrows, Bert Lahr had one of the crowning moments in his career. If a kinescope exists, I hope it is released on video. The score has no standards and is second-tier (except when Lahr has his way with "The Clown") Julie Styne and Comden and Green, but expertly sung by Dolores Gray. Nonetheless, this is all we have of the last great Brodway revue and worth the buy for that. However, without Lahr's "The Clown," I would have rated it 2-stars. If they had only recorded all of the sketches, this would be one of the greatest of Broadway albums. Or is that comedy albums. If you are Lahr fan, this an absolute must--he shows up in a few other numbers and manages to be heard to good advantage. Excellent liner notes, including the chapter about "Two On the Aisle" from John Lahr's biography of his father, "Notes On A Cowardly Lion." If you haven't read it, get a copy of one the best biographies I've read, which includes the full script of the baseball sketch. "Don't eat 'em, kids. They'll kill ya'." That's Lahr's basball punch-line, which I still try do as Lahr did. Never even come near the master."

THE LAST BROADWAY MUSICAL REVIEW -- THANK GOD!

Robert Edler | Saint Louis, Missouri USA | 10/12/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Two On The Aisle is not really a Broadway (book show) musical; it was conceived as a recreation of the old musical reviews of an earlier era. As such, it probably worked then on stage. But without the jokes and sketches, I doubt if it ever worked as an original cast recording. The songs, though they are the products of the first Styne, Comden and Green collaboration, could have been lifted from any generic 1940's movie musical. (I admit the lyrics are pretty clever in spots!)The true asset of the CD reissue is also the briefest. The selling point of whole show was the great Bert Lahr and since he was a top comedian he only appears in two of the show's twelve numbers. (The Clown being done is his classic Cowardly Lion style)Delores Gray, who was really a great Broadway performer, delivers the rest of the songs. Unfortunately, the recordings of her numbers sound like those done by most of the pop-recording vocalists of the time. In other words -- with very little Broadway style!The CD is a collector's item for Bert Lahr's performance, but just so so as a Broadway Cast Recording."

A FORGOTTEN MUSICAL THAT DESERVES TO BE REDISCOVERED

Alan W. Petrucelli | THE ENTERTAINMENT REPORT (ALAN W. PETRUCELLI) | 02/09/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Two on the Aisle" was the first show Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Jule Styne wrote together, and it is a humdinger! The show, first presented in 1951, is actually a revue with some of the most memorable songs the trio ever wrote. Starring Bert Lahr and Dolores Grey, it has forgotten gems that will make you laugh out loud. This was the last of the star-powered extravaganzas such as Ziegfeld used to produce with lavish spectacle, enormous choruses and sets that went for for days, if not weeks. Still, the quality of the music and lyrics cannot be overlooked. The show has pretty much fallen into complete obscurity, but anyone with a love for musicals and respect for the revue form will greatly enjoy listening to it over and over again. (Submitted by staff member Stephen J. Finn)"