And then along came "The Little Prince and The Aviator," which I saw (act one anyway). And -- before that, mid-70s -- "Billy," a guilty pleasure I saw twice in London. It's got the catchiest of scores, and Michael Crawford was winning. One of the girlfriends was played by an unknown named Elaine Paige*, at least the first time I saw it.
*"Any Minute Now," a plangent ode to being stood up sung by a couple of the girlfriends, was the song I couldn't shake, and the first time I heard those Paige money notes. But "Some of Us Belong to the Stars" was the one you sing on the way out of the theater. Which was the immense Drury Lane. |
