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| Song of Singapore cast recording without Donna Murphy | |
| Posted by: pecansforall 12:22 am EDT 03/17/21 | |
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| Does anyone recall the reason why Donna Murphy, who was apparently sensational as Rose of Rangoon, didn't do the original cast recording? And while we're on the subject, did any of you see the show? How was it? Is it produced often? |
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| re: Song of Singapore cast recording without Donna Murphy | |
| Posted by: PlazaBoy 01:07 am EDT 03/19/21 | |
| In reply to: Song of Singapore cast recording without Donna Murphy - pecansforall 12:22 am EDT 03/17/21 | |
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| I saw it. I don't remember a lot other than the show was clever and Donna was very enjoyable. I do remember food being served and somewhere I have my playbill and menu! I remember it being more a fun/festive event than a regular show. |
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| Song of Singapore with Karen Trott | |
| Posted by: jwilson 12:24 pm EDT 03/18/21 | |
| In reply to: Song of Singapore cast recording without Donna Murphy - pecansforall 12:22 am EDT 03/17/21 | |
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| I saw the show shortly after it opened, and I was very disappointed that Murphy (whom I had loved in the Privates on Parade revival a few years before) was out. Her understudy was Karen Trott, and according to an article in the Chicago Tribune, Murphy regularly missed performances to give her voice a rest. Michael Kilian wrote: "It has made a cult superstar of the leading lady, Donna Murphy, who plays the 'lowdown cheap saloon singer' Rose of Rangoon. It's making another star of Murphy's equally talented and frequently called upon (especially on weekends) understudy, Karen Trott, a sometime Shakespearean actress who manages to tear men's hearts out with torch songs, and plays four musical instruments to boot." I'm afraid that contrary to Kilian's report, without Murphy the show did not make much of an impression on me, and I have never listened to the cast recording. (I do, however, remember the delightfully gaudy immersive nightclub setting.) |
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| Link | https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-10-10-9104010561-story.html |
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| re: Song of Singapore with Karen Trott | |
| Posted by: Likeitlots 04:46 pm EDT 03/18/21 | |
| In reply to: Song of Singapore with Karen Trott - jwilson 12:24 pm EDT 03/18/21 | |
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| Murphy talks extensively about this in Nothing Like a Dame: Conversations With the Great Women of Musical Theater | |
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| re: Song of Singapore cast recording without Donna Murphy | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 07:41 am EDT 03/17/21 | |
| In reply to: Song of Singapore cast recording without Donna Murphy - pecansforall 12:22 am EDT 03/17/21 | |
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| There was a controversy about Murphy not being on the cast recording, but it was so long ago I don't remember all the details. Song of Singapore opened on 5/23/91 and ran for over a year off-Broadway. Murphy had already left the show and had been replaced by Jacquey Maltby. When the show finally got a cast album in '92, Maltby was heard as Rose on the CD. At least one very prominent critic/writer/columnist (Ken Mandlebaum, I believe) criticized the decision not to recruit Murphy for the album. There was a notorious production of Song of Singapore at a Chicago venue in the mid-90's that was quite elaborate and got considerable press pre-opening. However, it was roundly panned by the critics, especially Chris Jones of the Tribune. It closed rather quickly so I never saw it. There was a London production in 2001 that I believe was relatively popular. I bought its cast album and found it to be enjoyable. |
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| re: Song of Singapore cast recording without Donna Murphy | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 11:32 am EDT 03/17/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Song of Singapore cast recording without Donna Murphy - BroadwayTonyJ 07:41 am EDT 03/17/21 | |
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| I saw a tour of SONG OF SINGAPORE in the mid-90's that starred Loretta Swit as Rose of Rangoon. It seems like odd, incongruous casting, but I remember that Swit was actually terrific and the whole production was really funny and a great time. All these years later, the friend that I saw this with and I will sometimes still randomly say to one another, "Do you know there's a dead man in the bar?" And the other will start singing. |
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| re: Song of Singapore cast recording without Donna Murphy | |
| Last Edit: BroadwayTonyJ 01:19 pm EDT 03/17/21 | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 01:16 pm EDT 03/17/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Song of Singapore cast recording without Donna Murphy - JereNYC 11:32 am EDT 03/17/21 | |
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| The Chicago Tribune reviewed the off-Broadway production in '91 and raved about both the show and Donna Murphy's breakout performance. When the upcoming Chicago version was announced in '95, my partner and I were really looking forward to seeing it. I just found an article about it. The Song of Singapore Cafe and a 320-seat venue were constructed over the Second City mainstage in Piper's Alley. If I'm understanding the article correctly, the construction cost $700,000 and the production itself was budgeted at $459,000. That's a lot of dinero for a local version of a well-reviewed, but not particularly well known off-Broadway musical, especially in 1995. Then the show opened -- the reviews were brutal -- and then the show closed. I was inspired by this thread to dig out the London cast album CD and listen to it during my walk at the gym this morning. The score is quite sprightly and entertaining -- Issy van Randwyck is great as Rose of Rangoon. |
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| Also I forgot to mention – | |
| Posted by: ShowGoer 08:50 am EDT 03/17/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Song of Singapore cast recording without Donna Murphy - BroadwayTonyJ 07:41 am EDT 03/17/21 | |
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| Jacquey Maltby was very talented in those few things I saw her in, including Song of Singapore. I don’t know what happened to her in the last 25 years plus, but if she left the biz or scaled back her aspirations I’d hope it wasn’t because of articles like the one you referenced, complaining she was no Donna Murphy - she wasn’t, but how could she be? In any case, I’m quite certain that if they’d been able to have Murphy on the album they would have... another indication that unless my memory is completely wrong, for whatever reason, things between her and the rest of the company on Song of Singapore didn’t exactly have an ideal ending. | |
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| I’ll be honest... | |
| Posted by: ShowGoer 06:43 am EDT 03/17/21 | |
| In reply to: Song of Singapore cast recording without Donna Murphy - pecansforall 12:22 am EDT 03/17/21 | |
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| I’d completely forgotten Murphy hadn’t done the cast album. I’d also forgotten all about Jacquey Maltby, who I happened to see in all 3 of her major NY stage credits I could find - saw her teice in Jerry’s Girls (the second tone, after Chita had left due to her horrible taxicab accident, they split up Rivera’s track among the ensemble performers), then when she went on in City of Angels, and finally the second time I saw Song of Singapore. If I remember correctly there was some tension between Murphy and the shows other performers, who were also the writers... not trying to stir up stuff 30 years later, not sure if she was already missing performances to the extent she later would... but this was RIGHT before Murphy really popped — she’d already done Drood, but this was the beginning of the crazy 2-year period when she would alternate between workshops of Passion and Hello Again - and of course wound up doing productions of both - so that may have had something to do with it. |
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| re: I’ll be honest... | |
| Posted by: whereismikeyfl 08:00 am EDT 03/17/21 | |
| In reply to: I’ll be honest... - ShowGoer 06:43 am EDT 03/17/21 | |
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| Not to raise a dead horse, but I thought Murphy had a good attendance record outside of the period of her vocal injury during Wonderful Town. You seem to indicate that she missed on other productions....so is there more to this? |
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| Well, you may be right... | |
| Posted by: ShowGoer 08:47 am EDT 03/17/21 | |
| In reply to: re: I’ll be honest... - whereismikeyfl 08:00 am EDT 03/17/21 | |
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| ... and it could be that what I was thinking of was in fact this production. Like I said I don’t want to cast aspersions, but if my memory is right I did get the sense that overall there was no love lost between her and the creators/co-stars by the time she left Song of Singapore. Whether that was sour grapes on their part because she was moving on to more prominent jobs, legitimate gripes that she’d gotten too bug for her britches after her (justifiably) rave reviews came out, or whether she wanted more money to stay in it downtown for the long run, I couldn’t say. But I do remember the word around town - even if it was because she was getting booked up doing workshops with the likes of Sondheim and LaChiusa - was that she was definitely missing performances. |
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| re: Well, you may be right... | |
| Posted by: whereismikeyfl 12:56 pm EDT 03/17/21 | |
| In reply to: Well, you may be right... - ShowGoer 08:47 am EDT 03/17/21 | |
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| I thought it was odd that she would be absent since when not dealing with medical issues, she has been consistent (as far as I know). What is more likely is that she ran away with all the reviews and word of mouth on Song of Singapore. The rest of the cast and the authors were really cast in the shade because she got so much attention. I remember one interview where she tried to deflect saying she knew she was "flavor of the month" and that the attention would die down. But it did not really, so it must have been hard for the creative team. |
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| Donna Murphy -- SONG OF SINGAPORE -- Comments about the Off-Broadway Cast Recording | |
| Last Edit: BroadwayTonyJ 02:08 pm EDT 03/17/21 | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 02:05 pm EDT 03/17/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Well, you may be right... - whereismikeyfl 12:56 pm EDT 03/17/21 | |
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| Here's what Mandlebaum wrote for Playbill on 11/08/98: "Those who only know Donna Murphy from Passion and The King and I may not be aware of her flair for madcap comedy, which was lavishly demonstrated in the amusing 1991 off-Broadway musical Song of Singapore. The show also allowed her to show off her remarkable skills as a jazz/scat singer. Unfortunately, Murphy had vocal problems during the run and left the company; by the time DRG made the cast album, Jacquey Maltby was playing Rose, the band singer with memory problems, and posterity was thus deprived of hearing Murphy's uproarious star turn, as good as anything she has done since." Here's what Max Preeo wrote for ShowMusic, Summer 1992: "The recording has a measure of fun, but it isn't the same as if you were attending -- and being part of -- a Song of Singapore performance. The album features Jacquey Maltby, who took over the role of Rose when Donna Murphy left the show. Murphy is not on the recording because it would have required paying both her and Maltby a full week's wages under Equity's cast album rules, which wasn't in DRG's budget. Maltby is completely convincing as the saloon singer, but it does take some of the edge off the recording not to have the performer who received the show's best notices." Charles Wright in The TheaterMania Guide to Musical Theater Recordings, published 2004 says: "this recording . . . features the torchy Jacquey Maltby . . . Donna Murphy, who was in the original cast, is not heard here." Wright gives the recording a one star rating (*) out of a possible five (*****). |
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| re: Donna Murphy -- SONG OF SINGAPORE -- Comments about the Off-Broadway Cast Recording | |
| Posted by: altonido 08:47 pm EDT 03/17/21 | |
| In reply to: Donna Murphy -- SONG OF SINGAPORE -- Comments about the Off-Broadway Cast Recording - BroadwayTonyJ 02:05 pm EDT 03/17/21 | |
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| In instances like this, producers do tend to use the performer playing the role at the time of the recording rather than the role's now-gone creator. It's understandable that they don't want to pay two salaries, but it can be damaging to the final result. The most egregious instance of this is recording the '93 "She Loves Me" revival and not bringing back original leading lady Judy Kuhn (who had moved on to the L.A. "Sunset Boulevard) to make the recording. It might have been worth the money to do so, as Kuhn's vocals were such a strong element of that production and without them, the CD is far less noteworthy. |
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| re: Donna Murphy -- SONG OF SINGAPORE -- Comments about the Off-Broadway Cast Recording | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 09:43 pm EDT 03/17/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Donna Murphy -- SONG OF SINGAPORE -- Comments about the Off-Broadway Cast Recording - altonido 08:47 pm EDT 03/17/21 | |
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| When the reviews are as strong as they were for Murphy, you pay the extra bucks or face the consequences -- in other words, a disappointing cast recording. Song of Singapore was making money -- the producers could have coughed up the extra bucks and split the cost with DRG. | |
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| re: Donna Murphy -- SONG OF SINGAPORE -- Comments about the Off-Broadway Cast Recording | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 09:29 am EDT 03/18/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Donna Murphy -- SONG OF SINGAPORE -- Comments about the Off-Broadway Cast Recording - BroadwayTonyJ 09:43 pm EDT 03/17/21 | |
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| Just out of curiosity, does anyone have a guess as to what it would have cost to hire Murphy for a day or two to come into the studio and record the cast album? And would the other actress have had to have been compensated for NOT getting to be on the recording? | |
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| re: Donna Murphy -- SONG OF SINGAPORE -- Comments about the Off-Broadway Cast Recording | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 04:27 pm EDT 03/18/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Donna Murphy -- SONG OF SINGAPORE -- Comments about the Off-Broadway Cast Recording - JereNYC 09:29 am EDT 03/18/21 | |
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| Yeah, according to Max Preeo (ShowMusic Magazine -- see my earlier post) both Murphy and Maltby would have had to been paid a week's salary for Murphy to record Rose of Rangoon's vocals on the cast album. In 1992 for an off-off-Broadway musical, that amount couldn't have been more than $1000 to $2000. I think the producers and DRG records could easliy have afforded that sum. Of course, I'm just guessing. I'm sure Maltby on stage as a replacement gave a more than adequate performance for the fans who saw the show after a year's run. However, the cast album is for the ages, and Murphy is a genuinely gifted performer. Her characterization should have been captured. Just IMO. |
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| re: Well, you may be right... | |
| Posted by: Roman 01:39 pm EDT 03/17/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Well, you may be right... - whereismikeyfl 12:56 pm EDT 03/17/21 | |
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| This, from my understanding, is closest to the truth (which, admittedly, can be different for folks). But my source and memory is that the unqualified raves for her performance, which some reviews suggested elevated the entire production, caused the distance. It happens. I saw the show with Murphy a few times. She was SENsational. |
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| re: Well, you may be right... | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 12:01 pm EDT 03/19/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Well, you may be right... - Roman 01:39 pm EDT 03/17/21 | |
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| "This, from my understanding, is closest to the truth (which, admittedly, can be different for folks). But my source and memory is that the unqualified raves for her performance, which some reviews suggested elevated the entire production, caused the distance." IF that is true, I would say that any resentment or jealousy towards Murphy for that reason was a hugely counterproductive attitude on the part of those who felt that way. When a show has a breakout star, I think it's best to celebrate that unreservedly, even if that star overshadows the other talented people involved. The greatest example of this that I can think of offhand is the way that Kristin Chenoweth was (justly, in my opinion) singled out and lauded for the otherwise problematic revisal of YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN. |
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