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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 Murphy had already left the show and had been replaced by Jacquey Maltby.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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