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The Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, opened on Broadway at the 46th Street Theatre on October 14, 1961 and it was an instant smash, with both critics and audiences raving about everything – the book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, the brilliant score by Loesser, the cast, led by the inimitable young Robert Morse and the older but equally inimitable Rudy Vallee, the musical staging by Bob Fosse, and Burrows’ direction. It had an amazing run of 1,417 performances and won seven Tony Awards. There was a successful national tour starring Dick Kallman, and a successful London production, which we released on CD.
Which brings us to the French production and its cast album. The comedie musicale opened at the Theatre de Paris on February 7, 1964, and was a hit there as it was on Broadway and in London. The production was a clone of the Broadway production. The recording is delightful and comes across wonderfully and is full of energy with Frank Loesser’s score really shining. Interestingly, the release of the cast album was only in mono – no stereo record was ever released, and one wonders if something went wrong during the session. This CD was mastered from a reel-to-reel tape and the mono is excellent.
Foreign cast albums have always been collectible. They have great performances, occasionally some more dance music, maybe even a song that wasn’t included on the Broadway cast album. We have quite a few foreign cast albums coming up, so stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy Frank Loesser’s wonderful score en Francais.
As a bonus, we’ve included a cover version of the score by the Terry Kinsey Quintet. It’s quite a lot of fun, too.
The original French cast recording of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is limited to 500 copies.
01. Ouverture
02. Comment Reussir
03. Bagatelle
04. La Pause Cafe
05. Le Jeu de la Maison
06. Une Secretaire Nest Pas Poupee
07. Fini Pour Aujord hui
08. Vieux Frere
09. Ce Modele de Paris
10. Rose Marie
11. Cendrillon Cherie
12. Un Petit Coeur en Dor
13. Je Crois en Toi
14. Une Grande Famille
Conducted by Saul Schechtman
BONUS TRACKS
Cover Version by the Tony Kinsey Quintet.
15. How To
16. Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm
17. Coffee Break
18 The Company Way
19. A Secretary Is Not a Toy
20. Been a Long Day
21. Grand Old Ivy
22. Paris Original
23. Cinderella, Darling
24. Love from a Heart of Gold
25. I Believe in You
26. Brotherhood of Man
Tony Kinsey, drums; Kenny Napper, bass; Gordon Beck, piano; Peter King, tenor saxophone; Les Condon, trumpet
