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Passing stages
by Louis Botto

TWO FROM BRITAIN New from Decca Broadway are two noteworthy CD recordings of musical comedies from Great Britain. The first is the 1963 London cast recording of Rodgers and Hart's memorable musical, The Boys from Syracuse, featuring three of the team's most inspired hits: "This Can't Be Love," "Falling in Love with Love" and Sing for your Supper." Completely remastered, the CD has new liner notes, rare photos, a plot synopsis and six rare tracks from a 1938 Boys From Syracuse recording featuring Rudy Vallee and Frances Langford (Vallee was offered the lead in the original Broadway production in 1938, but turned it down). 
[[credit]] COURTESY OF DECCA BROADWAY [[/credit]]
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The second CD is a newly remastered and repackaged original London cast recording of Oliver!. In addition to the show's popular songs, the recording features a rarity - "That's My Funeral" - which was cut from the orginal Broadway recording and 1968 film. It was sung by Barry Humphries, better known today as Dame Edna. Also featured are Georgia Brown and Ron Moody, who won an Oscar for his performance in the film. 

DINNER AT EIGHT RECALLED
The present revival of George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber's celebrated play, Dinner at Eight, has elicited many calls and letters inquiring about the original production. Here is a rundown on the show, which opened at the Music Box Theatre on October 22, 1932. It was produced by Sam H. Harris and directed by Mr. Kaufman. It ran for 232 performances. Major roles were played by: Constance Collier (Carlotta Vance), Conway Tearle (Larry Renault), Ann Andrews (Millicent Jordan), Malcolm Duncan (Oliver Jordan), Paul Harvey (Dan Packard), Judith Wood (Kitty Packard), Marguerite Churchill (Paula Jordan) - who was later succeeded by the future movie star Margaret Sullavan - and another future movie star, Cesar Romero, played Ricci.
 
The play was made into a highly successful film by MGM in 1933 with many of its greatest stars. The cast included Marie Dressler (Carlotta), John Barrymore (Larry), Billie Burke (Millicent), Lionel Barrymore (Oliver), Wallace Beery (Dan), Jean Harlow (Kitty) and Madge Evans (Paula). Film critics pronounced it "a grand evening."

THE LION KING'S ROAR Disney's The Lion King recently celebrated its fifth anniversary on Broadway at the historic New Amsterdam Theatre. Since its opening on November 13, 1997, it has had eight productions throughout the world, been seen by over 15 million theatregoers and earned over $900 million at the box office. It has also won over 30 major theatrical awards across the globe
Can you feel the love?
[[credit]] JOAN MARCUS/MARC BYRAN-BROWN (C) DISNEY [[/credit]]
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Sam Wright as Mufasa in The Lion King

WWW.PLAYBILL.COM PURE THEATRE ONLINE

a theatregoer's notebook
by charles Nelson

A VISUAL CHAMELEON There are easier ways to make your Broadway debut than what they put JOEL VIG through in Hairspray. Six of him can be seen scampering across the stage of the Neil Simon, seemingly at once - and his quick-change acts only intensified for Broadway. "Every time they cut time out of anything, it affected my changes," he says by way of explaining why he's a backstage mass of flying mustaches, wigs and costumes. "When the cast sees me coming, they hug the walls."
 
When he's not on this optical course, he's understudying Dick Latessa's Wilbur and Harvey Fierstein's Edna.
 
Dressing up was an early calling for Vig, who started out at age eight as Zeus in a park production of The Golden Arrow in his hometown of Grand Forks, North Dakota. His toga, he remembers, was a sheet that had humble beginnings - "definitely not a William Ivey Long creation."
 
All dolled up, he made his off-Broadway bow a decade ago in Ruthless!, playing a barracuda femme named Sylvia St. Croix. "I've never really played what I consider a drag part. When I've played women, I've played them pretty much, sorta, straight. I consider what I do more character-acting."
 
It has taken him "almost half a century to get to Broadway" - he turned 50 in December - and "it's different than I thought, but actually it's glorious. Every night you're standing on a Broadway stage and hearing that music start - it's just incredible."

[[credit]] Paul Kornik [[/credit]]
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Man of many faces: Joel Vig in a scene from Hairspray

A VOCAL CHAMELEON There are easier ways to make your Broadway debut than what they put MICHAEL CAVANAUGH through in Movin' Out. He stands with the band on a raised platform, banging a piano, executing the show's entire Billy Joel score (some two dozen songs strong), while below energetic dancers vie for attention. As directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp, there's a whole lot of girl-twirling going on, but he more than holds his own and shrugs off the thought of competition. "Oh, we're all teammates."
 
What's especially riveting about Cavanaugh is the illusion he imparts in action and inflections that you are watching a young Billy Joel. "Nobody says I sound like Billy Joel when they hear me do my own stuff," he says. "They're quicker to say Kenny Loggins or Paul McCartney, but, when I sing Billy Joel, it comes out like that. I think the reason is I've been a Billy fan for so long - since age seven. Every day after school I would blast his music and sing it. It's in my blood."

Billy Joel heartily approves and sees the bloodline thickening with Cavanaugh's six year-old, Matthew. "He's the king of the world, and he knows it," beams Pop. "Yeah, he's starting to sing, and he's starting to play the piano. He's so into Billy Joel and this show. He's become addicted to the whole thing. He knows every lyric to every song, and he memorized how long every song is. Billy Joel Said, 'Man, this kid's like Rain Man."'

[[credit]] Joan Marcus [[/credit]]
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Michael Cavanaugh rocks the house in Movin' Out

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