Judy, Frank and Dean: Once In A Lifetime–A Review

Just watched the 1962 television special entitled, “Judy, Frank and Dean:  Once In A Lifetime,” and I really enjoyed it.  The song list was:

Judy, in a black short v-neck dress with black hose and heels, and a burgundy shiny jacket with sequin detailing around the neck and front, singing the opening:

–Just in Time

–A bit of The Man That Got Away

–When You’re Smiling (with the verses)

She changed to the same black dress but with a light blue jacket with sequin accents, to sing:

–You Do Something To me –partway through this song, Frank Sinatra appears and they end the song together.

Patter ensues, then Frank sings:

–Too Marvelous For Words

Patter, then Judy sings

–You Do Something To Me–partway through this song, Dean Martin appears and they end the song together.

Patter, then Dean sings:

–You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby

Patter, then all three sing:

–You Do Something To Me (reprise)

Patter with Dean and Frank, then Frank sings:

–I See Your Face Before Me

Judy appears next, in the same black dress, but this time with a black jacket accented with black fur around the neck line and cuffs, and she is seated at a table in a room adorned with red, and she sings:

–The Man That Got Away

Frank and Dean next appear at a 1960’s bar, and they are smoking and drinking and they sing:

–The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else–they start by singing together, then alternate lyrics between the two of them.  At the end of the song, they turn upstage and throw focus to Judy, who appears behind them.  She is in the same black dress,  but this time with a pink jacket with sequin adornments.  She sings:

–I Can’t Give You Anything But Love (very slowly, unlike the way it is typically played at most trad jazz jam sessions)

Next is a medley with the three of them, which includes:

–Let There Be Love, into

–You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You

The end of the show is all Judy.  She wears an ultra-mod, 1960s black pants and flats with a dark blue v-neck sequined shirt.  She sings, in a theatre in the round, so she is smack dab in the middle of the entire audience:

–You Made Me Love You

–The Trolley Song

–Zing!  Went The Strings Of My Heart

–Rockabye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody

–Swanee, How I Love You

and the closer was:

 –San Francisco, Open That Golden Gate

The show on video ran 50 minutes, and there were 18 song selections, some of which were reprises.

I liked that they appeared to be having fun.  I liked that it felt personal, that we as audience members wanted to be one of them and having that kind of fun.  They were the epitome of sophisticated style, but they didn’t act snobby.  Instead, they included the audience in the moment, and allowed them in, to share in their moment in each song.  They were all middle aged at this point, but all were so very sexy and all were in good voice, despite the cigarette smoking and alcohol swilling that appeared to be going on.

What really struck me was how they caressed the lyrics.  There was no glossing over the meaning, but each moment was held up as a jewel, and the audience was allowed to see it through the singer’s lens, which helped the audience to understand it, and thus they related to it, and thus loved it, as was apparent in the thunderous applause at the end of each segment.  Each song told a story, and they used their acting–story-telling abilities as well as their beautiful voices to bring each song fully to life.

Many good lessons in this short video for cabaret performers.  I recommend you watch it if you get the chance.  It is available on Netflix.

Yet More Auditions, Thinking About Mabel And Working In The Theatre

More auditions coming up, so we’ve been singing up a storm to get ready.  In the meantime, a couple of weeks ago we had a fun gig playing and singing with a traditional jazz band with whom KJ plays regularly and with whom I will resume performing, the Puddin’ River Jazz Band from Portland.  It is always great to have the opportunity to get up and perform a song in front of an audience, and with a seven-piece jazz band to back me up, I am quite happy to oblige.

I received an online invitation to attend the Cabaret Convention in NYC earlier this month, but I wrote back and let the sender of the invite know I could not attend.  He wrote me back, and turns out it was Donald Smith, Mabel Mercer’s manager of twenty-some years!  He also was kind enough to send me another biography of the great Mabel, entitled Midnight At Mabel’s by Margaret Cheney, which he says is a more accurate representation of Mabel than Haskins’ biography.  I have started reading this, and hope to make a post about some of the topics covered soon.

I have also been enjoying the free online video programs put on by the American Theatre Wing, which offers the Tony Awards.  The show is called Working In The Theatre, and it offers interviews with some of the top performers, writers, directors, producers and designers on Broadway today.  It is quite encouraging to hear the performers talk about what they do to get ready to perform a part.  I was particularly struck by the musical theatre performers–someone said that getting ready to do a show is a lot like being in training for an athletic event, and I would have to say that I agree.  I exercise constantly, watch what I eat so healthy choices are being made, drink Throat Coat teas and if I am singing I pretty much eliminate alcohol from my diet, because it dries out my vocal chords and makes my throat sore.  That is not my favorite, because I love a glass of wine with dinner, but it makes a big difference in my vocal performance if I forgo that during the rehearsal and performance periods, so I do it.

Feel free to leave a comment–are there special steps that you take to get ready to perform?  Have you had some great gigs lately?  We’d love to hear from you.