Rare original television musical by Stephen Sondheim from 1967. Shown only once on the ABC series Stage 67.
THE SWORD - Gods of the Earth Seriously, I kind of feel sorry for the people that don't have this record.
REPOST due to vanished image. Rare original television musical by Stephen Sondheim from 1966. Shown only once on the ABC series Stage 67. Starred Anthony Perkins. Soundtrack finally released as limited-edition CD in 2008.
Music: Richard Rodgers; Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim. Based on the David Lean film Summertime. The pairing of these two legends back in 1965 made for a volatile team. Old school and new school attitudes didn't exactly mesh. But Rodgers still had enough left in his tank to produced one last solid score despite the acrimonious relationship with Sondheim. This 2001 revival album stunned me with its vibrancy the first time I heard it. It's outstanding and a rare instance of a later recording being superior to an original Broadway cast album -- although I do miss the great Sergio Franchi as the lead.
Music & Lyrics: Jerry Herman. Based on S.N. Behrman's adaptation of Franz Werfel's play Jacobowsky and the Colonel. For those who think Jerry Herman is nothing but Hello, Dolly! and Mame, he also wrote this about a Jew hooking up with an aristocratic anti-Semitic officer fleeing the Nazis. As tuneful as Jerry's other scores, but the clash of Herman's style and the subject matter resulted in a show that lasted only 61 performances in 1979. Certainly a score that deserves to be better known.