Mame

This is another OBC (Original Broadway Cast) album that any fan of musical theater should own. The OBC of MAME CD features memorable and catchy songs written by Jerry Herman that are instantly like-able; you'll be humming them all day long. Not only are the songs fun and infectious, the lyrics themselves are really profound. No wonder Herman has become such a musical legend.Angela Lansbury is fantastic as the main character "Mame," as is Frankie Michaels who plays the younger "Patrick Dennis." But the ones who steal the show are Jane Connell as Patrick's nanny "Agnes Gooch," and the wonderful Bea Arthur as "Vera Charles," Mame's best friend. Those two would later recreate their roles for the Lucille Ball movie version,  Mame , and were fantastic in that too.MAME is the musical version of the movie  Auntie Mame , which was based on Patrick Dennis's book  Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade  about his real life aunt (I recommend reading it). In the film versions, a young Patrick is sent to live with his aunt, who is a wild and life-loving woman who "lives, lives, lives," and all the fun she gets into. He grows into a young man who wants to marry a young girl, who comes from a family of snooty, ultra-conservative people and are the direct opposite of Mame. Anyway, Mame is having none of it and tries to make Patrick see that this relationship is a mistake.The MAME CD is remastered, sounds great, and has five bonus tracks of Jerry Herman singing some of the songs for a demo tape. It also comes with a booklet that includes cast credits and original liner notes by Charles Burr from 1966, which basically describes the stage production as it unfolds, so listeners will have context as to what and why the songs are being sung at that time. Very helpful for those who haven't seen the stage production or filmed version (Ball's movie stays pretty close to this stage production). The booklet also contains liner notes by Jerry Herman for the 1999 reissue, who recalls fond memories of the stage production, and the reissue producer Tom Shepard, who talks about Herman's talent. There are also some black & white pictures featuring Herman, Lansbury, Arthur, Charles Braswell who plays "Beauregard Burnside," Janice Paige who took over the "Mame" role when Lansbury & Co. went on tour, and the Columbia brass at the time-Goddard Lieberson and Clive Davis with Herman and Lansbury--proudly displaying the gold (platinum?)records that Mame garnered. I wish there was a group picture of the entire cast, but there isn't.I highly recommend MAME OBC, but I would suggest paying the extra couple of dollars and getting the  Mame (1966 Original Broadway Cast)  that's not housed in the eco-friendly packaging. I bought the eco-friendly package version and it's a cardboard foldout and the CD is on one-side of the cover in a pocket, with the booklet in the other. I found it very difficult to get the CD out because the pocket's opening is on the inside of the fold out cardboard case, facing each other. And the inside of the pocket isn't laminated, nor does the CD come with a plastic sleeve, so it just rests against the rough cardboard. I put mine in an empty plastic CD case, but now it's taking up space because I can't throw away the cardboard case because of the album artwork and the pictures on the inside cover.Other than that, I love it! Even though I also liked the Lucille Ball version because that was my "Mame" introduction, this soundtrack breathes new life, for me, into the wonderful Herman score.

Before their long running television successes in Murder She Wrote and Golden Girls, Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur co starred in Mame. This musical adaptation of the play and film of Auntie Mame boasts a brilliant score, which is performed with elan. Lansbury and Arthur both deservedly won Tony Awards for their bravura performances. Highly recommended listening. We all need a little Christmas now!

Anything Miss Lansbury does is awesome. I just wished she was the one that did the movie not Lucille Ball. Nothing against Lucy because "I Love Lucy". Just not in the movie Mame.

Love it. I was Mame in my high school senior musical. Got me singing along.

the musical score of the comedy originally played by rosiland Russell as a comedy done wonderfully by the legendary angela Lansbury a wonderful score for a funny show

I have wanted the original cast recording for years, and this one is excellent!

This is an excellent soundtrack to an amazing musical. Love the eco-friendly packaging!

Again another great production and CD

Oh how I wish I had seen this show at the time. No one could possibly be better than the wonderful Angela Lansbury as Auntie Mame - Ros Russell was great in the film of course but Herman's music just lifts this piece to greater heights. Every member of the cast is wonderful - the cracked soprano voice of the woman singing Gooch is hilarious and even the child is likeable! There are many highlights but "If He Walking to My Life Again " is achingly beautiful and heartbreaking - Lansbury is the Schwartzkopf of musical theatre. This would sit very comfortably alongside my lieder album selection on my desert island anytime!

great as expected!

Perfect. Arrived on expected date.

any one who loves musicals theatre will love this cd would love to see the show when it comes to the west end or on tour

Musical aus dem Jahr 1966.Angela Lansbury, bekannt asus Mord ist ihr Hobby und als Stimme von Misses Pott in Beauty and the Beast, gewann hierfür einen Tony-Award als beste Hauptdarstellerin.Bea Arthur, die Dorothy aus Golden Girls, gewann den Tony-Awar als Nebendarstellerin.