Finian's Rainbow [Original 1960 Broadway Cast]

by Finian's Rainbow / O.B.C.

Overview

The limited-engagement New York City Center revival of Finian's Rainbow that opened on April 27, 1960, and transferred to the 46th Street Theatre for a Broadway run was one of many indications at the start of the new decade that America was beginning to emerge from the chilled artistic climate of the McCarthy era of the 1950s. It would have been hard to imagine the show, written by blacklisted lyricist-librettist E.Y. Harburg and composer Burton Lane, being revived any earlier than 1960, despite the success of the original 1947 production. (Indeed, a proposed animated film version was scuttled in the mid-'50s, though not before prerecordings were made.) In addition to the red-baiting of one of its authors, the reason for the show's suppression can be found in Harburg's story, which touches on issues of race relations and the gap between rich and poor, and in his lyrics, which slyly insert left-leaning sentiments and criticisms of the right wing. For all that, you might suppose that Finian's Rainbow is some kind of dull political tract, when it is really a delightful musical fantasy full of catchy songs. That's what people recalled when the revival opened in 1960, and that's what you get on this cast album. Jeannie Carson can't match the Irish sparkle of her predecessor, Ella Logan, in the female lead role, but she has a stronger voice; Biff McGuire is a solid Woody Mahoney; and Howard Morris makes a suitably excitable Og the leprechaun. The whole production has a triumphant spirit well conveyed on the recording, and it shakes the cobwebs from one of the outstanding musicals of the 1940s. It's hard to beat the Finian's Rainbow original Broadway cast recording, but this one makes a satisfying alternative, and it is certainly a sonic improvement. [The 1988 CD reissue added a short reprise of "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?" at the end.] ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	12/11/2007
Label:	Rca
UPC:	0078635105728
Rank:	852

Tracks

1. Overture
2. This Time of the Year
3. How Are Things in Glocca Morra?
4. Look to the Rainbow
5. Old Devil Moon
6. Something Sort of Grandish
7. If This Isn't Love
8. Necessity
9. That Great Come-and-Get-It Day
10. When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich
11. The Begat
12. When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love
13. Finale

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Lynn Murray   Primary Artist
Sonny Terry   Primary Artist
Alan Gilbert   Primary Artist
Donald Richards   Primary Artist
Lorenzo Fuller   Primary Artist
Louis Sharp   Primary Artist
David Wayne   Primary Artist
Maude Simmons   Primary Artist
Jerry Laws   Primary Artist,Vocals
Ella Logan   Primary Artist
The Orchestra   Primary Artist
Delores Martin   Primary Artist
Mary Louise   Vocals
Howard Morris   Vocals
Lispet Nelson   Vocals
Finian's Rainbow Cast Ensemble   Orchestra
Alice Elizabeth Webb   Vocals
Marnell Higley   Vocals
Nan Courtney   Vocals
John Boni   Vocals
Sorrell Booke   Vocals
Tiger Haynes   Vocals
Biff McGuire   Vocals
Stephanie Reynolds   Vocals
Bill Glover   Vocals
Issa Arnal   Vocals
Hugh Dilworth   Vocals
Bobby Howes   Vocals
Carol Brice   Vocals
Max Meth   Musical Director
Beverly Jane Welch   Vocals
Jeannie Carson   Vocals
Knute Sullivan   Vocals

Technical Credits

E.Y. "Yip" Harburg   Lyricist,Composer
Burton Lane   Composer
Bob Bollard   Producer
Bill Rosenfield   Liner Notes
Didier C. Deutsch   Liner Notes,Remastering
Paul Goodman   Remastering
Ernest Oelrich   Engineer
Morris Stonzek   Orchestra Manager