Lyrics & Lyricists

Panning for Gold: Great Songs from Flop Shows

92nd Street Y, NYC, June 1, 2014

Reviewed by Peter Haas for Cabaret Scenes

You may have whistled “All the Things You Are,” hummed “Love Changes Everything,” crooned “Not a Day Goes By.” But do you recall what Broadway shows they were from? Probably not: these numbers are among hundreds that have long survived the productions they were in—which is precisely why they were presented in this season’s final edition of 92Y’s Lyrics & Lyricists, titled Panning for Gold: Great Songs from Flop Shows.”

“Even legendary Broadway songwriters, the gods and goddesses who are the very pillars of the American Songbook, have come face to face with failure,” commented the program’s artistic director and host, lyricist David Zippel. Two dozen examples, some ever-familiar, others not so, came alive again through the talents of a troupe of singers and dancers: Brent Barrett, Lorna Luft, Christiane Noll, Jessica Lea Patty, Lillias White and Tony Yazbeck.

Among highlights were: Noll’s almost-operatic “Glitter and Be Gay” (Bernstein/Wilbur, from Candide); Barrett’s romantic “Love Changes Everything” (Lloyd Webber/Black and Hart, from Aspects of Love); White’s tour-de-force “The Oldest Profession” (Coleman/Gasman, from The Life—White won a Tony Award for her performance); “Marry Me” and “A Quiet Thing,” from, respectively, The Rink and Flora, The Red Menace, both by Kander and Ebb and performed as duets by Yazbeck and Patty; and Luft’s moving “Time Heals Everything,” from Jerry Herman’s Mack and Mabel.

As to the songs noted at the top, “All the Things You Are” was from Kern/Hammerstein’s Very Warm for May, Sondheim’s “Not a Day Goes By” was in Merrily We Roll Along, and “(The Theme from) New York, New York,” by Kander and Ebb, highlighted the film of the same name. But you knew that, didn’t you?