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Decent Quality Since 1847

Law & Orbach

12/21/2013

2 Comments

 
I mentioned that Jerry Orbach was not only a huge Broadway musical star before he began his role as Det. Lennie Briscoe on Law & Order, but that he held the record for most performances.  I believe that needs a slight correction -- it's most performances by a leading actor in Broadway history.

He truly had a remarkable career.  Just consider the shows he starred in.

In the original off-Broadway production of The Three-Penny Opera, he played Mack the Knife.

In the original off-Broadway production of The Fantasticks, he created the role of El Gallo, who introduced the song "Try to Remember" -- before that show went on to play for 42 years.

He starred in the classic musical, Carnival.  He starred in 42nd Street, and was nominated for a Tony as Best Actor.  He won the Tony Award for starring in Promises, Promises -- where he co-introduced the song, "I'll Never Fall in Love Again."  In a revival of Guys & Dolls, he won the Tony Award as Best Featured Actor in a Musical, playing Sky Masterson.  He starred in several hit plays, Scuba Duba and 6 Rms Riv Vu.

And on top of all that, he was in the original production of Chicago, where he played the sleezy lawyer Billy Flynn.  I was lucky enough to see him in that when the show toured to Los Angeles, where it also played with the original stars Gwen Verdon and Chit Rivera.  Orbach was not only wonderful, but he also introduced what -- of all the great Kander & Ebb songs -- is my personal favorite.  "Razzle Dazzle."  I absolutely love the involving infectiousness of the music, and the incredible rhymes and social insight of the lyrics.  And Orbach's performance was a cynical gem.

And happily, there's footage of it! 

On the
old Mike Douglas Show, he did a tribute to Chicago when the original production was a hit on Broadway, and had Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera on as guests.  And thankfully, he also had Jerry Orbach, as well.  But most thankfully, he sang "Razzle Dazzle."

Here's what I meant about how great he was.
  This is how the song is done.
2 Comments
Douglass Abramson
12/21/2013 11:26:19 am

I was going to let you know about the Mike Douglas clip, but I became distracted with errands. I'd love to see the full show. (I probably saw it the first time, but it was almost forty years ago and I was four in 76) He had a law and order theme going. Orbach, Verdon and Rivera, from Chicago, as guests, with a Barney Miller era Hal Linden co-hosting and Abe Vigoda still to come.

I also need to pass on a thank you from my mother. She's always been a Bacharach fan and bought most of the albums, in the 60's that had his music; as well as a lot of cast albums for Broadway shows she never saw. Promises, Promises is one of the few she missed. She got a kick out of hearing Orbach sing a song she knows so well from pop radio.

Reply
Robert Elisberg
12/21/2013 04:23:52 pm

You have a fine, if bizarre memory. I think if you click on the "You Tube" icon at the bottom of the video, it'll take you to a page that *might* have the whole Mike Douglas show broken into several parts. I know they have more than this -- whether they have the whole thing, I'm not sure.

Yeah, it's sort of fascinating to hear Jerry Orbach introducing that huge hit that people know from someone else. But all the nicer for your mother being a Burt Bacharach fan.

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    Robert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. 

    Elisberg is a two-time recipient of the Lucille Ball Award for comedy screenwriting. He's written for film, TV, the stage, and two best-selling novels, is a regular columnist for the Writers Guild of America and was for
    the Huffington Post.  Among his other writing, he has a long-time column on technology (which he sometimes understands), and co-wrote a book on world travel.  As a lyricist, he is a member of ASCAP, and has contributed to numerous publications.



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