From the "What Could Have Been" File
One of the big casting-shames of Hollywood is when Angela Lansbury wasn't asked to recreate her starring role in the musical Mame for the movie adaptation which ended up fairly flat. And alas there's pretty much no footage of her original performance in the 1968 Broadway production. Happily, though, I've come across footage of the 1983 Broadway revival that brought Lansbury back to the role at the age of 58. And not shockingly, she's wonderful. Or in the words of the title song, just sensational.
(The description says it's the show's 35th anniversary. It's not -- the musical opened in 1966.)
Here are two songs. The joyous and very funny "Bosom Buddies," sung with Anne Francine, and then "That's How Young I Feel" -- probably my least-favorite song in the show, but it's an energetic dance number which Lansbury throws herself into.
The song quality isn't great, so you'll like miss some of the lyrics, and the video is shot somewhat at a distance and a bit washed out, but overall it's very watchable, and as a part of a Broadway history it's a nine-minute valuable joy.
As a bonus, here's a video I've posted it before. It's Angela Lansbury reuniting on the 1987 Tony Awards with Bea Arthur, the original 'Vera Charles' from that first production of Mame to sing an abridged version of "Bosom Buddies." It doesn't have the full choreography, but they'd included some of the original staging. And you'll hear all the lyrics and jokes they've included in this slightly-trimmed version.
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