Still Grand
Back in 2013, I posted a video from the Tony Awards of a wonderful number written by Maury Yeston, “Let’s Take a Glass,” from the musical Grand Hotel that featured Brent Barret and a brilliant, showstopping performance by the elfin Michael Jeter, who later that night, to an explosively enthusiastic audience, won the Tony Award as Best Featured Actor in a Musical. His acceptance speech (also on the video) is one of the more moving I’ve seen, as he gives an emotional speech, joyful and deeply heartful, to anyone listening who’s dealing with drug and alcohol addiction, about recovering one day at a day and that your dreams really can come true. I posted that video here.
The video is wonderful, though there are two very small problems with it. The first is that the background is black and the two main actors are wearing black tuxedoes, so it’s a little difficult to make out Jeter’s other-worldly footwork in the number (as well as some nice maneuvers by Barret). And the other is that though you want all your attention on Michael Jeter and his ethereal performance, at one point the camera cuts to the background dancers – which is fine for a second or two, but it lingers there for nine full seconds (yes, I timed it) until you want to scream, “Get back to Michael Jeter!!” Still, it’s a wonderful video.
Well…I just found another version of the number. It was from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, when Jeter performed the same song, this time with David Carroll, who was in the original cast with Jeter -- Brent Barret was the second actor in the role and in the show when the Tony broadcast came around. (Carroll had had to leave the production for serious health reasons, and later sadly passed away.) And this time, because it was performed outdoors on a bright day with a red background, the contrast with the black tuxedoes means you can see all the phenomenal footwork clearly.
There are only two very small (though different…) issues with this version -- which makes it valuable to watch both videos. First, in this Macy’s outdoor performance, they have the camera too close at the beginning and miss some of the early footwork, though fairly quickly they pull the camera back. And the second is that there are some snowflakes and the ground looks somewhat wet, so when Michael Jeter would normally perform the amazing part of the dance where he almost seems to go flying back-and-forth across the stage and leaping, he’s a bit more careful here, not to risk injury slipping on the wet ground. He still zips around, though just doesn’t throw himself with total abandon. But it’s still great. Especially to see the original cast and that footwork.
It's worth watching the two videos which complement each other -- all the more so because the previous one linked above has Jeter’s memorable acceptance speech. So, to make that possible, here’s the follow-up.
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