The Other Other "Zorba"
So, you'll recall that the other day I had the original 1968 cast of Zorba performing the opening number, "Life Is," which featured Lorraine Serabian singing lead.
As I mentioned, the show got revived in 1983 with Anthony Quinn recreating his iconic role from the film, with singing (of a sort) added. Alas, I don't have footage of that, but this is the wonderful Debbie Gravitte reprising her performance of "Life Is" from the revival. This is without company, just her solo as part of her later-cabaret act. But it's the best I can do (for the moment...) with video of the revival. But most anything with Ms. Gravitte (or Shapiro- Gravitte, I don't know which she was going by at the time) is worth listening to and watching.
(The first time I saw her on stage -- as Debbie Shapiro... -- she was in the company of Perfectly Frank, a revue of songs by Frank Loesser, at the Westwood Playhouse, where I believe it was having its premiere. Leading the cast was Jo Sullivan, Loesser's widow. The point being that Ms. Shapiro was impressive enough that I well-remembered her.)
Also notable in the video is that she covers all the bases and sings both versions of the line-in-question -- the original "Life is what you do, when you're waiting to die," and the rewritten "Life is what you do, 'till the moment you you die."
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