Beyond Careless
- Oct 23, 2025
- 3 min read
I swear that I came across this video only this morning and totally by accident. I was searching for something else completely, and this showed up.
A bit of history first.
Back in 1976, legends Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner teamed up to write a musical, 1600 Pennsylvania. Given that it was from the writer of West Side Story and the writer of My Fair Lady, the show was understandably highly anticipated. The general premise of the story was the history of the first 100 years of White House as seen through the eyes of the servants. (Okay, I'm sure you can probably see where this is going -- but it's goes even farther than you likely think...) The show, however, which also dealt with racial injustice, was a disastrous flop, running for only seven performances. The writers wouldn't allow there to be an original cast album (which may have been pursued because of their pedigree.) Many years later, though, after Bernstein's death, a concert version of the score was arranged and an album released, called A White House Cantata.
My college roommate at Northwestern, Jim Backstrom, was later working in Philadelphia at the time and went to see the show in its pre-Broadway tryout. He said that it was so terrible that most of the audience left at the intermission -- however, he stayed to the end, because he wanted to see if the trainwreck could get much worse.
When it played on Broadway, the only person who survived the critics was Patricia Routledge. She had an acclaimed, 62-year career in musicals both on Broadway and in London, even winning a Tony Award for another flop musical, Darling of the Day. However, she's probably best known to Americans for her British series Keeping Up Appearances, that on PBS for years. (As it happens, when on a trip to Toronto, I saw her in yet another pre-Broadway musical that also closed out of town, Say Hello to Harvey," based on the movie Harvey, in which she starred with Donald O'Connor. It wasn't bad -- book, music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse -- but it was a gentle story that didn't cry out to be sung. But I digress...)
In 1600 Pennsylvania, she played every U.S. First Lady from Abigail Adams through Lucy Webb Hayes. And she had a number that, despite the musical's terrible reception, stopping the show on opening night, "Duet for One."
It was another of her songs, though, which is the point here.
In 1987, there was a tribute production in London, An Evening with Alan Jay Lerner. And for that event, Patricia Routledge appeared and performed this other song, for which there is a video -- that is what I came across. I knew the song, so the moment I saw it on YouTube, it floored me for its timing. Because its title is far too meaningful this week, which is obviously the reason it couldn't help but leap out. That title? "Take Care of This House."
Yes, really.
Sometimes, it turns out, happily, that one's lifelong obscure and arguably haywire appreciation of Broadway musicals and their history isn't merely a frivolous use of time...
The song begins --
Take care of this house
Keep it from harm
If bandits break in
Sound the alarm
Care for this house
Shine it by hand
And keep it so clean
The glow can be seen
All over the land
Be careful at night
Check all the doors
If someone makes off with a dream
The dream will be yours
Here's the video and Patricia Routledge's performance of the song.
I'll post the full lyrics below.
Take care of this house
Keep it from harm
If bandits break in
Sound the alarm
Care for this house
Shine it by hand
And keep it so clean
The glow can be seen
All over the land
Be careful at night
Check all the doors
If someone makes off with a dream
The dream will be yours
Take care of this house
Be always on call
For this house
Is the hope of us all
Take care of this house
Keep it from harm
If bandits break in
Sound the alarm
Care for this house
Shine it by hand
And keep it so clean
The glow can be seen
All over the land
Be careful at night
Check all the doors
If someone makes off with a dream
The dream will be yours
Take care of this house
Be always on call
Care for this house
It's the hope of us all
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