Jim on Film
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Disney’s Renaissance Stars II
Taking an important role in a Disney film is like entering into a new family, the family known as the Disney legacy. For example, long before filming her second film for Disney, Julie Andrews was seen as a Disney legend based solely on her starring role in Mary Poppins. It was definitely this role that got me interested in her other work, checking her solo albums out from the library and, later, buying some for myself, as well as getting her Broadway show recordings.
Of course, many of the stars who have taken residence in our hearts because of their Disney work are firmly established in other areas of the entertainment world as well. In an earlier column, I discussed highlights of the work from some of our most beloved Disney stars. Now, over a year later, there are more names to add to that list. And even then, these are really just a sampling of the works of these stars and a sampling of the Disney stars whose work is available on other recordings.
Roger Bart-Roger Bart would become best-known to Disney fans by singing Go the Distance as young Hercules, as well as appearing as Jonathan in the Disney-produced concert of the Alan Menken and Tim Rice stage epic King David.
In addition to these, Bart has a number of Broadway credits to his name, most recently starring as Leo Bloom in the Broadway production of The Producers, for which he originated the role of Carmen Ghia in the Broadway recording. Before that, he appeared in the wonderful recording of Triumph of Love, which stars Susan Egan. In that show, he played henchman Harlequin, singing in a number of songs, including the highlight song Henchmen are Forgotten, in which he asks, “Who sent love and kisses/From Narcissus to Narcissus?�? It’s a fun album of a clever and romantic show, and because most of the score is on the disk, it makes for a great listen since the plot details are easily understood through the music.
Bart would go on to win a Tony Award for playing Snoopy in the revival of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Bart makes for a terrific Snoopy as he sings Snoopy and Suppertime, pulling out all the stops for a fun and charming performance in what is a great recording of a great score. Also heard on the CD is B.D. Wong as Linus. Here, Wong sings in some of the show’s best numbers, including The Book Report and Happiness. Wong, interestingly enough, didn’t do his own singing when he voiced Captain Li Shang in Mulan. Also heard on the recording is Tony-winner Kristen Chenoweth, who is a hilarious Sally, getting to sing My New Philosophy, a song written for this revival. Chenoweth appeared as Lily in Disney’s Annie and as Marion Paroo in the television remake of The Music Man, produced by Touchstone and aired on The Wonderful World of Disney.
Virginia Capers-Virginia Capers had a very short appearance in The World’s Greatest Athlete but earned her position in Disney history as Cleo in the great Disney comedy The North Avenue Irregulars. In that film, she is hilarious, whether she is singing as the Andrew Sisters or running down the street with a baby and a radio, followed by a police officer.
In the Broadway musical Raisin, Virginia Capers won a Tony Award for starring as Lena Younger in the adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry’s masterpiece A Raisin in the Sun. The show, which uses music and dance to further explore the ideas of the original play, has Capers singing several songs. In the thematic A Whole Lotta Sunlight, Lena comments on the ability of her plant to survive the worst conditions, a commentary on the resiliency of her family. In the powerful Measure the Valleys, she sings about the importance of looking at where a man has been in criticizing his actions, namely those of her son Walter Lee.
The Original Broadway Cast recording of Raisin also features a young Deborah (Debbie) Allen as the passionate daughter Beneatha. Allen would go on to direct and choreograph the Disney television musicals Polly and Polly-Comin’ Home in addition to appearing in Blank Check. Allen gets to sing in one of the show’s most impressive numbers, the bitingly sarcastic Not Anymore, in which Walter Lee, Ruth, and Beneatha comment on the veiled racism behind the offer of the man from Clybourne Park. The disk, which features music by Judd Woldin and lyrics by Robert Brittan, will be a treat for anyone who is a fan of the original play.
Jim Dale-In any other decade, Jim Dale would have become a memorable Disney stalwart in the vein of Dick Van Dyke and Dorothy Provine, but with roles in Hot Lead and Cold Feet (playing two characters), The Unidentified Flying Oddball, and the more impressive Pete’s Dragon of the 1970s, he really didn’t have much of a chance.
In 1980, Jim Dale won a Tony Award for starring in the Broadway musical Barnum, playing famous showman P.T. Barnum. The music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by Michael Stewart, recently digitally remasted and released in a Columbia Broadway Masterworks edition, is sprightly and makes for a fun listen. Dale gets to sing most of the best songs, including the snappy There is a Sucker Born Ev’ry Minute and the charming The Colors of My Life (Part 1). Starring as Barnum’s pestered wife Chairy is Glenn Close. Close, who starred as the live-action Cruella de Vil and voiced Kala in Tarzan, gets to sings The Colors of My Life (Part 2) and joins Dale on the cute love song I Like Your Style. What’s great about Barnum is that, unlike many other Broadway recordings, you can easily enjoy the charming music without knowing the story, and it has great performers singing fun, toe-tapping music.