Description:
The experiment conducted with the 2002 revival of Flower Drum Song may be one of the most audacious ever attempted on Broadway. Despite being a hit for Rodgers and Hammerstein in 1958, the show had never been revived. It was felt that it hadn't aged gracefully, its depiction of Chinese-Americans in San Francisco having come under criticism. So playwright David Henry Hwang rewrote the book, shuffling the order of the songs to fit his purpose and completely recontextualizing them in the process. Centering the action on the Golden Pearl Theater, the new Flower Drum Song now has a huge show-within-a-show component, which allows the
The experiment conducted with the 2002 revival of Flower Drum Song may be one of the most audacious ever attempted on Broadway. Despite being a hit for Rodgers and Hammerstein in 1958, the show had never been revived. It was felt that it hadn't aged gracefully, its depiction of Chinese-Americans in San Francisco having come under criticism. So playwright David Henry Hwang rewrote the book, shuffling the order of the songs to fit his purpose and completely recontextualizing them in the process. Centering the action on the Golden Pearl Theater, the new Flower Drum Song now has a huge show-within-a-show component, which allows the staging of some of the most sensitive numbers in a pointedly stylized setting. Arranger and musical director David Chase has dusted the cobwebs off the score, and the music pulses with vitality, notably in the two irresistible songs in the middle of the show: "Fan Tan Fannie" is now a hip-shaking number that incorporates '60s surf elements, while "Chop Suey" explodes in a brassy big-band fever. Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon) is quite good in the starring role and confirms her gift for ballads. But watch for Sandra Allen's slinky rendition of "I Enjoy Being a Girl" and "Fan Tan Fannie." Purists can scream all they want; this new recording is ace. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
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Manufacturer: DRG
Release date: 7 January 2003
Number of discs: 1
EAN: 0021471299625 UPC: 021471299625
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