What We're Listening To: Elaine Stritch - To Keep Our Love Alive

 

You may recognize her as playing Jack's mother on 30 Rock but Elaine Stritch is a theater veteran.  With her brass voice and personality she makes every song and performance her own.  Reproducing or following her is difficult.  Here is Elaine Stritch singing "To Keep Our Love Alive" from the Roger and Hart musical A Connecticut Yankee.

I’ve been married, and married, and often I’ve sighed
“I’m never a bridesmaid, I’m always the bride”

I never divorced them- I hadn’t the heart
Yet remember these sweet words, “`till death do us part”

I married many men, a ton of them  
And yet I was untrue to none of them

Because I bumped off ev’ry one of them
To keep my love alive

Sir Paul was frail, he looked a wreck to me 
At night he was a horse’s neck to me

So I performed an appendectomy 
To keep my love alive

Sir Thomas had insomnia, he couldn’t sleep at night 
I bought a little arsenic, he’s sleeping now all right

Sir Philip played the harp, I cussed the thing 
I crowned him with his harp to bust the thing 
And now he plays where harps are just the thing

To keep my love alive  To keep my love alive

I thought Sir George had possibilities 
But his flirtations made me ill at ease 
And when I’m ill at ease, I kill at ease 
To keep my love alive

Sir Charles came from a sanitorium 
And yelled for drinks in my emporium 
I mixed one drink, he’s in memorium 
To keep my love alive

Sir Francis was a singing bird, a nightingale.  

That’s why I tossed him off my balcony to see if he could fly

Sir Atherton indulged in fratricide
He killed his dad and that was patricide 
One night I stabbed him at my mattress side 
To keep my love alive To keep my love alive

To keep my love alive

via World Of Wonder

Gypsy: Bernadette Peters Masterful Performance

Both a legend of film and the Broadway stage, Bernadette Peters' performance as 'Moma Rose' in the 2003 revival of "Gypsy" (excluding the original performance by Ethel Merman) is hands down, over all other interpretations, the best performance of the character ever.

In this clip, Moma Rose has just been abandoned. After years of being a tireless stage mother she has been pushed aside by her daughter.  Feeling bitter, betrayed, and bewildered, Moma Rose has a breakdown while realizing she may have wasted her dreams and life by pushing her daughters to the stage.

With anger, verve, and passion, Bernadette holds nothing back.  By being unafraid to be imperfect she allows her voice break and crack, capturing the raw emotion of this moment when a mother loses her grip.  Perfect.

This is Bernadette Peters performing "Rose's Turn" at the 57th annual Tony Awards in 2003, with introduction by Hugh Jackman.

Musicals: Ghost Musical Opening

"Relive the moment you wished you were clump of clay on the spinning wheel."  It's not everyday you get to use that line.  And this time, there will be flashy dance numbers - the musical adaptation of the hit movie "Ghost" opens 4/23/12 on Broadway.  The musical has already played to sold out crowds on London's West End.  Can't wait to see how it does at the Tony Awards.