Saratoga (1959 Original Broadway Cast)
Saratogaseemed to have everything in its favor when it opened on Broadway in December 1959: a story by Edna Ferber (Show Boat), a score byHarold ArlenandJohnny Mercer, and a cast featuring MGM musical starHoward Keel, as well asCarol Lawrence, fresh from her triumph inWest Side Story. Yet the show closed after a mere 10 weeks, a victim of a cumbersome book, unwieldy locale shifts between Saratoga and New Orleans, and a score that had to be revised during tryouts by Mercer alone after Arlen fell ill. While there are no classic tunes here, it's an enjoyable 40 minutes, with Lawrence and Keel shining on numerous duets, including the love songs "Why Fight This?" and "A Game of Poker," along with some of Arlen's trademark bluesy accents, peppy ensembles, and a female duet, "Gettin' a Man," that recalls Frank Loesser's "Marry the Man Today."--David Horiuchi