Two on the Aisle (1951 Original Broadway Cast)
A mix of songs and sketches, 1951'sTwo on the Aislebelongs to the much maligned revue genre. Aficionados of integrated musicals often turn up their noses at this kind of show, but when the songs are composed byJule Styne, written byBetty ComdenandAdolph Green, and sung byDolores Gray, you'd be a fool to be a snob. Gray may be half-forgotten by all but hardcore fans these days, but she was one of Broadway's most compelling leading ladies in the 1950s and 1960s (you can get a glimpse of her fabulousness in Vincente Minnelli's filmDesigning Woman.) Here, she gets five solos, and she shines on all of them. This recording may be the best introduction to her singular genius. Gray also teams up withBert Lahr, not much of a singer but a comedian with deadly timing, which is good enough for hilarious numbers like "Catch Our Act at the Met," in which Donizetti follows Don Ameche and Met rhymes with Rigolett'. This is a most welcome reissue.--Elisabeth Vincentelli