PS Classics continues its forgotten musicals series, which kicked off with Vincent Youmans Through the Years and Kay Swift s Fine & Dandy, with the world premiere recording of the 1926: bright new summer musical deligh... more »t - KITTY S KISSES. This tuneful charmer beguiled Broadway audiences in its day (a musical that moves with a swing and a smack and a smirk New York Evening Telegram), spawning several hit songs, but like so many musicals of its era, it s faded unfairly into obscurity. The music is by Con Conrad, who took home the first Academy Award for Best Song (The Continental, in 1934); the lyrics are by Gus Kahn, whose standards include: It Had to Be You, I'll See You in My Dreams, and Makin' Whoopee. The book was co-authored by celebrated librettist Otto Harbach (Roberta, Desert Song, and No, No, Nanette!). Now PS Classics has assembled Broadway s best musicians and an all-star cast including Rebecca Luker (The Secret Garden, Mary Poppins), Danny Burstein (South Pacific), Andréa Burns (In the Heights), Christopher Fitzgerald (Young Frankenstein) and Victoria Clark (Light in the Piazza) to bring this delightful Jazz Age hit vividly to life.« less
PS Classics continues its forgotten musicals series, which kicked off with Vincent Youmans Through the Years and Kay Swift s Fine & Dandy, with the world premiere recording of the 1926: bright new summer musical delight - KITTY S KISSES. This tuneful charmer beguiled Broadway audiences in its day (a musical that moves with a swing and a smack and a smirk New York Evening Telegram), spawning several hit songs, but like so many musicals of its era, it s faded unfairly into obscurity. The music is by Con Conrad, who took home the first Academy Award for Best Song (The Continental, in 1934); the lyrics are by Gus Kahn, whose standards include: It Had to Be You, I'll See You in My Dreams, and Makin' Whoopee. The book was co-authored by celebrated librettist Otto Harbach (Roberta, Desert Song, and No, No, Nanette!). Now PS Classics has assembled Broadway s best musicians and an all-star cast including Rebecca Luker (The Secret Garden, Mary Poppins), Danny Burstein (South Pacific), Andréa Burns (In the Heights), Christopher Fitzgerald (Young Frankenstein) and Victoria Clark (Light in the Piazza) to bring this delightful Jazz Age hit vividly to life.
CD Reviews
A delightfur surprise!
Mark Andrew Lawrence | Toronto | 10/20/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, our host plays for us the "original cast recording" of an obscure 1920's musical comedy. It's a put-on and the writers of that 2006 Tony award winner used pastiche to re-create the style of a 1920's musical comedy.
But did you ever wonder if there really were a 1920's musical that has been forgotten, sitting in some storage boxes, waiting for The Man in the Chair to rediscover it.
That's pretty much what has happened.
PS Classics is releasing today a CD of the score for KITTY'S KISSES.
The recording stars Rebecca Luker (as Kitty) along with Victoria Clark, Kate Baldwin, Philip Chaffin, Christopher Fitzgerald, Andrea Burns, Sally Wilfert, Danny Burstein and Malcolm Gets! The cast alone should be enough to spur many of you to check out this CD.
The story behind it is fascinating. KITTY'S KISSES was a minor hit musical comedy in 1926, but it has never been previously recorded. Not even a 78-rpm of "vocal gems" was done at the time.
The show went to London where producers combined the book for this musical with songs from Rodgers and Hart's THE GIRL FRIEND. After that the score and scripts were packed away in boxes and sent to the music publisher, where they sat unopened for almost 60 years.
When producer Tommy Krasker discovered the score among the many boxes of material found in the Secaucus warehouse in 1986, he was determined to make a full recording of the show. The songs were by Con Conrad and Gus Kahn. Conrad would later win the first Academy Award for Best Song for "The Continental" in 1934. It took another 22 years to finally start recording the score, but the final CD comes out today.
And it's a total delight! From the "Choo Choo Love" with its very authentic 20's sound to the counterpoint duet of "I'm in Love" and "Promise Your Kisses" this score will leave you with a smile, and a longing for an era when shows like this were churned out 30 or 40 a season, and next season there would be 30 or 40 more!
The script leans heavily on farcical situations, with vaudeville-styled comedy routines inserted. An unmarried woman pretends to be married so she can stay at a prestigious hotel, and - horror of horrors - winds up spending the night in a bridal suite (innocently, I assure you) with a married man! What to do when his very jealous wife arrives the next morning. AS the editor of The Best Plays of 1925-26 wrote in his synopsis "Explanations at 11 pm."
The recoding is a sprightly 48 minutes of fun, with brief bits of dialogue and a couple of the comedic telephone operator scenes included. The songs, though unknown, are loaded with charm and authentic period style. When the warehouse failed to yield the show's original finale the record producers came up with an innovative one of their own. (I won't spoil the surprise but even if it isn't totally authentic, when I heard it I thought it was a brilliant idea!)
So, if you enjoyed DROWSY CHAPERONE, if you enjoy NO! NO! NANETTE, GOOD NEWS, LADY BE GOOD, Oh, KAY! and those other 20's musical comedies, or if you are a cast album collector looking for something different, buy KITTY'S KISSES on CD and give it a listen. Maybe buy an extra one and donate it to your local library or give as a unique Christmas gift.
Tommy Krasker promises that if this sells well, there are other forgotten scores that might get recorded."
~~A Great Big Ktty's Kiss to PS Classics~~
Cornelius G. Kelly | Albuquerque | 10/25/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As soon as I saw Kitty's Kisses was coming out by PS Classics I was fascinated by the cover art and the fact that my mom's nickname for the last 80 years has been Kitty.
I next went on to listen to the samples. Of course I was drawn in and sold by just a few samples. I pre-ordered it right away and am thrilled beyond my high expectations of this beautifully, funny, historically classic must-have recording.
All the work and years that was put into recreating this 1926 masterpiece was done from the heart and sweat of Robert Kimball and Tommy Krasker's unceasing drive to find Kitty's Kisses complete musical. The music is by Con Conrad and the lyrics are by Gus Kahn. Even Gus Kahn's son Donald Kahn helped Kimball and Krasker's task of piecing the play back together. The finale was never found but PS Classics did a superior job in coming up with a finale that is the icing on the cake.
Donald Kahn also remembered that his father's favorite song was Choo Choo Love. When Kimball and Krasker finally put the play back together Donald Kahn listened to the whole play and said, "that's it!"
So now we have this amusing and endearing musical finally recorded. I must applaud PS Classics for their hard work on this and so many other CDs they have released. I buy every CD that PS Classics releases. I marvel at their quality and have enjoyed every recording. Knowing more jewels are on the way gives me a Choo Choo Love for them and for what will be released next.
For a great and hysterical recording buy Kitty's Kisses right away. My mom Kitty will be so happy for you(he-he).
PS: Another once hidden treasure Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Allegro" (First Complete Recording) is breathtakingly enchanting. Allegro takes you to another time and place where life is a treasure each time you listen to it again and again and again."
Terrific Stuff from Aother Era
ljs | Baltimore, MD USA | 01/27/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I previewed this on Amazon's suggestion and read the reviews. I thought I'd like it and eventually got around to buying a copy. I was right - I love it! It's just wonderful fluff from the Jazz Age. If you like a Charleston rhythm, and I do, this one is full of tuneful gems. The ballads are wonderful as well. Nothing deep here, just good old fashioned fun.
The performances are generally excellent. Rebecca Luker is the standout - she has the sound exactly right. Andrea Burns, Malcolm Gets, and Sally Wilfert are wonderful, as is the guy who plays the porter and sings the amazing "Choo-Choo Love." The only small quibble I have with the cast is Phillip Chaffin, who plays the male lead. His voice is fine, and he has a good time with the material. His diction is a little too modern though, and his voice sounds a little light and airy for a male lead from the 1920's.
The orchestra is also good, but it's stripped down quite a bit. This would have been better with a full show orchestra. That said, I'm sure that there were budgetary constraints, especially for an album that's likely to find only a small audience. All in all, they did incredible hard work in recreating a gem that would otherwise have been lost forever. We should all be grateful for this labor of love from Tommy Krasker, Mr. Chaffin and the wonderful cast and crew. Better yet, buy it then sit back and enjoy. Or get on your feet and start doing the Charleston. It's irresistible.
"
Delightful Romp
Dean G. Ehlers | New Mexico | 10/25/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I just purchased and finished listening to "Kittys Kisses." It is a delight from beginning to end. Brought back to life from a wharehouse by PS Classics where it lay for over sixty years, it is a wonderful surprise. Gus Kahn wrote many great scores, and this one seemed lost forever. It leaves you with a smile of an era bygone, but also gives hope to brighter days. That is not an easy feat. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys quality work and simplistic joy. PS Classics has really got it going on, and this is just one prime example. Keep them coming. I intend on recommending this to many friends."
Track Listings (18) - Disc #1