Atlantic City Sequence. Billion Dollar Bab - Original Cast Recording, Comden, Betty
Dreams Come True
Newsboys #1
Charleston (Ballet)
Broadway Blossom
Pals
There I'd Be
One Track Mind
Bad Timing
Dance Marathon
A Lovely Girl
Newsboys #2 & Funeral (Ballet)
Havin' A Time
Faithless
Newsboys #3
I'm Sure of Your Love
Farce Scene
The Wedding (Finale)
This might be one of the best shows you've never heard--or even heard of. Oddly enough, it took almost six decades for Billion Dollar Baby to get a proper full recording. This is all the more surprising since it was the sh... more »ow the incomparable Comden and Green wrote right after their smash debut, On the Town. Bravo to New York's York Theatre for its 1998 concert production, on which this recording is based. Set in the 1920s, Billion Dollar Baby is a wickedly funny, startlingly cynical fable about Maribelle Jones, a ruthless, amoral social climber whose fall coincides with the crash of 1929. Comden and Green are at their most acerbic, while Morton Gould's score is so dazzling that you wonder why he didn't do more on Broadway. The cast is topnotch as well, with special kudos to Kristin Chenoweth, who displays razor-sharp claws under the innocent demeanor in the title role, and Debbie Gravitte as a suave, wise, club entertainer. A highly recommended CD. --Elisabeth Vincentelli« less
This might be one of the best shows you've never heard--or even heard of. Oddly enough, it took almost six decades for Billion Dollar Baby to get a proper full recording. This is all the more surprising since it was the show the incomparable Comden and Green wrote right after their smash debut, On the Town. Bravo to New York's York Theatre for its 1998 concert production, on which this recording is based. Set in the 1920s, Billion Dollar Baby is a wickedly funny, startlingly cynical fable about Maribelle Jones, a ruthless, amoral social climber whose fall coincides with the crash of 1929. Comden and Green are at their most acerbic, while Morton Gould's score is so dazzling that you wonder why he didn't do more on Broadway. The cast is topnotch as well, with special kudos to Kristin Chenoweth, who displays razor-sharp claws under the innocent demeanor in the title role, and Debbie Gravitte as a suave, wise, club entertainer. A highly recommended CD. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
CD Reviews
All lost shows are not lost gems
John McWhorter | New York, New York United States | 03/18/2001
(1 out of 5 stars)
"This score is AWFUL! There's a reason no one has gotten around to this one despite its Comden & Green pedigree and the featuring of one of its ballets in JEROME ROBBINS' BROADWAY. Given the snappy title, the Roaring 20s plot, and its reputation as following in the wake of ON THE TOWN, BILLION DOLLAR BABY has always looked interesting from a distance. And it was probably rather fun to look at; the dancing must have been great. But we cannot experience it as an evening at the theatre -- what we get is the score, and sadly, Morton Gould just didn't have the gift of catchy melodies.This has always been clear to diehard show buffs from the ARMS AND THE GIRL cast album, and this CD confirms that the drabness of the songs in that one were no fluke. There is not a single song in this one that has that certain Element X, including the two that pop up in sheet music anthologies now and then, "One Track Mind" and "Bad Timing". Every song sounds like a classical composer trying his darnedest to write in an idiom he does not really feel in his bones. Unfortunately, even the characters in the plot are almost oddly unlikeable for the period, which makes it even harder to cotton to the bland, perfunctory tunes. The only thing that MIGHT save them somewhat is rendition by a full orchestra in the original arrangements, which offer us a certain tang in themselves from this distance. But here we only have a little combo, which only emphasizes how little there is to work with.Meanwhile, Comden & Green, as always, suffered when they didn't have a top-drawer composer. When they were good, they were immortal, capturing a cynical yet hopeful note that stands the test of time. But just as often, they could be paint-by-numbers in a way that strands them in their period, when less was expected of a lyric. It is this "Subways Are For Sleeping" brand of Comden & Green that we get here.Lots of show fans are listening more for the performer than the score, of course. But even they are unlikely to get much out of this one. Kristin Chenoweth is a gifted performer but has little to do here that lets her strut her stuff as she did in YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN and the TV ANNIE. I love Debbie Gravitte but the songs she has here are so limp that she is wasted (even she can't make anything memorable out of the closest thing she has to a showpiece, "Havin' a Time", and she even sounds like she knows it). And the men here are generally less than stellar.For archival purposes, hooray, we've got BILLION DOLLAR BABY recorded. But don't buy this one for the car or to cook to; there isn't a thing in it."
Worth Every Penny!
Brian Mcnicholl | New York, NY | 12/25/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"WOW! This is a surprisingly fresh score! It was CHICAGO before CHICAGO. The music is served up with panache, passion and polish. It's a fast-paced CD, and gave me a vivid picture of this fascinating show. And the singers: bravos all around! Kristin Chenoweth can do no wrong -- and she's totally a riot playing the Pal Josey-type title character. And Debbie Gravitte -- those pipes are Broadway gold. Marc Kudisch -- what a tremendous, sensitive vocalist. Plus all the others that give it the Big Broadway Sound. Can't believe this has been unheard for so long; it's so alive, it's like the ink isn't even dry yet! Gotta go put it back on again. What a savvy show!"
Comden & Green ride again!
David Goudsward | Lake Worth, FL USA | 12/26/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Starring Kristin Chenoweth, this is a revival of one of the lesser known Comden & Green endeavors. This was the next show created by team, after the success of 'On the Town,' and although it is by no stretch at the same level, it is none the less a delightful show that should not have been neglected as long as it has. The music by Morton Gould has been orchestrated by musical director James Bassi. Bassi was one of the arrangers of the 'Voices of Ascension' album of choral interpretations of Jerome Kern's work. Set just prior to the Great Crash, it is the story of Maribelle Jones, who dreams of marrying wealth, and proceeds to finagle her way up the financial ladder via the NY mob.You've got flappers, mobsters, beauty contests, cance marathons and funerals - what more do you want from a Broadway show!"
Disappointing
John Rice | Milwaukee, WI USA | 03/24/2001
(1 out of 5 stars)
"Morton Gould has written very good music and Betty Comden and Adolph Green have written very clever lyrics. Not this time. From the plot one would expect music that would bite and move. But this music seems limp. I was listening to this in the car and several times I almost moved to the next CD. The lyrics do not reach into the feelings. No toe tapping here."
Entertaining, but feather weight
J. Martin | Toledo, OH | 09/25/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this mostly for Kristin Chenowith, but I liked the sound bites available to sample. The music is entertaining, but forgettable. It's OK, but not really a "must have.""
Track Listings (18) - Disc #1