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Ann Sothern in a television version of the Weill musical!

Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 06/08/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"LADY IN THE DARK was given a lavish live television adaptation in 1954, produced by Max Liebman of NBC. Ann Sothern took on the role originated by Gertrude Lawrence, the seemingly-assured yet inwardly-troubled Liza Elliott, with a cast including Carleton Carpenter, James Daly and Shepperd Strudwick, amongst others.Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin's LADY IN THE DARK is considered one of the highpoints of the 1940's Broadway musical era. It provided Gertrude Lawrence with her biggest hit (THE KING AND I, her last Broadway show, was 10 years later), and the score yielded several hits including "My Ship" and "The Saga of Jenny".This CD features selections from the Ann Sothern-NBC version, taken from the optical soundtrack of the original kinescope. Though quite scratchy and occasionally distorted, the sound quality is acceptable for the age (and rarity) of the material.Ann Sothern has a charming voice, not unlike that of Miss Lawrence, and the dialogue sequences presented here are quite charming. Miss Sothern is best belting out her own sardonic "Saga of Jenny", though is also lovely with "One Life to Live".Added as a bonus are several cuts of Gertrude Lawrence singing numbers from the show, to invite comparison. A top job from boutique label AEI."