Janis Paige, John Raitt and company play "The Pajama Game"
Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 03/01/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The ever-popular 1954 Broadway cast album of THE PAJAMA GAME is back once again - this disc is exactly the same as the previous 1999 Broadway Masterworks pressing, but in a new, "eco-pack" cardboard sleeve. Arguably the most popular and beloved work from the songwriting team of Richard Adler and Jerry Ross ("Damn Yankees"), THE PAJAMA GAME is based on Richard Bissell's novel "7 1/2 Cents".
The employees of the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory cry "revolution" when their request for a pay increase falls on deaf ears. Caught in the eye of the storm are grievance committee head Babe Williams (Janis Paige), newly-arrived, newly-appointed superintendent Sid Sorokin (John Raitt), and their unexpected love affair...
Nothing can ever top this album for sheer excitement and brilliance. It's a total joy from Overture to Finale. Whilst she'll clearly never compete with the singing finesse of Doris Day (who went on to replace her in the movie version), Janis Paige is perfect as Babe and her performance still rings true with sassy comedy and spirit--her "I'm Not At All in Love" is totally infectious. John Raitt stridantly croons the show's signature hit ballad "Hey There" with wonderful style--another great Broadway figure we'll never see the likes of again.
Carol Haney, Buzz Miller and Peter Gennaro lead the quirky "Steam Heat", Eddie Foy Jr. and Reta Shaw perform the delightful soft-shoe "I'll Never Be Jealous Again"; and the entire company comes together to celebrate "Once-a-Year Day". Classic Broadway, all the way! It doesn't get much better than this."