Search - Max Wall, Joy Nichols, Edmund Hockridge :: The Pajama Game (Original London Cast) plus Bonus Tracks

A very welcome reissue

Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 01/04/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"THE PAJAMA GAME, a big hit on Broadway in the 1954-55 season, was in the 80th week of it's record-breaking run when the West End production opened in 1955 at the London Coliseum. The show was greeted with a similar reception and ran for 588 performances. With a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, it was based on the novel "Seven and-a-Half Cents" by Richard Bissell.



Set against the colourful backdrop of the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory, the musical centers on the fiery "union vs. management" romance between Grievance Committee head Babe Williams and the new factory super, Sid Sorokin. On Broadway, the roles of Sid and Babe were memorably originated by John Raitt and Janis Paige; with expert support from Carol Haney, Eddie Foy Jr., and Reta Shaw.



For the London production, the role of Sid was taken by the big-voiced Canadian baritone Edmund Hockridge; and Australian musical theatre darling Joy Nichols was assigned the role of Babe. They both infuse their characters with lots of fine vocals; Nichols dazzles as the lantern-jawed Babe with the swirling waltz-like anthem of defiance "I'm Not At All in Love". Hockridge likewise makes good with "Hey There", the show's big hit ballad.



Leading the supporting cast was Elizabeth Seal, whose vivacious stage presence later earned her the title role in the London and Broadway productions of "Irma La Douce" in 1959 (her "Steam Heat" well and truly sizzles!). Max Wall, in a rare musical departure; and Joan Emney complete the principal stars.



Originally released on LP by His Masters Voice (and briefly issued on a budget-line compact disc by EMI in the early 1990s), the London cast album of THE PAJAMA GAME has now been reissued by the UK-based Sepia label, utilising original 78 rpm recordings.



Bonus tracks of Joy Nichols have been included. Ms Nichols was a popular singing star in her own right, and on this selection of recordings (culled from the radio show "Take It from Here") she is joined by Benny Lee, Wally Peterson, Dick Bentley, and Jimmy Edwards. Given the scarce presence of Ms Nichols on compact disc, these supplementary tracks are a welcome addition here.



[Sepia 1072]"