Original Broadway Cast
The Magic Show (Bell 9003)

Oof, I don't like the Broadway—so showy and jumpy and needy—although I can see myself getting into Sondheim someday, just because a lot fo my pop songwriter idols worship his work. In the interim, the closest I'm gonna get will probably be Alf Clausen's spot-on "Simpsons" parodies.

Now that my Broadway cred is firmly non-established, I will at least admit to loving magic shows, especially those of David Copperfield and Doug Henning as a child. So to find out Henning starred in a Broadway show back in '74 called The Magic Show with David Ogden Stiers was a mild surprise after all these years.

Disappointment #1: Henning does NOT sing. In fact, turns out the original challenge of writing this musical was having a lead who was not a singer, so everything's written around the guy. Henning plays a character coincidentally named "Doug," whose flashy style is displacing another magician named Doug, played by Stiers. Then there's two gals vying for Doug's attention.

The music was written by Stephen Schwartz, who also wrote Pippen and Godspell, and you can definitely tell. While listening to largely a cappella track "The Goldfarb Variations" as I type, I realized now in mid-review what the f'n problem is with Broadway: that 25% "madrigal" feel to everything, where everything is tip-toe-oh-so-clever and over-enunciated and sung by everyone as if they're trying to arc their words right over my head to the person behind me. SOMEBODY TALK TO ME ALREADY! I NEED A BEER AND A HUG!

Highlights (meaning the least-Broadwayish tracks to my ears) would be Stiers eyebrowing his way through the slightly-funky "Style," sounding more like a cartoon dog than anything else. Runner-up would be "Sweet, Sweet, Sweet" which feels like Bill Conti heading straight from the '75 Emmys straight to an Isaac Hayes tribute across town sponsored by Playboy Records.

Hold on, there's also the faux Motown "Before Your Very Eyes" – this is ok. By the way, it's very easy picturing Paul Shaffer getting way too into this while playing his piano parts.

Well, I'm no closer to forgiving Broadway after hearing this, although I can hear my partner humming these tunes already in the other room. Dude, knock it off. Let me post my unfocused vitriol to the 'net in peace!

Loud Bassoon rating scale

Review by Bernie Bettson