Rich's Favorites
I will often be asked during or after one of my presentations what my favorite (film, opera, Broadway musical, TV program) happens to be. This is, of course, totally subjective, and I will sometimes dodge the question on those grounds. But just like anyone else who’s a fan of the arts I do have my personal favorites. Here’s a list of some of them:
Film: “Casablanca”---The quintessential movie. Any film that has more quotable lines of dialog than “Godfather-1” has to be at the top. Ingrid Bergman’s face as she watches Victor Lazslo (Paul Henreid) lead the room in La Marseillaise is priceless.
Broadway Musical: Very tough call. “Carousel” slightly edges out “Phantom of the Opera” and “Les Miserables”. A show with two songs such as “If I Loved You” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” as well as Billy Bigelow’s tour-de-force “Soliloquy” number is tough to beat.
Television Program from the “Golden Age”: “I Love Lucy” featuring the greatest comedienne of all time but “Your Show of Shows” with Sid Caesar and a writing team for the ages would not be far behind.
Opera: “Tosca." Try listening to one of the most heartbreaking arias ever written, “Vissi d’arte”, and not be emotionally moved. As Maggie Smith so accurately noted in “Downton Abbey”---“You can always rely on Puccini.”
Aria: “Mon coeur s’oeuvre a ta voix” from Samson and Delilah. Arguably the greatest melody written for any musical piece anywhere.
Song: “Unchained Melody” by Alex North was my favorite even before the movie “Ghost” took its popularity to new heights. Close second choice: “So in Love” by Cole Porter.
Lyrics: “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered” from “Pal Joey” by Lorenz Hart. Try to catch Patti LuPone’s unabridged version on this classic number with its non-repetitive lyrics and internal rhyming structure. Only Porter’s “Anything Goes” even approaches this for its wittiness.
Film: “Casablanca”---The quintessential movie. Any film that has more quotable lines of dialog than “Godfather-1” has to be at the top. Ingrid Bergman’s face as she watches Victor Lazslo (Paul Henreid) lead the room in La Marseillaise is priceless.
Broadway Musical: Very tough call. “Carousel” slightly edges out “Phantom of the Opera” and “Les Miserables”. A show with two songs such as “If I Loved You” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” as well as Billy Bigelow’s tour-de-force “Soliloquy” number is tough to beat.
Television Program from the “Golden Age”: “I Love Lucy” featuring the greatest comedienne of all time but “Your Show of Shows” with Sid Caesar and a writing team for the ages would not be far behind.
Opera: “Tosca." Try listening to one of the most heartbreaking arias ever written, “Vissi d’arte”, and not be emotionally moved. As Maggie Smith so accurately noted in “Downton Abbey”---“You can always rely on Puccini.”
Aria: “Mon coeur s’oeuvre a ta voix” from Samson and Delilah. Arguably the greatest melody written for any musical piece anywhere.
Song: “Unchained Melody” by Alex North was my favorite even before the movie “Ghost” took its popularity to new heights. Close second choice: “So in Love” by Cole Porter.
Lyrics: “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered” from “Pal Joey” by Lorenz Hart. Try to catch Patti LuPone’s unabridged version on this classic number with its non-repetitive lyrics and internal rhyming structure. Only Porter’s “Anything Goes” even approaches this for its wittiness.