1963: Little Me - meh.

soooo my birthday is in two days. it's freaking summer and picture perfect outside. i have a new job that i absolutely love. i'm drinking a glass of cab sauv on my balcony. and i'm in my favorite pair of PJs watching Miley Cyrus perform on American Idol. i think it's safe to say that i'm a happy camper right now.

to add to my perfect night, BROADWAY!! so, like i said, we're in 1963, yo. so here's to the musical that ... was. received mixed reviews. not recognized at all these days. was awarded one Tony and then was forgotten. a little musical called...

...Little Me, based on the Patrick Dennis novel entitled (get ready) Little Me, The Great Memoirs of that Great Star of Stage, Screen, and Television: Belle Poitrine. annnnd breathe. what a title. does Patrick Dennis sound familiar? maybe not, but Mame sure does, right? starring the great Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur, Mame is based on a more-famous Patrick Dennis novel: Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade. aside: here are Lansbury and Arthur. classically brilliant:



sorry. back to 1963. so basically it's about this made-up diva named Belle Poitrine who decides to write a memoir. (with the help of character Patrick Dennis. imagine that. ACTUALLY, the little boy in Mame: Patrick Dennis. brilliant.) she's from venezuela. no, not that country in the southern hemisphere. from venezuela, illinois. umm what. she falls in love with this guy Noble, but she's poor and he's not. so all throughout the musical, she's trying to get famous to win this guy's bootie. annnd basically every guy that helps her out ends up dying a painful death. and then her and Noble get together at the end. wonderful.

ridiculous plot. on the verge of awful. BUT that's ok. because in this musical, Sid Caesar plays every single comedic role. YES. one of his ever so many famous sketches:



(can't you tell there aren't many clips of Little Me online?) so Sid Caesar is clearly the star of the show, even though the show is centered around this little hick woman who wants to be famous. however, Sid got showed up by one of (if not THE) most epic Broadway star to have ever graced the New York stage. but we'll get to him later.... moreover, the actresses playing Young Belle and Old Belle: Virginia Martin and Nancy Andrews. ......annnd scene. two nobodies in new york. furthermore, a sidenote: the 1982 revival of Little Me starred the great Victor Garber as the Sid Caesar characters. and "starred" Mary Gordon Murray as Belle......yup, another nobody. at least Bebe Neuwirth was in the ensemble!! here's a clip from the most recent (1998) revival, starring BY FAR the most talented Belle there ever was, Faith Prince:



(another sidenote: that same performance starred...Martin Short. and then it ran for 99 performances. wah-WAH.)

back to the original production. two words. Bob. Fosse. one of the greatest Broadway choreographers of all time. a man who has choreographed Damn Yankees, The Pajama Game, How to Succeed..., Bells Are Ringing, Chicago, Sweet Charity, and Pippin. why Little Me, you ask? apparently Bob and Sid Caesar were very good friends and had worked together in the past! here's Gwen Verdon and Bob himself performing Bob's own choreography to "Who's Got The Pain?" from Damn Yankees:



well, there it is. Little Me. a little musical...with little to rave about. but it's there. and Sid & Bob are fab.