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Title: I used to hate it, but...
Review: Yes, a B (or even C) show. And yet -- the lyrics are lyrics for an A show, hip, literate, funny. Not on the level of the Leigh/Coleman "Little Me" (an A show for sure), but how can you not love a beautiful opener like "May I present/To this old town/A Lochinvar/With his lances down"? Brilliant. It's a very, very cynical show (and if you're looking for a satiric explanation of the mess we're in today, the book of this show is not a bad place to look). Bernstein's music has its moments -- "Walk Away," is always mentioned as the show's best ballad, and it is quite haunting, but on the whole it sounds like music orchestrated for 100 kazoos, and that deserved such orchestration. Worst of all are the performances: all three leads sing very crassly, Marlyn Mason particularly limning what appears to be an extremely unpleasant character. On the whole, it's a pretty annoying listening experience -- but, oh, those lyrics! Where is Carolyn Leigh when we need her?
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