[.ca] Closer Than Ever (Maltby and Shire)

Superb songs about contemporary living:
What can I say? CLOSER THAN EVER is probably the best musical revue ever written. It's a collection of 25 songs about the complications, joys, and woes of everyday living in America. This is the only show I've ever produced and directed, since I wanted to share it with as many people as possible. Since I first heard the score, I always include at least one song from the show in every concert I give! THE HISTORY: Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire have worked together for decades, although only two of their shows, BABY and BIG, have ever reached Broadway. During the creation of BABY, they wrote a song entitled "The Bear, the Tiger, the Hamster, and the Mole" to introduce the character of a female biology professor. As the song evolved, it not only introduced her character, it told her story and resolved it. Since the character had nowhere to go, both she and the song were dropped from the show. Maltby and Shire didn't want the song to die, so they slowly created a roster of "story songs" for use at a later time. In 1989 (at the same time Maltby was also working on the English lyrics to MISS SAIGON in London), these songs were combined with other songs Maltby and Shire had written over the past 30 years (with alterations) to make the new revue, CLOSER THAN EVER. THE LYRICS: Let me allow some theater critics to speak first, all cited in the CD liner notes. Stephen Holden of THE NEW YORK TIMES said that the songs "communicate .... a rich sweeping sense of lives being lived and people changing over time." Howard Kissel of the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: "There is more genuine drama in each ... song than in the entirety of most ... musicals." David Patrick Stearns of USA TODAY: "the most satisfying and humanizing new musical." What are these songs about? I like to say that the songs cover the day-to-day aspects of everyday living: relationships, childcare, and Dan Quayle. A few examples: "One of the Good Guys" explores a successful man's nagging feeling that he's missed the joys of life. "Fandango" is the morning dance that a husband and wife do on the day that both of their careers are on the line and no one is available to babysit their infant child. "The Sound of Muzak" gives a comically frightening scenario of how technology alters our lives. "There's Nothing Like It" pokes fun at the platitudes of the fitness movement. "Another Wedding Song" (written by Shire for his marriage to actress Didi Conn) explores the awkwardness of making eternal vows at a second wedding. "There" starts out as a torchy ballad, but ends up examining how the selfishness of two people destroyed a relationship. Over the years, Maltby has been known to insert rather cheesy lyrics into otherwise good songs. Only two egregious examples are in this show. The opening number asks at one point, "What's in the skies from Boston to Florida? / High-rises rising, each being horrider." In "Miss Byrd," the character proclaims that she gets so excited, "that's when I start to go 'La dah di dah.'" THE MUSIC: Although the show is only scored for piano and bass, David Shire brings incredible variety of musical form to each piece. "Back on Base" is a nightclub jazz act; "Three Friends" is right out of the Las Vegas 'show biz' style; "There's Nothing Like It" mimics a classical aria before taking off in a wildly different direction. Shire's musical abilities are just amazing. The chord progressions in parts of "The Sound of Muzak" and "I Wouldn't Go Back" are incredible. THE SONGS: Six tracks deserve to become staples of the musical theater repertoire. A divorced woman tells her "Life Story" about the struggles and triumphs she's had as a single mother and freelance journalist. "Three Friends" from college hilariously chronicle how their relationship has changed over the ten years since graduation. A musician tells his father whose health is failing that "If I Sing," it's because you were my role model. Three men reflect how parenthood (being the "Fathers of Fathers") has defined their accomplishments in life. As a younger woman laments that "I've Been Here Before" in doomed relationships, an older woman tries to console her while warning "It's Never That Easy." A man resolves he'll succeed in a romantic relationship "Next Time" before being joined by the whole cast for a rousing anthem to making life-altering decisions, "I Wouldn't Go Back." This song has become a permanent fixture in my life's soundtrack. The weakest songs of the show come early in the first act. "Like a Baby," included on this recording, has since been replaced by the more humorous "I'll Get Up Tomorrow Morning," in which a man explains his attempts to deal with the stresses of work, children, and marriage. If I were to direct the show again, I would attempt to replace "What Am I Doin'?," the song of a man obsessed with a woman no longer interested in him, with "I Don't Remember Christmas" from Maltby and Shire's earlier revue, STARTING HERE, STARTING NOW. THE RECORDING: In many ways, the recording is wonderful. Each cast member (plus the pianist, Patrick Scott Brady, who sings on a few of the numbers) has gone on to have a successful career. The score has been more heavily orchestrated. The liner notes give the histories of the show as a whole and of each song individually. There are two problems: first of all, some of the orchestration choices are poor. For example, a cheap synthesizer steals some of the tenderness from Lynne Wintersteller's "It's Never That Easy." Secondly, some of the numbers don't have the pizzazz that I would expect after seeing them performed live by amateurs. Perhaps some of the cast members were tired on the day of the recording? Only Sally Mayes seems to give all of her numbers the full intensity they deserve. Despite the problems with the recording, this is still a must-have for anyone who loves musical theater. You won't find another collection of songs - with such liberal doses of wit, intelligence, and creativity -- anywhere!

Worth it for Lynne Alone!:
The fine cast does credit to some Shire/Maltby gems. While each singer shines, the ever-astonishing Lynne Wintersteller alone is worth the purchase price. Her warm tone, perfect diction, respect for the lyrics, and pervasive intellect really do put her in a class by herself.

Urban Angst put to song:
23 rarely heard or never heard songs by Richard Maltby,jr and David Shire get first class treatment by a first class cast in "Closer Than Ever". Among my favorites- "The bear, the tiger, the hamster and the mole", "the Sound of Muzak", "Patterns" and "the March of Time'. Witty and well sung.

Excellent Maltby and Shire:
Maltby and Shire did an excellent job with these exquisitely crafted songs. Not all of them are dead-on hits, but there are some real wonders in this show. Their talent in songwriting shines through in songs such as the painfully delicate "She Loves Me Not," in the fiesty and--there's no other word for it--HAPPY song "Miss Byrd;" the superb "It's Never that Easy/I've Been Here Before", and others--"Doors", "Patterns" and the rest. Maltby and Shire are often underappreciated, but this revue is excellent in its hidden gems. The extremely talented cast only augments the beauty of these songs. Get it if you can!

An undiscovered gem!!:
This recording was a chance purchase about 10 years ago in a NRM. 10 years later, my wife and I are still gaga over this collection. Included are tunes to make you laugh, cry and think. The performers are fabulous, and the songs memorable. Fabulous!!

• Doors - Company
• She Loves Me Not - Brent Barrett, Richard Muenz, Lynne Wintersteller
• You Want to Be My Friend? - Sally Mayes, Richard Muenz
• What Am I Doin'? - Brent Barrett
• Bear, the Tiger, the Hamster and the Mole - Lynne Wintersteller
• Like a Baby - Sally Mayes, Richard Muenz, Lynne Wintersteller
• Miss Byrd - Sally Mayes
• Sound of Muzak - Patrick Scott Brady, Company
• One of the Good Guys - Brent Barrett
• There's Nothing Like It - Company
• Life Story - Lynne Wintersteller
• Next Time, I Wouldn't Go Back - Company, Richard Muenz
• Three Friends - Brent Barrett, Sally Mayes, Lynne Wintersteller
• Fandango - Richard Muenz, Lynne Wintersteller
• There - Patrick Scott Brady, Sally Mayes
• Patterns - Lynne Wintersteller
• Another Wedding Song - Brent Barrett, Sally Mayes
• If I Sing - Richard Muenz
• Back on Base - Sally Mayes, Richard Muenz
• March of Time - Company
• Fathers of Fathers - Brent Barrett, Patrick Scott Brady, Richard Muenz
• It's Never That Easy - Lynne Wintersteller
• Closer Than Ever - Company, Richard Muenz