Broadway Pride
Broadway Mouth reviews the original soundtrack of the 1959 Broadway musical adaptation of P&P called First Impressions.
In studying the OBCR, it’s not fully easy to say where the show might have gone wrong. The book is by the talented Abe Burrows, and, according to Filichia, is “a much wittier book than has been alleged, with incisive dialogue and characterizations,” though in Coming Up Roses: The Broadway Musical in the 1950s, historian Ethan Mordden asserts that Burrows attempted to re-write Jane Austen, which was not a wise choice (for the record, since the production rights are licensed by Samuel French, the libretto can easily be purchased online or, I’m sure, from the Drama Book Shop). Whichever the case may be, the cast recording fails to ignite the heart or romance of the story.
Despite these problems, the Broadway Mouth ends the review with:
Still, when another Austen show reaches Broadway, I want the CD.
We can’t help you out with the CD, but there are a few songs available on the Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice MySpace page…and a little bird has told us that the Bennets might be treading the boards as soon as next year! (And the writers, Lindsay Warren Baker and Amanda Jacobs, will be at the JASNA AGM in Chicago this October, where they will talk about the process of putting the play together, perhaps with some scenes and songs included.)
