Elaine Stretch has starred in a number of
Broadway musicals, including Noel Coward's "Sail Away", Stephen Sondheim's
"Company" and Leroy Anderson's "Goldilocks".
Here are some of her comments about Goldilocks from a 1999 interview:
"What if Goldilocks were opening tomorrow night on Broadway? It's interesting to me
because I yearn for original, underlined, original musical comedy. And I love that
expression, nobody seems to know what it means today, Musical Comedy. Steve Sondheim wrote
that wonderful song about comedy tonight, tragedy tomorrow, comedy tonight. But musical
comedy really makes me laugh. It's kind of an old-fashioned expression and I love it. And
Goldilocks was a musical comedy. That doesn't mean that it wasn't romantic, there's
nothing unromantic about comedy. That doesn't mean that it wasn't sad, comedy can be sad.
It was the overall thing of musical comedy. And I think that Goldilocks, which someone
brought up today, the competition of Broadway then when there were lots of shows like
this. I wish I had a playbill in front of me that I could list them all, they were really
hot shot musicals that have been household words ever since.
Goldilocks at best and I think it means that it really had so much good in it that it has
survived as a cult musical, or else it would not have been re-released on a CD, which
means that the musical bunch got alot of the credit. Walter and Jean Kerr have been
criticized about their book, because it wasn't a good marriage, but they wrote the lyrics.
The CD is a very big hit of Goldilocks, people love it because it is a musical comedy. And
Leroy Anderson should feel super about that. His first time out and how many years later
they have a CD released of that musical. That ain't bad. No it didn't make money, it
didn't run a long time. But you know the critics were not this way about Goldilocks at
all. And I'm here and proud to say I got wonderful notices in Goldilocks. Lovely. I was
well out of that one. I came through without getting you know, because what did we expect,
you know.
His music, I look back on Leroy's music in my head, in my soul, in my heart, and in a few
other places. And I have to be thankful for him. I never thought about it until this
interview came up in my life which I ran to do because I did admire him greatly. And some
of the stuff he did outside of Goldilocks is really breathtaking material. Good stuff. And
I loved in his bio the ways it says he reached so many people. And so naturally he must of
been very upset when Goldilocks didn't reach lots of people. But the CD did. So what's he
squawking about, where ever he is. He should feel jubilant at that, you know.
The way he affected me, his music, was whatever emotion I was going through in Goldilocks,
whether it was comedy, or tragic love affair that didn't turn out to be tragic but he got
sore at me and left me and the sadness of the ballad that I sang, the melody of it,
unbelievable. It was so poignant. So stirring in me that "You Never Know When to Say
When". And whatever it was it worked. I think my talent had something to do with it,
I hope, I know. But I also think unless you got a melody, you're out to lunch. How many
musicals have we all been to you can't think of one tune. Nothing when you go out into the
lobby.
And even a song that was cut from Goldilocks, I remember Leroy when he played this for us
and he sang a little of it which was very unlike him. When they meet, the two leads, its a
song called "Hello" and the melody is (sings) "Hello, we'll now bless my
eyes, It's you what a nice surprise." And it's got a real, almost popular song
quality to it. It swings, it's beautiful. And in the next breath he's doing a (sings)
"He may not know you're there but he's got to pay the rent," and its comedy,
comedy, comedy tonight. Then there's a middle layer of wonderful music that he wrote for
what I think is one of the most charming songs in the world.
But to get back to the problem of the book, it didn't deal with what this musical was
about. But out of context (sings) "Whose been sitting in my chair, just me, just me,
..... I'd like a chair sitting next to next to my chair, if you were sitting in my
chair" and not making it naughty or anything he went (sings) "Oh gosh, oh
gee," and then when he got to the bed upstairs (sings) Whose been sleeping in my bed,
just me, just moi. I like a two fisted biped for my boudoir. I'd like a something hanging
next to my dress, I'd like to need a larger mattress, if you were sleeping in my
bed," now instead of getting naughty, he did (sings) "tra - la, tra - la, tra -
la, tra - la." And if you donıt think that thatıs charming, forget about it. It's
adorable. It's just adorable. Especially for a hip woman like that to sit down and sing
that song, with a live bear, nothing the matter with that. There were moments in
Goldilocks, very much thanks to Leroy Anderson, that had real charm and witty music."
Here are audio excerpts of three songs that were written for the
Broadway musical "Goldilocks" but not used in the New York production. They are
sung and performed by Leroy Anderson (Real Audio player required):
If I Can't Take it With Me
Hello
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