Huwebes, Setyembre 11, 2008

The best Maria ever.

The best Maria ever.

The Maria I knew was Julie.

Last week while tuned in to channel 9, I chanced upon this other Maria as the network is promoting  her upcoming concert at the Big Dome.

Oh, I have heard her songs before and I was surprised that a number of these songs that I simply heard before, were collectively credited to this Maria.

·      1964: "Downtown"

These are her chart- toppers and I am somehow familiar with “Downtown” and “This is my Song”. The others, I hope to “sound check” soon.

So, the promo said she will be having a concert at the Big Dome on the 13th of this month.  if this is of a later date, I could have made arrangement not to miss this.

Reading more about her, I found out that she is the best Maria ever.  And this entry was of the amazement, a salute to Julie Andrews, the Sound of Music, and the best Maria ever named Petula Clark.

1981 London revival

In 1981, at producer Ross Taylor's urging, Petula Clark signed to star in a revival of the show at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London's West End. Michael Jayston played Captain von Trapp and Honor Blackman was the Baroness. Despite Clark's misgivings that, at age 49, she was too old to play the role convincingly, Clark opened to unanimous rave reviews (and the largest advance sale in the history of British theatre at that time). Maria von Trapp herself, present at the opening night performance, described Clark as "the best" Maria ever. Clark extended her initial six-month contract to thirteen months. Playing to 101 percent of seating capacity, the show set the highest attendance figure for a single week (October 26–31, 1981) of any British musical production in history (as recorded in The Guinness Book of Theatre). This was the first stage production to incorporate the two additional songs that Richard Rodgers composed for the film version. The cast recording of this production was the first to be recorded digitally, but the recording has not been released on compact disc.

read more of The Sound of Music and Petula Clark.

 

 

2 komento:

  1. I didn't know Petula Clark also played Maria. And getting rave reviews despite her age? Wow, that must be one heck of a performance. To be regarded as the best Maria ever by the real Maria von Trapp, that says a lot... I hope they have uploaded a bit of it in YouTube, so I could check it out. Coz in my mind, Julie Andrews is Maria von Trapp.

    p.s. I love Petula Clark's "Downtown"... it's such a picker-upper of a song =)

    TumugonBurahin
  2. Lost, Downtown.

    Napanood mo ba ang episode ginamit sa Lost ang Downtown. Ito yung pinasok nina Jack, Kate, at Locke ang Hatch to explore. Going Downtown!

    When you're alone and life is making you lonely
    You can always go downtown
    When you got worries, all the noise and the hurry
    Seems to help, I know, downtown


    (For this, Petula Clark was presented with the 2007 Film & TV Music Award for Best Use of a Song in a Television Program for "Downtown" in the series Lost .) >>>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petula_Clark

    TumugonBurahin