What if "Funny Girl"?

[TNSUN]

What if to promote the album, "Diana Ross and the Supremes Sing and Perform Funny Girl", Berry Gordy had obtained the Broadway Show Rights for a 6 week limited run of "Funny Girl"? This would have been years before "Purlie" and "The Wiz" shows opened on Broadway.

Would the limited rights ever have been released to Motown prior to the opening of "Funny Girl" the movie?

Listen to the live in concert version of Diana Ross singing "Corner of the Sky" from the Broadway Show, "Pippin".

Diana Ross had the "It Girl" phenomena to be a Broadway Superstar!

[sup_fan]

IMO because Funny Girl was SO identified with Barbra and the movie had been SO hyped, this FG album by DRATS comes across as a knockoff. it's a beautiful done knock off but a knock off just the same. the official soundtrack was released in Aug 68 too so why would you by the Sup version? unless you were a superfan.

it's like Come See About Me. why would you buy Nella Dods version when the Supremes version was right there.

[reese]

What if to promote the album, "Diana Ross and the Supremes Sing and Perform Funny Girl", Berry Gordy had obtained the Broadway Show Rights for a 6 week limited run of "Funny Girl". This would have been years before "Purlie" and "The Wiz" shows opened on Broadway.

Would the rights ever have been released, prior to the opening of "Funny Girl" the movie? Listen to the live in concert version of "Diana Ross" singing "Corner of the Sky". "Diana Ross" had the "It Girl" phenomena to be a Broadway Superstar!

I doubt Ray Stark would have ever released the rights to anyone who would have been in competition with the film version, and especially not to anyone with no Broadway experience.

If I'm remember correctly, Stark was married to Fanny Brice's daughter and it was hard enough to convince her that her mother should be played by Barbra Streisand. I suspect changing the race of real people would have been a big no-no.

[sup_fan]

another issue with the whole score and soundtrack for FG

this score is not a cast or ensemble piece. essentially it's a dozen Barbra songs. typically musicals have not only songs for the lead male and lead female, but the supporting players have featured numbers, the ensemble. And while there are a few times Nicky joins in and a few chorus behind Barbra, it's essentially her show from beginning to end. That's part of why the 64 broadway show was SO tied to her and her voice.

this isn't Oklahoma! South Pacific, My Fair Lady, West Side Story which all have many strong songs for other members of the show.

of course since the goal was to highlight Diana, the fact that FG is so singular in the songs so make it a good fit for the group. Perhaps if the DRATS album had been released in May or June as hype was building for FG's release.

[TNSUN]

In 1968, Cab Calloway and Pearl Bailey were performing in all Black Cast of "Hello Dolly" on Broadway. An all black cast of "Funny Girl" would have been exciting to see.

[TNSUN]

I think this is the type of musical for Diana Ross, almost all the songs are for the starring role!

[RanRan79]

I often enjoy the speculation we do even about things that were far fetched, like what if Mary was given the lead for "Baby Love", or Flo sang "You Keep Me Hangin On". But this question about the Broadway show is so far fetched, we might as well talk about what if aliens had come to earth and landed in the middle of a Supremes show.

Not a complaint. Just an observation.

[sup_fan]

Gordy was focused on making Diana a superstar. so the FG score really does fit with that since it's so totally focused on the 1 singer.

now if we were to look at other options, i like the idea of the DRATS leading up a group of motowners in a cast album. like a black Hello Dolly with Diana as Dolly, M and C doing some things, maybe Marvin or Levi as Horace. a couple of the Temps could be the two young guys working for Horace. and some others in other roles.

or DMC doing something like how Diana later did the Wiz soundtrack. they could alternate roles and all

[marybrewster]

IMO because Funny Girl was SO identified with Barbra and the movie had been SO hyped, this FG album by DRATS comes across as a knockoff. it's a beautiful done knock off but a knock off just the same. the official soundtrack was released in Aug 68 too so why would you by the Sup version? unless you were a superfan.

it's like Come See About Me. why would you buy Nella Dods version when the Supremes version was right there.

Exactly. No more needs to be said.

[RanRan79]

Gordy was focused on making Diana a superstar. so the FG score really does fit with that since it's so totally focused on the 1 singer.

now if we were to look at other options, i like the idea of the DRATS leading up a group of motowners in a cast album. like a black Hello Dolly with Diana as Dolly, M and C doing some things, maybe Marvin or Levi as Horace. a couple of the Temps could be the two young guys working for Horace. and some others in other roles.

or DMC doing something like how Diana later did the Wiz soundtrack. they could alternate roles and all

I think DRATS and the Tempts doing something an album of West Side Story or something like that would've been interesting.

[sup_fan]

I think DRATS and the Tempts doing something an album of West Side Story or something like that would've been interesting.

that could have been fun!

in WSS there really aren't many significant female parts outside of the spanish girls. the white girls with the Jets really don't have much to contribute. So Diana could be Maria [[of course), mary could be Anita and some incidental vocals here and there, Cindy could take on some of the other incidental vocals.

then the Temps are the Jets and the Four Tops are the Sharks!!

or you could split the temps and have them do both Jets and Sharks lol

[kenneth]

In 1968, Cab Calloway and Pearl Bailey were performing in all Black Cast of "Hello Dolly" on Broadway. An all black cast of "Funny Girl" would have been exciting to see.

I agree! I’ve never seen “Hello Dolly”. I was never able to sit through the movie, and I know it’s not considered one of Barbra Streisand‘s best. But from what I know of the songs I think it is also essentially largely a one woman piece with only a few songs that don’t involve the lead character. I think “Funny Girl” would be an even easier musical to change its setting to an all black cast because its show business storyline would adapt well, and would be an exciting change of pace and give the show a new energy. If only!

In the past, I think especially during the early LP era, there were generally lots of albums that took Broadway shows and adapted them to jazz settings. There were also entire albums of tributes to shows recorded by various popular singers. For example, Sammy Davis even recorded the entire score to “Dr. Dolittle“. In my collection, I have albums of jazz interpretations of many shows, such as “west side story,“ “my fair lady,“ which wouldn’t seem to be rife for a jazz interpretation, and even “flower drum song!“ Some of them work and some of them don’t, but I find the idea of a new interpretation of “funny girl“ to be a very intriguing idea.


I never liked the Supremes album until it got re-released in the digital only format, and since then I’ve come to really appreciate it, especially considering how young Diana Ross was at the time. She really was a great interpreter of songs, a great actress/singer with talent far beyond her years.

[sup_fan]

the score for Hello Dolly definitely incorporates more of the other characters and ensemble cast than FG. i'm not sure what changes occurred with the black cast but assume it mostly held to the original content.

It's takes a woman, it only takes a moment, ribbons down my back, penny in my pocket are all songs the Dolly doesn't appear in

then there are the big group numbers. Dolly might have a prominent role but the songs are still heavily carried by others too - Before the parade passes by, hello dolly, dancing, put on your sunday clothes.

[RanRan79]

I never liked the Supremes album until it got re-released in the digital only format, and since then I’ve come to really appreciate it, especially considering how young Diana Ross was at the time. She really was a great interpreter of songs, a great actress/singer with talent far beyond her years.

Same. I didn't really appreciate it until the digital re-release. Diana really shines on most of those cuts. Absolute grade A performances.

[kenneth]

the score for Hello Dolly definitely incorporates more of the other characters and ensemble cast than FG. i'm not sure what changes occurred with the black cast but assume it mostly held to the original content.

It's takes a woman, it only takes a moment, ribbons down my back, penny in my pocket are all songs the Dolly doesn't appear in

then there are the big group numbers. Dolly might have a prominent role but the songs are still heavily carried by others too - Before the parade passes by, hello dolly, dancing, put on your sunday clothes.

I probably shouldn’t have made that statement having not been very familiar with the score. I’m going to find it and listen to it. Thanks for the clarification.

[after you]

I have been a long time fan of this album it is phenomenal and in my opinion way more soulful than Barbra Streisand‘s her voice on this album is a testament of how darn good Diana Ross really is no one or not too many can sing a song like she can she has the soul she’s got the moves this Ross albumAgain it’s from the heavens

[nomis]

Ive only ever heard "Im The Greatest Star" & "If A Girl Isnt Pretty" on the two different Anthology releases..Ive wanted to hear the Funny Girl album for many yrs cannot wait to get the expanded cd edition from all accounts ive heard Diana's singing on the tracks is phenomenal..

[sup_fan]

I probably shouldn’t have made that statement having not been very familiar with the score. I’m going to find it and listen to it. Thanks for the clarification.

well you are right though that Dolly still dominates all of the material and majority of the scenes. it isn't like previous musicals like Oklahoma and Guys & Dolls that really have a couple as the primary characters and then another couple as the supporting characters [[plus cast). HD really is 85% Dolly and the rest is everyone else