- HARD TIMES (SCORE CD 48)
- Book, music and lyrics by Christopher Tookey and Hugh
Thomas
-
- Cast: Roy Hudd (Samuel Sleary), Ann Emery (Mrs Sleary),
Malcolm Rennie (Josiah Bounderby), Brian Blessed (Thomas Gradgrind),
Helen Anker (Louisa Gradgrind), Jan Graveson (Rachel)
-
- Songs: The Greatest Show On Earth; One Of These Days;
When I Was A Boy; Spring; Another Town Tomorrow
-
- Having sat through Hard Times in the theatre and written
none too kindly about it [see Reviews] I had hoped to bypass
this disc, but the natural lusts of the collector, and a suspicion
that I might discover something I had missed, could not be resisted.
Perhaps I should be shamefaced to admit that I enjoyed hearing
most of these songs again.
- Make no mistake - the lyrics are just as dismal (perhaps
worse) than they seemed at first hearing, and the music is derivative
and undistinguished, but four of the five songs recorded on this
pleasing collection are not repulsive. It is not all good news,
however. Brian Blessed (hopeless and embarrassing on stage) gives
a stomach-churning account of the ridiculous 'When I Was A Boy',
painfully trying to negotiate the twisting melody and gob-stopping
lyrics. If there is ever a Top Twenty of Bad Songs from British
Musicals, this will be in the first rank of choices. Beside this
horror, even 'Spring' (sweetly sung by Helen Ankers) begins to
sound like a masterpiece. It isn't, and the words - once again
- are truly feeble, but it does raise a smile.
-
- Jan Graveson (Hard Times seemed to have limitless leading
ladies) brings some body to a pleasant ballad, 'One Of These
Days', and for once the lyric is adequate, even if it is strangely
anonymous. However, the impact of the song is lessened by the
lack of a big finish (a trick never missed by the composer and
orchestrator of Napoleon). Heaven knows, here is a show that
needs any hint of excitement it can get, and it misses the opportunity
here. For the rest, there is a lets-all-have-fun-because-the-circus-is-in-town-and-isn't-life-really-one-big-circus-anyway
opening number, 'The Greatest Show On Earth'. It's jolly, even
though we've heard it all done before. In more reflective mood,
Roy Hudd (what will people who didn't see the show make of his
strange lisp?) leads the company in the downbeat 'Another Town
Tomorrow', at which point the recording tails away ineffectively.
-
- The problem is that Hard Times lacks guts. Nevertheless,
having spent (and presumably lost) a fortune I getting the wretched
thing into London, its sad that we are left with no full recording
of it. Meanwhile, when all else wearies, here is enjoyment to
be found in Mark Warman's resourceful orchestrations. But the
packaging is hopeless: no notes, no proper acknowledgement of
who may be heard on the recording (for example, Ann Emery is
clearly heard but unaccredited) and no guide for the collector
of fifty years from now who will be grateful for any crumb of
information.
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