Carnival (1961 Original Broadway Cast)

The 1953 MGM motion picture Lili already seemed like a musical, even though the film contained only two songs, most notably "Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo." Perfect, then, to translate the film to the Broadway stage, which is exactly what Michael Stewart (Hello, Dolly) and composer-lyricist Bob Merrill (lyricist for Funny Girl and countless pop tunes, including "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window") did in 1961, winning the N.Y. Critics Circle Award for their efforts. Anna Marie Alberghetti made her Broadway debut in the Lili role (which had been Leslie Caron's film debut), with Jerry Orbach taking over for Mel Ferrer as the lame puppeteer, and Kaye Ballard in Zsa Zsa Gabor's role as the magician's mistress. Of course, the musical needed its own "Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo"-- and that came in the form of "Love Makes the World Go Round." Nothing else in this sweet score matches that classic, although Carnival does remain an old-fashioned charmer. The CD release includes previously unreleased tracks, including numbers performed by Merrill himself, as well as covers by Mel Torme and Richard Chamberlain. --Bill Holdship