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Category Archives: Q-S
August 26, 2015 Q-SMichael Portantiere
Original Broadway Cast, 1978 (RCA, 2CDs) (5 / 5) Every musical theatre fan has a personal favorite Sondheim score, and the man's oeuvre is so rich and diverse that it's impossible to argue what is truly his "best" work. But few people if any would dispute that Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is Sondheim's grandest, largest-scale achievement. It's also perhaps the work he's most closely associated with, having achieved high-profile status in theaters and opera houses around the world, as well as having served as the basis for a popular film version. Adapted from the play by Christopher Bond, which in turn is a dramatic interpretation of an English urban legend, Sweeney Todd tells of a barber who slits the throats of his customers and consigns their dead bodies to his landlady, Mrs. Lovett, who bakes them into meat pies. The show is billed as "a musical thriller," but Sondheim and book writer Hugh Wheeler focus on its themes of revenge, corruption, and obsession, adding more complex elements of humanity to the musical horror. That approach clearly worked, as Sweeney Todd is widely acknowledged as a musical theater masterpiece. The original Broadway cast recording remains definitive; it represents nearly the entire score and book of the show, and it's thrilling from start to finish. As the vengeful barber, Len Cariou is sexy, sympathetic, and terrifying all at once. He's superbly partnered by Angela Lansbury, providing comedic relief and giving a career defining performance as Mrs. Lovett. The duo's incredible chemistry comes to a high point with the famous Act 1 finale "A Little Priest," when Sweeney and Lovett suddenly realize how to discard the remains of his victims as well as provide her with quality meat for her pies; Cariou and Lansbury fiendishly toy with Sondheim's brilliant lyrics, making the song simultaneously hilarious and disturbing. The two are given excellent support by the rest of the principal company: Merle Louise's demented Beggar Woman, Ken Jennings' doe-eyed Tobias, Edmund Lyndeck's lecherous Judge Turpin, and Sarah Rice and Victor Garber as the innocent lovers Johanna and Anthony are all perfect. Jonathan Tunick's grandly operatic orchestrations have never been equaled, and Paul Gemignani conducts with a fearless, steady hand that keeps the entire piece moving seamlessly. There will always be room for differences of opinion as to what score represents the very best of Sondheim, but when it comes to Sweeney Todd, only one recording is truly essential: this one. — Matt Koplik
New York Philharmonic Concert Cast, 2000 (N.Y. Philharmonic Special Editions, 2CDs) (3 / 5) Now, assuming that you've done your homework, purchased the original cast album of Sweeney Todd, and thoroughly familiarized yourself with it, you can start having fun with other interpretations. In May of 2000, Lonny Price directed a semi-staged concert version of Sweeney for the New York Philharmonic in honor of Sondheim's 70th birthday, and a live recording of the event was issued in a special limited edition. With a starry cast, an audibly thrilled audience, and the incomparable Philharmonic playing the score with searing focus, there's a palpable energy to this performance; the applause that greets stars George Hearn and Patti LuPone upon their entrances and the knowing laughter that punches every line of "A Little Priest" are just a few examples. And yet, the heady, almost giddy atmosphere keeps this recording from ever truly soaring to great heights. While LuPone and Hearn are vocally peerless and blend together sensationally in "My Friends" and "Priest," they both have a habit of indulging the audience rather than mining their characters for full dramatic potential. (LuPone provided a more well-defined Mrs. Lovett five years later in John Doyle's stripped down revival; see review below). Neil Patrick Harris is an endearing if somewhat vocally underwhelming Tobias; Heidi Grant Murphy is a lovely Johanna, second only to Sarah Rice; and Audra McDonald is, of course, fantastic as the Beggar Woman. This may not be the most moving or compelling Sweeney Todd you'll ever hear, but it's pretty exciting. — M.K.
Broadway Cast, 2005 (Nonesuch, 2CDs) (4 / 5) When Sweeney was first revived on Broadway in 1990, at Circle-in-the-Square, that production (which yielded no cast album) was nicknamed "Teeny Todd" for its downsizing from the Grand Guignol style of the original production to a far more intimate affair, disposing of the chorus and large orchestra. Audiences were thrown by seeing and hearing the show performed on such a small scale after a decade of its having played in large theaters and opera houses. But even that staging couldn't prepare Broadway for British director John Doyle's re-conceptualized production 15 years later, set in an insane asylum. Doyle used only 10 actors and famously had them double as the orchestra throughout the show. The results are fascinating and, ultimately, rewarding; though the score loses its grandeur, the show becomes chillingly personal. The excellent cast/orchestra, led by Sondheim vets Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone, glides through the score with assurance, each of them switching back and forth from actor to musician seamlessly. Cerveris makes for a particularly brooding Sweeney, and LuPone — more disciplined and restrained than in her New York Philharmonic performance (see review above) — is a sexy Mrs. Lovett. While everyone gets a chance to shine, the true star here is orchestrator Sarah Travis. Rather than reduce Jonathan Tunick's original charts, Travis completely restyled Sondheim's score to match the frightening intimacy of Doyle's vision. Who knew that "Johanna" could sound so beautiful with only accordion and cello accompaniment? Even though "City on Fire" is sadly not included here, and some listeners may miss the impact of a large chorus, this is an excellent addition to the Sweeney discography and a wonderful opportunity for fans to hear a brilliant score in an entirely different way — M.K.
Film Soundtrack, 2007 (Nonesuch) (2 / 5) Tim Burton's film adaptation of Sweeney Todd is terrific or terrible, depending on whom you ask. Opting for a basically intimate film, Burton shied away from all things operatic, cutting any material that was sung by the chorus in the original score ("The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" and all of its reprises, for starters) and focusing solely on his principal cast. This makes for an arguably excellent film but a poor representation of the stage show and an uneven listening experience, the approach working better for some sections of the score than others. The singing voices of the movie's cast, led by Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, don't allow them to revel in the lushness of Sondheim's music. Without the film's visuals, some listeners to the soundtrack may wonder why Carter whispers most of "The Worst Pies in London," or why "Pirelli's Miracle Elixir" is cut in half. Others may balk at Depp's crooning, rock-tinged style of singing, less George Hearn and more David Bowie. Still, even without the benefit of seeing the film, this recording offers some perks. Broadway maestro Paul Gemignani leads a huge Hollywood orchestra that tears into the score with incredible intensity. (The orchestrations are Jonathan Tunick's originals, with some changes of key and other minor alterations.) "Not While I'm Around" is sung beautifully by Ed Sanders, the first child actor to portray Tobias in a major production of Sweeney. The entire supporting cast is strong, with Laura Michelle Kelly making a memorable impression as the Beggar Woman even though Burton eliminated much of her role. — M.K.
London Cast, 2012 (First Night) (1 / 5) Premiering at the Chichester Festival Theatre in England, this revival of Sweeney Todd immediately transferred to the West End, where it enjoyed a very successful run and numerous accolades. While many, including Sondheim himself, have sung the production's praises, and indeed it may have worked in the theater, this recording does very little to argue its artistic merits. It doesn't help that what we have here is really only a selection of highlights — although that isn't how the album is labeled. Among the songs and sequences not included are "Poor Thing," "Pirelli's Miracle Elixir," and "Green Finch and Linnet Bird." These major omissions aside, there are other elements that make this recording nonessential. While the orchestra heard here is smallish, the orchestrations weren't rewritten accordingly (a la Sarah Travis for the John Doyle production), but instead are just pared-down versions of the Jonathan Tunick originals. As a result, the score sounds tinny. On the plus side, the two critically acclaimed leads, Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton, provide fully realized performances as Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett. Though Ball's voice is often too young sounding and he therefore lacks a certain gravitas for the role, his "Epiphany" is strong, and Ball takes a note from Cariou in playing Sweeney with a restrained intensity throughout. Staunton is vocally on par with Lansbury, though her Lovett is more fiery and sinister, making her sparring with Ball on "A Little Priest" more frightening. Still, overall, this recording is the least satisfying of the stage cast albums reviewed here. — M.K.
World Premiere Recording, 1993 (Polydor, 2CDs) (3 / 5) Andrew Lloyd Webber heard a semi-operatic, sung-through musical in Billy Wilder's 1950 melodrama film noir, but he made a mistake in choosing Don Black and Christopher Hampton to write the prosaic lyrics, overrun as they are with tiresome exposition set to the same few melody lines. Whatever may be said about the composer's cribbing from Puccini and Rachmaninoff, when Lloyd Webber gets to the full-blown arias for Norma Desmond, he supplies steel-trap tunes: "With One Look," "The Perfect Year," and "As If We Never Said Goodbye" rank with his best. The world premiere production of Sunset Boulevard in London starred Patti LuPone, whose often-remarked-upon trouble with consonants is no problem here; on the contrary, her enunciation is impeccable, and her characterization fascinates. With her fluid reading of the songs and her delivery of what dialogue there is on the recording, LuPone presents the self-deluded Norma Desmond as someone who's surrendered spontaneity to a magnificent artificiality. Her Norma is a defeated woman falling from a great height. Kevin Anderson sings and orates forcibly as Joe Gillis, the screenwriter supporting Desmond in her addled belief that she can make a return to film. Daniel Benzali is a sensitive Max, Madame's butler and former husband; and Meredith Braun is fine as Betty Schaefer, the would-be screenwriter who falls for Joe. The sumptuous orchestrations by David Cullen and Lloyd Webber himself possess 1950s-film-soundtrack fervor. — David Finkle
American Premiere Recording, 1994 (Polydor, 2CDs) (2 / 5) Whereas Patti LuPone's recorded performance as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard may surpass what she accomplished onstage, Glenn Close, who played the role in Los Angeles and on Broadway, sounds crotchety and almost laughably desperate on this cast album. When speaking, Close comes across as an aging Ophelia. (The effect worked better live.) When singing the hothouse solos "With One Look" and "As If We Never Said Goodbye," the star sometimes strides confidently into a note and disports herself much more vigorously than one might have expected, yet she does have problems in terms of range and volume . Too often, her shifting from chest voice to head voice and back again is the aural equivalent of watching a hurdler clear obstacles. Also, more than seems appropriate, much of her delivery sounds like whispering. Alan Campbell plays Joe Gillis and is more than adequate in his singing, yet not entirely convincing in the role. Judy Kuhn as Betty is, as always, lovely and real; what a lustrous voice she has. As Max, George Hearn adds another oddball performance to his list of Broadway oddballs. Musical director Paul Bogaev brings out all the overheated drama of Lloyd Webber's melodies, which include a sweeping opening theme. — D.F.
Original Canadian Cast, 1995 (Polydor) (2 / 5) Diahann Carroll fans are the likeliest targets for this recording, which cuts out a good deal of material that may be heard on the two previous Sunset Boulevard albums. But what's gone isn't missed, since the show's heavy-handed satire of Hollywood's eat-'em-alive attitudes can become tedious. Carroll, an unexpected choice to play silent-screen-vamp Norma Desmond, gives a viable performance. Her Norma is full-bodied and commanding, and she brings interesting nuance to "New Ways to Dream" in particular. Rex Smith has an engaging way about him as Joe Gillis, Walter Charles lends depth to the loyal Max, Anita Louise Combe is a sweet Betty Schaefer, and Jeffrey Huard's conducting is stately. — D.F.
Betty Buckley: New Ways to Dream: Songs from Sunset Boulevard, 1995 (Polygram) (3 / 5) When Betty Buckley replaced Glenn Close in the Broadway production of Sunset Boulevard, the show finally acquired its ideal Norma Desmond. From the first words that Buckley spoke — "You there! Why are you so late?" — the iron-butterfly quality of Desmond was suddenly, blazingly present in this dark musical's speeches and songs. That opening comment is the only bit of dialogue Buckley speaks on this recording, which includes four of the character's arias: "Surrender," "With One Look," "New Ways to Dream," and "As If We Never Said Goodbye." Still, they're enough to confirm Buckley's mastery of the role. Alan Campbell makes a guest appearance as Joe Gillis, Paul Bogaev conducts, and their contributions here are superior to their previous recordings of this score. Buckley, it would seem, inspired them to rise to her vaunted level. — D.F.
Original Off-Broadway Cast, 1990 (TER-JAY) No stars; not recommended. In 1978, a musical titled Platinum had an extremely brief run on Broadway. It starred the stylish Alexis Smith in the role of an aging movie star involved with a young rock singer. In 1983, a cut-down version of the show with four performers turned up Off-Broadway, retitled Sunset, and closed on opening night after 13 preview performances. This is the cast album of that version. With a libretto and lyrics by Will Holt and music by Gary William Friedman, Sunset concerns a straight male rock star named Danger Dan who wants to wear an old movie star's red-beaded evening gown on his upcoming TV special. The saddest part of the whole enterprise is the waste of a talented cast: Ronnie Blakely, Kim Milford, Walt Hunter, and most significantly, Tammy Grimes in the central role. — David Wolf
Original Broadway Cast, 1983 (B'way Entertainment/Varèse Sarabande) (2 / 5) Lavishly produced, beautifully designed, lovingly directed, Sugar Babies was a burlesque show featuring very funny old sketches performed by the unleashed Mickey Rooney, with Ann Miller as his partner and Jack Fletcher as his straight man. The production had a dog act, a candy butcher, a fan dancer — and you never knew what was going to come at you next. Unfortunately, this recording preserves very little of the show's strongest suit: those hilarious low-comedy sketches, resurrected and dusted off by Ralph G. Allen. Instead, the album highlights the songs, and they're a mostly lackluster bunch, even though nearly all of the music is by the great Jimmy McHugh. Some of the numbers have new lyrics by comedy writer Arthur Malvin; some are standards that McHugh wrote with Dorothy Fields, Ted Koehler, Harold Adamson, and others. They are well performed and orchestrated, but songs are not what we remember most about this show. — David Wolf
Original Broadway Cast, 1972 (United Artists/MGM) (2 / 5) Sugar was a shocker, the first indication that the great David Merrick production machine of the 1950s-'60s was breaking down. Gower Champion, one of the most dazzling director-choreographers of the period, reconstructed the show on the road pre-Broadway, replacing Johnny Desmond in the role of a singing gangster with hoofer Steve Condos, who was much more menacing because he said nothing but threateningly tap-danced everything. Merrick threw out the entire set and paid for a new one, but still the show wasn't made into a hit. Even the great, prolific composer Jule Styne was helpless when given lyrics as disgraceful as those provided him by Bob Merrill. Perhaps the musical's source material, the classic film comedy Some Like It Hot, simply resisted adaptation. Elaine Joyce had the impossible task of following Marilyn Monroe in what was easily her most appealing performance; even so, Joyce comes across as cold and hard on the recording, though she wasn't given any musical material that might have helped. Cyril Ritchard does nicely with his two numbers, which are among the better items in the score, but Tony Roberts (in the Tony Curtis part) has the dullest of the songs. This show was in Robert Morse's pocket: As Daphne (the Jack Lemmon role), he kept Sugar running for over a year, giving an old-fashioned clown performance and making the most of every opportunity he was handed. Elliott Lawrence's musical direction and Philip J. Lang's orchestrations are so strong and confident that, as you listen, you may think the score is better than it is. {Ed. Note: This album was reissued in a latter-day, remastered CD version by Kritzerland, but it was a limited edition item and is no longer available.]– David Wolf
Subways Are for Sleeping
Original Broadway Cast, 1961 (Columbia/Fynsworth Alley) (4 / 5) A legendary title, if for no other reason than David Merrick's scandalous marketing of the show: He looked in the phone book, found seven people with the same names as the major New York theater critics, and coaxed "rave reviews" from them, which he then had printed in a newspaper ad. This Jule Styne-Betty Comden-Adolph Green show was short-lived onstage, but it made for a cheerful, lively cast album that opens with a spectacular Styne overture, complete with subway effects and big, sassy orchestrations by Phil Lang. From there, it's one urban delight after another. The score is heavy on comedy songs written with inimitable Comden-Green élan: Featured performer Phyllis Newman won a Tony Award largely on the basis of her hilarious "I Was a Shoo-ln." Her vis-a-vis, Orson Bean, was nominated largely for his delivery of "I Just Can't Wait (Till I See You With Clothes On)." You have to endure leading man Sydney Chaplin's braying in "I'm Just Taking My Time," but Chaplin nearly redeems himself in "Swing Your Projects," a commentary on over-leveraged Gotham real estate that's still topical. As Chaplin's love interest, Carol Lawrence makes pretty noises in "Girls Like Me" and "I Said It and I'm Glad," the latter a song with an arresting melody that was dropped during the run. Another appealing number is "Comes Once in a Lifetime." The original LP album of Subways Are for Sleeping was packaged in a gatefold jacket, but reissues squeezed the notes onto one page. The CD edition offers intriguing bonuses: Comden and Green do a couple of cut songs; demo-album regulars Rose Marie Jun and Jack Haskell are heard from; and Comden's pensive rendition of "Life's Not That Simple," a soulful casualty from Do Re Mi, is a joy. — Marc Miller
The Student Prince
Studio Cast, 1950 (Decca) (3 / 5) Operetta albums from decades ago often sound even more dated than the material itself, with white-bread orchestrations and stilted singing. You'd expect the 1924 warhorse The Student Prince, with music by Sigmund Romberg and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly, to come across badly in this recording; standards like "Serenade," "Deep in My Heart, Dear," and the "Drinking Song" can sound like parodies if mistreated. But the performance is quite good, thanks to Victor Young's conducting and Lauritz Melchior's singing. Although the heldentenor was thrice the age of an ideal Karl Franz at the time of the recording, he sounds like he could step right into a pair of lederhosen and play the hell out of the role. His top notes are thrilling, his enthusiasm infectious, and his thick accent great fun. ("The sweet May moon" comes out as "this wheat May moon"; "perfumed of roses and dew" sounds like "parv-youmed of roses and you.") Jane Wilson's American Kathie seems a little incongruous, but she's warm and bright, despite some shrill trills. The original orchestrations are mostly intact, and Lee Sweetland and Gloria Lane offer able support. (Ed. Note: The CD edition of this recording also includes songs from The Merry Widow sung by Kitty Carlisle, Felix Knight, and Wilbur Evans. ) — Marc Miller
Studio Cast, 1952 (Columbia/DRG) (3 / 5) Lehman Engel crams everything important from Sigmund Romberg's landmark operetta into 52 minutes — quite a lengthy album for the time. The performance has a theatrical flair to it, right from the character-actor footmen in the opening number singing "By our bearing so sedate / We uphold the royal state." The recording is well cast, with Robert Rounseville an enthusiastic Karl Franz (if a bit desperate on the top notes of "Serenade")and Dorothy Kirsten a spirited Kathie. The choral singing is mushy at times, and some of the lyrics are unintelligible. An unbilled George Gaynes is easily recognizable in a prominent supporting role. — M.M.
Studio Cast, 1952 (RCA) (2 / 5) Oddly, when MGM made its 1954 film version of The Student Prince with Edmund Purdom lip-synching Mario Lanza's vocals as he romanced Ann Blyth, no actual soundtrack album was released; instead, RCA offered this recording, which paired Lanza with Elizabeth Doubleday. The album includes three new songs by Nicholas Brodsky and Paul Francis Webster that were written for the movie. Lanza is in excellent voice here, but the sound quality of the mono recording is quite poor. This CD compilation also features Lanza et al. in excerpts from The Desert Song. — M.M.
Studio Cast, 1960 (RCA/Sepia) (3 / 5) A sort of stereo remake of the recording reviewed immediately above, this one has Mario Lanza joined by the coquettish Norma Giusti. The uncredited orchestrations are lush, and Paul Baron conducts with spirit. Lanza easily hits Karl Franz's high notes, even with the keys pushed way up to show off his tenor. His singing is nicely understated in the Brodsky-Webster "Summertime in Heidelberg" and fervent in "I'll Walk With God." Most of the original score's songs are here, too, though wildly out of order and exclusively the property of Lanza and Giusti. Considering the absence of a supporting cast, this barely qualifies as a cast album, but the stereo sound quality is far superior to that of Lanza's previous recording. — M.M.
Studio Cast, 1962, Music of Sigmund Romberg (Capitol/Angel) (2 / 5) Gordon MacRae's unforced high baritone is always impressive, but he sounds bored and not very princely here. This recording also suffers from impersonal arrangements and bloodless conducting by Van Alexander. Dorothy Kirsten returns as Kathie, sounding much as she did 10 years earlier. Fully cast with no-name supporting players and capably backed by the Roger Wagner Chorale, the album zips through the score in 35 minutes but omits nothing major, reminding us how well Romberg spun standard-size scores into full-length operettas. With its safe tempi and American accents, this is sort of a summer-tent-theater rendering with a larger orchestra — agreeable enough, but more Harrisburg than Heidelberg. On Angel's CD compilation, titled Music of Sigumund Romberg, the Student Prince tracks are accompanied by excerpts from The Desert Song and The New Moon. — M.M.
Studio Cast, 1962 (Columbia/no CD) (1 / 5) Roberta Peters was a great lady of opera whose warmth and lack of pretension should have made her an ideal performer of operettas and musicals. Her entrance here, trilling in the "Drinking Song," is lovely, and her voice is in wonderful shape; but afterward, there's an excess of coyness that's accentuated by the snatches of dialogue included on the recording. Jan Peerce as Karl Franz is a mature prince, but he has conviction, and Giorgi Tozzi is excellent as Dr. Engel. There's just enough linking dialogue to propel the simple story. With a new set of orchestrations by the great Hershy Kay and musical direction by Franz Allers, this recording certainly seemed to have the potential to revitalize operetta, but Allers' conducting is a trifle stiff, and Kay's string-heavy charts don't entirely escape that Muzak-operetta sound of the '60s. — M.M.
Studio Cast, 1990 (JAY, 2CDs) (4 / 5) Emil Gerstenberger was one of the outstanding Broadway orchestrators of the 1920s, equally adept at Romberg operetta and the jazzy musical comedies of the day. In the Romberg repertoire, his charts are lush and without that filmy coat of Muzak heard in many latter-day operetta recordings. For this first-ever complete recording of The Student Prince, the Philharmonia Orchestra and conductor John Owen Edwards recreated Gerstenberger's work as closely as they could — and the result is a revelation. From the seven-minute overture to the bittersweet finale, the strings are full but not oppressive, the harp prominent but not obnoxious, and the brass thrillingly alive. It's also a treat to hear a lot of incidental music not available elsewhere: an attractive waltz intermezzo, a couple of choral numbers, and some near-recitative linking passages. Edwards might have brought a little more urgency to the tempi, especially in the ballads, but his musical direction is otherwise expressive. As for the lead singers, Marilyn Hill Smith and Norman Bailey: If her Kathie seems to have arrived in Old Heidelberg by way of Mayfair, and if there's a bit too much Dudley Do-Right in his attack, none of this compromises the material. David Rendall and Rosemary Ashe offer expert support, and a young Maria Friedman turns up as a "serving wench." A single-disc highlights version is also available, but the double-CD set offers an authentic, 100-minute operetta experience. — M.M.
Strike Up the Band
Studio Cast, 1991 (Elektra, 2CDs) (5 / 5) The "Roxbury Recordings" series of restored Gershwin scores was a mixed bag, but this double CD of Strike Up the Band, recorded here in its unsuccessful 1927 version, is a joy. This was George and Ira Gershwin's first attempt to actually say something in a musical. They created a plot-heavy but delightful score in perfect synch with the cynical book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. This painstaking reconstruction, with John Mauceri conducting orchestrations by eight different people (!), conveys the excitement of using musical comedy to score political points — a novelty in 1927. The recording is beautifully cast, with Brent Barrett and Rebecca Luker simultaneously sardonic and sincere in "The Man I love" and "Hoping That Someday You'd Care." Jason Graae and Juliet Lambert are youthful ardor personified in "17 and 21″ and "Military Dancing Drill," while Beth Fowler is delicious in a Margaret Dumont-like role. Don Chastain plays a warmongering industrialist. There are two special bonuses here: a great, rediscovered Gershwin number, "Homeward Bound," and Burton Lane's gorgeous music for the verse for "Meadow Serenade" (the Gershwin melody couldn't be tracked down). An appendix to the album adds six numbers from the rewritten (by Ryskind alone) 1930 version of the show, including the Gershwin perennials "Soon" and "I've Got a Crush on You." The 1927 version may have shuttered in Philadelphia, but it's a fascinating, acid satire on phony patriotism, unnecessary wars, and the corrupt military-industrial complex. Thank heaven we've outgrown such things! — Marc Miller
The Streets of New York
Original Off-Broadway Cast, 1964 (AEI) (5 / 5) For a long time, this was an extremely rare recording, so AEI's CD release was especially welcome. With music by Richard Chodosh and lyrics by Barry Alan Grael, The Streets of New York is based on the famous old play of the same title by Dion Boucicault. Its melodramatic story should keep us at arm's length from the characters, yet the songs are so compelling that the listener even comes to care about the so-called villains of the piece. The show begins with a through-sung prologue and then moves forward 20 years to 1890; each act concludes with an extended musical sequence utilizing reprises, leitmotifs, and some new melodies. The other 11 numbers represent some of the best musical theater writing of its day. Barbara Williams is deliciously evil if a tad shrill as Alida Bloodgood, giving outstanding performances of "He'll Come to Me Crawling" and "Laugh After Laugh." Hero and heroine David Cryer and Gail Johnston sing very well throughout, and particularly in the duet "Love Wins Again." Ralston Hill is almost Shakespearean as principal villain Gideon Bloodgood, while co-author Grael is funny as the undependable yet finally heroic Badger, leading three Mexicans in the comedic "California." A wonderful "Tourist Madrigal" reminds us that, in some respects, New York has changed very little over more than a century. Another highlight is the inventive "Where Can the Rich and Poor Be Friends?" It's all quite delectable. — Jeffrey Dunn
Original Broadway Cast, 1947 (Columbia/Sony) (4 / 5) Composer Kurt Weill and lyricist Langston Hughes set Elmer Rice's 1929 Pulitzer Prize-winning play Street Scene to music as an opera, although there's plenty of dialogue in it. The music underscores the talk very much as if Weill had scored a film instead of a play. A paean to the aspirations and frustrations of the common man, the piece is set mostly on the sidewalk and street in front of a row of squalid tenements. For a work about the American melting pot, into which Weill himself had melted, he wrote great songs that sound unlike anything he'd written before. Hughes' lyrics are a complementary aspect of the drama. The central figures are Anna Maurrant; her jealous husband, Frank; their daughter, Rose; and Rose's ardent suitor, Sam Kaplan. The action takes place on a day when Frank's volatile behavior dims the future of the other three. This recording is well worth repeated listening; it was produced by Goddard Lieberson, who perfected the concept of the original cast album. But note that Anne Jeffreys as Rose, Brian Sullivan as Sam, and Polyna Stoska as Anna are only heard in excerpts from the score, with some sections edited and others eliminated entirely from the recording. Jeffreys' "What Good Would the Moon Be?" is vocally stunning, although her acting is routine. Sullivan sounds too mature for the young man he plays, but his "Lonely House" is lovely. Stoska's strong voice impresses, and the children in the second-act opener "One, Two, Three, Four, Superman" are terrific. — David Finkle
Original London Cast, 1989 (JAY, 2CDs) (4 / 5) It took more than 40 years for Street Scene to be introduced to British audiences, courtesy of the English National Opera. Conductor Carl Davis put together a cast that's stronger on singing than emoting, as most opera-house casts are. It doesn't help that this show calls for all sorts of accents from the characters, because it's set in a New York City tenement that houses people of various ethnicities. But if some of the singers in supporting roles struggle with Langston Hughes' lyrics, the leads are intelligible and sing like angels. Kurt Weill worked in a number of musical modes when composing this score; for example, "Moon-faced, Starry-Eyed" is his quite good notion of a jitterbug, performed here by Philip Day and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The other principals include Kristine Ciesinski, Janis Kelly, Bonaventura Bottone, and Richard van Allen as the four characters caught up in the plot's climactic turn of events. They variously get to sing some truly exquisite arias, such as the poignant "Lonely House" and the equally stunning "What Good Would the Moon Be?" Because sections of Street Scene are melodramatic and/or sentimental, the piece as a whole may now seem dated — but the music isn't. And when two nursemaids sing a lullaby to their charges about the horrible newspaper headlines, we hear Weill and Hughes at their most scathing. — D.F.
Studio Cast, 1990 (London) (4 / 5) Street Scene is a nearly through-sung piece, and conductor John Mauceri's tangy, respectful treatment is its first complete recording. The score is sung beautifully and with appropriate passion by a cast led by Josephine Barstow, Samuel Ramey, Angelina Reaux, and Jerry Hadley. But the acting, which includes a turn by maestro Mauceri as a police officer, isn't quite so beautiful or passionate. Ramey does some particularly leaden emoting as the bullying husband in a melodrama that telescopes birth, death, and thwarted romance into a couple of hot June days. Perhaps because Mauceri is such a purist, he takes no liberties with tempi or meter; as a result, the awkward manner in which some of the words are set to the melodies is more noticeable here, and this must have presented a challenge for the singers. On the other hand, in declaiming their lines with such fervor, these performers see to it that the authors' political and social criticism comes across loud and clear, helped by the fact that the recording is very well engineered. — D.F.


text:
Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan (idioma tailandés: นิวัฒน์ธำรง บุญทรงไพศาล, transcripción: Niwatthamrong Bunsongphaisan, nacido el 25 de enero de 1948), es un hombre de negocios tailandés y político que se desempeñó como Primer Ministro en funciones desde el 7 de mayo de 2014, tras la remoción de Yingluck Shinawatra de su cargo por el Tribunal Constitucional de Tailandia, hasta el 22 de mayo del mismo año cuando fue derrocado por un golpe militar. Antes de eso, fue Viceprimer Ministro y Ministro de Comercio, y logró un plan de garantías para el arroz del país.

Referencias

Primeros ministros de Tailandia
Políticos de Tailandia del siglo XXI
Gobernantes que fueron derrocados por un golpe de Estado
Tailandeses del siglo XX

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Durango imagines a more welcoming corridor along Camino del Rio and north Main Avenue
Grants, land-use revisions and urban renewal authority could make vision a reality
By Mary Shinn Health & topics reporter
Thursday, March 1, 2018 5:03 AM
Updated: Thursday, March 1, 2018 10:33 PM
Follow @maryshinn
This concept rendering looks northeast along Camino Del Rio in downtown Durango. The city is studying a variety of methods to improve Camino del Rio and north Main Avenue to make them more welcoming and walkable.
Courtesy of city of Durango
The city's long-term vision to transform the Camino del Rio and north Main Avenue corridor into walkable, welcoming areas has, so far, been met with positive reactions, city officials say.
The draft plan includes updating city land-use codes, offering grants to improve the corridor and creating an urban renewal district.
At a work session this week, councilors generally approved of the plan and the strategies to implement it.
"It all resonates," Mayor Dick White said.
City councilors will consider adopting the plan in April.
Planning Manager Scott Shine said the public was receptive of the plan at a recent open house.
"I think we've really hit on something that the community really is interested in and sees potential for," he said.
The draft plan encourages business owners and developers to consider the vision for the area, he said.
Improving pedestrian safety was one of the priorities residents asked to be part of the plan, and Councilor Sweetie Marbury echoed the need for change that would encourage drivers to slow down – and soon.
"I am talking about this year, this month," Marbury said Tuesday.
The Colorado Department of Transportation manages traffic on north Main Avenue, which is also U.S. Highway 550, so the city cannot lower the speed limit along the road or make other significant changes.
But Assistant City Manager Kevin Hall said he expects CDOT will continue to improve the highway. It recently put in new bike lanes, curb ramps and smoothed the road.
"We have had continuous incremental improvement," he said.
As the area redevelops, traffic will naturally start to slow down because drivers will notice street trees and pedestrian activity, said city planner Savannah Jameson.
To encourage change in the district, the city plans to launch two grant programs this week.
"These grants will result in a high concentration of improvements over a relatively short time period," said Colleen O'Brien, city business development and redevelopment coordinator.
Improvements will help capture the attention of the 30,000 drivers who pass through the corridor daily, inviting them to visit businesses, O'Brien said.
RE:NEW grants would be available to businesses that face north Main Avenue. The city plans to match investments businesses make to improve signs, awnings, windows, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, landscaping and other projects. The city set aside $35,000 for RE:NEW grants, with individual grants capped at $5,000.
Through Durango Creates!, the city plans to grant money to businesses, nonprofits and other groups that want to organize creative projects or events such as public art installations, murals, pop-up shops and other projects. The city set aside $20,000 for the program, according to city documents.
The city also plans to spend $75,000 updating its land-use codes to facilitate the development it wants to see in the corridor, such as encouraging minimum height standards for buildings, reducing parking standards and introducing incentives for providing housing, Shine said.
Rezoning some parcels would open the possibility of developing neighborhood centers with high-density housing on streets parallel to Main Avenue. This type of housing would preserve some mountain views along the corridor, he said, because the developments would be spread out.
"It will take a lot of community dialogue about what's appropriate," Shine told councilors.
The plan suggests that the city could form an urban renewal authority to guide development by 2019. Urban renewal authorities can be useful in many ways, such as:
Using loans, bonds and acquiring property. Buying property to create public trails and open spaces.Buying and consolidating lots to be resold to developers."It's a really flexible tool," Shine said.
Renewal authorities can also use tax increment financing to fund or subsidize redevelopment. To set up this form of funding, a baseline for tax collections in a neighborhood is set, and as tax collections grow, the additional money would be reinvested into the neighborhood. The money could pay for public improvements such as plazas, sidewalks or new traffic signals, Shine said.
By state law, renewal authorities must help areas with deteriorating buildings, inadequate street layout, inadequate public improvements, buildings with code violations or other specific conditions.
"We would start out small and work with willing property owners and build the capacity," Shine said.
The draft plan and survey seeking feedback on its ideas can be found at districts.durangogov.org.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
Four-story building planned for intersection of north Main Avenue, Camino del Rio
Durango City Council approves vision for north Main, Camino del Rio
A revitalized north Main Avenue and Camino del Rio a step closer to reality
Durango's Main Avenue mobility plan complete
Absolute Physical Therapy and Wellness welcome David Cummins
Mahogany Grille welcomes new head chef

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A FibroScan clinic for people living with hepatitis C will be held in Whakatane later this month.
The Midland Region Community Hepatitis C team, which supports patients living in the Taranaki, Hauroa Tairawhiti, Lakes, Bay of Plenty and Waikato DHB regions. It will run the September 28 clinic from the Hepatitis Foundation of NZ's Alexander Ave office.
On from 10am-2pm, the FibroScan clinic gives people living with hepatitis c the chance to have their liver stiffness assessed. HealthShare project manager Jo de Lisle says bringing the service to the community means people don't need to travel to hospital for a FibroScan. "If there's no mild or liver stiffness, treatment can be prescribed by your GP with no need to go to hospital for treatment.
Hepatitis Foundation chief executive Susan Hay says collaboration between health organisations is important. "Collaboration enables a seamless delivery of health services and has been shown to improve health outcomes for patients. The foundation works closely with many partners to provide effective support for people living with hepatitis.
The Midland Region Community Hepatitis C team comprises gastro specialist Dr Frank Weilert and FibroScan nurse Nancy Carey. As well as running FibroScan clinics, the team aims to educate its communities about hepatitis by supporting them in local clinics or prison, needle exchange or hospital settings.


The ides of each month were days in the approximate middle of the month – in March, May, July and October the ides fell on the 15th, and in other months the ides were the 13th. Until the solar calendar was adopted by Julius Caesar, the roman calendar was lunar based and the ides of the month corresponded to the full moons.
The Full Moon and the Ides of the month were dedicated to Jupiter in his role as Lucetius, the Supreme Lightbringer, and the Ides have only come down to us as a warning because of the famous warning in Shakespeare's play advising Julius Caesar to "beware the Ides of March." So this March 15, let us honor Jupiter: bringer of good fortune, abundance, an awareness of possiiblities and an understanding of truth.


text:
« Happy Thanksgiving Day 2017
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Jewish Astros Leave Mark on Local History
Morris Frank
Dear Loyal Readers of The Pecan Park Eagle: Prepare yourselves for a special scholarly and entertaining review of our franchise history with Jewish players and personnel of the Houston Colt .45s and Astros. One of our wonderful contributing researcher/writers, Maxwell Kates of Toronto, Canada has just knocked one way out of the park with this first earnest paper on the contributions of Jewish people to Houston's new status as 2017 World Series Champions.
We don't have to go back too far to tap into the most recent major Jewish Astros player contribution to our winning ways either. Alex Bregman's walk-off single in the arguably greatest thriller game in World Series history, Game Five at MMP this year, is as far we need look.
During the 1940s and 1950s, the late Morris Frank was a sports writer, the PA announcer for Houston Buff Texas League baseball games, and the boondocks humorist quality MC for every baseball banquet and function that local minds could find a reason to conjure. For reasons of affinity to both baseball and Judaism, you would've heard from Morris by nightfall, Maxwell!
In the absence of Morris Frank, you will just have to settle for the rest of us saying, "Thank you, Maxwell Kates, for an excellent job well done."
Publisher and Editor,
JEWISH ASTROS LEAVE THEIR MARK ON FRANCHISE HISTORY
By Maxwell Kates
Maxwell Kates
Baseball Writer
Maxwell Kates' interest in baseball players who share his religious heritage dates back to a chance meeting with Brooklyn Dodgers' outfielder Cal Abrams at a strip mall in Coral Springs, Florida. Growing up, he thought his was the only family whose heirlooms included a 'Jewish collection' of baseball cards…that is, until he joined SABR. At the 2002 convention in Boston, Maxwell even attended a brunch with 15 baseball 'mavens' to debate which players warranted inclusion in a forthcoming Jewish baseball card set. Two years later, in 2004, he wrote "Of Horsehides and Hexagrams: Baseball as a Vehicle for American Jewish Culture" for The National Pastime. Maxwell also developed his article into a lecture to be delivered at the Limmud Conference at York University, also in 2004. In honour of Alex Bregman's contributions to the 2017 World Series championship, he has reformatted "Of Horsehides and Hexagrams" with a new title to chronicle the contribution of Jewish players and personnel to the evolution of major league baseball in Houston.
Cal Abrams
Outfielder
Note: In the story that follows, the years in parentheses reflect the time span that each player played for Houston
Right now, it's a great time to be Alex Bregman.
Alex Bregman
Having a 2017 World Series Happy Moment
In the epic Game 5 of the 2017 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was Bregman whose swing of the bat ended a 10th inning stalemate in the bottom at Minute Maid Park. At 1:38 am Eastern time (12:38 Central), Bregman sliced a single off Kenley Jansen to score Derek Fisher and push the Astros ahead 13-12. Playing in all seven World Series games, Bregman drove in five runs – including a solo home run in Game 4 – while making spectacular defensive plays at the hot corner.
Alex Bregman is also the latest of many players of the Jewish faith to suit up for the Astros. Being Jewish myself, I have long taken an interest in the accomplishments of my co-religionists on the baseball diamond. This essay will chronicle the lives and career highlights of Jewish players and other personalities who have contributed to the history of the Houston Astros.
Jews in Baseball Lithograph
Before beginning, it is worth asking the question, "Who is a Jew?" As I described in "Of Horsehides and Hexagrams," "if rabbis and Talmudic scholars could not arrive at a consensus 3,000 years ago…how could baseball collectors agree today?" The Union of Orthodox Rabbis defines a Jew as (a) anyone born to a Jewish mother or (b) any convert to Judaism. More liberal denominations include the progeny of interfaith couples regardless of which parent is Jewish. But what if the mother was Jewish but the player chose his father's religion? What if only the father was Jewish and after the parents divorced, the mother raised him exclusively in her Christian faith? What if a player was born to two Jewish parents but has decided independently to practise a different religion? Every one of these scenarios describes the religious identities of different Astros players.
Kevin Pillar
Another question is worth asking and that is "Why is this important?" In other words, in 2017, why are we even discussing a player's religion? There is a reason and it has nothing to do with anti-Semitism. Rather, although there are between 13 and 16 million Jews in the world, depending on whose statistics are used, the figure seems considerably smaller given internal divisions along religious, political, and ethnic lines. Differences of opinion on the interpretation of liturgical texts, the observation of the Sabbath, and secular political issues have spliced many communities, while as New York lawyer and author Douglas Lyons once noted, "[it seems] no two Jews observe the same rules of keeping Kosher." According to a classic joke, when a man was asked how he would spend his time alone on a desert island, he replied "I'll build two synagogues – but I wouldn't be caught dead in one of them!"
Full-length kneeling shot of Detroit Tigers Hank Greenberg. 1942
Sandy Koufax
Meanwhile, sports and entertainment have served to unite rather than divide. Although the American Jewish community has produced more basketball players on a professional level, it was baseball that served as their secular cornerstone. The zenith in Jewish immigration to the United States took place between the assassination of Czar Alexander II in 1881 and the adoption of the Johnson-Reed Act in 1924. During this period, the two most popular sports in the United States were baseball and boxing. In the 1930s, a Jewish baseball hero emerged in Hank Greenberg. Playing most of his career in the shadow of Henry Ford and Father Charles Coughlin in Detroit, Greenberg's rookie year of 1933 also coincided with Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Nazi Germany. Suburban flight during the postwar era meant the stickball games of inner city neighbourhoods like the Lower East Side of New York were now transposed to sandlot games in bedroom communities. Until the playoff system expanded in 1969, it was common for the Jewish High Holy Days to coincide with the World Series. Most Jewish sports fans, even the most ardent supporter of the New York Yankees, could identify Sandy Koufax as a cultural icon. As baseball cards became an adult hobby in the 1970s, the phenomenon of the 'Jewish collection' began to emerge in many families. According to Vancouver-based hobbyist Ernest 'Kit' Krieger, the only ethnic identities to specifically collect baseball cards of players from their culture are Cubans and Jews (1).
Don Taussig
Randy Cardinal
It was a cousin from the New York branch of Krieger's family who became the first Jewish player in Houston major league history. In 1961, the Colt .45's selected outfielder Don Taussig (1962) in the expansion draft from the St. Louis Cardinals. Injuries limited Taussig to 27 plate appearances as he batted .200 with one home run. Other Jewish members of the Colt .45's included pitchers Randy Cardinal (1963) and Larry Yellen (1963-1964), along with catcher Steve Hertz (1964). Yellen was the intended starting pitcher on September 27, 1963 when the Colts fielded an all-rookie lineup, but a higher power interfered – his mother.
Steve Hertz
Larry Yellen
"When my mom read in the New York Times that I was going to pitch on Yom Kippur, she called to ask me how I could disgrace the family." Some forty years later, in 2004, Hertz and Yellen reunited at the launch of the Jewish Major Leaguers baseball card set, in New York.
Home Run Spectacular
Pitcher to the Shower
The Colt .45's moved into the new Harris County Domed Stadium in 1965; the venue became the Astrodome, the tenants, the Astros. Appointed to oversee the operation of the state of the art electronic scoreboard was a young naval officer from New Jersey named Tony Siegle. As he remembers, there were very few Jews working in major league baseball at the time:
Tony Siegle with the San Francisco Giants, 2013
"Baseball was known as the 'Irish mafia' as most baseball executives were Irish (MacPhail, Giles, McHale and so forth). Even in my minute capacity, I was the only Jew…in the Astros' hierarchy. When I told [my dad] of my new post, he asked if I were inside the scoreboard hanging numbers. I told him this one was different."
Barry Latman
Larry Sherry
Prior to the 1966 season, the Astros purchased the contract of pitcher Barry Latman (1966-1967) from the Angels. Despite a disappointing 2-7 record, the Los Angeles native posted an impressive 2.71 earned run average in his first season in a Houston uniform. Latman's former Fairfax High School classmate, Larry Sherry (1967), soon joined him in the bullpen. Meanwhile, a third Jewish Angeleno was patrolling the outfield for the Astros. His name was Norm Miller (1965-1973) and on April 15, 1968, he scored the winning run against the Mets to end a 24 inning shutout, the longest in major league history. The following year, he enjoyed his most successful year with the Astros, hitting 21 doubles and four triples while batting .264 in the cavernous Astrodome.
Norm Miller, 1970 Topps Card
To All My Fans
By Norm Miller
Late in the 1969 season, Miller paradoxically refused to play on Yom Kippur after previously disavowing organized religion. As his teammate Jim Bouton elaborated in Ball Four, "I play on [the first day of Rosh Hashanah] and go 0-for-4 against Niekro and the next day I go 0-for-5, and that's it. I'll never play on a Jewish holiday again!" Miller recently described to journalist Dan Epstein the significance of having three Jewish players on the Astros in 1967:
"I'm sure I instigated a lot of stuff. I probably told people that if they needed their money handled, we were the three guys who could do it…we were vicious human beings back then; and when one of your teammates ripped you, you felt accepted." Miller also admits that he believes he was hindered by "a degree of anti-Semitism" before a back injury forced him to retire from baseball at age 29. He later pitched batting practise for the Astros and worked in the team's front office.
Bo Belinsky, 1967
Whether or not there was a fourth Jewish player on the 1967 Astros remains a matter of dispute. When asked about Bo Belinsky, Norm Miller replied, "It depends on who he was talking to, I guess. Okay, so we only had three and a half Jews on our team!" That Belinsky was born to a Russian Jewish mother and a Polish Catholic father are accepted facts. A larger than life character, he held out for more money in spring training of his rookie year and was as well known for his ability with a pool cue as his pitching arm (2). Despite a lifetime record of 28-51 with a 4.10 ERA over eight seasons, Belinsky no-hit the Baltimore Orioles as a rookie on May 5, 1962. He identified as a Christian and when he died in 2001, age 64, he was given a Pentecostal Christian funeral. Many older sources considered Belinsky to have been Jewish. More modern texts such as the McFarland series by Burton and Benita Boxerman do not include him. Although I tend to agree with the Boxermans, I am reminded of a debate with my father about the identity of Leo Bloom. He retorted my claim about the protagonist in James Joyce's Ulysses with "Bloom might not have considered himself Jewish – but other people did!"
Dan Warthen, 1978
Two additional Astros pitchers in the 1970s have frequently been misidentified as Jewish. One is Dave Roberts (1972-1975). A durable starter acquired from the San Diego Padres, Roberts' best season with the Astros was 1973 in which he won 17 games including six shutouts, with a 2.85 ERA. Roberts' original name was David Arthur Roth, born to a Jewish father and a Christian mother. After his parents divorced and his mother remarried a man name Roberts, Dave was raised Christian. According to biographer Gregory H. Wolf, Roberts was a devout Christian. Throughout his 13 year major league career, serving as chapel leader, seeking advice from his priest, and was nominated more than once for the Danny Thompson Award for upstanding Christian character.
Dan Warthen, 2010, Mets Kippah
Meanwhile, Dan Warthen (1978) has also been misidentified as Jewish. Warthen's potential claim to Judaism was brought to a head in 2010 when as pitching coach for the Mets, was seen wearing a kippah on television when he briefly removed his cap. Ron Kaplan examined the question in a column of Kaplan's Korner. According to Mets' vice president of media relations, Jay Horwitz, Warthen's wife is Jewish but he is not. It turns out the kippot were gifts to Ike Davis from a rabbi and Warthen "was simply trying one on." Former Astros pitcher Jim Bouton (1969-1970) married Paula Kurman in 1978; although he raised his stepchildren with Paula's Jewish faith, the author of "Ball Four" never himself converted. On the other hand, Skip Jutze (1973-1976), who caught the Astros for several seasons in the 1970s, did convert to Judaism.
Skip Jutz
Paula Kurman and Jim Bouton
One of the more memorable moments during the Astrodome era involving a Jewish player took place in an exhibition game on July 19, 1973. Prior to the game in which the Astros hosted the Detroit Tigers, manager Leo Durocher announced that "Jerry Lewis will play first base and hit leadoff in my lineup." Yes, that Jerry Lewis. The 47 year old comedian was anything but a nutty professor in Astros double knits, drawing a walk before rapping a single off Mike Strahler to contribute towards a 10-7 Houston victory. Later that evening, Lewis attended a dinner party while still wearing his jersey number 9. As he told Sports Illustrated, "you'll need a meat cleaver to get this off me."
In his brief fun tenure as an Astro
Contributions to major league baseball in Houston by Jews were not limited to achievements on the diamond. The first general manager for the Colt .45's was Gabe Paul, signed by the yet-unnamed Houston franchise in 1960. Tal Smith remembers working for Paul before the general manager's departure for Cleveland in April 1961:
Original Astros GM Gabe Paul
Served a very short term before leaving. His term was remindful of an old Groucho Marx movie song:
"Hello. I Must Be Going"
"I have to thank Gabe for giving me the opportunity to start my baseball career and then he provided me with an opportunity to come to Houston which was obviously unique with an expansion franchise…I actually worked for Gabe with Cincinnati, Houston, and the Yankees and I stayed in touch with him until his passing [in 1998]."
Mickey Herskowitz, 1965
Among the reporters covering the team in the early years were Morris Frank for the Houston Chronicle and Mickey Herskowitz for the Houston Post. After Roy Hofheinz suffered his debilitating stroke in 1970, he delegated oversight of the Astros first to Reuben Askenase and then to Sidney Shlenker. After a nine year exodus in Philadelphia and Milwaukee, Tony Siegle returned to the Astros in 1979 as assistant to Tal Smith, by now the general manager. No longer operating a scoreboard or hosting guided tours of the Astrodome, Siegle's new duties included "negotiating contracts, waivers, and dealing with agents." A year later, Al Rosen was hired as the general manager.
Al Rosen, 1953
Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina in 1924, Rosen played 3rd base for the Cleveland Indians from 1947 to 1956. The four-time All-Star hit 37 home runs for the Tribe in 1950 while still qualifying as a rookie. In 1953, Rosen won the American League Most Valuable Player; he led the junior circuit with 43 home runs and 145 RBI while narrowly missing the Triple Crown – his .336 batting average was one point shy of Mickey Vernon's .337. Never one to shy away from his religious heritage, Rosen sought to earn his legacy as "one Jewish kid every Jew in the world could be proud of." His experience as an investment advisor in Cleveland provided him with the financial capital to augment George Steinbrenner's purchase of the New York Yankees in 1973. Rosen became team President in 1978 and a year later, fellow Yankees investor John McMullen bought the Astros from Roy Hofheinz' creditors.
Rosen was given the dubious task to replace the popular Smith as general manager. The fans, media, and even McMullen's partners were upset at the decision while Tony Siegle even remarked that "General Santa Ana received a friendlier welcome [in Houston]." Rosen wasted no time to tinker with the roster of the defending National League West champions. He signed Don Sutton to a free agent contract to replace an ailing J. R. Richard in the starting rotation while dispatching Enos Cabell, Ken Forsch and Joaquin Andujar in trades, respectively, for Bob Knepper, Dickie Thon, and Tony Scott. In 1981, the Astros won the second-half National League West title before losing to the Division series to the Los Angeles Dodgers (the Dodgers had not heard the last of the Astros). A year later, with the second most expensive team in the National League, the Astros plummeted to fifth place. Amid the after effects of an oil shock on the local economy in Houston, Rosen adopted an austere stance against free agent signings. After three years in the middle of the pack, the Astros decided to part ways with Rosen in 1985. He served seven years as general manager of the San Francisco Giants and passed away in 2015, age 91.
One of the more evasive aspects of researching this assignment was to determine a religious identity for Andres Reiner. The Venezuelan businessman established the Astros' Venezuelan Baseball Academy in 1989. In his seventeen years with the Astros, he signed several players who excelled on the major league level, including Johan Santana. Reiner, who passed away in 2016, was born in Budapest in 1935 and fled with his family to Venezuela in the 1940s. Considering the timing that his family left Europe and that Reiner is a rather common Jewish name in Hungary, the question was asked whether Andres was Jewish.
According to Milton Jamail's Venezuelan Bust, Baseball Boom, Reiner did indeed flee Hungary with his family, but they departed Europe in 1946 to flee the Communists rather than the Nazis. While 1946 was a watershed year for immigration into Venezuela, only 600 Jews immigrated to the South American nation. Research leads with the University of Texas at Austin, the Tampa Bay Rays, articles about Reiner, his Venezuelan obituary, and even an interview with Budapest-born Andrew Reiner from Toronto all proved to be evasive in identifying his religion.
Finally, SABR member Rory Costello was able to contact Venezuelan journalist Alfonso Tusa, who informed us that while "other families named Reiner were registered as Jewish," Tusa had "no direct evidence about Andres." Therefore it is reasonable to conclude that it was unlikely Andres Reiner had been Jewish.
Frank Charles
Jason Hirsh
Eddie Zosky
The participation of Jewish major leaguers reached its nadir in the 1980s. After the White Sox designated Mark Gilbert for assignment in 1985, three years would pass before one of his co-religionists would return to the big leagues (3). In the 1990s, meanwhile, Shawn Green and Mike Lieberthal were two of over a dozen Jewish players to break into the majors. The first Jewish Astros in nearly a quarter century were both promoted from AAA New Orleans late in the 2000 season, catcher Frank Charles and infielder Eddie Zosky. Measuring a gargantuan 6'8″, Jason Hirsh (2006) went 3-4 with a 6.04 ERA in nine starts for the Astros before he was sent to the Colorado Rockies in an offseason trade. Utility infielder David Newhan (2008) ended his eight year big league career with the Astros, batting .260 in 104 official at-bats. He was nicknamed "Son of Scribe," as he is the son of Los Angeles sportswriter Ross Newhan. The younger Newhan identifies as a 'Messianic Jew,' which most Jewish denominations understand to mean a form of Christianity.
Columbia Space Shuttle Patch
In 2003, the Astros became the only major league baseball team to wear an Israeli flag on their uniforms. On February 1, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon re-entering the Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard. One of the astronauts to lose his life was Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli in space. As a tribute to the fallen astronauts, the Astros wore the official patch of STS-107 on the sleeve of their uniforms. The patch lists the surnames of all seven astronauts, along with an Israeli flag beside Ramon's name.
Josh Zeid
Scott Feldman
Besides Alex Bergman, there were Jewish players on the Astros in the 2010s. In 48 appearances, Josh Zeid (2013-2014) posted a record of 0-1 with a 5.21 ERA. Seen in the above noted photograph, Zeid is reading a children's book about Sandy Koufax to students at the Shlenker School in Houston (4). Nine years after breaking in with the 2005 Texas Rangers, Scott Feldman (2014-2016) signed a three year, $30 million contract. The Astros' 2014 opening day starter, he posted a record of 8-12 while setting a personal best 3.74 ERA. One of Feldman's eight wins was a three-hit shutout of the Texas Rangers on August 30. His success on the field earned him as the cover illustration on the Astros' 2015 yearbook. In July 2016, Feldman was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Brad Ausmus, 1997
Now you as the reader may wonder, "When is he going to write about Brad Ausmus?" As a Detroit Tigers fan, I am tempted to answer "Who?" Ausmus (1997-1998, 2001-2008) was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1969, to a Jewish mother and a Protestant father. As he told Brad A. Greenberg of the Los Angeles-based Jewish Journal, "I wasn't raised with the Jewish religion, so in that sense I really don't have much feeling towards it." Ausmus admits that being a role model to a young generation of Jews has influenced retrospection towards his matrilineal heritage as "a sense of pride," adding that "if you can have a positive impact on a kid, I'm all for it."
After breaking in with the Padres in 1993, Ausmus spent parts of four seasons in San Diego and Detroit before he was traded to the Astros in 1996. He batted .266 in 1997 while ejecting 44% of potential base stealers while coordinating a starting rotation of Mike Hampton, Darryl Kile, Jose Lima, and Shane Reynolds. Tal Smith considered Ausmus' presence behind the plate to be "invaluable," deserving "a lot of credit for our success," and likening him to "another manager on the field."
Meanwhile, the Astros won their first division title in 11 years. Ausmus won Gold Gloves in the first two seasons in his second tour of duty with the Astros, even fielding a stellar .997 in 2001. Of his catching abilities, pitcher Octavio Dotel lauded Ausmus as "a great catcher," adding that "if he feels 100% I should thow a pitch, then I will go with him."
Ausmus and his Houston teammates enjoyed one of their most memorable seasons in the major leagues in 2005 as the Astros won their only National League pennant. The Dartmouth graduate led all catchers with 66 hits after the All-Star break, while drawing more bases on balls during the regular season than strikeouts (51 to 48). Meanwhile, on September 18, he surpassed Alan Ashby having caught the most games in Astros history. Although he hit only three home runs in the regular season, don't tell that to the Atlanta Braves and their bullpen.
The Braves took a 2-1 lead in the National League Championship Series. An Atlanta victory in Game 4 signified elimination for the Astros, a result that seemed imminent after the Braves took a 5-0 lead. Trailing 6-5, the Astros sent Brad Ausmus to bat with two outs in the bottom of the 9th. Facing Kyle Farnsworth, Ausmus pulled a ball which barely cleared the left field fence at Minute Maid Park. It was ruled a home run; bedlam ensued as the Astros and Braves were tied. That's when both clubs suddenly forgot how to produce runs. An additional nine innings would pass before Chris Burke's home run gave the Astros a 7-6 victory.
"We had gone 18 innings," Ausmus told Bill Brown and Mike Acosta. "We were starting to get extremely tired. We wanted the game to end. Rocket comes out of the bullpen and goes three innings…so that was one of those games for the ages." The consummate team player, Ausmus played all 18 innings, catching 15 and playing three at first base. Tal Smith, having worked for the Astros franchise for over 35 years, described the blast as "one of the greatest hits in franchise history."
Brad Ausmus, 2013, with
Shimon Peres and Daniel Shapiro
Lance Berkman and Craig Biggio
Ausmus remained with the Astros until 2008. Amazingly, for someone who caught over 1,900 games, he never spent a day on the disabled list through the 2008 season. After two years with the Dodgers, Ausmus retired as a player in 2010. He managed the Israeli national baseball team in 2013 and then spent the next four years piloting the Tigers. The Astros' decision to hire Joe Espada to replace Alex Cora as their bench coach ended any speculation of Ausmus' imminent return to Houston.
Alex Bregman, 2016 Futures Game
The Astros selected Alex Bregman as the second overall draft choice in June 2015. His meteoric rise through the minor leagues included stops in Quad Cities, Lancaster, Corpus Christi, and finally Fresno. Fans received a glimpse of Bregman's offensive abilities when he was a home run short of hitting for the cycle at the 2016 Futures Game in San Diego. As Bregman told Bill Brown, "I feel like I'm (close to) accomplishing one of my goals, and that was to get to the big leagues this year."
Bregman would not have to wait long, as he was recalled to Houston on July 25. As the Astros hosted the Yankees at Minute Maid Park, the 3rd baseman made "some dazzling plays" and "came up about three feet short of a grand slam." He batted .264 in 201 official at-bats for the remainder of the season. Meanwhile, batting .306 with 20 home runs and 61 RBI between Corpus Christi and Fresno, Bregman won USA Today's Minor League Player of the Year Award for 2016. There would be no second cup of coffee for this Bregman – he was in the majors to stay (5).
Alex Bregman, 2017 Team USA
Even before the World Series, the legend of Alex Bregman was growing in 2017. Before the regular season, he earned a gold medal as a member of Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. Bregman's 19 home runs and 71 RBI include a grand slam off Masahiro Tanaka at Yankee Stadium. Not simply a one-dimensional threat, Bregman batted .284 with 39 doubles, 5 triples, and 17 stolen bases, while leading American League 3rd basemen with a .970 fielding percentage.
HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 30: Alex Bregman #2 of the Houston Astros celebrates after hitting a game-winning single during the tenth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game five of the 2017 World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 30, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
An important hallmark in religious and secular Jewish families alike is passing on traditions from one generation to the next. As Suzanne Fields, also known as Alex Bregman's great aunt, chronicled in the Washington Times, the 3rd baseman is the fourth generation in his family with a connection to baseball. Suzanne's father, the late Bo Bregman, was a Russian immigrant who was a standout catcher in Washington's amateur leagues in the early 20th century. Bo's son Stanley was a lawyer retained by the Griffith family who owned the original Washington Senators. Meanwhile, Stanley's son Sam, now an Albuquerque lawyer, played baseball at the University of New Mexico. In Suzanne's words, "my father didn't live long enough to know Alex but he would have popped his vest buttons if he had seen Alex step up to the plate for his first World Series at-bat." In other words, 'my great grandson, the ballplayer.'
Top Jewish Major League Baseball Players
To paraphrase Morley Torgov in his coming of age novel, The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick, "where there is oxygen, there are Jews." Both on and off the field, Jews have contributed to major league baseball in Houston from expansion franchise to World Series champions. Perhaps the most significant exploits were by Alex Bregman last month during the seven game series over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Great things are predicted for the 3rd baseman whose next birthday shall only be his 24th. Astros fans of all backgrounds no doubt will hope to continue to see Bregman in a Houston uniform for years to come.
(1) Krieger himself had an unusual tie to professional baseball. On the final day of the 1968 season,
the 19 year old was the starting pitcher for the Vancouver Mounties of the Pacific Coast League.
(2) I will leave further details of Belinsky's well-documented personal life to other writers.
(3) Gilbert, who lasted one week in the major leagues, later found greater success in a different field.
In 2015 he was named the United States ambassador to New Zealand.
(4) The Shlenker School was indeed named after Sidney Shlenker's family. Sidney served as team
President of the Astros from 1975 to 1976.
(5) An unrelated Bregman family in Toronto owned a coffee chain called The Second Cup for years.
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Special thanks to Rory Costello and Tal Smith for their help with the research of this paper.
Tags: Jewish Astros Leave Mark on Local History
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11 Responses to "Jewish Astros Leave Mark on Local History"
maxwell1901 Says:
Bill, thank you for publishing the article and for the introductory text on Morris Frank…and the photo of Frank! I was looking all over for a photo of his without success. We can only wait another year to see what the Astros can do for an encore in 2018.
I enjoyed your piece, Maxwell. Alex Bregman is my favorite Astros player. However, I do have one suggestion for an edit. The original name of the Astros was the Colt .45s–no apostrophe after the 5.
Thanks, Tom. You'll see in my next Pecan Park Eagle article that all text references to the Colt .45s are apostrophe-free
shinerbock80 Says:
Nice job, Maxwell.
Sam Quintero Says:
Outstanding contribution to the history of professional baseball in Houston. Thank you for sharing your work with us.
jeff share Says:
Excellent piece. Of course it was the 13th inning that Bregman got his hit in game 5. I also was curious why he played on Yom Kippur.
Jeff, I wish I knew the answer to your Yom Kippur question. In the words of Phil Rizzuto, "Wasn't watching."
Mark W Says:
Bregman's game winning hit in game 5 was in the bottom of the tenth.
In the 18 inning playoff game vs. Atlanta in 2005, the Astros went into that game leading Atlanta 2 games to 1. Had Atlanta won that game, the series would have been tied and the 5th (and final) game would have been played in Atlanta. By winning the game,
the Astros moved on to the NLCS vs. St. Louis.
Interesting article. Thank you for this contribution to baseball lore Maxwell.
Brad Ausmus was hired today as the new manager of the Los Angeles Angels.


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There is a pretty famous saying by Mother Teresa that is somewhat worth repeating today, "I know God wouldn't give me anything I couldn't handle, I just wish he didn't trust me so much." I often try to say that phrase in my head when the going is getting tough. I try to think about a little old woman who many believe is a Saint, saying that with a small smile and a wink. It doesn't really help. When everything is that chaotic and uncontrollable mess that it seems to be lately, a little saying isn't going to make much difference. Maybe because I am not Mother Teresa, but a somewhat crazy woman who depends on a few concrete truths to get me through the day.
Like most people when one thing goes wrong in my life, it often feels like a set of dominos falls right behind it. Little things that I would shrug off and deal with intelligently become this manifested cloud of dust that literally makes it impossible for me to do anything. I often picture that movie Twister, the one with Helen Hunt, and the scene where she is in the middle of a major tornado, and all around her life is twisting around. In the middle of the storm she isn't in danger, the eye looks safe. It's the whirling dervish of chaos surrounding her that she can't cross, can't walk away from, or even survive.
I am feeling like that one scene. I feel that there are pieces chaotically being thrown all around me, some that I need to catch, some that simply brushes my hair on the way, and some that are pushing me in thousands of directions. One domino falls, one storm ravages, and I simply want to put my head down and pretend.
At my age you realize quickly that life isn't fair, nor is it often easy. There is always something wrong, some small thing that is taking your time and attention away from the things you need to concentrate on. That one thing that sticks out like a sore thumb, that doesn't work with the rest of the problems, that doesn't fit into a world of easy answers and waking nightmares. And then that one thing becomes two, and you find yourself with a belt around your waist, holding onto a drain pipe in a wooden shack.
I always wonder when I am going through times like this if it really only happens occasionally. Why can I normally, if not handle, at least deal with the thousand of things that happen in my life. I don't necessarily handle them with any grace and I tend to allow the emotional upheaval to affect the physical upheaval. I tend to allow my disease to announce the madness, to find ways to react to the problem using the natural turmoil I suffer rather than get up and let it go. I acknowledge that. But when I am feeling like everything is being thrown at me, what is different?
Why is the chaos more acute? Is there really more, or am I simply over-tired? Is it like when my three-year old doesn't get her nap, and a few hours later no matter what I bribe her with, nothing is going to make her happy? Did I miss a nap somewhere? Is it really more, or am I simply projecting that truth? Could I be simply focusing on all the things that are going wrong, even the ant hills not worthy of my attention, because I don't want to admit that there are larger problems? Or maybe I am inventing all of this to get some sort of internal sympathy because the mess actually makes me feel better? Maybe this mental disease makes chaos seem normal, and therefore, its where I go when the chips are down.
I don't know. I don't know if my life is a chaotic mess right now, if God is giving me a test to see how much I can handle, or if I missed my nap.
Here is what I do know: my marriage is on the cusp of either perfection or disaster. My children's lives will either be exactly what I can give them, or will forever be changed by me. My job will never really appreciate me, nor ever give me the satisfaction that I desperately wish to have. My debt will not be paid of any time soon. There is no way to catch the kids that broke in last night. And I can't make anyone truly happy; they have to do that themselves. I will never write full time or have a spot that's a sanctuary to me. I will never be anyone's definition of perfect, nor will I ever believe in myself enough to competently handle the storm. Confusion, bedlam, anarchy, pandemonium, madness, turmoil…they are the natural state of my mind and my life.
Tomorrow may be better, but I can only know that if I pair it with the realization that the chaos will again reign. In the meantime, maybe I will simply fall asleep for a week and wait for the world to right itself; and the issues of today will once again reset themselves to the glitches they could be.


I love to bake, baking is my favourite!
I felt like we needed to mix things up a little bit, I love to bake but I was in a bit of a baking rut. I have a slight love affair with all things lemon so I thought it might be a nice change. Boy was I right! I cannot get enough.