Thank Youmans!

Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday! This week, I’ve got a sort of bonus Musical Theatre Monday, in honor of the 125th anniversary of Vincent Youmans’ birth. We’ve paid tribute to this talented composer many times before by celebrating his top scores — and I thought it would be fun now to offer, for subscribers who comment below to alert me of their private, non-commercial interest — access to a unique collection of Youmans delights.

It’s an audio of the Off-Broadway revue entitled Oh Me, Oh My, Oh Youmans!, which ran for two weeks in January 1981 and included Todd Taylor, Sally Woodson, Jo Ann Cunningham and Ronald Young. It isn’t a great performance by conventional standards, but it’s a must-have for any Youmans fan. The program covered the bulk of his career (from 1921 to 1933), and even included a few gems that don’t get enough play today, like “Rise ‘N Shine,” which was introduced by Ethel Merman in Take A Chance (1932). Here’s a sample from the audio — Enjoy!

 

 

Come back next week for another Wildcard! And stay tuned for more Malcolm In The Middle! 

22 thoughts on “Thank Youmans!

  1. Hi Jackson
    Please provide acces to this collection of Vincent Youman’s music. i really love to hear the musical pieces of shows that we were either not born yet, too young to see or hear or the music performed when first presented.
    Thanks so much.

    Donna

  2. Always love to hear songs by Vincent Youmans. I recognized “Rise ‘N Shine” but, despite knowing much of the Youmans catalog, I had no idea that one was by him.

  3. Hi there…would love the Youmans Revue! Thanks. I remember Ronald Young in the Boy Friend and got to work with him on a Drama League tribute to Miss Lansbury. He assisted on recreating the title song staging for Mame.

  4. Never heard of this revue before! Would love to listen. Thanks for singing the praises of Youmans and for spreading his music—he doesn’t get nearly enough recognition for his contributions to Broadway!

  5. Thanks for commemorating this momentous occasion. There were lots of posts on social media about Gershwin’s 125th, but nothing about Youmans the next day! I’d love to hear this revue.

    Thank you!

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