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[0:00] Paul Lazarus: Hi, this is Paul Lazarus. In the 1980s, I produced and hosted a radio series called Anything Goes, a celebration of the American musical theater. Now, the Broadway Podcast Network is bringing back these shows. This is the conclusion of our three-part look at the opening number. This program originally aired in January of 1983. It features opening numbers from Broadway shows as far back as Show Boat to more modern productions like Nine and Sweeney Todd.

[0:36] Paul Lazarus: I thought it'd be interesting to listen to the two opening numbers used for Candide, the original from a 1956 production, The Best of All Possible Worlds, Richard Wilbur lyrics to Bernstein music, following that with the song that Hal Prince must have asked Stephen Sondheim to write for the '73 revival of the show, Life is Happiness Indeed. The only thing I can surmise is that Prince felt the characters weren't well enough established by The Best of All Possible Worlds and asked Sondheim to write the lyric establishing the four of the main characters in the opening moments of the show. But here, side by side, are the 1956 opening number for Candide and then the song used to open the '73 revival, Life is Happiness Indeed.

[1:46] ♪ Musical number: "The Best of All Possible Worlds" — performed by the original cast of Candide ♪

[5:05] ♪ Musical number: "Life is Happiness Indeed" — performed by the original cast of Candide ♪

[10:30] Paul Lazarus: Interesting look at two opening numbers for the same show. Candide 1956, "The Best of All Possible Worlds." Candide 1973, "Life is Happiness Indeed." It is obviously an impossible task to include all your favorite opening numbers in a show like this, only lasting an hour and a half. So to circumvent this problem, I've constructed a small medley of some of my other favorites. Just so I don't receive a ton of mail saying, "Why didn't you include this, and why didn't you include that?" which I'm sure I still will. But here is a bouquet of some of the, you know, this is subjective, of course, my personal favorites of the opening numbers.

[14:35] ♪ Musical number: "How to Succeed" — performed by Company ♪

[15:44] ♪ Musical number: "Attend the Tale of Sweeney Todd" — performed by Company ♪

[16:19] Paul Lazarus: You are listening to Anything Goes with a look at the opening number. A little bouquet of my favorite opening numbers. In case you didn't recognize any of those, just the shows they came from were How to Succeed, Cabaret, The Fantasticks, Brigadoon, Once Upon a Mattress, 110 in the Shade, Company, Pippin, Working, and finally Sweeney Todd. Also wanted to showcase a few opening numbers from more recent shows, all of them in fact written in the 80s. So we enter into the new decade and the new opening numbers of the musical theater. It's interesting to watch the development of what Rodgers and Hammerstein began through, I suppose, Stephen Sondheim and now what some of the younger writers are doing. Here's a sampling of some of the more recent opening numbers to be employed in the musical theater.

[17:35] ♪ Musical number ♪

[18:52] ♪ Musical number: "Little Shop of Horrors" — performed by Company ♪

[20:14] ♪ Musical number: "Four Jews in a Room, Bitching" — performed by Company ♪

[21:01] Paul Lazarus: I'm Wizard. I'm Jason. I'm Mendel. I'm Marvin.

[21:31] Paul Lazarus: We bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch right or wrong. In cases what we call our mothers on the phone and say their sons are all on fire. We are manipulating people and we need to know our worst sides aren't ignored. A guild invested well and time pay wisely. We do not tippy toe, we charge ahead to show. We're good in bed, excellent bed. We smell in bed. Where is the bed? I love the bed! Who has the bed? I want the bed! Who stole the bed? Who stole the bed? I lost it twice! The bed is for Jews in a room, bitching. For Jews talking like Jewish men. I'm neurotic, he's neurotic, then neurotic, we're neurotic. Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, funny, funny, funny, funny. I'm nauseous, I'm nauseous, I'm simple, I'm Jewish.

Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, funny, funny, funny, funny. I'm Jahwesh, he's Jahwesh, three-times, Jewish, we are Jewish. Bedge, bedge, bedge, bench, funny, funny, funny, funny. For Jews in a room, bitching. For Jews in a room, bitching. Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch. Now and then, can't lose, loose grooves, for Jews.

[22:47] Paul Lazarus: Three opening numbers from the 80s. From NINE, The Overture, Del Don by Maury Yeston. Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's prologue from Little Shop of Horrors. And finally, Bill Finn's opening number to March of the Falsettos, For Jews in a Room, Bitching, which incidentally was the original title of that show and workshop. One is always forced to do this, but I think if it came right down to it and I had to name my absolute favorite opening number, this would have to be it. And it once again involves the talents of Jerome Robbins. It establishes not only the time, place, and the atmosphere, all of the major characters, in fact, all of the characters, and has a great deal to do with establishing the thematic content of the show. It is, of course, Tradition from Fiddler on the Roof.

[24:09] ♪ Musical number: "Tradition" — performed by the cast of Fiddler on the Roof ♪

[31:01] Paul Lazarus: For more information, visit AnythingGoesPL.com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to rate and follow us. Thanks for listening.