Chita Rivera, George Dvorsky, and Bruce Adler, strutting their stuff with ‘Friendship’, words and music by Cole Porter, from the show, ‘DuBarry Was A Lady’, 1939. Dig those two-tone shoes! I have a pair, and my late brother was something of a connoisseur.
This is a knockout number with a lively lyric, but then Cole Porter was a wonderful wordsmith, noted for clever rhymes and complex forms.
Chita Rivera, a dancer, singer and actress, regarded as one of Broadway’s most accomplished and versatile performers, was born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero in 1933. Her father was Puerto Rican and her mother was of Scottish and Italian descent. In 1957, her electric performance as Anita in the Broadway premiere of ‘West Side Story’ brought her stardom. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.
There isn’t much information on George Dvorsky (the tallest of the two men), other than he was born in 1959 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and has made a career as the nice guy romantic lead in musicals, performing all over the world.
Bruce Adler was born in New York City in 1944. His mother and father were well-established popular stars of the Yiddish theatre. He made his stage debut at an early age, with his parents, in an act called The Three Adlers, on the bill at the London Palladium with Sophie Tucker in the 1950s. He appeared in Broadway musicals, and performed in vaudeville song and dance revues which featured Yiddish folk songs. In Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ he sang the opening song, ‘Arabian Nights’. Bruce Adler died in 2008.
Bruce Adler was born in New York City in 1944. His mother and father were well-established popular stars of the Yiddish theatre. He made his stage debut at an early age, with his parents, in an act called The Three Adlers, on the bill at the London Palladium with Sophie Tucker in the 1950s. He appeared in Broadway musicals, and performed in vaudeville song and dance revues which featured Yiddish folk songs. In Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ he sang the opening song, ‘Arabian Nights’. Bruce Adler died in 2008.
The song is over 70 years old. Is it dated? I don’t think so.
For me, this is about as good as it gets. Obviously the trio are very talented, but the choreography is fairly basic… I reckon even I could manage the dance steps. What someone has done is think about how the number could be put over… see previous blog ‘TRADITIONAL OR TRENDY’. They have worked out bits of business, to make it entertaining. Dare I suggest that the performers are enjoying their performance, and loving it… not themselves? Yes, of course I dare! They are working for each other… action and reaction. You can bet your life they have rehearsed it, because it certainly doesn’t have that ‘thrown together look’… does that ring any bells?
To paraphrase Sugar Kane Kowalczyk*, “You couldn’t aspire, to anything higher… “
*The character played by Marilyn Monroe in ‘Some Like It Hot’, my favourite film. She sings, “I Wanna Be Loved By You”… but then you knew that, didn't you? I hope so!
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