The Boy Friend (cast recording)
| The Boy Friend | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
_-_album_cover.jpg) | ||||
| Cast recording by | ||||
| Released | 1954 | |||
| Genre | Show tune | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Julie Andrews chronology | ||||
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The Boy Friend is the original cast recording of the musical of the same name starring Julie Andrews, recorded during the original Broadway production. Set in the 1920s on the French Riviera, the show follows a romantic plot involving mistaken identities and class disguises. Written by Sandy Wilson, the musical premiered in London before transferring to Broadway, where its success led to the recording of the cast album.
Released by RCA Victor in 1954, the album features key musical numbers performed by the Broadway cast and was later reissued on CD. Known for its light-hearted style and period-inspired score, the recording received positive attention upon release and has since been included in various reissues and retrospectives highlighting Andrews’ early career.
Background and release
[edit]The Boy Friend is sets on the French Riviera, it follows Polly, an English heiress at a finishing school, who falls for Tony, a delivery boy. To avoid fortune hunters, Polly pretends to be a working girl—unaware that Tony is actually the missing son of wealthy Lord Brockhurst.[1] Written and composed by Sandy Wilson, the show began in London in 1953 with the Players' Club and later moved to the West End, where it opened on January 14, 1954. Following its success in the United Kingdom, the production was adapted for Broadway and opened at the Royale Theatre in New York.[2]
Subsequent to the show's premiere,[3] the cast recorded the musical numbers on October 10, 1954. The recording was released by RCA Victor as a 12" LP under the catalog number LOC-1018. It was also distributed in a 45 rpm box set. RCA released the album in compact disc in 1989, following the increasing popularity of the format.[4] The recording captures selections performed by the Broadway cast and includes tracks such as "A Room in Bloomsbury" and "I Could Be Happy with You" and was released in monophonic sound.[5]
Upon its release, The Boy Friend was described as one of the most prominent musicals of the Broadway season, having achieved considerable attention both for its British origins and for its nostalgic take on 1920s musical styles.[6] In 2015, Él Records, a subsidiary of Cherry Red Records, included the three songs performed by Andrews on the CD Don't Go in the Lion's Cage Tonight/Broadway's Fair Julie (ACMEM287CD, 2015).[7]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Cash Box | Favorable[6] |
| Cast Album Reviews |   [8] |
Upon its release, the recording was met with enthusiastic praise. Cash Box magazine hailed it as a "must" for theatergoers, describing the music as "full of life and excitement" and predicting it would be a big seller. The review emphasized how the album perfectly encapsulated the show's vibrant spirit, making it an essential companion for fans who had seen the production.[6]
David Wolf of Cast Album Records wrote that although the American production of The Boy Friend faced creative disagreements between the original British creators and the Broadway producers, the resulting cast album remains strong. Wolf praised the re-orchestrated score—particularly the vibrant new overture—and highlighted the Broadway cast's energetic and precise performances.[8]
In his Playbill article titled "From 'Mary Poppins' to 'Victor/Victoria': The Julie Andrews Albums Every Fan Should Own", Ben Rimalower acknowledges the enduring significance of the cast recording, even though he lists it as an "honorable mention". He emphasizes that even her earliest recordings merit a place in any fan's collection, as they represent key milestones in the extraordinary arc of her career on both stage and screen.[9]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Overture" | Sandy Wilson | The Bearcats | 3:31 |
| 2. | "Perfect Young Ladies" | S. Wilson | Perfect Young Ladies, P. Girard | 1:11 |
| 3. | "The Boy Friend" | S. Wilson | Julie Andrews, Ensemble | 2:44 |
| 4. | "Fancy Forgetting" | S. Wilson | Ruth Altman, Eric Berry | 2:22 |
| 5. | "Won't You Charleston With Me?" | S. Wilson | Ann Wakefield, Bob Scheerer | 3:16 |
| 6. | "I Could Be Happy With You" | S. Wilson | Andrews, John Hewer | 3:19 |
| 7. | "Sur la Plage" | S. Wilson | The Ensemble | 1:50 |
| 8. | "A Room in Bloomsbury" | S. Wilson | J. Andrews, J. Hewer | 2:43 |
| 9. | "Safety in Numbers" | S. Wilson | A. Wakefield, The Boy Friends | 2:49 |
| 10. | "The You Don't Want to Play With Me Blues" | S. Wilson | Attman, Berry, The Berfect Young Ladies | 3:10 |
| 11. | "The Riviera" | S. Wilson | A. Wakefield, B. Scheerer, The Ensemble | 2:53 |
| 12. | "It's Never Too Late to Fall in Love" | S. Wilson | Geoff Hibbert, Dilys Lay | 3:02 |
| 13. | "Carnival Tango" | S. Wilson | The Bearcats | 2:17 |
| 14. | "Poor Little Pierrette" | S. Wilson | R. Altman, J. Andrews | 3:28 |
| 15. | "Finale: The Boy Friend / I Could Be Happy With You" | Geoffrey Burgon, Stephen Schwartz, S. Wilson | J. Andrews, J. Hewer | 1:28 |
Personnel
[edit]Adapted from the album's liner notes.[10]
- Lyrics, music and written by Sandy Wilson
- Directed by Vida Hope
- Orchestra by Paul McGrane and His Bearcats
- Orchestrated by Charles L. Cooke, Ted Royal
- Liner notes by Bill Zeitung
- Design by Auerbach
References
[edit]- ^ "The Boy Friend Original Broadway Musical Cast 1954 | Broadway World". BroadwayWorld. Archived from the original on 5 April 2025. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. "The Boy Friend [Original Broadway Cast]". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ Andrews 2008, p. 171
- ^ Chatelin, Ray (28 August 1989). "Summer series a success". The Province. Vancouver, B.C.: Postmedia Network Inc. p. 37. ProQuest 267321583. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ Arntz & Wilson 1995, p. 227
- ^ a b c "Album Reviews" (PDF). Cashbox. 20 November 1954. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 April 2025. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ Marchese, Joe (28 April 2015). "Wouldn't It Be Loverly? Two Julie Andrews Classics Return to CD - The Second Disc". The Second Disc. Archived from the original on 5 November 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
- ^ a b Wolf, David (4 February 2015). "The Boy Friend". Cast Album Reviews. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ Rimalower, Ben (13 December 2014). "From "Mary Poppins" to "Victor/Victoria": The Julie Andrews Albums Every Fan Should Own". Playbill. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
- ^ Various Artists (1954). The Boy Friend (liner notes). RCA Victor. LOC-1018.
Bibliography
[edit]- Andrews, Julie (2008). Home: A Memoir of My Early Years. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 978-0-7868-8475-9.
- Arntz, James; Wilson, Thomas S. (1995). Julie Andrews. Two Prudential Plaza, Chicago. Illinois: Contemporary Books, Inc. ISBN 0-8092-3267-7.