Posts Tagged: Bea Arthur

Pirate Jenny

OK gang, it’s time for some Halloween fun: which of these five fabulous divas makes the best Pirate Jenny?

1. Lotte Lenya

2. Nina Simone

3. Marianne Faithfull

4. Bea Arthur

5. Hildegard Knef

Before you cast you’re vote, I would just ask that you not to be swayed by the fact that three of these ladies have videos, one is singing in German, and one is singing an alternate (and far superior) translation of the text.

Only an evil genius would pit these ladies against one another.  Happy Halloween.


In other news, I’m I’m busily assembling a new recording of a new piece I recently composed. It’s a cantata, a setting of the 46th Psalm using the rare and beguiling Young’s Literal Translation.

Making a recording takes a lot of money, so I’ve started a Kickstarter campaign to try and raise some funds.  Perhaps some of my readers would consider kicking in.  I’d certainly be grateful, and at the very least, you’d get your own mp3 copy of the piece!

Here’s the link: Recording of Psalm 46, a new cantata

Thank you for Bea-ing a Friend!

dorothy

I know I’m a few days late to be talking about dear departed Bea, but let me just add to the fray that I hope we won’t forget about her successful broadway career that was well under way before she hit the small screen.  This included playing Lucy in Marc Blitztein’s 1956 American production of The Threepenny Opera.

Additionally, I’ll nominate what I consider to be the best Dorothy episodes of the GG’s:

“Stan Takes a Wife” : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja5B7z4cbmI

“Love Me Tender” : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjj_LRUOu5Y

“Sick and Tired”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCyvJ9gZYKU

Choosing Dorothy’s best episodes is naturally an exercise in futility — they were all her best.  I know it’s sacrilege to say this about a show with the best ensemble cast ever, but the show really was about Dorothy.  Her relationship with Sophia and Stan really defined so many episodes and her wedding at the end of the series is what ended the show.

So sniff, swig and puff one for Bea — her cares are gone now.