Why Do We Do That

Tip-Toes, which made its Broadway debut on December 28, 1925, was produced by Alex A. Aarons and Vinton Freedley, who had been the producers of the Gershwins’ smash hit Lady, Be Good! the year before. Attempting to repeat that success, they once again combined the same book writers, Guy Bolton and Fred Thompson, with the Gershwin brothers. Tip-Toes was well received by audiences and the press, and ran for 194 performances. It was given a subsequent production at the Winter Garden Theatre in London, opening August 31, 1926, running for 181 performances.

One of the most overlooked Gershwin shows, Tell Me More was also the most unlikely of Jazz Age musicals. In an era marked by lavish extravaganzas and brash star vehicles, Tell Me More, which opened on April 13, 1925, relied on charm, modesty, and an impish sense of humor. Because it failed to recoup its investment on Broadway, it was relegated to the list of Gershwin flops; because its score was largely forgotten, it has been widely regarded as a minor effort. In truth, it’s a key show. As the only full-length collaboration between George and Ira Gershwin and B.G. DeSylva, it combines the delicacy and grace of the scores George had written earlier in the decade with DeSylva and the bold wit he had pioneered in partnership with his brother Ira four months earlier in Lady, Be Good! The best of both worlds, Tell Me More was a one-of-a-kind achievement.

This two-CD set collects a couple of shows by George and Ira Gershwin. Both produced in 1925, the two musicals–Tip-Toes and Tell Me More–are fairly obscure and don’t boast as many famous songs as contemporary Gershwin offerings such as Oh, Kay! and Lady Be Good. Still, they are bursting with wit, invention, and joie de vivre. Based on a 1998 concert production, Tip-Toes is delicious, and several songs deserve a place in the Gershwin pantheon: the ballad “Looking for a Boy,” the love duet “That Certain Feeling,” and the rousing dance number “Sweet and Low-Down.” The score is also notable for its spectacular writing for duo pianos. Tell Me More is not as immediately accessible (indeed, it had the shortest run of any Gershwin musical, with 32 performances), but it’s delivered with élan by its topnotch cast, which includes Sally Mayes, Christine Ebersole, Diane Fratantoni, and David Garrison. Under the expert musical direction of Rob Fisher (from New York’s famed Encores! series), this double set is, of course, essential for Gershwin completists. In fact, just about any fan of zany Jazz Age artifacts should relish it. –Elisabeth Vincentelli

The Gershwins:Tip-Toes/Tell Me More

Jackson Browne – BBC In Concert Live At Shepherd’s Bush Theatre, London 1978 Jackson Browne – lead vocal, piano David Lindley – lap steel guitar, vocal Craig Doerge – keyboards Bob Glaub – bass Jim Gordon – drums Rosemary Butler, Doug Haywood – vocals Lyrics: Now the seats are all empty Let the roadies take the stage Pack it up and tear it down They’re the first to come and the last to leave Working for that minimum wage They’ll set it up in another town Tonight the people were so fine They waited there in line When they got up on their feet they made the show And that was sweet but I can hear the sound of slamming doors and folding chairs And that’s a sound they’ll never know Now roll them cases out and lift them amps Haul them trusses down and get’em up them ramps ‘Cause when it comes to moving me You know you guys are the champs But when that last guitar’s been packed away You know I still want to play So just make sure you got it all set to go Before you come for this piano But the band’s on the bus And they’re waiting to go We’ve got to drive all night and do a show in Chicago or Detroit, I don’t know We do so many shows in a row And these towns all look the same We just pass the time in our hotel rooms And wander ’round backstage Till those lights come up and we hear that crowd And we remember why we came Now we got country and western on the bus, R&B We got disco in eight tracks and cassettes in stereo And we’ve got rural scenes & magazines We’ve got truckers on …