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"Pins and Needles" (revival) |
Stage Review/January 2003 |
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In early 2003,
"Pins and Needles" received a long overdue New York City
revival. |
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The
Original
"Pins
and
Needles"
|
May
31,
2012 |
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Original
performance of "Not Cricket to Picket" |
Reprinted
from
wnyc.org:
 Pins
and
Needles
was
produced
by
the
International
Ladies
Garment
Workers
Union,
and
performed
entirely
by
union
workers,
all
amateurs,
who
diligently
rehearsed
after
their
day
jobs
ended.
It
was
presented
at
the
old
(now
gone)
Princess
Theater
on
39th
Street,
which
doubled
as
their
union
hall.
Later,
the
production
moved
to
the
Windsor
Theater.
The
show
broke
what
was
at
that
time
a
Broadway
record:
more
than
1100
performances,
between
1937
and
1941.
Dreamed
up
toward
the
end
of
the
Great
Depression,
the
show
took
a
famously
light-hearted
approach
to
class-consciousness,
union
politics
and
current
issues
of
the
day.
The
young
composer-lyricist
Harold
Rome
(he
went
on
to
write
“I
Can
Get
For
You
Wholesale)
made
his
Broadway
Debut
with
Pins
and
Needles,
crafting
witty
songs
that
display
a
love
of
language.
(June
11,
2011) |
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"Pins
and
Needles"
Brooklyn
Revival
June
26,
2011
If
you
missed
the '03 production
of "Pins and
Needles," don't
despair. "Pins and
Needles" is back on
the New York boards,
but only for a brief
time.
The
Irondale
Center
in
Brooklyn
is
currently
staging
a
rare
revival
of
the
musical
that
originally
ran
on
Broadway
in
1937.
The
current
production
closes
on
July
9th.
In
1962,
the
score
of
"Pins
and
Needles"
was
recaptured
on a
delightfully
memorable
album
featuring
Barbra
Streisand. |
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"Pins
and
Needles"
Returns
to
New
York
January 12, 2003
On April 1,
1962, Barbra performed on the anniversary recording of Harold
Rome's first musical, "Pins and Needles." The musical was
originally produced in 1937 and was cast with actual members
of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union.
Initially conceived as a review which would play just a few
performances, "Pins and Needles" became an unqualified hit
when it was transferred to Broadway. It originally ran for four
years. A 1977 revival played for eleven months.
This is our
review
of
the
show's
brief
2003 return
to
New
York.
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Barbra
as
the
Emperor
of
Japan?
Who
Knew.
Remember "Pins and Needles," that
ensemble album Barbra did in the early 1960s, - the one with the
provocative photo of Barbra on the back? Well, a recent New York
revival of the review was staged offering a rare opportunity to
experience the show in its original context: a 1930s union show.
Broadway vet Karen Mason and six others successfully recreated
America in that pre-war era, and what was most interesting was
hearing how Barbra's numbers were interpreted. Ms. Mason was in
great form singing What Good Is Love, but Doing The
Reactionary, which Barbra did so brilliantly was just flat
as performed by Allie Laurie. He couldn't match the comic
element Barbra gave it.
Four Little Angels Of Peace was
the satirical highlight of the evening. It astonished me to
realize that, in 1962, Barbra was singing this number as Japan's
Emperor Hirohito! And Linda Romoff's rendition of Nobody Makes A
Pass At Me was delightful and funny. She did well playing a
Miss Marmelsteinesque character.
Overall, as legitimate theatre,
Pins and Needles labored tediously. As a Streisand fan
familiar with her association with the show, the numbers were a
joy to see in actual performance. With Rose Marie Jun in the
audience (she sang with Barbra on the LP), it was fun to imagine
Barbra on that stage. That made the experience worthwhile. |
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