Track Listing

1. First Impressions, musical play~Overture
2. First Impressions, musical play~Five Daughters - Hermione Gingold
3. First Impressions, musical play~I'm Me - Polly Bergen, , Phyllis Newman, Lauri Peters, Lynn Ross
4. First Impressions, musical play~Have You Heard The News? - Hermione Gingold
5. First Impressions, musical play~Polka/The Assembly Dance/A Perfect Even - Polly Bergen,
6. First Impressions, musical play~As Long As There's A Mother - Hermione Gingold, Phyllis Newman, Lauri Peters, Lynn Ross
7. First Impressions, musical play~Love Will Find Out The Way - Polly Bergen
8. First Impressions, musical play~A Gentleman Never Falls Wildly In Love
9. First Impressions, musical play~Fragrant Flower - Polly Bergen,
10. First Impressions, musical play~I Feel Sorry For The Girl - Phyllis Newman
11. First Impressions, musical play~I Suddenly Find It Agreeable - Polly Bergen,
12. First Impressions, musical play~This Really Isn't Me - Polly Bergen
13. First Impressions, musical play~Wasn't It A Simply Lovely Wedding? - Polly Bergen, , Hermione Gingold, Ellen Hanley,
14. First Impressions, musical play~A House In Town - Hermione Gingold
15. First Impressions, musical play~The Heart Has Won The Game
16. First Impressions, musical play~Dance
17. First Impressions, musical play~Let's Fetch The Carriage - Polly Bergen, Hermione Gingold
18. First Impressions, musical play~Finale - Company

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #139105 in Music
• Released on: 2002-08-27
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording
• Running time: 53 minutes

From Amazon.com
You'd think Jane Austen's novels would have made prime material for Broadway more often, but no. First Impressions, the 1959 musical based on Pride and Prejudice, is one of the few to have explored the British novelist's world. The show has not made much of an impact on the Broadway landscape, but it has quite a few things going for it. The cast is dominated by Hermione Gingold as Mrs. Bennet, the mother of five daughters. The headstrong daughter is played by Polly Bergen, whose husky voice takes a bit of getting used to in this context, since some of the score (by unknowns Robert Goldman, Glenn Paxton, and George Weiss) leans toward operetta, especially on such tracks as the duet "Fragrant Flower." Other numbers are easy for a nonsinger like leading man Farley Granger, who's better known for his swashbuckling roles in Hollywood. Some of the unintentionally funniest moments include "I Suddenly Find It Agreeable," in which Granger sounds uncannily like Peter Sellers in one of his goofy '60s duets with Sophia Loren. Add to the mix the fact that few in the cast bother with an English accent and a book and direction by the unlikely Abe Burrows (a long way from Guys and Dolls), and you have one weird, if appealing, musical. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews

a delightful Broadway-flop
FIRST IMPRESSIONS is a rather-enjoyable Broadway flop that is, believe it or not, a musical version of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice"!

Polly Bergen, in her third Broadway show (after JOHN MURRAY ANDERSON'S ALMANAC and THE CHAMPAGNE COMPLEX) is a delight as Elizabeth Bennet, the eldest daughter of Mrs Bennet (Hermione Gingold). Bergen sings some lovely songs in this score, but her big payoff comes in the eleven o'clock number "This Really Isn't Me", which she colors with her husky and warm voice. More recently the incantory Ms Bergen has returned to Broadway in the revival of FOLLIES as Carlotta Campion; and subbed for Carole Shelley in the role of Frau Schneider in CABARET.

Farley Granger (in his Broadway musical debut) sounds quite ill-at-ease with his songs, though his comical duet with Bergen in "A Perfect Evening" is quite enjoyable.

Hermione Gingold is perfectly-suited to the role of the pushy Mrs Bennet, and is backed up beautifully by Phyllis Newman (SUBWAYS ARE FOR SLEEPING), Lois Bewley, Lauri Peters (THE SOUND OF MUSIC) and Lynn Ross as her other daughters.

The score by Robert Goldman, Glenn Paxton and George Weiss is quite interesting, though hardly suits the time-period of the piece.

All-in-all, a great recording for Broadway buffs.

AT LAST - FIRST IMPRESSIONS HAS ARRIVED
I was in boarding school when I was visiting NYC and my parents got me a ticket for an SRO performance of First Impressions. That day, Ellen Hanley was announced as performing Elizabeth Bennet - some people left BUT Hanley got a standing ovation at the end of the performance - I am so happy that she is on the record as Charlotte Lucas - I know when I bought the LP, I found Polly Bergen not as entrancing as Ellen Hanley was on stage. Anyhow, Gingold was brilliant as the coarse Mrs Bennet and Granger superb! As an 19th C English BA I still rave about this adaption - thank you DRG for this, Kean, Happiest Girl, Christine and many others - how about Baker Street, Minnie's Boys, Donnybrook and A Time for Singing! A very good nostalgic recording of the golden days of musicals!

The Great Polly Bergen!!
This musical , adapted from Pride and Prejudice, starred Ms. Bergen, Hermione Gingold, Farley Granger and Phyllis Newman. They're all delightful, and though the score isn't great, it's quite enjoyable and all of Ms. Bergen's numbers are just wonderful. What a treat to finally have this show on CD. The folks at DRG are to be commended for caring enough to release these great 50's and 60's shows,fondly remembered by many of us! It's nice to know there are folks who care for more than just the bottom line!