AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sweet Smell Of Success Ensemble

Artist:Sweet Smell Of Success Ensemble
Song:Dirt
Album:Sweet Smell Of Success: Original Broadway Cast Recording




Here's a Broadway musical that had all the pieces to be successful including a Tony award for star John Lithgow. But it only ran for two months. Sweet Smell Of Success is based on the 1957 film starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis. It's about legendary newspaper columnist Walter Winchell. Livent decided to turn it into a musical in 1998. It was written by Marvin Hamlisch, Craig Carnelia and John Guare. Nicholas Hytner directed. The show was cast after holding workshops in Toronto. Livent was based in Toronto. The original stars were Jonathan Pryce as JJ Hunsecker and Brian D'Arcy James as Sydney Falcone. Pryce was replaced by John Lithgow. Though Lithgow is best known for his film and TV career, he started out on Broadway in the 70s. He won a Tony for the 1973 show The Changing Room. And though he won a Tony for Sweet Smell Of Success, I'm not sure he should have been starring in a musical in the first place. Most of the songs in the show were performed by a chorus like the song Dirt which was performed on the 2002 Tony Award broadcast. One of the major criticisms of Sweet Smell Of Success was it didn't have that big showstopping number. So though the show was nominated for seven Tonys, it only ran for two months before closing. The original cast album is available on mp3. Here's the Sweet Smell Of Success Ensemble performing Dirt on the 2002 Tony Awards broadcast.