Sunday, July 6, 2008

When You're Good to Mrs. Brady

Though most of you remember her as the perennial TV mom, Mrs. Carol Brady from The Brady Bunch and its various offshoots into variety, comedy and even drama over the years, Florence Henderson was a premiere musical theatre ingenue in the 1950s. She made her Broadway debut in the chorus of Harold Rome's Wish You Were Here. She continued to make a name for herself in national tours (most notably the first road company of The Sound of Music), Laurey in Oklahoma! at the City Center (with Barbara Cook as Ado Annie), the title role in Rome's Fanny and a superlative turn in the final Noel Coward musical The Girl Who Came to Supper, her final Broadway appearance to date. TV soon called, and of course, Wesson Oil.

Anyway, here she is in an entirely new realm. Leather mama...? This is a kinky spin on a Kander and Ebb favorite at a tribute of theirs a few years ago. Say whatever you will about the performance, she looks phenomenal.


2 comments:

Sarah B. Roberts said...

Don't forget about the 1967 Lincoln Center recording of South Pacific! It's fantastic!

Kevin Daly said...

Mea culpa!!

I was even thinking of her Lincoln Center appearances.

That cast album is a marvel; I'm glad they finally released it on CD. That and the '76 My Fair Lady are must-haves.