ent 41. BROADWAY MELODIES Mega musicals have so overtaken Broadway that it's easy to forget that there was a time not so long ago when clever lyrics and exquisite tunes, not mere spectacle, were the requirements for success. That fact shines through luminous- ly in a series of digitally remastered, original cast recordings from Sony Classical called "Columbia Broadway Masterworks." Five have been released — (Camelot, My Fair Lady, Cabaret, Kiss Me, Kate and A Chorus Line) — with others on tap, including Fiddler on the Roof and Gypsy. . Mixed Media News Reviews. Cole Porter was among that rare breed who could write sterling music as well as witty words. The seductive embrace of "So in Love," from 1948's Kiss Me Kate, is alluring, but the naughty lyrics to "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" are positively irresistible: "If she says your behavior is heinous/Kick her right in the — Gail Zimmerman of a crusade — a crusade to raise the visibility of a critical healthcare issue," said Postmaster General Marvin Runyon. Levine, 41, attended Temple Emanu-El, where his parents, Ethel Levine Krause and the late Dr. Edward Levine, were founding mem- bers. A graduate of Berkley High Coriolanus." e t 0 wool ., Floil"°` , ow ciaoku. r ots iort o svgioul "Camelot" is just one in a series of digi- tally remastered Broadway classics. A live production of "Camelot,' starring Robert Goulet, comes to the Fox Theatre Sept. 15-20. All of the composers of these musi- cals are Jewish, with the exception of Cole Porter — who was often told by his fellow musicians that his music sounded Jewish. The recordings are sonically resplendent, but what makes them so arresting is the perfect marriage between music, lyrics and plot. And speaking of strong unions, who could imagine a more sympathetic alliance than that shared by composer Frederick Loewe and lyricist Alan Jay Lerner? In "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face," from My Fair Lady, Loewe's music is rueful and fragile, comple- mented by Lerner's words of tender astonishment. And in "If Ever I Would Leave You," from 1960's Camelot, when Lerner wrote of "lips red as flame" and "a face with a luster that puts gold to shame," we realize that there sometimes is a very thin line between lyrics and poetry. 7/31 1998 82 Detroit Jewish News John Kander and Fred Ebb's Cabaret is most notable for its title tune, but there are more interesting, substantial numbers from the 1966 musical, including the marvelous opening number, "Willkommen." It captures the carefree mood of Berlin before the gathering Nazi storm clouds irrevocably darkened the atmosphere. Listening to Joel Grey again merely underscores the fact that no one else could have been more ideal in the role of the emcee. Cabaret has four bonus demo tracks that were dropped from the show, and the My Fair Lady and Kiss Me, Kate recordings each contain an additional selection not included on the original release. The only disappointment in the batch is A Chorus Line, which, unac- countably, was for many years the most popular musical in Broadway history. "One" is a rousing Broadway number, but most of Marvin Hamlisch's uninspired tunes fall flat, including the popular but saccharine 1970s anthem to self-absorption, "What I Did for Love." — Reviewed by George Bulanda STAMP ACT Former Huntington Woods resi- dent Andy Levine is getting his licks in. The New York-based freelance illustrator's first postage stamp will be released for public sale on Aug. 5. The stamp features an abstract computerized drawing of two inter- twined figures, hands reaching inside one another and touching each other's heart. The words "Organ and Tissue Donation" and "Share your life ..." appear beneath the image. "This stamp is meant to be a part involved a creation for the United Nations — a stamp honoring the African country Djibouti. "I was actu- ally presented with an award from [legendary entertainer] Danny Kaye for that one," said Levine. u s A Share -yam ..rte.. , Andy Levines postage stamp encourages organ and tissue donation. School, he studied at the California College of Arts and Crafts. The artist's drawing first appeared in the gallery section of a computer arts magazine, where it drew the notice of U.S. Postal Service officials. Levine drew the image by hand, scanned it into the corn- puter and painted it on the computer. "It was an image that could work for a lot of things," he said. Ironically, Levine received a phone call from the postal service letting him know his image had been select- ed on the day his own mother was undergo- ing open heart surgery. Levine's only other experience in stamp design MUSICAL MENAGERIE I suppose it's called "innovative marketing," this business of selecting a number of like works and tying them up into a package. Classical Zoo (Telarc CD-80443) is a case in point, and the likeness they share is that all the pieces are about animals. The collection — performed by the Atlanta. Symphony Orchestra under conductor Yoel Levi — includes Rossini's overture from The Thieving Magpie, Respighi's The Birds (conduct- ed by Louis Lane), Sibelius' The Swan of Tuonela and Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals. If you know Carnival well, there's every chance that you know it com- bined with the poetry of Ogden Nash. This disc features a new set of poetry by Bruce Adolphe. It is written in words and about things (TV, for example) that would be quickly understood by children of today. Oh, one more thing. Did you notice the name of the narrator for Carnival? Itzhak Perlman. How does he do? Simply great. He catches completely the "newness" of Adolphe's verses. He has a marvelous reading voice, and he reads as though he's talking to kids. Kids will love him. -- King Durkee, Copley News Service Celebrate the Detroit Zoo's 70th birth- day this weekend with this animal- themed CD of classical favorites.