The Legacy of Broadway Icon Barbara Cook

August 8, 2017 6:12 PM

Barbara Cook, the original Marian the Librarian (here with Robert Preston), Cunegonde in Bernstein's Candide and Amalia in She Loves Me (see below), passed away August 8, 2017.

After a successful run as one of the premiere ingenues on Broadway in the 1950s and 60s, she went through a period of depression and alcohol abuse, only to resurface as a renowned cabaret and concert vocalist. She later became a wonderful Sondheim interpreter. (Here with George Hearn.)

Cook was honored at the Kennedy Center in 2011.

Whether apocryphal or not, one report stated that her last meal was, fittingly, vanilla ice cream.

posted by NorthernLite (15 comments total)

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posted by allthinky at 6:29 PM on August 8, 2017

On a January afternoon, Cook arrived at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, Fla., not only to sing but also to accept an award from Narsad, the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, for speaking out about her experience with depression. She hadn't written a speech and wasn't sure what she was going to say, but for her, that was the least of it... If anyone dreaded the evening's momentum being stalled by a downbeat speech when the award was presented, they were happily disappointed...Cook looked at the chunk of crystal in her hands and her grin started slow and grew wide. "Well, I'm just sorry my former husband isn't here to see me get the mental health award," she said. "Thank you!"
Truly, one of the all-time great second acts.
posted by ALeaflikeStructure at 6:54 PM on August 8, 2017 [4 favorites]

Oh, no. She was just on Fresh Air a few weeks ago (well, it was originally broadcast last year) and she sounded vibrant.

GROSS: So let's talk about one of your early musicals, "Candide," with music by Leonard Bernstein. And...

COOK: Oh, God.

GROSS: ...One of - you know, the piece you became famous for in this was "Glitter And Be Gay," which is a very showy, operatic song. What function does the song serve in the musical, just in terms of being that kind of ornate - with all these, like, high notes and, you know, kind of trilling?

COOK: Well, it was and is very difficult. And a lot of singers do sing it now, but not always very well, I think. Particularly the spoken part is overdone, I think, far too often. It's a very delightful, funny song, and what they do is try to make it more delightful and more funny. And it just gets silly sometimes.

You know, people think - sound like they're losing their minds when they do this and they (vocalizing). It's nuts. I don't know why they do that. And they, you know - I was lucky because I was right there when the song was being introduced, and I have - what's the word?

I know personally what Lenny Bernstein wanted it to sound like, certain things that are difficult to do. The ha-ha-has in there he wanted to really be like separate notes. And so that each one is a little push. And then you have to be sure to really sing very lyrically after that to get you out of the pushing because pushing ain't no good in singing, you see...

posted by maudlin at 6:58 PM on August 8, 2017 [8 favorites]

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posted by Melismata at 7:37 PM on August 8, 2017

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posted by jim in austin at 8:09 PM on August 8, 2017

she was my second favourite interpreter of Sondheim, and one of my favourite cabaret singers. Slightly old fashioned, with excellent phrasing, moving between broadway and classical singing, just a monster of craft.
posted by PinkMoose at 8:14 PM on August 8, 2017

Listened to "Glitter and Be Gay" when I heard. Just terrific.

aav.
posted by the sobsister at 8:17 PM on August 8, 2017

FWIW I did a MeFi post on Glitter and Be Gay 10 years ago. It included a lot of versions of G&GB (amazingly some of the links still work 10 years later) but not the original by Barbara Cook, simply because I couldn't find it online anywhere.

The version linked in the OP is from the Broadway album of Candide and since finding it I've wanted to post an updated Glitter-and-Be-Gay Filter with various versions that are available online now, including Cook's. Maybe another day . . .

But for some insight and context about what makes Cook's artistry really extraordinary, try these:

* Seth Rudetsky Deconstructs Barbara Cook singing Glitter & Be Gay from Candide

* Seth Rudetsky Deconstructs Barbara Cook

* Barbara Cook on rehearsing Glitter & Be Gay with Leonard Bernstein
posted by flug at 11:10 PM on August 8, 2017 [4 favorites]

One more (even better & funnier than the last):

* Barbara Cook on auditioning for Bernstein to sing Glitter & Be Gay
posted by flug at 11:28 PM on August 8, 2017 [2 favorites]

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RIP wonderful singing Lady
posted by james33 at 4:26 AM on August 9, 2017

there were birds in the sky
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:25 AM on August 9, 2017

I have vinyl recordings of her in Candide, The Music Man and The King and I — they're all wonderful! I'll probably wear a groove through them listening to them now.

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posted by ubiquity at 8:43 AM on August 9, 2017 [1 favorite]

She was magical.

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posted by tzikeh at 1:42 PM on August 9, 2017

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posted by filtergik at 2:54 PM on August 9, 2017

. I love Barbara Cook. I listened to her Dorothy Fields album roughly a million times. I have the original She Loves Me cast album--my favorite musical. She had such a talent. Here she is singing Dorothy Fields's April Snow.
posted by ceejaytee at 3:58 PM on August 9, 2017