Stage Door Records are pleased to present the debut CD release of the Mame 1969 London Studio Cast Recording.

Jerry Herman's musical 'Mame', based on the 1955 Patrick Dennis novel 'Auntie Mame', is quite rightly considered one of the most iconic pieces of musical theatre produced in the 1960s. The show remains one of Jerry Herman's most acclaimed works in his extensive catalogue of classic stage musicals. This is not surprising considering Mame features a plethora of show stopping hit songs; 'It's Today', 'Open a New Window', 'If He Walked into My Life', 'We Need a Little Christmas', 'Bosom Buddies' and the title song, all now considered popular musical theatre standards and affirming of Herman's place in the pantheon of great theatre composers.

Opening on Broadway in May 1966, and running a total of 1504 performances, the production featured a trail blazing Tony Award winning performance by Angela Lansbury in the title role. Mame transferred with much fanfare to London's West End in 1969 with Ginger Rogers playing the exuberant and larger than life Mame Dennis. Mame opened at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on February 20th 1969 and ran 443 performances. Although a segment of Roger's performance with the London Cast was performed and preserved during that year's Royal Variety Performance, an Original London Cast Album of Bernard Delfont and Harold Fielding's production never came to fruition.

Ahead of the show's London opening, a studio cast album of Mame was recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Produced by Norman Newell and recorded on January 5th 1969, the all British studio cast album starred popular actress Beryl Reid as Mame. At the time of recording, Reid was riding high on the success of the recently released film adaptation of The Killing of Sister George, a role for which she'd won the Tony Award for "Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play" in 1966. Reid was no stranger to Jerry Herman having sung the role of Dolly Levi on a 1965 studio cast recording of Hello, Dolly!.

Comedienne and singer Joan Turner was cast as Vera Charles. Throughout the 1950s, Joan Turner was one of Britain's most popular and highest paid entertainers with her unique brand of comedy interpolated with opera. A classically trained soprano, Turner's impressive four and a half octave vocal range made her a hit in variety and her performance shines on the Mame recording.

With musical direction by Geoff Love, the Mame London studio cast was rounded out with established session singers including Pat Whitmore, Charles Young and Fred Lucas, all of who were familiar names associated with the many London Studio Cast Albums of the era. 

Stage Door now present the CD debut of the Mame London Studio Cast Album, digitally remastered from stereo tape. Included as "Bonus Tracks" are Joan Turner's rare 1954 sides of 'The Homecoming Waltz' and 'The Shadow Waltz' (from the BBC TV serial 'The Teckman Biography') recorded for the Philips label with Wally Stott and his Orchestra. 

The Mame 1969 London Studio Cast Album is a limited edition release of 500 units only.

RELEASE DATE: APRIL 30th, 2021
CATALOGUE #: STAGE 9082
BARCODE: 5055122190820