Jerry Herman made an impressive Broadway debut with his score for this musical set in Israel. Although the show ran 543 performances, it never quite developed into a blockbuster and was quickly forgotten once it closed. RCA Victor reissued the cast album on CD in 1994 but unfortunately the master tapes had been lost and the sound quality of the CD is less than perfect: you can hear noise and drop-outs from time to time.
Nothing can dim Jerry Herman's delightful score, however, and Robert Weede, fresh from his Broadway triumph in MOST HAPPY FELLA displays his warm baritone in "Shalom." Molly Picon is wonderful with her "Hymn to Hymie." The title song becomes a brisk march, similar in style to the title number in Herman's DEAR WORLD. You'll also hear some of Jerry Herman's trademark love songs in "Let's Not Waste a Moment" and "As Simple a That."
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