70 Girls 70

by Various Artists

This half-forgotten Kander and Ebb show lasted barely a month in 1971, done in, perhaps, by a needlessly complicated book about denizens of an old folks' home becoming shoplifters. Still, many of the numbers have a certain quirky charm. The songs were more or less (usually less) integrated into the plot, each one an excuse for a different cast member to ham it up. "Coffee in a Cardboard Cup" is a fiery, hilarious showstopper ("drearier" rhymes with "cafeteria") while the wistful "Home" deserves to be rediscovered. This sleeper of a show will particularly delight those in need of a little something to gnaw on between Cabaret and Chicago, as Kander and Ebb's trademark mix of honky-tonk vaudeville and ultramelodic sentimentality is in evidence all through the score. --Elisabeth Vincentelli