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| Don Bradford, Michael Laibson, Tom Hastings, Gail Johnston. |
I’LL DIE IF I CAN’T
LIVE FOREVER [Musical Revue/Show Business] B: Karen Johnson (ADD. B:
William Brooke); M/LY: Joyce Stoner (ADD. M: William Boswell); CH: Joyce
Stoner; DS: Irving Milton Duke; P: Patrick Stoner; T: The Improvisation (OB);
10/31/74-2/2/75 (81)
Several months before A
Chorus Line knocked the socks off Broadway with its concept of a group of
dancers auditioning for a show, I’ll Die
If I Can’t Live Forever, an intimate revue, used a somewhat similar idea to
excellent effect. On a bare stage, backed only by a piano for accompaniment,
six young hopefuls were shown trying out for a revue. The highly praised result
was done in a cabaret environment, where drinks were served during the
performance.
Act one was basically a topical revue touching on New York
life, with sideswipes at politics, perverts, football, homosexuality, and
inflation. All six performers—Gail Johnston, Maureen Maloney, Nancy Reddon, Don
Bradford, Tam Hastings, Michael David Laibson, and Mark T. Long—are cast, and
the second act presents the show for which they’ve been auditioning.
All the critics praised the concept, music, lyrics, and
performers. “Fresh as a daisy, sharp as a tack and as funny as it is fast, this
90-minute show is the best mini-musical in town,” glowed Howard Thompson