- Madison Square Garden - Felt Forum -

Judy Garland Displays Showmanship
By Richard F. Shepard - NY Times

The Felt Forum of the new Madison Square Garden, which opened recently with splendidly disciplined guardsmen, found itself host to another type of showmanship Monday night, when Judy Garland began a seven-day appearance.

Her show had a ragged start.  It was 45 minutes after post time when the band finally got the evening off and running.  Gene Palumbo was conducting, instead of Mort Lindsey who was designated on the program.  Miss Garland sounded scratchy for her first few numbers before settling down to that masterful control of a song that has so logically made her into a top 
showman.

By intermission she had everything beautifully in hand, including gifts thrust upon her by her frantic fans.  Her last two numbers before the half,  "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," and "By Myself," were real Garland.  Dressed in red-chiffon with ostrich-feather trimming, she was impressive.

There was a mere half-hour break before the last part of the show, which brought her out again.  This time she belted out "What Now My Love," "Old Man River," "Rockabye," "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and, of course, "Over the Rainbow."  Tony Bennett did a brief guest shot and sang a quiet Christmas type song.

Miss Garland did not really need help, but the program was filled out by the Dick Williams Singers and a group of singing and marching led by her two attractive offspring, Lorna and Joey Luft.

That Miss Garland merits tribute is not saying anything new.  But there is a dismaying fanaticism that distinguishes many of her fans, who interrupt her, clutch at her and shout at her, often in the middle of a song.

The Forum, which seats 5,000 at capacity, was about two-thirds full and the approach to the entertainment was in the nightclub style, with a ramp that brought Miss Garland out intimately into the middle of her audience.  Once the sound was adjusted, something that should have been done somewhat earlier in the show, there were no serious problems.

If the first night seemed at times to have the improvised, unfinished effect of a rehearsal, with Miss Garland seeming at moments to be lost on her new platform, there was at least the assurance that the star was Judy Garland and that there was time to polish the show in time for the rest of the week.

Judy Garland opened at the new Madison Square Garden last night.  The program suggested an evening of song; what we got was some sort of happening.  A happening Garland-style goes like this:  First of all Judy is late (Last night was 40 minutes).  Second, she forgets the lyrics, occasionally inviting the audience to feed her the lyrics.  Other Garland gambits -- done before and repeated last night -- include introducing her children and having them sing, chatting with the audience, asking the orchestra leader what he thinks she should do next, and getting tangled up in her long snaky microphone wire.

Almost all these bits entertained Garland fans who cheer wildly at every ad lib and flubbed lyric.  It doesn't seem to matter to the Garland bugs whether Judy is in voice.  Last night she wasn't.  Apparently not herself, but determined to go on anyway, she could barely make it through some of the songs and quit on "Poor Butterfly" after the first few bars.  She said she picked up a cold in Las Vegas.

In keeping with the spirit of the happening, when her voice started to go she called on Tony Bennett, who was sitting in the audience, to sing a Christmas song.  Tony obliged.

Judy Garland is almost a legend today.  And it is not necessary that she be in top voice to be entertaining.  It is likely that she will come closer to her better form during the rest of her run in the Felt Forum of the spanking new Madison Square Garden.  But at last night she was but a squeaky echo of the Judy of the past.

Judy Garland's fans staged a love-in for her when she opened at the Felt Forum.  They gave every song a standing ovation, ran up to shake her hand, called out lyrics when she forgot them, gave her candy, flowers, gifts.  ("Let's pretend every night is Christmas," Judy said, "--I do need the presents.")  Starting 45 minutes late (after being stuck in traffic) and complaining of a cold and a hoarse voice, she announced at the end:  "Well, I think I made it!"  The fans roared.

The key to Judy Garland's opening performance at the Felt Forum Monday night is to be found in a tiny note in parentheses at the bottom of the page listing her numbers.  It reads, "Program is Subject to Change."

That is a mighty understatement.  A grim-faced fellow led Judy to the center runway 45 minutes late.

In a cracking, strained voice, Miss Garland did make an initial pretense of carrying on.  By the second act, however, little effort was made.  Lines were blown; who songs were flubbed.  And when Judy finally got around to croaking out "Over the Rainbow" she stopped in the middle to shout exultantly that she guessed she made it.

Of course her cultists simply loved every moment of it.  But there was little impressive in her performance for others.  True, in show business the show is supposed to go on, but sometimes nothing is better than something.
 
 

"At least there is always an element of suspense when you come to see Judy Garland," said the man in back of this reviewer last (Christmas) night at 9:10 p.m.  "Will she show or not?"  At 9:12, after an advertised "8:30 p.m. sharp curtain," the orchestra swung into a medley of Garland-associated tunes and the audience's resultory unison clapping turned into enthusiastic applause.  They settled down, the goodly showing of broadway first-nighters and the members of the J.G. Fan Club who could afford tickets up to $12 and that evening away from the family hearth, to enjoy the Mort Lindsay orchestra (34 okay players with good, flashy arrangements), the seasonal songs of the Dick Williams Singers (20) males in dark blue trousers, turtlenecks and a smooth drill, then quite quickly, La Garland herself, sauntering through the audience in response to a choral intro, wearing a salmon-pink gauzy knee-length Travilla gown, high in front, plunging in back, dripping with matching ostrich plumes.

All this transpired at the new Felt Forum of the new Madison Square Garden Center where Miss Garland is being presented for seven nights, through New Year's Eve, by MSG Attractions in association with Sid Luft.

Opening night Miss Garland delivered a performance tinctured with laryngitis and insufficient rehearsal, but to the Garland Cult she is without fault.  And while her aficionados are blind-bent intent on absorbing every flaw and nuance they provide almost as much of a show for regular theatergoers as their goddess.  Her is the Garland myth and magic at work.  Personal theater for many, vicarious nostalgia for the rest, there is a deep, or masochistic sense of participation in almost every number:  Will Our Judy Make It Over The Rainbow?

At times, as in "Old Man River" when a long phrase of pure pre-war Garland melody flowed, the question might arise -- is she putting us on the rest of the time?  Is the fumbling and indecision part of the act to win sympathy, rivet attention, and build suspense?  As the latter-day Billie Holiday appeared to do.

If so, "tis an inferior tactic, for if Miss Garland cut the indecision between numbers, the too-personal, undisciplined crossfire with her autograph-hound devotees, she could pace her act to pitch of audience enthusiasm twice as effective as she achieved, opening night.  And that was quite big.

Bright feature of the first half was the appearance of 10 children of varied size and age, headed by the star's young daughter and son, who were delightfully fresh with their home-made routines, including two SOUND OF MUSIC tunes.  Initial session ran 55 minutes, then after a long intermission which enabled ticket holders to inspect the new amphitheater, she took over for another hour, backed by Gene Palumbo on the piano in several songs, the orchestra with interesting arrangements for the balance.

Tony Bennett came up from the audience to sing a Christmas song to Miss Garland, whose repertoire ranged from "What Now My Love?" to "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (with audience participation) and "Swanee."

Auditorium has flexible seating arrangements.  There is a basic setup of 3,600 permanent seats, same as Metopera, with last row only 40 feet from stage and not a pillar to obstruct.  Temporary chairs in a semicircle in front can raise the total to 5,000, but for the Garland date -- using a short thrust stage and lower center runway and two side ones angling off -- capacity was 4,400.  No figures available, but gross for the evening appeared to be about $27,000 out of a possible $40,000.  Ticket advances for remaining performances reportedly stood at $60,000.