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Barbara Cook (October 25, 1927 – August 8, 2017) was an American actress and singer who first came to prominence in the 1950s as the lead in the original Broadway theatre musicals Plain and Fancy (1955), Candide (1956) and The Music Man (1957) among others, winning a Tony Award for the last. She continued performing mostly in theatre until the mid-1970s, when she began a second career as a cabaret and concert singer. She also made numerous recordings.
During her years as Broadway’s leading ingénue, Cook was lauded for her excellent lyric soprano voice. She was particularly admired for her vocal agility, wide range, warm sound, and emotive interpretations. As she aged her voice took on a darker quality, even in her head voice, that was less prominent in her youth.Howard Goldstein: "Barbara Cook", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed December 4, 2008), (subscription access) At the time of her death, Cook was widely recognized as one of the "premier interpreters" of musical theatre songs and standards, in particular the songs of composer Stephen Sondheim. Her subtle and sensitive interpretations of American popular song continued to earn high praise even into her eighties. She was named an honoree at the 2011 Kennedy Center Honors.
Cook made her Broadway debut as Sandy in the short-lived 1951 musical Flahooley. She landed another role quickly, portraying Ado Annie in the 1951 City Center revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!,Wilmeth, Don B. "Barbara Cook" The Cambridge Guide to American Theatre, p. 182 and stayed with the production when it went on its national tour the following year.
Also in 1952, Cook made her first television appearance on the show Armstrong Circle Theatre which presented her in an original play entitled Mr. Bemiss Takes a Trip. "The Armstrong Circle Theatre. 'Mr. Bemiss Takes a Trip' (Season 3, Episode 24)" tv.com, accessed September 9, 2011 In 1954, Cook appeared in the short-lived soap opera Golden Windows and starred as Jane Piper in a television version of Victor Herbert's operetta Babes in Toyland. That summer, she returned to City Center to portray Carrie Pipperidge in a revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel, which Cook described as "the first time the critics really paid attention to me. It was like I was the new young thing. It was very important for me."Weinstock, Matt. "Barbara Cook Talks about Working with Rodgers & Hammerstein," New York City Center blog, accessed August 21, 2017.
In 1955, she received major critical praise for playing the supporting role of Hilda Miller in Plain and Fancy. Walter Kerr wrote of her performance: "Barbara Cook, right off a blue and white Dutch plate, is delicious all the time, but especially when she perches on a trunk, savors her first worthwhile kiss, and melts into the melody of 'This Is All Very New to Me'."Suskin, Steven. "Barbara Cook" Broadway Yearbook 2001–2002 (2003), Oxford University Press US, , p. 131 Cook's critical reputation and coloratura soprano range won her the role of Cunegonde in Leonard Bernstein's 1956 operetta Candide, in which she sang the vocally demanding, show-stopping comic aria "Glitter and Be Gay".
Although Candide was not a commercial success, Cook's portrayal of Cunegonde established her as one of Broadway's leading ingenues. In 1957 she appeared in a second City Center revival of Carousel, this time in the role of Julie Jordan, and won a Tony Award for creating the role of Marian the Librarian in Meredith Willson's 1957 hit The Music Man.Atkinson, Brooks. "Theater Review. 'The Music Man'" The New York Times, December 20, 1957 Cook continued to appear regularly on television in the late 1950s, starring in a 1956 Producers' Showcase production of Bloomer Girl, a 1957 live broadcast of The Yeomen of the Guard, and a 1958 musical adaptation of Hansel and Gretel.Gould, Jack. "TV:New 'Bloomer Girl'", The New York Times, May 29, 1956, p. 55 She also made appearances on Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, and The Play of the Week.
Cook starred in an acclaimed 1960 City Center revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I and in the short-lived 1961 musical The Gay Life. In 1963, she created the role of Amalia Balash in the classic Jerry Bock-Sheldon Harnick musical She Loves Me. "'She Loves Me' Additional Facts" mtishows.com, accessed September 7, 2011 Her performance prompted Norman Nadel of the World-Telegram & Sun to write, "Her clear soprano is not only one of the finest vocal instruments in the contemporary musical theatre, but it conveys all the vitality, brightness and strength of her feminine young personality, which is plenty." A number from She Loves Me, "Ice Cream", became one of Cook's signature songs.
In the mid-1960s, Cook began working less frequently. She appeared in the 1964 flop Something More!, which ran for only 15 performances on Broadway, and tried her hand at non-musical roles, replacing Sandy Dennis in the play Any Wednesday in 1965 and originating the role of Patsy Newquist in Jules Feiffer's 1967 play Little Murders. "'Little Murders', Broadway 1967" Internet Broadway Database, accessed September 8, 2011Kerr, Walter. "Theater: Feiffer's 'Little Murders'; Comedy by Cartoonist Opens at Broadhurst" The New York Times (requires registration), April 26, 1967p.38 She starred in national tours of The Unsinkable Molly Brown in 1964 and Funny Girl in 1967. Her last original "book" musical role on Broadway came in 1971 when she played Dolly Talbo in The Grass Harp.Barnes, Clive. "Theater: Capote's 'The Grass Harp' Makes Its Debut as Musical; Kenward Elmslie Does Book and Lyrics Characters Motivated by a Gypsy Cure" The New York Times (requires registration), November 3, 1971, p. 41 In 1972, Cook returned to the dramatic stage in the Repertory Theater of Lincoln Center's production of Maxim Gorky's Enemies.Barnes, Clive. "The Theater: Rising to the Occasion of 'Enemies'; Lincoln Center Troupe Excels in Gorky Work Revolution Is Backdrop at Vivian Beaumont" The New York Times (requires registration), November 10, 1972, p. 47
In 1986, Cook was nominated for an Olivier Award "The Observer Award for Outstanding Achievement" for her one-woman show, accompanied by Harper, at London's Donmar Warehouse and the Albery Theatre. "Olivier Winners 1986" OlivierAwards.com, accessed September 7, 2011 She won the Drama Desk Award "Outstanding One Person Show" in 1987 for her Broadway show A Concert for the Theatre, again with Harper. In October 1991, they appeared as featured artists at the Carnegie Hall Gala Music and Remembrance: A Celebration of Great Musical Partnerships which raised money for the advancement of the performing arts and for AIDS research.Oestreich, James R. Classical Music in Review. "Music and Remembrance Carnegie Hall" The New York Times (registration required), October 12, 1991. In 1994, they performed a critically acclaimed concert series at the Sadler's Wells Theatre in London,Parker, Chris. "Cook's tour of joy", The Times, July 25, 1994. which was recorded by DRG as Live From London. "Cook still comes across with consummate taste and with a voice that shows little sign of wear after 40 years.""Pop:Album Reviews: 'Barbara Cook.Live From London.Producer: Hugh Fordin.DRG 91430'". Billboard, October 8, 1994, p. 76 Alastair Macaulay wrote in the Financial Times about the concert, "Barbara Cook is the greatest singer in the world ... Ms. Cook is the only popular singer active today who should be taken seriously by lovers of classical music. Has any singer since Callas matched Cook's sense of musical architecture? I doubt it." The performing duo traveled all over the world giving concerts together including a number of times at the White House – for Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bush, and Bill Clinton.
From the mid-1970s on, Cook returned only sporadically to acting, mostly in occasional studio cast and live concert versions of stage musicals. In September 1985 she appeared with the New York Philharmonic as Sally in the renowned concert version of Stephen Sondheim's Follies.Rich, Frank. "Theater Review:Stage: Concert Version Of 'Follies' Is A Reunion" The New York Times, September 9, 1985. In 1986, she recorded the role of Martha in the Sharon Burgett musical version of The Secret Garden along with John Cullum, Judy Kaye, and George Rose.Ruhlmann, William. "'The Secret Garden'" allmusic.com, accessed September 8, 2011. In 1987 she performed the role of Julie Jordan in a concert version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel with Samuel Ramey as Billy, Sarah Brightman as Carrie, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and she won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show for A Concert for the Theatre. In 1988, she originated the role of Margaret White in the ill-fated musical version of Stephen King's Carrie, which premiered in England and was presented by the Royal Shakespeare Company.Skal, David J. "Carrie" The monster show: a cultural history of horror (2001), Macmillan, , pp. 366–67. In May of 1990, she was the featured soloist in a program of theatre music given by the Oratorio Society of New York. In 1994, she provided both her acting and singing skills to the animated film version of Thumbelina, as Thumbelina's mother which featured music by Barry Manilow. That same year she was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.
In November 1997, Cook celebrated her 70th birthday by giving a concert at Albert Hall in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, joined by performers including Elaine Stritch and Maria Friedman. The Times reviewer noted: "The world is usually divided into actresses who try to sing and singers who try to act. Cook is one of the few performers who manage to combine the best of both traditions, as she reminded us in 'It Might as Well be Spring' – and, at the close, in her encore of Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick's 'Ice Cream'."Davis, Clive. "Star turn of her own party", The Times, November 25, 1997
In 2000, she was one of the only American performers chosen to perform at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Arts Festival in the Sydney Opera House."Among the international guest stars are the phenomenal tenor Andrea Bocelli, the ballet superstar Sylvia Guillem, the Tanztheatre Wuppertal Pina Brausch, legendary cabaret star Barbara Cook, the great conductor Riccardo Muti with the Orchestra Filarmonica Della Scala, jazz artists the George Shearing Trio and the great German singer Ute Lemper.""Grand arts events strike Games gold", The Sunday Telegraph (Sydney, Australia), August 20, 2000, p. 122 Also in 2000, she was joined by Lillias White, Malcolm Gets, and Debbie Gravitte on the studio cast recording of Jimmy McHugh's Lucky in the Rain. "'Lucky In The Rain': The Jimmy McHugh Musical" songwritershalloffame.org, accessed September 7, 2011.
In February 2001, Cook returned to Carnegie Hall to perform Barbara Cook Sings Mostly Sondheim which was recorded live and released on CD.Ruhlmann, William. Barbara Cook Sings Mostly Sondheim: Live at Carnegie Hall" allmusic.com, accessed September 7, 2011. Critically acclaimed from the start, Cook then took the concert to the West End Lyric Theatre in 2001. "Barbara Cook Sings Mostly Sondheim" sondheimguide.com, accessed September 7, 2001. She garnered two Olivier Award nominations for Best Entertainment and Best Actress in a Musical for the concert. She went on to perform Sings Mostly Sondheim at Lincoln Center for a sold-out fourteen-week run from December 2001 to January 2002, and again in June 2002 to August 2002. She was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Theatrical Event. She took the show on a National tour throughout major cities in the United States. DRG filmed the stage production during a performance at the Pepsico Theatre, SUNY Purchase, New York, on October 11, 2002 and it was released on DVD on the DRG/Koch Entertainment label. In June and August 2002 Cook performed Sings Mostly Sondheim at the Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center as part of the Sondheim Celebration.
In 2004 she performed two limited engagement concert series at the Vivian Beaumont and Mitzi Newhouse theaters at Lincoln Center, "Barbara Cook's Broadway!", with Harper as her musical director/arranger.[24]Isherwood, Charles. "Legit Reviews: 'Barbara Cook's Broadway!'" Variety, March 29, 2004 She received the New York Drama Critics Circle Award ("for her contribution to the musical theater") "Past Awards, 2003–2004". New York Drama Critics Circle, accessed September 8, 2011. and a nomination for the Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Solo Performance. "Drama Desk, 2003–2004" . Dramadesk.com, accessed September 8, 2011. A recording of the concert was made.Ruhlmann, William. "Barbara Cook's Broadway!" allmusic.com, accessed September 8, 2011
Cook was the featured artist at the Arts! by George gala on September 29, 2007 at the Fairfax campus of George Mason University. On October 22, 2007, Cook sang at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts with the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus in the chorus's concert entitled "An Evening With Barbara Cook".Rothaus, Steve. "Broadway legend Barbara Cook to sing with Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus", October 18, 2007 Upon completion of the concert, an almost full house greeted her with a round of "Happy Birthday" in honor of her impending 80th birthday, which, on December 2, 2007, she celebrated belatedly in the UK with a concert at the Coliseum Theatre in London's West End.
As she entered her ninth decade, Cook performed in two sold-out concerts with the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center in 2007. The New York Times Stephen Holden wrote that Cook is "a performer spreading the gospel of simplicity, self-reliance and truth" who is "never glib" and summoning adjectives such as "astonishing" and "transcendent", concluding that she sings with "a tenderness and honesty that could break your heart and mend it all at once."Holden, Stephen. "Heartbreak and Healing, Sometimes Both at Once". The New York Times, November 21, 2007.
In June 2008, Cook appeared in Strictly Gershwin at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England, with the full company of English National Ballet.Shenton, Mark. "Barbara Cook to Join English National Ballet for Strictly Gershwin" . Playbill, March 6, 2008. An advertised appearance with the Ulster Orchestra as the Closing Concert of the Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen's at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast on October 31, 2008 was cancelled due to scheduling difficulties. "Arts Council Events at Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen's.Closing Concert". Artscouncil-ni.org, August 28, 2008 Her other 2008 appearances included concerts in Chicago and San Francisco.
In 2009, she performed with the Princeton Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and gave concerts in Boca Raton, Florida, and at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton.Bacalzo, Dan. "Barbara Cook to Perform June 6 at McCarter Theatre". Theatermania.com, June 1, 2009. She performed in a cabaret show at Feinsteins at the Regency (New York City) which opened in April 2009.Suskin, Steven. Review:Barbara Cook, Feinstein's at the Regency" . Variety, April 14, 2009.
Cook returned to Broadway theater in 2010 in the Roundabout Theatre's Stephen Sondheim revue Sondheim on Sondheim, created and directed by long-time Sondheim collaborator James Lapine, at Studio 54. She starred opposite Vanessa L. Williams, Norm Lewis and Tom Wopat.Jones, Kenneth. "Good Thing Going: 'Sondheim on Sondheim', a Docu-Musical, Opens on Broadway" . Playbill, April 22, 2010. Cook was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in the category of Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. "2010 Tony Award Winners". Broadwayworld.com, accessed September 7, 2011. On April 12, 2011, Cook appeared with James Taylor, Bette Midler and Sting, at Carnegie Hall for a gala called "Celebrating 120 Years of Carnegie Hall".
Cook was named an honoree at the 2011 Kennedy Center Honors, held on December 4, 2011 (the ceremony was broadcast on CBS on December 27, 2011). Performers paying tribute to Cook on that occasion included Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patti LuPone, Glenn Close, Kelli O'Hara, Rebecca Luker, Sutton Foster, Laura Osnes, Anna Christy, and Audra McDonald.Gans, Andrew. Playbill notice of Cook's Kennedy Center Honor , December 5, 2011.
In 2016, Cook published her autobiography Then & Now: A Memoir with collaborator Tom Santopietro. She announced her retirement in May 2017.
Cast and studio cast recordings
Compilations
1970s to 2004
As she began struggling with depression, obesity, and alcoholism in the Seventies (she would quit drinking in 1977), Cook had trouble getting stage work. In the mid-1970s Cook's fortunes changed for the better when she met and befriended composer and pianist Wally Harper. Harper convinced her to put together a concert and on January 26, 1975, accompanied by Harper, she made her debut in a solo concert at Carnegie Hall that resulted in a legendary concert and live album. Continuing a collaboration with Harper that lasted until his death in 2004,Jones, Kenneth. "Wally Harper, Arranger, Musical Director and Pianist Who Was Barbara Cook's Longtime Collaborator, Has Died" Playbill.com, October 8, 2004 over the next three decades, Barbara Cook became a successful concert performer and Cook and Harper performed together at not only many of the best cabaret spots and music halls in New York City--like Michael's Pub and the St. Regis Hotel--but nationally and internationally. Cook and Harper returned to Carnegie Hall in September 1980, to perform a series of songs arranged by Harper. The New York Times reviewer, John S. Wilson, wrote: "Since her first Carnegie Hall appearance, she has grown from a delightful singer to become a delightful entertainer who also happens to be a remarkable singer."Wilson, John S. "Pop: Barbara Cook Sings", The New York Times, September 16, 1980, p. C9 The latter performance was captured on the CD It's Better With a Band.Ruhlmann, William. "'It's Better With a Band' (Barbara Cook)", AllMusic, accessed September 8, 2011
Later years
After Wally Harper's death in October 2004, Cook made adjustments to new accompanists in solo shows like Tribute (a reference to Harper) and No One Is Alone that continued to receive acclaim; The New York Times wrote in 2005 that she was "at the top of her game.... Cook's voice is remarkably unchanged from 1958, when she won the Tony Award for playing Marian the Librarian in The Music Man. A few high notes aside, it is, eerily, as rich and clear as ever." In January 2006, Cook became the first female pop singer to be presented by the Metropolitan Opera in the company's more than one hundred-year history. She presented a solo concert of Broadway show tunes and classic jazz standards, and was supported on a few numbers by guest singers Audra McDonald and Josh Groban and Elaine Stritch (although Stritch did not appear on the CD of the concert). The concert was recorded and subsequently released on CD.Gans, Andrew. "FOR THE RECORD: 'Barbara Cook at The Met' " . Playbill, June 9, 2006 On June 25, 2006, Cook was the special guest star of the Award Winning Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C., celebrating GMCW's Silver Anniversary in a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. "Gay Men's Chorus of Washington 25th Anniversary Concert with Barbara Cook, Jun. 25, 2006" kennedy-center.org, accessed September 7, 2011
Personal life
Cook married acting teacher David LeGrant (December 8, 1923 – July 28, 2011) on March 9, 1952, after meeting at a resort on the Borscht Belt. They performed together in a national stage tour of Oklahoma in 1953. The couple had one child, Adam, born in 1959. They divorced in 1965.
Death
Cook died from respiratory failure at her home in Manhattan on August 8, 2017, at age 89. The marquee lights of the Broadway theaters were dimmed for one minute in tribute to Cook on August 9. Cook's friend and fellow musical theater actress Elaine Paige paid tribute to Cook during her BBC Radio 2 show Elaine Paige on Sunday on August 13.
Discography
Solo
Stage work
Source:
Television
Bibliography
External links
Video
Categories: 1927 Births, 2017 Deaths, 20th-century American Actresses, 21st-century American Actresses, Actresses From Atlanta, American Musical Theatre Actresses, American Sopranos, American Stage Actresses, American Voice Actresses, Deaths From Respiratory Failure In The United States, Drama Desk Award Winners, Kennedy Center Honorees, Theatre World Award Winners, Tony Award Winners
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