Baby It's You

Is playing at the Broadhurst Theatre 235 West 44th Street. It opened on April 27, 2011.

Baby was first viewed at a workshop in the Coast Playhouse located in Los Angeles, California from July 18, 2009 thru August 30, 2009. It then went to Pasedena Playhouse and played from November 13, 2009 to December 13, 2009.

The play is about Florence Greenberg, a New Jersey housewife who teamed with African American composer Luther Dixon to form Tiara Records. Florence became a record producer and music executive. Among the groups she discovered were The Shirelles, The Kingsmen, The Isley Brothers and Chuck Jackson. Some of the famoue songs she produced were "Dedicated to The One I love", "Baby It's You", "Twist and Shout" and "He's So Fine".

In 1955 Tiara Records recorded "I Met Him on a Sunday" by the Shirelles. She sold the company to Decca for $4,000.00. With that money she started a new labeled in 1959 called Scepter Records. Florence launched another label called Ward Records a subsidiary of Scepter Records. She retired in 1976 and sold all her labels to Spring Board International.

In 2011 Florence Greenberg was honored posthumously with The Grammay Trustee Award for outstanding contrubution to the industry. The award is given to "individuals who, during their careers in music, have made significant contribution other than performance to the field of recording" from Wilipedia. She died on November 2, 1995.

The play revolves around Florence Greenberg ( played at this performance by understudy Alison Cimment). This is her story and and her affair with Luther Dixon (Allan Louis).

The show is a fascinating history of the record industry from the 1950's and 1960's. Especially in a field where it was tough for a women to make notch.

The costumes by Lizz Wolf were top notch.

The cast is great. Alison Cimmet holds her own and does well on short notice. Erica Ash, Kyra Da Costa, Christina Sajous and Crystal Starr can belt out a song that sends chills thru you.

However the arraigment of these famous songs fall flat. They lack luster. It's a shame because this could have been a great show.

Review by Rozanna Radakovich.

Photos by Annazor