Brian Gari, the songwriter of Broadway's Late Nite Comic and the cult concept musical CD, "Love Online," has released a new disc of songs on the Original Cast label.
"I Can't Make You Free," a kind of followup to "Love Online," features one track, "Two Men," sung by Broadway's Alison Fraser, of The Secret Garden and Romance/Romance.
Gari sings the remaining tracks, which he penned. The songwriter has music in his family tree: Stage, radio and recording star Eddie Cantor was his grandfather. Gari controls the Cantor recordings on the market today (there are 10).
"I Can't Make You Free" covers emotional territory dealing with relationships, but there is a less clearly delineated story than "Love Online," about a married woman who meets a single man through the internet.
Fans who know "Love Online" will click into the emotions and situations of "I Can't Make You Free," Gari said. Titles on the new disc include "As Long As You're Married," "What Are You Willing to Do?," "Patience," "Where Do You Cry?," "We Still Have Christmas," "That Car" and more.
"Love Online" (1997) began as a disc, but is intended as a stage show. The book is still being developed, Gari said. Gari sings the entire "Love Online" album.
Late Nite Comic, with songs and concept by Gari and book by Allan Knee, had a brief run at the Ritz Theatre (now the Kerr) in 1987 starring Robert LuPone and Teresa Tracy. It concerned the relationship between a ballet dancer and a comedian.
Other Gari discs on Original Cast are "Songs for Future Musicals" (which includes songs for an Eddie Cantor musical, songs for an autobiographical musical about Gari's childhood, songs cut from Late Nite Comic and pop songs), "A Hard Time to Be Single" (pop songs put together as a musical revue), a "Late Nite Comic" disc (featuring Julie Budd) and "Face to Face -- Jana Robbins" (with songs by Gari, plus numbers co written with David Shire and Lesley Gore).
For more information about Gari's work, visit his website at http://members.aol.com/garisongs.
-- By Kenneth Jones
