Danny Finkelstein seeks nominations for the best centre-right songs of all time. Leaving aside ancient ditties about the virtues, warmth and humanity of Genghis Khan, I'd go for Cole Porter's Siberia, from his Fifties show Silk Stockings (it's Ninotchka with brass.) The Commissars get their come-uppance in the salt mines. (Yes, it's bad taste, but we're not exactly awash with tunes about the Gulag) I haven't been able to dig up the full lyrics yet. Anyone know where to find them on-line?
Silk Stockings ran in the aforementioned Lost Musicals season at Sadler's Wells last year. I enjoyed it. Another critic sniffed: "It's not a good musical, but, as an evocation of the political rigidity of the Eisenhower era, it has a certain grisly fascination."
"the political rigidity of the Eisenhower era": eh?
Posted by: dearieme | Wednesday, March 21, 2007 at 02:33 PM
Some of the lyrics appear at this website:
http://libretto.musicals.ru/text.php?textid=306&language=1
Posted by: rich | Thursday, March 22, 2007 at 03:01 AM