Eldergays, tell me about Sergio Franchi

He was fantastic in DO I HEAR A WALTZ? on Broadway. Sexy and a beautiful voice to boot. I wonder if he ever played Emile De Beque in South Pacific?

Yep, R1! The OBCR of Do I Hear a Waltz? is THRILLING. Can you believe they cut “Bargaining” in a few subsequent productions? Franchi is hysterical in that number.

It’s a shame that DIHAW didn’t make him a big Broadway star.

He can do comedy as well!

R1 Oh my....the audience got its money's worth!

Sergio Franchi, The Kessler Twins, "The Shadow of Your Smile"

What more could anyone want?

He's so sexy here it's insane. Look how beautifully he moves.

He was gorgeous.

He also played Guido Contini in the musical NINE on Broadway (replacing Raul Julia) and in the National Tour.

Hot! He looks short next to the Kessler Twins.

I wonder how hairy his ass was.

Volare!

I saw him in Nine on Broadway the last great staging of a musical.

Unfortunately Waltz was written by people who were writing two different shows. Rodgers wanted to make it a musical version of the film Summertime romantic and bittersweet. Sondheim and Laurents wanted it unpleasant. Maybe that's the way Time of the Cuckoo is. I've never seen it or read it. But when you listen to the cast album the score starts out wonderfully but it's as if Rodgers is becoming dispirited with the way the plot is going and is losing interest and inspiration.

I saw it at Encores and Leona really turns into a very unpleasant person and that's what Rodgers was fighting against. She becomes completely unsympathetic. Laurents and Sondheim really fucked up that show. No wonder Rodgers was drinking like a fish dealing with 3 arrogant theater queens. I'm including Dexter who supposedly hated women and spent most of the time in his hotel room with cocaine and rent boys or so legend has it.

If they had followed Rodgers lead who hadn't lost his talent it could have been a popular often done show. Now it is done rarely and with good reason. Leona goes from lonely spinster to bitter bitch.

R10 fascinating post. I have read that Rodgers hated Sondheim's lyrics for the show and let it be known.

Verificatia of Sergio's sizemeat?

His sister, Dana Valery, was also a singer actress. She's almost 80. Poor Sergio died at 64.

Around the time of Nine, he was living in CT. I was working at this store in Groton and his wife dragged him in a few times. He *was* very good looking.

^ I think they lived in North Stonington.

R13, Dana Valery appeared regularly on the syndicated WML? panel and Merv Griffin had her on his afternoon talk show in the 1960s often.

“spent most of the time in his hotel room with cocaine and rent boys”

My idea of heaven.

Here...there...

I have a Dana Valery LP, or had it, I picked it up at Goodwill, not sure that I ever listened to it....it wasn't very memorable if I did....

She seems more comfortable singing in Italian. This is lovely:

She was no Caterina Valenti...

Dana was on Broadway in the 1960s.

Sergio Franchi was the Italian Bert Convy.

Oddly enough, they both died from brain tumors.

Caterina Valente and Mina.

This is devine. So chic.

and Bert Convey played Guido in Nine too r23