Mary Testa - To Keep My Love Alive from A Connecticut Yankee

[@casbahqueen]

Perfect delivery. What a slog this song can be, but instead, all of Mary's beats are unique, each with a clear and distinct punchline. The audience becomes eager for the reveal of each rhyme instead of bored with the "game" of the song. A master at work!

[@davidfleischer455]

Mary Testa is spot on on every line! This song can be a treat, or dull, depending on the wit of the performer, and she nails it

[@paulcanaday-elliott9834]

I’ve watched and listened many renditions of this song. This is by far one of the best. She absolutely nails every moment!

[@bearfuz]

She is terrifying with that knife! I'm a fan of hers. I saw her in "Xanadu" many times... from the back, in the band! She knocked it out of the park every night.

[@JerkyPuck]

She and Jackie Hoffman were comedy gold in that show.

[@toniwhite2322]

Brilliant!! A true legend and comedic genius..somebody give this woman a Tony

[@bairns1234]

Supposedly the last lyric Larry Hart wrote; what a way to go out.

[@Rose-qx6kl]

I've been married, and married, and often I've sighed "I'm never a bridesmaid, I'm always a bride" I never divorced them, I hadn't the heart Yet remember these sweet words, "'Til death do us part" I married many men, a ton of them Because I was untrue to none of them Because I bumped off every one of them To keep my love alive Sir Paul was frail, he looked a wreck to me At night he was a horse's neck to me So I performed an appendectomy To keep my love alive Sir Thomas had insomnia He couldn't sleep at night I bought a little arsenic He's sleeping now all right Sir Philip played the harp, I cussed the thing I crowned him with his harp to bust the thing And now he plays where harps are just the thing To keep my love alive, to keep my love alive I thought Sir George had possibilities But his flirtations made me ill at ease And when I'm ill at ease, I kill at ease To keep my love alive Sir Charles came from a sanitorium And yelled for drinks in my emporium I mixed one drink, he's in memorium To keep my love alive Sir Francis was a singing bird A nightingale, that's why I tossed him off my balcony To see if he could fly Sir Atherton indulged in fratricide He killed his dad and that was patricide One night I stabbed him by my mattress-side To keep my love alive, to keep my love alive To keep my love alive

[@billychristophermaupin1979]

There's a reason she's been around. All of which is displayed here (even if discreetly in a "concert" setting.) Thank you for more Mary Testa!

[@nicholaskoufopolos2288]

Mary Testa is multi-talented. I saw her years ago as Miss Snood/Madame Olga in "Trixie True, Teen Detective" and am still laughing. She has a great voice and comic timing. This is also one of my favorite Rodgers and Hart songs. Thanks for the posting! Note to bairns1234. Hart wrote two other later lyrics for the revival of "Connecticut Yankee," but they were cut before the show opened, making them the last lyrics he ever wrote. These are the last lyrics he wrote that appeared on a stage.

[@dms1131ds]

Mary Testa, great as always!

[@SarahLockwood1982]

I love this and her!

[@lovvingd]

Hello Sarah How are you doing today?

[@Janurinu]

Mary Testa ROCKS!

[@richardranke7878]

I didn't realize until years later that this was one of the last songs Rodgers & Hart wrote together for a 1943 revival of their old show A Connecticut Yankee. Larry Hart passed away not too long afterwards and Richard Rodgers teamed up permanently with Oscar Hammerstein(whom he'd worked with before a few times). I admit Mary Testa really does this song justice.:-)

[@ganondorfchampin]

Can't let those Connecticut Yankees get your love.

[@JasonGraaeMusic]

Lordy I love her.

[@jasonmatthews534]

1:17 my fave part ❤❤❤

[@CrystalClearNews]

I like this a lot. Back in 2006 I tried to find the sheet music so I could sing it for my character song but no go. Now I find it. You did good, Mary Testa

[@Paddy818]

Absolutely brilliant!!

[@beattotoro00]

que diva

[@evilmeditator]

MADE MY DAY!

[@blueturtle3623]

A lot of musicals from this era tend to drag on with little changes, the best example being "Brush up Your Shakespeare." but when done well, this song doesn't have that problem.

[@MrSwifts31]

She's great and so is her rendition.I suppose(given the restrictions of time of the concert)it was a shame they couldn't do the whole 7 minutes of the song,but it's great nevertheless.

[@jasonhays8644]

these are the best verses. though I do love: Sir Marmaduke was awfully tall; he didn’t fit in bed. I solved that problem easily: I just removed his head.

[@yourfriendbeau11]

thank you

[@sondheimboy]

Ok, I'll be the wicked show queen and post that this song was written for the 1943 revival, not the original 1927 production.

[@tigibus7]

This version is pretty good, but I would suggest that you check out two other performances on You Tube. The ones by Evangelia Kingsley and, particularly the one by Allison Freeman are truly outstanding. You won't regret taking the time to view them!

[@thepantweaver]

Don't sleep on Stritch's version either.

[@robertr64]

Nice version, though my favorite is the one that Frederica Von Stade did.

[@Paranoia115]

Hilarious

[@dlass7710]

what year is this

[@NewRon2003us]

She could play Kaye Ballard almost !

[@phoenixnyc]

She's not doing the encore verses? :-(

[@anniespencer7879]

There are encore verses?

[@antoniomarcos5321]

Very nice, but nobody can render the emotions in this song like Ella Fitzgerald.

[@reginafurphy6018]

P

[@suzauddinkhan]

Xocek

[@scv3454]

Annie Sellick version is much better and more entertaining .

[@nicholaskoufopolos2288]

Not a necessary comment. Mary Testa's performance is more in keeping with the traditions of the musical theater, from which this song comes. Sellick's performance is an intimate, conversational night club version. Both can exist comfortably. You don't get to the theater much, do you?.

[@Ravenelvenlady]

+Nicholas Koufopolos Well said Nicholas. I just listened to both and I agree that both performances stand on their own merit given the contexts. I really loved both.

[@darkangel4994]

I've been married, and married, and often I've sighed "I'm never a bridesmaid, I'm always a bride" I never divorced them, I hadn't the heart Yet remember these sweet words, "'till death do us part" I married many men, a ton of them Because I was untrue to none of them Because I bumped off every one of them To keep my love alive Sir Paul was frail, he looked a wreck to me At night he was a horse's neck to me So I performed an appendectomy To keep my love alive Sir Thomas had insomnia, he couldn't sleep at night I bought a little arsenic, he's sleeping now all right Sir Philip played the harp, I cussed the thing I crowned him with his harp to bust the thing And now he plays where harps are just the thing To keep my love alive To keep my love alive I thought Sir George had possibilities But his flirtations made me ill at ease And when I'm ill at ease, I kill at ease To keep my love alive Sir Charles came from a sanitorium And yelled for drinks in my emporium I mixed one drink, he's in memorium To keep my love alive Sir Francis was a singing bird, a nightingale, that's why I tossed him off my balcony, to see if he, could fly Sir Atherton indulged in fratricide, He killed his dad and that was patricide One night I stabbed him by my mattress-side To keep my love alive To keep my love alive To keep my love alive

[@richardranke7878]

I didn't realize until years later that this was one of the last songs Rodgers & Hart wrote together for a 1943 revival of their old show A Connecticut Yankee. Larry Hart passed away not too long afterwards and Richard Rodgers teamed up permanently with Oscar Hammerstein(whom he'd worked with before a few times). I admit Mary Testa really does this song justice.:-)

[@CrystalClearNews]

yeah, Lorenz Hart wanted to see his favorite singer, who did this number, then he was wandering around in the cold with no coat and died of pneumonia.