Each month, Jason Fortner spotlights one or more musical theatre composers and/or lyricists, offering his own unique perspective on the songwriting legends of musical theatre. Send your comments/questions on this column to happgood@aol.com.

We all make mistakes, everybody knows that. From common typos to unintentionally sent e-mails to burning your mouth with hot soup, mistakes happen to everyone every day.

After a recent discussion of Judy Kuhn's mixed up version of the title song to the musical RAGS on the 1987 Tony Awards, which was caught forever on videotape (see below) I started to think about other musical theater mistakes captured for posterity.

Source: www.bluegobo.com

Of course, making a cast album or performing a live show is rife with possibilities for errors, and just like Hollywood films, errors occur no matter how diligently others may try to prevent them.

The following is a far from complete list of little mistakes, flubs and faux pas you can find in the world of musical theater. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

We'll start with a flaw that coincided with the start of the Compact Disc era. Although I had not noticed it on LP, when the CD of the OBC of NINE was released, I couldn't help but notice how often the musician's chair squeaked during the instrumental piece "Waltz From Nine", owing to the crystal clarity of the new digital format. As much as I love the melody of the song, I always hear that squeaky, squeaky chair.

Sandra Church, Ethel Merman and Jack Klugman in the original Broadway production of GYPSY. Photo by Leo Friedman Source: New York Times.com

While on the subject of musicians, there's a rather obvious dropping of a drumstick during the Overture of the OBC recording of GYPSY. It's during the "Small World" section and happens at about 3:08 in the recording. While it does not distract from your enjoyment of the music, once you know its there you'll hear it every time.

A more obvious orchestral flaw is the squeaked notes on the OBC recording of the Overture to 110 IN THE SHADE. These flaws were known, however, and the original LP release did not include the Overture, it being reinstated for the CD.

Dean Jones and the original Broadway cast of COMPANY Source: theatremania.com

On the OBC of COMPANY during the long "we loooooooooooooooove you" section you can certainly hear some off key singing, although I won't incriminate anyone by naming names. (I'm scared she'll hunt me down!)

On the first CD release of the title song of HELLO, DOLLY! (pre-dating the full cast recording release on CD), you can certainly hear Ms. Channing clashing musically with the boys, something that has been mixed out of all the other releases.

Debbie Shapiro jumps the track on "Wherever He Ain't" on the MACK & MABEL IN CONCERT CD. Instead of singing "I walked behind him like a meek little lamb" she jumped to the end lines which begin "My little love life was a terrible trap, with me behaving like a simpering sap". She then realizes she's about to crash (as the music is different) and she devises a nonsensical quasi-lyric "And so I'm saving for this spot on the map if he's going sound… Wherever He Aint!". Since this was a live concert she certainly made the best of it, but anyone listening must have been befuddled by those lyrics.

On the ANNIE GET YOUR GUN revival recording, Bernadette Peters can be heard to sing "Yes I can't" at the end of "Anything You Can Do" when she should be singing "Yes I can".

On the London Studio recording of ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, Ethel Merman, in her third major recording as Annie Oakley, sings a nonsensical lyric in the finale. Instead of singing "Even with the turkey that you know will fold" she sings "Even with the turkey that you know has fold", the meaning of which escapes me.

There's a lyrical flaw on the OBC of HELLO, DOLLY! that people often miss, owing to rewrites in the show. At the Yonkers Station Dolly sings "Ambrose let me hear that tonic chord" and you hear Ambrose briefly vocalize, a reference to the song he originally sang at the Harmonia Gardens called "Come & Be My Butterfly" (a photo of which was printed in the original gatefold LP. Although with the change to a Polka Contest the lyric changed to "We haven't missed the train yet, thank the Lord" the original plot point stayed on the original cast recording, a remnant of what once was.

Choreographer Jerome Robbins (center) rehearses George Chakiris (left) and other cast members during the filming of WEST SIDE STORY. (Photograph by United Artists; from the Dance Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations.) Source: Dance Heritage.org

On the film soundtrack to WEST SIDE STORY, during the "Tonight Quintet" sequence, one of the Jets sings "the Jets are gonna have their way tonight" instead of the correct "the Jets are gonna have their day tonight". Listen and you'll hear it plain as way. Um, day.

On the OBCR of HIGH SPIRITS, Bea Lillie starts to sing an incorrect lyric on "Something Is Coming To Tea" but quickly changes gears.

While recording his best selling rendition of "New York, New York" old blue eyes Frank Sinatra screwed up the bridge and made up a new one on the spot. Much to the chagrin of Kander & Ebb, his made up lyrics of "and find I'm A-Number one, top of the list, king of the hill, A-Number one" is now more widely known than the real lyric "to find I'm king of the hill, top of the list, cream of the crop at the top of the heap" . They were not amused, but loved the income and recognition Frank brought to the song.

Angela Lansbury starts to sing and catches herself during the instrumental break of "I've Got You To Lean On" in ANYONE CAN WHISTLE.

One of the wives on the OBC recording of LIL ABNER jumps the gun in "Put 'em Back The Way They Wuz".

On the OBCR of RAGTIME someone sings an extra "la" during Emma Goldman's speech in the Opening Sequence.

On the London FIDDLER ON THE ROOF one of the Mamas jumps the gun in "Tradition" during the Mama sequence.

Mandy Patinkin sings an extra "she" during "Lily's Eyes" on the OBCR of THE SECRET GARDEN.

On the OBCR of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, Gene Barry jumps the gun in "With You On My Arm", right after the long held "grand".

Again on the Dolly OBC recording, Carol Channing says the "Er' in Ermengarde early in "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" and then catches herself.

You can hear a door opening and closing during the final sequence of WEST SIDE STORY on the OBCR.

You can hear Channing clear her throat before singing "Here's my hat, Horace" on the DOLLY recording.

You can also hear throat clearing by Victor Garber on the GODSPELL soundtrack before "Save The People", by Walter Pidgeon in the song "Staying Young" in TAKE ME ALONG and by Barbara Harris in ON A CLEAR DAY.

There are two flubs/flaws are on the OBCR of Harold Arlen & Truman Capote's HOUSE OF FLOWERS. The first is Pearl Bailey's opening number. On track 3, at the 2:52 mark, she quips "suppose to have an ad-lib filled in here for the record date but we've been so terribly busy over at the theater we haven't had time". Only Pearlie Mae could get away with that!

The other HOUSE OF FLOWERS faux pas is in the ballad "I Never Has Seen Snow", where an ailing Diahann Carroll couldn't hit her high note at the 3:33 mark and composer Harold Arlen sings it in falsetto instead. Again, once you know that bit of information you'll always hear his voice there!