The Mamas & the Papas played something closer to folk rock, with bass and drums. Their rehearsals in the Virgin Islands were "the first time that we tried playing electric". The band then traveled from New York to Los Angeles for an audition with Lou Adler, co-owner of Dunhill Records. The audition was arranged by Barry McGuire, who had befriended Cass Elliot and John Phillips independently over the previous two years, and who had recently signed with Dunhill himself. It led to "a deal in which they would record two albums a year for the next five years", with a royalty of 5 percent on
Magnormos to celebrate the 80th birthday of Stephen Sondheim. The Triptych included one-night presentations of "Saturday Night", "Merrily We Roll Along", and "Anyone Can Whistle" across consecutive Mondays at the Melbourne Recital Centre. In 2011 Magnormos presented a Jerry Herman Triptych which included "Milk and Honey", "Dear World" and "Hello, Dolly!." Magnormos' 2011 season also included the Melbourne premiere of "The Hatpin", and co-produced the world premiere of "flowerchildren – the mamas and papas" story starring Matt Hetherington, Laura Fitzpatrick, Dan Humphris and Casey Donovan as Mama Cass. In 2013 the company staged a commercial season of "flowerchildren – the mamas