Shows, Scores, and Cast Recordings

[Dee]

In my teens I was involved as a dancer in hometown productions of three musicals:

Hello Dolly, Oliver, and The Sound of Music.

Over the years my interest in musicals has declined, but I am really taken with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (http://www.iclassics.com/productDetail?contentId=1278), the Canadian Cast recording in particular. Maybe because it's the only one I know. LOL

I know Henry was involved in the UK production. Just wondering if others here have an interest in this impressive show.

Perhaps when Janis is done writing her autobiography, she could whip up a song or two for a new musical. :D

[NinasSpaceChild]

After one of your posts recently Dee, I went out and bought this:

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/630530209X.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

As soon as I get a free evening I'll settle down with a bottle of good wine and watch it. :)

[Dar]

Dee,
I think you would really enjoy Wicked. If a touring company ever comes your way, don't miss it!! The soundtrack is spectacular, great songs and absolutely lovely voices....Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth.

[ponytail]

I don't as a rule like Andrew Lloyd Weber, but I did enjoy "Joseph" (at least partly because the lead I saw in the local production was not only a fine and charismatic singer but looked darn good strutting around up there with no shirt). (My partner was drooling over him too). I love Stephen Sondheim's music, and have sung some of it (I sing with a small jazz group as well as in a choir). (I'm becoming engulfed by parentheses! Help!)

When I was a kid I loved musicals. I saw "The Sound Of Music," "South Pacific," "My Fair Lady" and "West Side Story" as movies (on the REALLY wide screen, back in the day) and got totally swept up in them. I really fell in love, though, with the Broadway cast album of "Camelot," which my aunt had in her collection. Especially "The Lusty Month Of May," which I now realize is an amazingly gay song ("the time for every frivolous whim -- proper or im!") as is "The Seven Deadly Virtues" ("and purity's a noble yen; and very restful every now and then.")

I'm not as much into musicals now, but my partner does sound for local theaters, and drags me to them periodically -- and I'm grateful. The most recent one we saw was "Crowns," which is about the stories of black women and the hats they wear to church, and was full of stirring gospel music and INCREDIBLE singing, some of which moved me to tears. It can still be a great way to spend an evening.

BTW, as I also said in the "Suggestions" thread, I think a Broadway or off-Broadway revue made up entirely of Janis's songs would be every bit as good an idea for her as it has for songwriters from Billy Joel to Jacques Brel. I'd love to see that happen.

[Dar]

Ponytail!!


Camelot is my second favorite musical, it was my fav until Wicked came along.

If you go back to posts from the first of May you will see that I serenaded us all with a little exerpt.......those are my two favorite songs as well, Month of May and Seven Deadly Virtues. Imagine my dismay when I learned that the movie version has that song cut from it!! WAAAAAAAAA!!

[Eva]

The woman on Dylans picture wears nice shoes...

Eva

[Marcia Drummergal]

Dee,
I think you would really enjoy Wicked. If a touring company ever comes your way, don't miss it!! The soundtrack is spectacular, great songs and absolutely lovely voices....Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth.

Hey Dar! Did you know that Idina Menzel is going to be reprising her role as Elphaba in London's upcoming production?

I'd advise any of our UK Rudies who can manage to get there.....GO SEE
WICKED!!!!!

Marcia :)

[hoops]

i've seen very few live productions and they were all small ( no i'll take that back, i did see a huge cast of stars perform In Utah's Shakespear festival) other than that, it was a couple college perfomeances of willie the shake and in california i saw a small but wonderful troupe do jesus Christ Superstar. I love live

[Dee]

I've not seen Sunday in The Park, Dylan. As I said earlier, I've kind of lost interest in musicals per se. Let me know if the DVD is worth renting tho, if you would.

[NinasSpaceChild]

I'll certainly let you know.

I don't see many musicals but I like Sondheim and have seen most of his.

[Denise]

My absolute favorite all time Broadway musical is "A Chorus Line" - saw it twice in NYC and twice more in Boston "way back when"....
And I hear it's coming back in September! I'm hoping like hell I get to go back to NYC, with my daughter, to see it someday again.

[NinasSpaceChild]

I like A Chorus Line too. I've never seen the play, but I have the film on DVD.

[AceOn6]

My favorite cast recordings are a bit "out there". I love the original cast of Applause with Bonnie Franklin and Lauren Bacall. Godspell had many catchy tunes. My all time favorite has got to be Jesus Christ, Superstar.

[Dar]

sitting in this gentle pool of wine..............


Ace, that's one I enjoy as well!!

[ponytail]

Dar -- the movie of "Camelot" not only cut out my favorite song, it's really an awful movie. It's the worst movie of a musical I've ever seen. They replaced the wonderful cast with a bunch of Hollywood actors who couldn't sing. To take songs like that and talk your way through them offkey---ugh! Sacrilege!:eek:

But I'm really glad somebody else loves those two songs as much as I do! :D I think most people's favorite is "If Ever I would Leave You!"

I haven't seen "Wicked," but my partner has the album, and I love the songs and the two leads' voices. Shows tend to eventually come to Hershey on tour, and we plan to see it then.

And Dee -- "Sunday In The Park With George" is a great show, especially that version (saw it on PBS's "Great Performances"). The songs, especially "Putting It Together," are brilliant, as are Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters.

[Dee]

"Sunday In The Park With George" is a great show, especially that version (saw it on PBS's "Great Performances"). The songs, especially "Putting It Together," are brilliant, as are Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters.

Thanks, PT. I only know Mandy from Streisand's movie Yentl, in which he didn't sing a note, so this could be interesting.


Godspell had many catchy tunes. My all time favorite has got to be Jesus Christ, Superstar.

I love the entire score for JC Superstar! Godspell not so much, but I do like On The Willows and By My Side.


My absolute favorite all time Broadway musical is "A Chorus Line"

I was in high school when A Chorus Line was born. One time my theatre arts class did a dance routine (in our classroom) for some staff members to the opening song on the record (remember records? LOL). This was during my short-lived four year dancing career. ;)

Got it?... Going on. And turn, turn, touch, down, back, step, pivot, step, walk, walk, walk.

Right! Let's do the whole combination, facing away from the mirror. From the top. A-five, six, seven, eight!

[KarenSews2]

I love the entire score for JC Superstar! Godspell not so much, but I do like On The Willows and By My Side.

Dee, those are my 2 favorites from Godspell, too. I was listening to it just last week...and singing along!

Dar, Marcia and Bat, my friend and I have been talking about a Chicago road trip to see Wicked. Should I read the book 1st, or not??

Our local high school puts on amazing musicals. Last year was 42nd Street, and this year was Anything Goes. They are done with all the fabulous choreography (including tap) and costuming of professional productions. A few years ago they did Peter Pan, using the sets and some of the costumes from the Broadway show! I think that little venture cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $80,000! They weren't able to use much of Cathy Rigby's costume because the girl playing Peter was around 6 ft. tall!

In high school I was Frau Schmidt (the housekeeper) in The Sound of Music, and had small parts in Brigadoon and Bells are Ringing.

[Marcia Drummergal]

Regarding "Wicked", Karen asks....."Dar, Marcia and Bat, my friend and I have been talking about a Chicago road trip to see Wicked. Should I read the book 1st, or not??"

You know, the book bears very VERY little resemblance to the musical so I say, NO! In fact, I am having a hard time reading the book. The first part of it is frankly, vile!

If you want to read something that is more to do with the musical, get a copy of "The Grimmerie." If you don't get it before, you'll want it afterward!!

Marcia :)

[Bat]

If you want to read something that is more to do with the musical, get a copy of "The Grimmerie." If you don't get it before, you'll want it afterward!!


Just don't get it at the show...they want the equivalent of a couple of appendages for it. I got mine on half.com, which is part of e-bay, but not an auction site...still fairly expensive, but not nearly the price it would be at the show.

http://product.half.ebay.com/_W0QQprZ46747414QQcpidZ1317643276

[Dar]

Karen,

Dont bother with the book. The musical 'book' is WAY more entertaining and only bares a slight resemblance to the book by Gregory McGuire, which is very dark, as Marcia mentioned. Not a bad story, just dark.
The musical is delightful!! We are actually going to see it when we are in Chicago next month! For the third time!

The Grimmerie is delightful!! I agree with Bat, that you'd get more out of that as a preview to the musical. It tells the whole story of how the show came to be. I was tickled to find out that the original seed of the idea to make it a musical came from Holly Near.

[DaveM]

It never made it to Broadway (mercifully), but provided you can find a copy, listen to the soundtrack of the musical version of "Lost Horizon" (1972) and you'll be virtually guaranteed an evening of laughs and a guilty pleasure to return to in the future. Better yet, see the movie--bad dialogue, wooden acting (by some great actors, mind), ridiculous sets, and the unforgettable songs, all lip-synched completely "out of synch". It is difficult to imagine that so many things could do wrong with a movie....but seeing is believing.

"The....world is a circle without a beginning
And nobody knows where it really ends.
Every-thing depends on where you
Are in the circle that's spinning around
Half of the time we are up-side down."

[Dee]

Gee Dave, that sounds like the theme song for my life. :D

[Oak Kitten]

Dee,

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was the very first album I ever owned. In fact I think I still have it somewhere. Some of the musical riffs in it were borrowed and used again in Jesus Christ Superstar, which was also a good rock opera.

My all time favorite musical hand's down is "My Fair Lady." Even though Audrey Hepburn's voice was dubbed over by Marni Nixon in the film version, the film was also great.

I've seen a number of Broadway shows as we used to live in New Jersey. My favorite was Les Miserables, which is really an opera, but I suppose they were afraid that if they billed it as such no one would go see it.

Oak

[GodSistah]

My all time favorite musical is "Pippin". I saw it with Ben Vereen when I was 12or so. Blew me away!!! :)

~Andrea~

[KarenSews2]

Is your recording of Joseph the original broadway cast with Bill Hutton as Joseph? His real name is Bill Morneweg, and he was in my class in college. Gorgeous voice!

[ponytail]

Reading this thread again I remembered my first experience going to see a professional theater production. I'm from Philly, and the touring production of "Gypsy" with Angela Lansbury came to the Shubert theater there when I was fresh out of high school. Angela played Mama Rose -- the part Roz Russell played in the movie and Bette Midler later played on TV -- and literally stopped the show. After she sang "Rose's Turn," people gave her a standing ovation for about seven minutes, and they literally had to wait till the hubub died down before they resumed the action. It was electrifying. And for those who've never heard her -- Angela has a kickass singing voice. I also saw her on Broadway in "Sweeney Todd." She was an incredible stage performer long before "Murder She Wrote," a show that really only hints at her immense talent.

[Bat]

I think Angela Lansbury had to be the Bernadette Peters of her generation... cute, little and a stupendous talent with voice to match.

One of the first shows I ever played was 'Gypsy' at the Mission Playhouse in Burbank, and Covina Players did a terrific job of it, with the apron for the strippers going around the pit above the railing (I swear Electra was a real stripper!)...I was bug eyed for that whole scene, don't remember playing a note, but of course I had to have...Holy Smoke!:eek:
Our production ended with Mama's soliloquy, no other ending was necessary.
When I saw the movie, I was very surprised to find out there was more to it!
But that really was just a cool-down after that scene of Rose's, probably so everyone wouldn't drive like maniacs after leaving the theater, being so hyped!

I don't think Ann Bancroft could sing that well, if at all; but if she did sing, she would have made a marvelous Mama Rose!

[Oak Kitten]

KarenSews,

I just checked the few dusty LPs I still have, and I can't find the Joseph album. I must have traded it in at a used record store in Princeton, NJ before we moved to Maryland.

Gypsy is a great musical - although Rosalind Russell really can't sing. My favorite number from that show is "You Gotta Have a Gimmick."

One of the worst musical movies IMHO is "Mame" with Lucille Ball - that woman really could NOT sing. Yikes! And I have never been able to stand "The Music Man." It has the effect of fingernails on a blackboard for me.

One musical I really like, although it never gets performed anymore because it would be considered politically incorrect on several levels, is "Finian's Rainbow." The music is great, and the lyrics are quite witty. I especially like, "When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich," and the "Begat Song."

Oak

[ponytail]

I love "The Music Man!" I thought Robert Preston doing the anti-pool number was spellbinding (and subtly funny), though replacing Barbara Cook with Shirley Jones for the movie was kind of a sacrilege. Oh, well, different strokes...

"Victor/Victoria" also ended up being a fun musical. I liked the movie (speaking of Robert Preston) better than the show, though the show introduced a really poignant coming-out song called "Living In The Shadows." Now there are two great losses; Robert Preston's passing, and Julie Andrews losing her singing voice.

[Denise]

BAT wrote: I think Angela Lansbury had to be the Bernadette Peters of her generation... cute, little and a stupendous talent with voice to match.


I have to tell you this! When my mom was young, people used to tell her all the time that she looked like Angela Lansbury (when she was younger, of course, as well!) AND about 20 years ago, I used to be told quite often that I resembled Bernadette Peters (although not as pale!)!!!! Too funny....

I (like ponytail) also saw Angela Lansbury on Broadway in "Sweeney Todd" and that was one of my favorites - loved it!

[NinasSpaceChild]

I was never lucky enough to see Angela Lansbury in Sweeney Todd, but I do have the CD. :)

I have seen Sweeney Todd a few times and the best production I saw was by the Winmill Theatre a couple of years ago. As well as playing the parts of the characters, the cast played all the musical instruments live on stage as well. It was stunning.

[Dee]

Dee,
I think you would really enjoy Wicked. If a touring company ever comes your way, don't miss it!! The soundtrack is spectacular, great songs and absolutely lovely voices....Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth.

Thanks, Dar.

I just found out Wicked is coming to Toronto in Oct and Nov, but I think I'll wait and hope for it to come to my home town Ottawa at some point. Getting to Toronto is a major pain, and I never am comfortable there, especially now that there are so many street gangs making mayhem.

I only made one exception since 1977, and that was to see Janis in May of 2004.

[ponytail]

Today my partner Dave and I went to Barnes & Noble, and he bought a CD of the recent PBS concert version of "South Pacific" that featured Reba McIntire in the lead role of Nelly. He got very excited about it, so I'm about to give it a listen. Here is his "review" of it, which he posted on a forum called "All That Chat" that he visits frequently(identifying himself as "Sound Guy.") He did a good job, and I'm proud of him (and I can't wait to hear it for myself!):D


Because I have issues with our local PBS station I didn't see the "South Pacific" concert. (Yes, I know...cutting off nose, etc.) Anyway, I bought the CD today and have to say that I really like this performance.

I love Reba. Country music of a certain style is in my Top 5 Music Genres. Reba is one of my favorite country singers. Back when the concert took place and in subsequent posts, I could see how people would take exception to her. It took me about a minute to let Reba be Reba and stop comparing her to Mary (Martin) and Mitzi (Gaynor) and other women I've worked with or seen in this show. It dawned on me that Rogers & Hammerstein probably never intended these songs to sound like this, especially since they wrote them for Mary and figured on other Broadway singers to continue the run. I've got to say, however, that Reba helped me hear and understand Nellie as I haven't before. One of the things that really clicked it for me was "I'm a little hick." Mary and Mitzi never quite made me believe it; Reba clearly knows what being a little hick is and got that into that line and established where she was going for a good part of the rest of act 1. For this guy out here in a fly-over state, I got it. God bless Reba for making something new and her own and different out of some sometimes time-worn notes and words. I wish I had seen her "Annie Get Your Gun," and I'm glad I have her "South Pacific."

I may even give PBS some more money and buy the DVD.

[ponytail]

Well, I listened to the CD and I've got to say I agree with my partner on this one. Reba is amazing. I especially loved her take on "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" and "A Wonderful Guy." What a voice -- and her accent fits Nellie's Arkansas-born character perfectly.

I hope Dave's serious about getting the DVD...:)

[Angelica]

As you may know, I'm singer & actress in musicals (current Pumba & Rafiki in The Lion King), and now rehearsing for Grizabella in Cats (my favorite role!)

I've been in 2004 to NYC, there I had the chance to see the original cast of Wicked: Indina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, and "my" great Joel Grey. It's a great show! Great if you have the chance to see Indina performing!