No comments about The 1953 Walden Sessions: Songs by Cole Porter and Rodgers & Hart.

No comments about Legends of Broadway.

4 comments about Lucky in the Rain (2000 Studio Cast Recording).

1. Take a 30's musical "Lucky in the Rain", the songs of Jimmy McHugh, Harold Adamson and Dorothy Fields and you have one great show. Add to this some of the musical theatres greatest artists and you are in heaven. The wonderful golden oldies "On the Summy Side of the Street", "Exactly Like You", "Coming in on a Wing and Prayer", "Lovely Way to Spend an Evening', "I Can't Give you Anything But Love", etc comprise some of this wonderful score. The golden voices of Malcolm Gets, Debbie Gravitte, Patrick Wilson (The Full Monty), Marcus Neville and the glorious Lilias White are a joy to listen to. If that was not enough the glorious voice of Barbara Cook completes the ensemble.
   Excuse while I go listen to it again



2. I bought this CD impulsively, and to my everlasting delight I find it one of the best show albums I have ever listened to. The songs are wonderful, and when you read the fascinating liner notes, you see how Sherman Yellen, the ingenious creator, cleverly set these songs in a charming story about American journalists in Paris in 1927. I only regret that I missed the original performance at the Goodspeed Opera a few seasons back. The studio cast performances are as good as it gets, the amazing Barbara Cook sings these standards with her accumstomed genius, Malcolm Gets has one extraordinary voice, Patrick Wilson is terrific, as is Marcus Neville of the original cast, Lillias White and Rachel Cohen are delights, and the ensemble with Lise Brown and Kathy Lessner is amazing. This is a real gem in a jewel box. Buy it and treasure it.



3. The music on this album is a collection of catchy tunes that deserve recognition. The orchestrations of the songs fit quite well with the story, which is set in the early 1900s, creating a feel of going back in time. It invokes a sense of nostalgia for a more idealistic time period and the performers convey this quite wonderfully. My one gripe would be that the use of different artists singing for the same characters make following the storyline a bit confusing. Other than that, the album is a light and uplifting soundtrack that works wonders in getting your spirits up.



4. To hear a musical on Broadway with something approaching memorable music, one has to go to a revival (usually inferior to the original) or to a show that recycles some of the great classics of the past as in "Crazy For You" or in the new delight . The latter is now available on a DRG recording (12625) and its only fault is its 45-minute running time.

   This musical draws upon the tunes of Jimmy McHugh--yes I know, not a name with high recognition rating, but his songs are--and sets them into a plot that concerns Americans in the Paris of 1927. But since the CD has only the songs--and it must stand or fall on those alone--just take a gander at the line up of songs toward the top of this webpage!

   Hey, you say, "Wing and a prayer" was written in 1943. So okay, here it isused to welcome Lindbergh and we can easily excuse Sherman Yellen and Wally Harper who wrote and conceived the show. The game cast with voices ranging from good to really good includes Barbara Cook, Malcolm Gets, Debbie Gravitte, and Lillias White. And how good it is to hear those old favorites again! Perhaps some one will consider adding the dialogue and giving us the whole monty!

2 comments about Essential Collection.

1. This collection of Previn's work is exceptional, with hard to find cuts, especially the ones taken from his early 1960's LP "Love Walked In". His technique is amazing and shows his classical music training, with flawless timing, elegance and always retaining the melody line throughout the variations. The very early recordings of him at age 17 are especially rare and show his ability even as a young man. In my opinion, this CD is truly "essential" to any jazz piano collection.



2. This is different,starting in the 40s which doesn't get you back into the ricky ticky,listening to Previn's growth in maturity & his articulation makes it easy .Grade A

No comments about Blood Brothers.

2 comments about The Sondheim Collection (Studio Cast Re-recordings).

1. When I got home after finding yet another Sondheim CD, I immediately put this one into the player. And I loved every second of it! Those of you who are against modifications to traditionality of songs might not enjoy a couple of the numbers... like Children Will Listen (Which has a nifty arrangement) or You'll Never Get Away From Me (which I personally haven't heard before... bad me!) But it's all VERY good either way and I found it to be absolutley glorious! I raved on for weeks to my friends about how I loved this new CD my mom got me. And the "Every Day A Little Death" performed by Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley is almost to die for!!! Absolutely beautiful! I recommend anyone and everyone to get this wonderful CD NOW!!!



2. There are a lot of wonderful tracks on this that show why Sondheim is considered such a genius. His songs from the motion picture "Dick Tracy", including Jane Krakowski's stunning rendition of "Sooner or Later", are all wonderful, as are the songs from "Unsung Sondheim", such as "The Old Piano Rag". Also, Christiane Noll's "Marry Me A Little" is charming. However, Petula Clarck's version of "Children Will Listen" (a beautiful, sweet song, turned into plain icky) and Judy Kuhn's "You'll Never Get Away From Me" (if I were Jule Styne, I'd have her shot for turning that beautiful song into a jazzy salsa piece of grabage) make it dangerously close to being bad. I'd say go for it if you're seriously interested in Sondheim.

5 comments about She Loves Me (1994 London Cast).

1. SHE LOVES ME is one of the most delightful musicals ever written. This cast album is from the acclaimed 1994 West End revival which starred the delightful Ruthie Henshall.

   The beloved Jerry Bock-Sheldon Harnick score is perfectly performed. The strong cast includes John Gordon Sinclair as Georg Nowack, Tracie Bennett as Ilona Ritter, Barry James as Ladislav Sipos and Gerard Casey as Steven Kodaly.

   Ruthie Henshall takes on the dream-role of Amalia Balash. Though the role is still virtually defined and owned by Barbara Cook, Henshall brings a lovely sweetness and weight to the character. She also reveals her rarely-utilised lyric soprano voice, which is breathtaking in show pieces like "Vanilla Ice Cream", "Will He Like Me?", "No More Candy" and the frenzied, utterly-delightful "Where's My Shoe?".

   I have said it many times; I truly belive that the Sheldon-Bock score is the best written by the pair, even easily surpassing their biggest hit, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF.

   SHE LOVES ME is a real treat for any musical theater fan. The score is superbly delicious, just like vanilla ice cream...




2. This is not only one of my favorite musicals of all time, I love this recording. I suppose I am partial because I fell in love with this particular production when I was studying in England in 1995. I was watching the Sir Lawrence Oliver Awards (British version of the Tony's) and I was delighted by Ruthie Henshall singing "Vanilla Ice Cream." I vowed to see the show before I left London, but was soon drawn into the more glitzy shows (i.e., Sunset Blvd., Cats, Miss Saigon) that were on the west end at the time. However, right before I left, a friend and her mother wanted to see a show. We stood in the rush ticket booth line at Picadilly Circus (we got there about an hour before it opened) and waited for 2 hours. Originally we wanted to see Sunset Blvd., but the only musical that had available tickets for that night was "She Loves Me." Not only were they rush tickets and very cheap (about $15 each), but they were in the front row of the very cozy Savoy Theatre. It was the finest production I have ever seen live (and I have seen over 100 professional shows in my life).

   Admittedly, John Gordon-SInclair (such a British name!) was not the best singer, but he was absolutely endearing as Georg. He reminded me of Tim Robbins. Tracy Bennett, whom I had been watching on some British soap that I can't recall the name of was passable in her singing of Ilona, but was a great actress. The songs for this production (I have the score for both shows) WAS lowered but not just for Bennett. Ruthie Hensall's songs like " Dear Friend" and "Vanilla Ice Cream" were lowered a key. Regardless, this was a fine show and the recording does justice better than any other show that I have seen.

   Just a note, this story does not resemble "You've Got Mail." That movie resembles this musical. The musical came first. It is based on a play by Miklos Laszlo that was turned into the movie "Shop Atround the Corner," starring James Stewart. It was later adapted to a movie musical called "In the Good Old Summertime" which starred Judy Garland. Then came "She Loves Me" in 1963 and then "You've Got Mail." Don't get me wrong. I like "You've Got Mail," but I like for people to also know that this musical was not based on that movie.

   No matter what, this is the best version of the musical. I love Barbara Cook's voice. I even had a chance to see her sing recently and she can still hit the high C at the end of Vanilla Ice Cream. Nonetheless, Ruthie has a much richer and expressive voice in my opinion and overall that singing is much better.




3. I don't understand the previous reviews - I found this recording positively dreadful, with Ruthie Henshall being the only one worth listening to. John Sinclair is abominable as George - he sounds like he's doing a (bad) imitation of Michael Crawford in "Hello, Dolly." He does strange things to his words - I guess he's trying not to sound British, but why is he singing "Summ-ar weath-ar" instead of "summer weather"? The Ilona is a bass - almost literally. "I Resolve" has been lowered for her, and yet she still cannot master the range of the song. To accomodate her, the second part of "I Don't Know His Name" has a truly odd key change. Were she remotely talented I could understand key changes to facilitate her singing, but she's not worth it. The orchestrations are odd, too, with strange sleigh bell sounds appearing frequently. The rest of the singers range from fair (Kodaly - a pretty voice but not much expression) to bad (Mr. Maraczek drags down EVERY SINGLE NOTE of "Days Gone By." Luckily this is his only song.) The Broadway revival, to my ear, still has the best voices, except, of course, that Barbara Cook (the original) outshines Diane Fratantoni, who is merely good (but who was a vast improvement over the Roundabout's original Amalia, the annoying Judy Kuhn.) Get the original or revival recordings instead - this London version I would recommend only to die-hard SHE LOVES ME fans, or masochists. I'd rather sit through another terrible viewing of "You've Got Mail" than listen to this again!



4. If you love Ruthie Henshall then you HAVE to own her Olivier winning performance of Amalia Balash in the romantic, musical comdey SHE LOVES ME. Even if you don't love Ruthie, or don't know who she is you will truly appreciate the wonderful and witty score.

   Ruthie Henshall of such Musicals as LES MISERABLES (Fantine 10th Anniverasry Concert on CD), Crazy For You (Polly, OLC on CD), and CHICAGO (The definitive Roxie, OLC on CD) shines brightly in this musical comedy written in the 60's. It originally starred Broadway Diva Barbara Cook (of MUSICA MAN fame). Also starring John Gordon Sinclair of "Gregory's Girl" fame. (Ruthie and John became engaged during the run of the show, but years later it was broken.) The story closely resembles the movie "YOU'VE GOT MAIL" where the two email each other and are in love on line, only thing is that they hate each other in real life. But they don't know it's them online! Same story only they're penpals. It's back to the essence of Musical Comedy, complete with sidekick friend, Ilona, played by Tracie Bennett, who does well with her songs.

   Notable Songs in this simple, yet catchy score include "Three Letters" sung by Sinclair and Henshall when they're romance is starting to grow through letters. "I Don't Know His Name" the hilarious duet between Henshall and Bennett about the history of lovers they've had. "Will He Like Me?" Henshall's moving solo on the distressing question when they finally meet, will he like her? "Dear Friend" has Henshall once again questioning the soon to be relationship of the two penpals. As the story progress Amalia (Henshall) becomes frantic and explodes in a tantrome in the fall-down-funny "Where's My Shoe?" This song alone is worth the purchase of this CD. It only runs about 2 minutes, but let me tell you the vocal acrobatics that Miss Henshall brings forth! She certainly makes it her own, just like "Roxie" in CHICAGO! (For those of you who haven't heard the London Cast with Ruthie as Roxie, you are missing out!!) "Vanilla Ice Cream" probably the most famous song from the show is sung to perfection by, yet again Miss Henshall. She's singing about the man she hates, Georg (her penpal), who finally seems nice and worth while because he brought her ice cream while she was sick. "She Loves Me" has Sinclair singing his heart out over the realization that she's his penpal! Bennet gets to ham it up with her sexy solo "A Trip To The Library." "Twelve Days Of Christmas" shows the slow progression of the romance between the two, even though she still doesn't know he's her penpal. Of course the finale has the "happily ever after syndrome, but what do expect from Musical Theatre??

   This CD is such a gem, it should be in every Musical Theatre Lover's collection! Don't be caught without it! Especially when Ruthie skyrockets to stardome and you're left to search for a copy...and they're out of print!! :)




5. I bought this CD simply because of the name Ruthie Henshall, and sure enough I loved it! Her vocal range is incredible, from her witty dialogue ("No More Candy"), growling belts ("Where's My Shoe", to her mezzo-soprano golden voice ("Will He Like Me?", "Vanilla Ice Cream") that grabs you and won't let go. Not only is Ruthie splendid in this recording but she has a fine and strong supporting cast as well. The songs are very catchy and sweet ranging from "Three Letters", "Dear Friend", "No More Candy", to the heartfelt "Will He Like Me?" to the hilarious "Where's My Shoe?" and "Vanilla Ice Cream". The strong score and cast make this CD is a must buy, especially for the sentimental comedy lovers. Ruthie is divine!

5 comments about Happy End (2006 ACT Cast).

1. Fourpenny Opera
   By Janos Gereben [2006]
   
   Following the great success of their "Threepenny Opera" in Berlin, Kurt Weill and Bertold Brecht were forced to put up with each other again, and in 1929, "Happy End" was born... a stepchild-to-be, suppressed by the ascending Nazis, ignored by audiences.
   
   In this country, decades later, Michael Feingold managed to resuscitate this vehicle for the magic "Bilbao Song," "The Sailors' Tango," "The Mandalay Song," and the guaranteed showstopper "Surabaya Johnny." In San Francisco, Carey Perloff's American Conservatory Theater followed up an excellent production of "Threepenny Opera" in 2000 with a stylish, fun premiere of "Happy End" in the Geary Theater tonight.
   
   This "Melodrama with Songs" has a paper-thin story, of Chicago gangsters and Salvation Army molls, a faint echo of Shaw's 1905 "Major Barbara," but the music is something else, well described by Perloff as "sexy, dangerous, surprising, inventive, and filled with sudden bursts of jazz, tango, foxtrot..."
   
   Perloff, with her special touch for music drama (from musicals to opera), pulled together a cast of mostly "straight actors," who somehow manage to sing and dance up a storm (aided by amplification, alas), under the care of music director Constantine Kitsopoulos and choreographer John Carrafa.
   
   Just as Perloff belongs in an opera house, Walt Spangler's spectacular multi-functional unit set should make a major opera company proud. With huge, gleaming metal trusses and a full-length staircase, the play's two settings (Bill's Beer Hall and the Salvation Army Mission) inhabit the same space as the staircase is moved from one location to another - similar to the Bayreuth "Flying Dutchman" where the same structure served, convincingly, as the harbor and the inside of Senta's home.
   
   It's fortunate that the male lead doesn't have a big musical number because Peter Macon - scary-good that he is in the role of Bill Cracker - is not much of a crooner. His love interest (so to speak), Lieutenant Lillian of the Salvation Army, has all the singin'. Charlotte Cohn, the Musetta from the "Broadway Boheme," put her all into "The Sailors' Tango" and "Surabaya Johnny." Outstanding singing - different in its professional, perhaps excessively singerly quality - came from Linda Mugleston, in the role of The Fly, the mysterious Lady in Grey, running the gang. Extra material, in form of "The Ballad of the Pirates," from Weill's 1928 "Die Muschel von Margate," was interpolated into the show to give Mugleston her "entrance aria," and she made the most of it.
   
   The large ensemble cast features some of the top A.C.T. regulars, including René Augesen, Steven Anthony Jones, Charles Dean, and Dan Hiatt. It was a special pleasure to see Jack Willis, back for the first time since his star turn in "The Black Rider," as Sam Wurlitzer, the "Mammy" of the gang, in an appropriate, very large frock. Human turbine Justin Leath, from the A.C.T. master of fine arts program, class of 2007, paired up beautifully with Willis as "Baby Face."
   
   Perloff's direction is functional and effective, as usual - especially appealing in not calling attention to the Director and the act of Directing - but opening night didn't go as smoothly as this production is likely to appear in the future. Cohesion and fluidity were not always present; there were many tiny pauses in the text and movement, not enough to create a problem, but it was noticeable nevertheless.
   
   The big-show finale made the audience forget whatever misgivings there might have been before. Perfectly manic or, rather, maniacally perfect, this was a memorable Broadway moment, everybody in motion, as the "Hosannah" chorus rings out:
   "Praise to the Fords and Rockefellers - Hosannah!
   The buyers and the sellers - Hosannah!
   All power to the great - Hosannah!
   Give them to the city and the state - Hosannah!"



2. I really enjoyed this recording. The performances are fine and the overall sound quality good.



3. Finally an English-language version of this classic Brecht-Weill work and A.C.T.'s production delivers the goods, particularly the stunning and beautiful soprano of Charlotte Cohn as "Halellujah Lil" who gets to tackle the show's most famous numbers. Cohn's 'Sailor's Tango' is gorgeous and haunting and her rendition of 'Surabaya Johnny' soars: dynamic and beautiful. Definitely an album worth owning!



4. Excellent recording and cast - from California, of course! A must for Becht - Weill fans...



5. If you are reading this review stop now and click the buy button immediately. This is the best Weill "show" recording to come out in a long time. Happy End, which has been always described as that "difficult" sequel to The ThreePenny Opera is shown here to be a vital and vibrant piece of Musical Theater. This CD should be in every Weill enthusiasts collection. In fact everyone interested in the Musical theater should buy it now. I liked it. Can you tell?

5 comments about Andrea McArdle's Family Christmas.

1. I could go on all day about this album, but i don't have the time.It's the ultimate x-mas and holiday album!!!
   and with the fantastic voice of A Mc A how can you go wrong !!
   Henrik



2. ...is that Michael, Andrea's brother, is a bit fey. Since there are already two stunning women's voices featured, did we really need what seems like a third? There are some lyrics where clearly it's clearly a man singing, yet it sounds like Andrea's daughter. All I'm saying is Michael could use some testosterone injections.
   
   And it would have been nice had there been one Hanuchakah song added. (My personal choice would be "L'chaim!" from Fiddler on the Roof)



3. Andrea McAredle's Family Christmas is a fabulous Cd and a must have for any holiday collection! Her voice is amazing and I belive that she has more talent than most artists out there. Andrea and her family need more recognition than they recieve because they truly have the power to leave you awe-struck and inspired! This Cd will definitly have you rokin around the christmas tree!



4. Andrea McArdle's Family Christmas is a wonderful Christmas CD. The most obvious reason to by this CD is that you are treated to the clear, powerful, beautiful voice of Andrea McArdle. Ms. McArdle's voice is absolutely mesmerizing from the high energy opening "We Need a Little Christmas" to her absolutely gorgeous rendition of "The Christmas Song." Ms. McArdle has the ability to fill a song with an array of emotion. She has complete control of her voice with the skill to go from a breathtaking whisper to an unbelievably strong belt. Ms. McArdle is truly one of the most gifted artists of our time. Not only is Ms. McArdle extremely talented, she is part of a very talented family as well. The music on this CD is beautifully and creatively arranged by Ms. McArdle's husband Edd Kalehoff. Ms. McArdle's daughter Alexis Kalehoff has a beautiful, natural voice that is sure to become even more enchanting as she matures. Michael McArdle, Andrea's younger brother, is very, very good. Michael has several high energy Christmas songs that show off his impressive tenor voice. I would not be a bit surprised if we hear more about Michael in the years to come. I strongly recommend buying this CD. I have owned the CD since December 1999 and I still find myself popping it into my CD player in April! If anyone needs one more reason to look forward to Christmas, well here it is, Andrea McArdle's Family Christmas. This CD will bring you and your family pleasure for years to come and will be an excellent addition to any Christmas CD collection.



5. I bought this CD the minute I found out about it's existence. Once again, Andrea McArdle has a winner. This time she shares the stage with her daughter Alexis, her brother Michael, and a wonderful childrens chorus. My kids and I have been listening to this CD non-stop for the past two months -- and Christmas is long gone. The selection of songs is fabulous, the arrangements are great, and anything Andrea sings is pure heaven.

1 comments about Musicals - The Gold Collection.

1. Some of the best musicals from the last century appear on this 4-CD compilation "Musicals:The Gold Collection", featuring many stars of the London Stage with Paul Bateman (conductor), The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, The Philharmonia, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the world renown Crouch End Festival Chorus ~ sharing the spotlight, blending voice and music within the boundaries of great compositions from sold out musical shows from the past ~ all songs presented on this collection have been performed by a diverse set of artists ~ share the beauty of simplicity that exists in the music of each performance.

   Here's just a sampling with "Annie", Annie Get Your Gun", "Anything Goes", "Aspects of Love", "Cabaret", "Carmen Jones", "Carousel", "Cats", "Chess", "Evita", "The Fantastics", "Fiddler on the Roof", "Gigi", "Guys and Dolls", "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", "Kismet", "Kiss Me Kate", "La Cage Aux Folles", "Les Miserables", "A Little Night Music", "Man of La Mancha", "Oklahoma", "Phantom of the Opera", "Porgy & Bess", "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers", "Showboat", "The Sound of Music", "South Pacific", "Starlight Express", "Sunset Boulevard", "Tell Me On Sunday", "There's No Business Like Show Business", "West Side Story" ~ each cue is just the icing on the cake presented in this one of a kind event.

   Let's take a look at the stars of the London Stage ~ Meredith Braun, Keith Burns, Sharon Campbell, Mary Carewe, Gerard Casey, Chris Corcoran, Keith Ferreira, Lesley Garrett (always a favorite in everyones collection), Helen Hobson, Michele Hooper, Christopher Howard, Jason Howard, Ria Jones, John Langley, David Shannon, Deorah Steel, Jill Washington, Dave Willetts, Tania Williams ~ so much talent under one banner, perfection is the only description that comes to mind. Paul Bateman has come up with a instrumental masterpiece, with emotional peaks and valleys that we've experienced over decades in the tumultuous world of musicals in the theatre.

   Silva America, James Fitzpatrick, Reynold da Silva and David Stoner have paid homage to this genre ~ brought to the forefront in one universal voice the magnitude and influence for all it's listeners ~ powerful and personal touch of each track makes you feel the melody is still ringing in your ears, that's what the composer hoped for and it works ~ this musical collection is a keeper ~ gotta love it!

   Total Time: 4-CD-Set ~ Silva America 3605 ~ (4/06/2004)