this thread is for people who love the show and talk about what they like on the cd.
I think Sail to the Stars is breathtaking. sounds like they might hold out the end note a little longer than in the theatre, to me this is the track that makes me feel like i am there again.
I wish Grania's little soliloquy before Evleen's Celtic riff-fest was there.
ETA: During the run, did any u/s besides the one for Grania (or that was her standby, or whatever) go on? When I saw it we had the u/s for Majella, but I mean for more lead roles.
I just got it this afternoon, and am at the moment listening to "Boys Will Be Boys" I didnt care much for the number when I saw it live, but I like the general tune of the song and such better on the cd. Anyways, I am really liking the cd so far. I have realized some lyrics arent THE greatest, but they arent bad in any way. I am loving the orchestrations, especially in "Woman" and the "Prologue" :)
My 2007/2008 Season:
Grey Gardens (7/5)
110 in the Shade (7/6)
Mary Poppins (7/7)
Xanadu (7/7)
Deuce (7/8)
Spamalot (7/8)
Jersey Boys (8/25)
The Year of Magical Thinking (8/25)
Mauritius (11/2)
Young Frankenstein (11/3)
Rock 'N' Roll (11/3)
Pygmalion (11/4)
Mauritius (11/10)
Mauritius (11/21) Mauritius (11/21)
Sunday in the Park with George (3/6)
South Pacific (3/7)
Gypsy (3/8)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (3/9)
Even though my thoughts aren't all positive, I figured I should repost them here as well as the other thread discussing the recoring, seeing as I was a big supporter of the show since back in Chicago. -------
I've been a big supporter of this show, but hearing this CD gave me very mixed reactions.
On the positive side, the good is very good: I'll Be There and Woman are quite well done. Day Beyond Belclare and Sail to the Stars are very powerful. Father Stand By His Son and Surrender are both incredibly haunting and beautifully sung. And I Dismiss You is a complete powerhouse (even more so than in the theater IMHO).
But the bad is not so good: I still can't stand the numbers that take place in England. The opening number is unfortunately just as bad as I remembered it. I still can't believe Boys'll Be Boys wasn't completely re-written (although it ended up being a decent number in the show). And most unfortunate to me, is the inexplicably "small" sound of the orchestra. Along with some of the other obvious problems PQ had, why it didn't at least have a HUGE sound is beyond me.
All that being said, the album is well produced, incredibly performed, and a nice reminder of a show that I liked, and hoped to have loved. I am certainly happy to have this CD and think we fans of the show are fortunate that they even made it under what must have been shaky circumstances, due to the shows critical bashing.
When Hadley sings "Whatever you do, remember that I'm watching you." in A Day Beyond Belclare I get intense chills. Also Woman is fabulous.
"This table, he is over one hundred years old. If I could, I would take an old gramophone needle and run it along the surface of the wood. To hear the music of the voices. All that was said." - Doug Wright, I Am My Own Wife