Assassins - OBC or Revival?

[Mythus]

Posted: 11/3/04 at 10:04pm

I've got some money in my pocket, and Assassins is at the top of my list of cast recordings I really want to get. My question is, should I get the original recording or the revival? I've heard Ballad of Booth from the original, and I really like it, but I've also seen clips of the revival and like it just as much. Which one should I get? Or, should I buy both of them?

Oh! Found the list of cast recordings I want to get.

Gypsy
Man of La Mancha
Beauty and the Beast
Little Shop of Horrors (original or revival?)
Assassins (original or revival?)
Bare
Zanna, Don't!

Want to add to the list? Or subtract, even? And help me make up my mind about Assassins. Goodness, I have so many questions. Well, you all can help me.

[bythesword84]

Posted: 11/3/04 at 10:06pm

I love both the OBC and the Revival, but I'd probably say to get the revival simply because it has "Something Just Broke" on it and that song isn't on the Original recording.

[lostwallflower]

Posted: 11/3/04 at 10:11pm

Revival- More dialogue, and Something Just Broke are well worth it. Also, love Mario Cantone and James Barbour.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 11/3/04 at 10:12pm

I would say the revival of Assassins because I LOVE the cast. Also, you can order it from PS Classics through the end of the month for like $9.95.

[jesseeinstein]

Posted: 11/3/04 at 10:18pm

get both!
But if you can only get one.... The new orchestrations in the revival are awesome so I'd go for that one.

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 11/3/04 at 10:24pm

I find myself listening to the OOBC more often, but if you're only getting one, get the Revival recording. It's a bit more complete, and the sound quality is better. Both casts work amazingly well together.

[paradox_error]

Posted: 11/3/04 at 10:29pm

Personally, I preferred Victor Garbers performance of Booth in the Original Off-Broadway cast (since when has playwrights horizons been considered a broadway theatre :P) to Michael Cerveris', but then i think Victor Garber has the Midas touch.
I prefer Annie Golden in the original cast, but i prefer Alexander Gemignani in the revival cast...meaning i would love to hear the 2 recordings of unworthy of your love combined into one. Seriously though...Annie Golden has one of the greatest voices!
Neil Patrick Harris is pretty great in the revival, and the orchestrations are much better. So really and truly all i could advise is be like me and buy both recordings...its a great show so its worth it

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 11/3/04 at 10:38pm

Let me be the decenter here and put my vote in for the original cast recording. I just like it better. I think the show was meant to be simple, and on the revial recording the new jazzy Broadway orchestrations are too much, and that the singing of many of the principals is poor. I know Denis O'Hare was nominated for a Tony as Guiteau, but his singing is terrible! Mario Cantone and the woman playing Sara Jane Moore also are pretty bad. I'm sure they acted well, but if you're going to listen to a cast recording, get the original.

[QueenMuppet]

Posted: 11/4/04 at 12:29am

I'd recommend the revival as well.

I was just listening to it the other day and realized how much I miss that show
The recording is great but it just cannot capture that magic these guys had going on on stage. It almost sounds 'empty'... strange, I know.

QM

Posted: 11/4/04 at 12:38am

My vote is for the revival as well.

James Barbour is a Bway demi-god.

[shlamdiddly]

Posted: 11/4/04 at 12:43am

go fo rthe revival

[jczelyph]

Posted: 11/4/04 at 6:51am

Some other advice....

Get the 2003 revival of Little Shop Of Horrors. It is SO good. A superb recording and you get some bonus previously unreleased songs. And it's more complete in contrast to the original recording. Kerry Butler as Audrey isn't quite as good as Ellen Greene in the role but Hunter Foster is perfect as Seymour.

A cast recording of BARE yet. You can get a free CD sampler with 11 songs from various websites - try Sh-K-Boom. The only way of getting a complete recording is to get your hands on a *cough* b**tl*g, and, as we all know, they're only for criminals and undesirables.

As for your other choices, you're spot-on. Zanna, Don't is super... If you buy Gypsy, go for the Bernadette Peters version. I posted a thread asking which version of Gypsy was best and overall, it came out to be Peters' version.

[Theatreboy33]

Posted: 11/4/04 at 8:30am

"I know Denis O'Hare was nominated for a Tony as Guiteau, but his singing is terrible!"

Anyone who is concerned with this obviously has completely missed the point of this show. Assasins is a wonderfully powerful musical about the disturbing individuals who feel it is their right to achieve the American dream so badly, they are willing to kill the president to get it, or to seek vengence on not getting it. O'Hare's character is a man on the edge, unsure of himself, and basically repressing an intense fear. On the revival recording, THAT is what you hear. His ballad of Guiteau is disturbingly good. You can actually HEAR the man grinning from ear to ear even as he is panicking as he is set to the gallows. If he had boasted a strong and powerful singing voice without cracking, without missing a few notes, without occasionally screaming, all this needed emotion would be devoid. If you are looking for Colm Wikonson or something to play Guiteau, I doubt you understand the character very well. Not all musical characters require strong singing voices. But all require superb acting. The revival and OCR both have these, but id recommend the revival, just FOR Dennis O'Hare's portrayal of a man on the edge.

[Jon]

Posted: 11/4/04 at 8:38am

Let me join the chorus touting the revival recording. The sound quality is superior, you can understand the lyrics easier, and the little snippets of dialogue give you a beter sense of the show.

[timote316]

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:03am

I'd go with the new versions of all of the CDs you listed.

Also, the Bare CD Sampler is available to download on the Bare site. That one is very worth it, it still would be worth it if they charged for it IMO. Enjoy your new music, whatever you get!
BARE CD Sampler

[kgee30]

Posted: 11/4/04 at 9:44am

Ah, the revival. Both Cerveris and O'Hare are masterful at revealing character through voice -- critical to those of us unable to see the show while it was running. The effect is both chilling and thrilling, and well worth repeated listening.

[MagicToDo82]

Posted: 11/4/04 at 10:55am

They're both good recordings, you can't really go wrong with either. I'm an Assassins junkie and really like both a lot, but my heart still belongs to the original cast. Mostly because of Victor Garber, Annie Golden, and Patrick Cassidy (the balladeer.) However, the revival (which I guess is technically the Original Broadway Cast??) features "Something Just Broke" which is a great addition, a bunch more dialouge, and some great performances from James Barbour, Denis O'Hare (I have to disagree, I think he's wonderful) and Alexander Gemigniani, who I think is a better Hinckley than the original. ...But, Like I said, I don't think you can really go wrong with either.

[sean martin]

Posted: 11/4/04 at 11:53am

Re: MAN OF LA MANCHA

There's a 2-disc set that I think is now out of print, but it was the whole show, recorded with the original cast. It's an amazing recording if you can find it.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 11/4/04 at 12:05pm

TheatreBoy33, I agree that many characters in this show do not require great singing voices. In fact, I think that Guiteau would be less effective is performed by a great singer. But there's a line between good "character" singing and amateurishness. On the original cast recording, Jonathan Hadary, not a great singer by any means, acts the song wonderfully while still using proper vocal technique. I'm sure Denis O'Hare's acting was excellent, and perhaps onstage, when one is seeing the whole performance, his weak singing didn't matter as much. But as far as listening to a recording, I would definitely have to recommend Hadary's version.

[Raimiette]

Posted: 11/4/04 at 12:07pm

I'd go with the OBC but only because I have an affinity for Victor Garber.

They're both quite good.