Ball on Broadway

[DofB5]

Posted: 5/16/03 at 6:05pm

Just heard the radio show and enjoyed it very much. He did a review of "Millie".

I found it very strange listening to Mr. Balls speaking voice. He doesn't sound like a Brit! I'd swear he was from somewhere around Nashville.

Did anyone else catch the show?
D

[PigletH13]

Posted: 5/16/03 at 6:11pm

He was wonderful in Chitty...and I do hope he comes with the show if and when it does come to Bway!

PigletH13

[jo]

Posted: 5/16/03 at 6:23pm

Yes, the first broadcast of BBC's "Ball Over Broadway" was a good start to the series ( he did something similar also for BBC in 2001). After "Millie" , the other shows to be covered include Nine, Hairspray, Gypsy, Man of La Mancha and Moving Out.

Michael's enunciation, whether singing or speaking, is always very clear. He does have a British accent ( something he says is his main qualification for being in CHITTY - lol! )

Btw - hello to everyone again!


jo

[DofB5]

Posted: 5/16/03 at 8:18pm

I just heard his version of "Music of the Night". I liked it--even if he didn't hold the last note as long as Mr. C --but hate to say I did NOT like his "Phantom of the Opera". "All I Ask Of You" was good as well. Makes me wish I could have seen his Raoul. Ahh well.

D

[Musetta1957]

Posted: 5/17/03 at 2:29am

He says it changes to Welsh whenever he crosses over a certain bridge into Wales... :)

(His mom is Welsh, I think.)

Posted: 5/17/03 at 5:13am

Glad you enjoyed the show I thought you might somehow.Next weeks show features 'Hairspray'.

Did you hear'Music of the night' and 'Phantom of the Opera' on Michael's Centre Stage album.I much prefer him singing POTO with Claire Moore(who was Christine to his Raoul in the show)sadly it's not on the Cd,it's one of those songs that loses something on a studio recording.....best heard/recorded live,I feel.

Michael's a bit of a chameleon when it comes to voices.At some point during the evening we usually get a blast of whichever accent is used in the current area we are in during a tour :)

Bye the way anyone who missed last nights prog and would like to hear it you can listen to it online for the next seven days on the bbc website.

[JakeB]

Posted: 5/17/03 at 8:55am

I heard it but it wasn't really a review, or even a decent interview, just a bit of a plug for the show really! Still, it had the music in it so I was glad I taped it.

Posted: 5/17/03 at 11:15am

That's exactly what the series is,a look at the new shows that have opened recently on Broadway.The programme is only half an hour long,so indepth discussions are going to be difficult.I was interested to hear Clive Barnes I thought he could have just made
all the right noises but instead he had the courage of his convictions to say what he really thought.It was lovely to hear the fairytale way in which the leading lady came to be given the role of Millie to.I don't think the presenter here is trying to play the role of critic,only get the music and information on the
shows heard by a larger audiences :)

[DofB5]

Posted: 5/17/03 at 3:57pm

I don't know a lot about it--nor the others he is planning on presenting. I'm so picky about what kind of music I like that it is good the hear a sample of a shows without having to pay to hear it. Now I can make up my mind as to which shows I would like to see when the road show hits Tampa.

Ment to say that, hearing a bit about the plot of the story is good too.

Is there a way to record the show on the computer? Like set up a timer on the VCR to catch it for me? That would be GREAT!

Also, I have a small hand held 9 band world receiver radio--but I'm not sure how to find the BBC on it. Does anyone know the bandwith (is that right?) it is on? Is it FM, MW or SW? I've been listening to it on the computer and trying to find it on the radio at the same time with no luck.

Thanks,
D

[JakeB]

Posted: 5/17/03 at 5:44pm

So that's why I recorded it, straight off the radio onto tape!

[theaterbuff]

Posted: 5/18/03 at 5:13pm

I'd love to tune in.

[DofB5]

Posted: 5/18/03 at 6:07pm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/

It's on Friday at 5:00 PM EST. Ria said you can hear it again on the web site but I haven't checked that out yet. I just know about the one time.

Enjoy!
D

Posted: 5/19/03 at 1:43am

On the www.bbc.co.uk/radio2 website they have a facility to listen again to some of the weeks radio programmes.Ball over Broadway is included so you can hear last Fridays broadcast all week and then it will be replaced with this weeks programme on Fri/Sat(I'm not sure which day it will change).

Ria

(I think radio 2 is 88/91FM) Updated On: 5/19/03 at 01:43 AM

[babyface]

Posted: 5/19/03 at 11:12am

DOES ANYONE KNOW IF CHITTY IS COMING TO BROADWAY?

[DofB5]

Posted: 5/19/03 at 9:01pm

Sorry Babyface, I don't honestly know if Chitty is coming to Broadway or not but I do know that if Mr. Ball IS in it, I'm going to be there. Got my fingers crossed, anyway. I don't care if it is a childrens show--I'm watching Danny Kaye in "Hans Christian Anderson" as I type this. I love the music/songs in it.

D

[kec]

Posted: 5/20/03 at 3:46pm

Just came back from a weekend away, and discovered this little thread! :) DofB5, glad you were able to hear the radio broadcast, and I'm glad to know that it is possible to hear it again. I was away Friday night, and missed it.

Re Phantom of the Opera, I saw him do it in concert in August 2002, and it was mesmerizing. When I first heard it on the Centre Stage cd, I didn't like it as much, but it's grown on me now, and I quite enjoy it. Love his Music of the Night, though. It gave me the shivers first time I heard it on that same CD.

Off to play catch-up on stuff... talk to y'all soon! :)

[kec]

Posted: 5/20/03 at 4:11pm

DofB5, to answer your question about the radio, I'm fairly certain you can get some BBC radio via Short Wave. I have a shortwave radio, and I do remember getting the BBC via shortwave when I was living in Romania. Unfortunately,that was 14 years ago, :) and I don't remember exactly how I found it and I haven't had a chance to check it out to see if I can get BBC2 on it yet.

[DofB5]

Posted: 5/20/03 at 6:58pm

I thought you just stopped posting after the other board said it was going to close down!

Many thanks, to Ria and you for telling me about the radio show.

I have a very small radio that claims it can pick up world wide but I never really messed with it--had no reason to. Now that I know the show is repeated, I don't worry so much about getting it on the radio or missing it at that one time but I'm still going to try to get it--if only for the practice and to see if that radio really does what it says. :)

Yes, I liked Mr. Ball's MOTN the first time I heard it. It is the best one --next to Mr. Crawfords--that I have heard. I can now say for sure that he would indeed make a very worthy heir to the Phantom role.

Perhaps I would like his POTO better after hearing it live but I'm very sorry to say I didn't like it on the CD at all. There is one more reason to treat his American fans to a CONCERT! We need to hear his version of POTO live!

Looking forward to talking to you again. Please be sure to tell Old Lady where we all are. I enjoyed talking to her as well.

:)
D

[kec]

Posted: 5/21/03 at 6:29am

"I thought you just stopped posting after the other board said it was going to close down! "

Nah... I had the chance to go away for the weekend (not London this trip -- that'll be next month!:) ) and just didn't get a chance to do much posting on the other board or register here before leaving.

"Many thanks, to Ria and you for telling me about the radio show"

You're welcome. Always glad to help a fellow U.S. MB fan!

As for Oldlady -- I'm sure she'll be around soon -- I think she is away -- I seem to recall her saying something about going to NY to see some shows.

[DofB5]

Posted: 5/21/03 at 6:43pm

on the other board. If you hear anything about him leaving Chitty or about him going into J&H, please let us know since you are closer to the source. :)
D

[kec]

Posted: 5/22/03 at 1:31am

I do know for a fact that Michael is leaving Chitty in July -- his final performance is July 19. As for him going into Jekyll and Hyde -- I'm not sure that will happen. Michael's working on a new CD these days, and it's my understanding he will be focusing on that once his time with Chitty is done.

[DofB5]

Posted: 5/22/03 at 7:29am

the theme of the CD is? More love songs, Broadway, movies?

I hope it has all new songs. I hate it when you have to buy a CD to get only 1 or 2 songs you don't already have.
D

[kec]

Posted: 5/22/03 at 9:17am

will have Love as its theme. According to what I've heard there will be some new songs and some old favorites. "It will tell the journey of a love story through various musical idioms." This according to an interview Michael did for a British tv channel a couple of weeks ago.

[jo]

Posted: 5/22/03 at 10:43am

I also heard that in the same interview, Michael has mentioned that he might be writing some of the new songs with a partner.

Judging from his previous efforts ( Someone Else's Dream, sung in the RAH CD and video, Just When, Never Coming Back, and Light a Candle), we might be in for a treat!

jo

[DofB5]

Posted: 5/22/03 at 7:19pm

Is it just me or did he record 2 different versions of "Sunset Blvd."? I heard it a long time ago and really wanted it but for some reason, it sounds so different on the CD I just got. It's that voice thing again. I'm not hearing the "punch" (does that make sense?) on certain words that I seem to remember.

BTW--I realized that part of the POTO problem was the tempo. It's way to fast. If it was slowed down a tad, it might be alright.

D