Best and Worst Orchestrations in a musical

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 4/13/15 at 9:08pm

What's your favorite and least favorite broadway orchestrations? 

Mine:

Favorite:

Sweeney Todd (Original and revival)

2011 Follies

Caroline, or Change

Threepenny opera 70's revival

Into the Woods (Original)

Any Jason Robert Brown musical

Sunday in the Park with George

 

Least favorite:

Side Show

Les Miserables (Original)

John and Jen (sounds sooo empty) 

Next to Normal (also kind of empty)

 

[JoseLee_]

Posted: 4/13/15 at 10:02pm

Evita (2012 Broadway Revival) AMAZING!!

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/13/15 at 10:05pm

Did Follies get new orchestrations for 2011??

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 4/13/15 at 10:11pm

I love the orchestrations for Cinderella, they were just so lush and beautiful. I'm also fond of the arrangements of the Elvis music in All Shook Up - especially the gorgeous arrangement of "Can't Help Falling in Love". 

[Showface]

Posted: 4/13/15 at 10:22pm

I must admit, I don't like how the orchestrations sounded on the original production of Sunday in the Park with George...it just sounded very...80's (70's?) to me. I love the songs and the brilliant performance by Bernadette Peters, but the way the orchestra sounded...not so much. Maybe because there weren't that many instruments in the pit...were there? Does anyone know for sure?

 

Anyway, I much prefer the more lush sound of the Paris Théâtre du Châtelet production...I just thinks it brings the score to a whole new level! I'm not sure if it's "re-orchestrated", but it definitely sounds different! Here's "Sunday In the Park With George", "Color and Light", and "Move On" from that production:

 

 

 

[Famebroadway2]

Posted: 4/13/15 at 10:25pm

FOOTLOOSE on Broadway had some of the WORST orchestrations I've ever heard. 

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 4/13/15 at 10:44pm

I adore the original DEAR WORLD orchestrations. And THE GAY LIFE. And HIGH SPIRITS

So many shows have such great ones its tough to pick. Anything Don Pippin, Robert Russell Bennett or Jonathan Tunick is generally brilliant. Also Don Walker.

Can't think of any I particularly hate at the moment. 

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 4/13/15 at 10:47pm

I love the original orchestrations to Sunday because they "sound" like the painting. 

I usually hate those "dated" sounding orchestrations,  but for some reason,  they work. The newer lush ones are bbeautiful too, though.

[Fantod]

Posted: 4/13/15 at 11:02pm

Best: Kiss of the Spider Woman, Mame

 

Worst: Anything with synthesizers

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/13/15 at 11:30pm

"Best: Kiss of the Spider Woman, Mame
 
Worst: Anything with synthesizers"

 So then, Kiss of the Spider Woman fits in both?

[Fantod]

Posted: 4/13/15 at 11:35pm

I didn't even notice them in Kiss. Sometimes I'm an idiot. I guess I meant shows where the entire orchestra is synthesized.

[JoseLee_]

Posted: 4/13/15 at 11:37pm

I agree with Cinderella. It's the most beautiful orchestrations I've ever heard recently

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 4/13/15 at 11:37pm

Kiss of The Spider Woman does have synthesizers, but they blend in pretty well.  It fits the score.

The original orchestrations for Falsettoland have always bothered me.  It's such a great score, but i would like to hear it with a REAL band like March of the Falsettos.

[helvizz]

Posted: 4/13/15 at 11:44pm

Ha, today I was thinking just how much I like the orchestrations and music from the original production of Side Show (though the lyrics are a little questionabe to me at some parts, to say the least)! Same can be said about the revival.

Loved the original production of Ragtime, such rich orchestrations!

There were some aspects I really loved about the reduced orchestrations of the 2007 Company revival, and others I hated.

And I have to mention: of shows that are open, I currently love the orchestrations of A Gentleman's Guide and Book of Mormon (and Once, though it closed a few months ago, so I'm not so sure about 'currently').

 

Updated On: 4/13/15 at 11:44 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/14/15 at 12:02am

I Had A Ball

Superman

Any Jule Styne musical

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/14/15 at 12:09am

Tunick is my top choice I guess--at least for the past 50 years (speaking of synths, I couldn't imagine Company without that brilliant rolling Rocksichord synth...)  Starobin is good too--his work with Sondheim (Assassins and Sunday because apparently when you work at Playwrights Horizon--or did back then--you have to use their orchestrator,) I love Danny Troob's Disney/Menken stuff... 

 

William David Brohn deserves a mention for me--I didn't start paying attention to him but, while he's been in the industry for a long time (he's nearly 80,) he only seemed to get really major jobs starting with Miss Saigon.  Secret Garden, Crazy For You, Carousel (based on Walker's original ones,) Show Boat (based on Russell Bennett's,) Ragtime...  I can forgive him the new orchestrations for Porgy and Bess...

Walker and Bennett are flawless, of course we now know that, especially with Walker, a lot of the work was sent out to the people they mentored, but they still had final say.  Ralph Burns who I especially associate with Fosse, as well...

 

 

[acekatherineplumber2]

Posted: 4/14/15 at 12:10am

I'll second Cinderella. Those gorgeous orchestrations make me want to listen to the show forever.

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 4/14/15 at 12:15am

Cinderella!!! 

[JoseLee_]

Posted: 4/14/15 at 12:33am

Judge me, but I LOVED the orchestrations for 'Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'. That overture.... goosebumps!

[Michael Kras]

Posted: 4/14/15 at 12:58am

My favourite orchestrations by far are Bruce Coughlin's for Adam Guettel's score for Floyd Collins. I discover new things in that score every time I listen.

Also, anything Michael Starobin touches pretty much turns to gold. What body his orchestrations have.

[somechrysanthemumtea]

Posted: 4/14/15 at 12:59am

I really like the Cabaret Revival Orchestrations with the synthesizer! I think it sounds pretty full - especially the Entr'acte!

[somechrysanthemumtea]

Posted: 4/14/15 at 12:59am

I really like the Cabaret Revival Orchestrations with the synthesizer! I think it sounds pretty full - especially the Entr'acte!

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/14/15 at 1:35am

Hershy Kay--Leonard Bernstein's go-to guy, who also orchestrated such different things as the original Evita deserves a lot of love too.  Sid Ramin who did the bulk of WSS and Gypsy etc and with Irwin Kostal did Forum, etc. 

[sctrojan65]

Posted: 4/14/15 at 1:40am

Maybe because they're recent in my mind having seen them last week, but I thought the On the Town orchestra sounded great.  As did On the Twentieth Century.

In past years (early 90s or so), She Loves Me and Crazy for You.

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 4/14/15 at 1:48am

Worst: 2 piano The Most Happy Fella, 1992