Posted: 12/17/16 at 8:54am
I was watching the live stream and bought it when it came out, I thoroughly enjoyed it. My only issue was that I felt it didn't fully emulate the magic that Block had during 'Im Breaking Down'. It still sounds great on the recording, but in person it's truly special
Posted: 12/17/16 at 3:00pm
The LA Theaterworks complete recording was broadcast over public radio a number of years ago. It has Chip, Michael and Steven and thus is the motherload. http://www.playbill.com/article/falsettos-with-michael-rupert-and-chip-zien-featured-in-la-theatre-works-season-com-111634. Those interested, might want to check with them about any replay, download or whatever.
Posted: 12/17/16 at 3:23pm
I really like the art for this production, personally.
Posted: 12/17/16 at 5:51pm
Whateverjsays said: "I was watching the live stream and bought it when it came out, I thoroughly enjoyed it. My only issue was that I felt it didn't fully emulate the magic that Block had during 'Im Breaking Down'. It still sounds great on the recording, but in person it's truly special
Maybe I missed something so sorry if this is a dumb question- What live stream are you referring to? You can't purchase a live stream of the show, can you? I saw the show in November and would love to have a version a la She Loves Me but did that happen and I've missed it??
Posted: 12/17/16 at 6:26pm
BS said: "The LA Theaterworks complete recording was broadcast over public radio a number of years ago. It has Chip, Michael and Steven and thus is the motherload. http://www.playbill.com/article/falsettos-with-michael-rupert-and-chip-zien-featured-in-la-theatre-works-season-com-111634. Those interested, might want to check with them about any replay, download or whatever."
I wish they would release this one for sale I mean, I love the copy of it I have from the broadcast, but there's still the "bleeping" of the curse words so it would be nice to have an unedited version of it, as well.
Posted: 12/17/16 at 9:00pm
Though I can't deny my entirely subjective attachment to the original recordings, it is indeed lovely to hear the orchestrations and harmonies with all the actors singing on pitch.
As much as I loved them, Alison Frazier tended to sing flat; while Stephen Bogardus sang so sharp I never was able to figure out the melodies to his songs. (These are intonation issues; I'm not suggesting they can't hear the correct pitch. Frazier did the vocal arrangements for IN TROUSERS and MARCH, IIRC, so obviously she knows something about music.)
It's probably not a surprise that I like Block and Rannells better, at least as recorded.
Christian Borle sang his role more effortlessly than any Marvin I've heard. Perhaps not coincidentally, on download he sounds like a supporting character in his own play. It's a beautiful sound, but Michael Rupert sang the part as if each performance were his last.
These quibbles aside, I am very, very happy to have this recording. We have to plan ahead to play it because each repeat is followed by 15-30 minutes of sobbing at my house. But this recording will get a lot of use nonetheless.
Posted: 12/17/16 at 9:07pm
One question for those of you who have seen the new production: what do they do with the slap near the end of Act I?
Off-Broadway and on vinyl, that slap was such a turning point one expected to see the words "POW!" or "ZOWIE!" over poor Trina's head. The effect--to me--was to make the moment almost metaphorical.
On the recording of the revival, Trina's responding "Oh!" is so slight, it's as if Marvin has committed some sort of minor faux pas rather than irrevocably changing the life of every character in the play.
How did the moment play in the flesh?
Posted: 12/17/16 at 9:12pm
This new album is incredible. I am thoroughly enjoying it.
Posted: 12/17/16 at 9:35pm
Nycat63 said: "Whateverjsays said: "I was watching the live stream and bought it when it came out, I thoroughly enjoyed it. My only issue was that I felt it didn't fully emulate the magic that Block had during 'Im Breaking Down'. It still sounds great on the recording, but in person it's truly special
Maybe I missed something so sorry if this is a dumb question- What live stream are you referring to? You can't purchase a live stream of the show, can you? I saw the show in November and would love to have a version a la She Loves Me but did that happen and I've missed it??
"
They did a Facebook live stream of them listening to the album. Wasn't of the production, I do think it'd be great if they preserved it in a live recording similar to She Loves Me. I'm still hoping that comes out on DVD!
Posted: 12/17/16 at 9:38pm
Gaveston, when he slaps her there's a good 3-4 feet of space between them when he kind of limply smacks the air, for what I think is the worst fake slap ever. She goes "Oh!" Kind of meekly and then a louder "No! No!"
Posted: 12/17/16 at 9:40pm
Since Lincoln Center is the producer, do you think that this might be recorded as a Live From Lincoln Center?
Posted: 12/17/16 at 9:51pm
icecreambenjamin said: "Since Lincoln Center is the producer, do you think that this might be recorded as a Live From Lincoln Center?"
This needs to happen.
Posted: 12/17/16 at 9:58pm
Jordan Catalano said: "Gaveston, when he slaps her there's a good 3-4 feet of space between them when he kind of limply smacks the air, for what I think is the worst fake slap ever. She goes "Oh!" Kind of meekly and then a louder "No! No!"
"
Thank you, Jordan. My memory of seeing MARCH 34 years ago is probably not to be trusted because I may have restaged it in my mind. But I'm thinking Marvin and Trina were always some distance apart. It actually ADDED to the realism because they didn't have to do a fake stage slap to avoid hurting each other.
But Rupert swung at her like he was Joe Lewis and Trina recoiled as if she had been hit by a Mac truck. And the sound effect was much louder than it is on the new recording. After a stunned pause, she and Whizzer went right into "I Never Wanted to Love You". It was incredibly powerful and didn't require any spoken words from anyone.
I wonder if they were accused of taking "domestic violence" too lightly. That was never my impression of the moment.
Posted: 12/17/16 at 10:08pm
Ive been listening to I'm Breaking Down on a loop all day... I got my whole house clean! IME, the live experience can't be replicated on a showstopper like that, but this recording captures it pretty well. We saw the show over Thanksgiving weekend and really enjoyed it. Listening to the cast recording is making me appreciate it even more, Andrew Rannells sounds amazing on The Games I Play.
Posted: 12/17/16 at 10:11pm
the slap is much more violent in the original recording, i always imagined him beating the crap out of her.
Posted: 12/17/16 at 10:23pm
I think if Borle really swung and she had an appropriate reaction to it, it would play better. But it's just a small misstep in an otherwise excellent production.
Posted: 12/17/16 at 10:41pm
CATSNYrevival said: "Even better but still not as impressive as Sh-K-Boom getting this double disc recording out in six weeks. If they can do that it shouldn't take Atlantic seven weeks for a single disc.
"
Always fun when someone posts about something they don't know about...
The post production for the DEH cast recording won't be finished until early Jan. It then goes to Atlantic for mastering, manufacturing, distribution, etc. They'll be doing that in about three weeks, which is short by any standard.
Anything else?
Posted: 12/17/16 at 10:46pm
OR - you could have responded by just saying
"The post production for the DEH cast recording won't be finished until early Jan. It then goes to Atlantic for mastering, manufacturing, distribution, etc. They'll be doing that in about three weeks, which is short by any standard"
Posted: 12/17/16 at 11:01pm
Jordan - we have a different memory of the slap. Perhaps the director experimented with different approaches.
I admired Borle and Block's acting in the scene. I remember that she froze in surprise/hurt at what had just happened. Her facial expression made it clear that the emotional hurt she felt dwarfed any physical pain. He was much more animated in his movements. He covered his mouth while walking backwards to distance himself from what he had done. It was clear to me that he was devastated by it.
In every other production I've seen, I thought the scene was poorly written because it trivialized the moment. This time the actors got it right. I haven't heard the recording yet, but it wouldn't surprise me that the audio can't catch what the actors spoke with their expressions and movements.
Gaveston - you wrote about Borle as a supporting character in his own story. I said just that when we left the theater, but not as a criticism. I think those of us who still think of these as the Marvin Trilogy will see the show differently from others who see it cold. The performances across the board were so strong that I felt each character (except the lesbians simply because they are introduced so late) was the protagonist of his/her own story and a supporting player in the everyone else's. In fact, I thought Trina and Mendel were cheated at the end because they too deserved a "What would I do if I had not met you" moment to complete their arc. Again, none of this is a criticism of Borle; it's an acknowledgement of the strengths of the entire cast.
I loved this production; it deserves a longer life. Can't wait to hear the recording. I'm not sure why I insist on physical discs.
Posted: 12/17/16 at 11:19pm
Oh the Headband, always good for a laugh at its expense. How dare every person on the earth not be as insider as they are.
Posted: 12/19/16 at 5:03pm
Jordan Catalano said: "I think if Borle really swung and she had an appropriate reaction to it, it would play better. But it's just a small misstep in an otherwise excellent production.
"
I trust your assessment, Jordan, thanks. But the slap is the climax of Act I, an odd moment to go "lighter". But that speaks to my own problem with FALSETTOS in general: MARCH (the best of the trilogy in my opinion) gets short shrift when tied to the later play and all the history FALSETTOLAND encompasses.
I'm glad I saw MARCH numerous times when it was playing alone.
Ideally--for me--they'd film each act on a separate day and let the actors really go for broke!
Posted: 12/20/16 at 10:05am
It's a really great cast album, even if it'll never supplant the original recordings in my mind- the appealing lack of polish and the heaps of idiosyncrasy in those performances just can't be duplicated. Brandon Uranowitz sounds startlingly like a younger Chip Zien at times, though.
I'm glad to have this version of the score recorded at last, too. Although I'm not a fan of many of the changes that have been made over the years, from off-Broadway to Broadway and then for this production- too many seem like needless fiddling than attempts at clarification or improvement.
Posted: 12/20/16 at 10:18am
I know it's random, but in Part 2 of Marvin at the Psychiatrist, I really miss the rhythmic...
"Did she ever drive you wild?
No. Never? No. Never? No. Never, Never, Never, Never?
No. Never? No. Never? No, No, No!"
Posted: 12/20/16 at 1:00pm
I'm happy/sad about the new recording.
It's great to have it all together on one recording. The cast is uniformly excellent. And any time there is a recording of William Finn's work I'm delighted.
But I miss the Starobin orchestrations and I can't deal with that cheesy synthesizer.
Good to have, but I'll always play the originals over this one.
Posted: 12/20/16 at 1:06pm
Whateverjsays said: "Nycat63 said: "Whateverjsays said: "I was watching the live stream and bought it when it came out, I thoroughly enjoyed it. My only issue was that I felt it didn't fully emulate the magic that Block had during 'Im Breaking Down'. It still sounds great on the recording, but in person it's truly special
Maybe I missed something so sorry if this is a dumb question- What live stream are you referring to? You can't purchase a live stream of the show, can you? I saw the show in November and would love to have a version a la She Loves Me but did that happen and I've missed it??
"
They did a Facebook live stream of them listening to the album. Wasn't of the production, I do think it'd be great if they preserved it in a live recording similar to She Loves Me. I'm still hoping that comes out on DVD!
"Ah....thank you for clarifying. Would also love to see it recorded as I could easily watch it several more times! Didn't think they would have streamed it at best until the very end of the run but feared I had missed out! I pre-ordered the CD so am eagerly waiting for its arrival, especially with the praise for it on here.
