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The Papermill recording was tolerable only because it was so much more complete than the OBC. I quickly removed it from my ipod once this new recording began giving me eargasms.

I literally just heard that track Jordan. Lol.

I'm finally listening to it and all I can say is..rapturous.

I never thought anything would come close to the OBCR but this recording is perfect.

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This recording is, I would say, the best representation of the show and score. I would still play the Original Broadway Cast (or one of the audios) to someone who had never heard the score, because of the beauty and magic of the original performances. But I would recommend this recording next to someone who wanted to better understand the material. I really, really am impressed with this CD. It's the best produced recording, even if it's not my favorite.

As for the Papermill recording, I like it a lot. It has a sense of grandeur; everything is BIG. I really like some of the performances - Hoty and McKechnie (although, I liked her better in the BBC Production as Phyllis.) Also, I prefer this rendition of "Ah, But Underneath" to Riggs' on the Original London Cast recording. But it's all the bonus tracks that really make the Papermill recording a must have.

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^I keep meaning to ask. Was that cut from this production?

After several listens, it still baffles me the difference between Elaine Paige's "I'm Still Here" on the recording and her "I'm Still Here" every night at the Marquis. It's like two completely different people singing the song. Someone apparently finally told her to sing it more or less as written...

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I don't know how she performs it today but there was once a lot of shouting and back phrasing and missing lyrics :P.

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She sang it as written on wednesday.

Yeah, well I mean she was definitely backphrasing and shouting at the first preview.

E.g. She'd say "Black sable one day....*PAUSE* [quickly] Next day it goes into hock [shout] BUT I'M HERE* .....she doesn't do any of this on the recording. It is much different. It might even be on the B-roll, I can't remember.

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Updated On: 11/18/11 at 11:53 PM

She seemed to have stopped the backphrasing and shouting soon after it opened.

For what its worth, a report on ATC from a performance last night mentions that she's still backphrasing (at least that that performance.)

I actually don't think its an interpretive choice; I think she is just really challenged by the sequence of the lyrics and backphrasing buys her time to remember.

But I agree -- this is, by far, the best-sounding orchestral recording (just something missing on the Papermill recording which is odd because Tunick conducted it), and it finally fully captures the essence of the shows with the little monologues and scenes interspersed throughout. Tommy K knows what he's doing.

I can't believe I didn't pre-order this! I suck.

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After a busy couple of days, I was finally able to sit down and listen to this all the way through today. There were a lot of things that annoyed me (especially when comparing it to the amazing Chicago Shakespeare production, which I preferred), but overall, it's a great listen. The inclusion of the final scene is what really makes this a good cd, in my opinion, because it makes it feel complete. All the other cast recordings of the show just leave me waiting for the rest when they're done.

I don't really like Bernadette as Sally. I was surprised by her head voice, but it felt like it was a bit uncomfortable for her. She has developed a lot of bad singing habits over the years that really annoy me. In the future, I might replace her tracks with Donna's from the Papermill recording, who was a far superior singer. The Chicago Shakespeare production had a near-perfect Sally, and Bernadette just disappointed me.

Ron Rains didn't feel right as Ben. He didn't have the charm I think he needs. He seems like an odd pair with Jan Maxwell as Phyllis. He was also trying way to hard when he was singing, which is especially bad for The Road You Didn't Take, which I think should be a more understated curiosity.

Danny Burstein and Jan Maxwell were both very effective in their roles and fine singers. Their tracks were my favorites, but the dance break in Lucy & Jesse needed a faster tempo.

Elaine Paige gets and "eh" from me--not awful, but nothing amazing. Again, the Chicago Shakespeare production did it better.

For the most part, the pastiche numbers were quite enjoyable, especially the trio. The exception would be One More Kiss. If I hadn't known the lyrics before hand, I would have no idea what Old Heidi was singing. She sounded like a man in falsetto. It was relieving when her young counterpart, who sounded great came in, but I missed the original key.

If no dialogue had been included, I would have been pretty disappointed, but the inclusion of the dialogue made it satisfying and gave it the emotional impact the show has. Simply because of that, this will probably be the recording I listen to the most for a while.