Gypsy 2008 Broadway Cast Recording- Page 4

[fflagg]

Posted: 8/30/08 at 10:24am

Viva Ethel! The new GYPSY is a major disappointment. The only good thing about it is the packaging. Otherwise Patti comes across as steely and vulgar, Laura is dull in "Little Lamb" [who told her to overpronounce all her consonants?], Herbie is dull, and the rhythms of the classic "Overture" were f**ked with.

Patti only sounds remotely interesting in "You'll Never Get Away from Me." The rest of the time she sounds like she is gargling before punching someone in the face.

There is more to Rose than belting, guys; yet since standards have fallen so much over the years Patti is now supposedly giving a legendary performance. The only so-called legendary performance by a lead female this decade is Christine Ebersole in the much-missed "Grey Gardens."

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/30/08 at 10:29am

Wow, fflagg, you and I actually agree on something! (Okay, I know it's happened before, but it's pretty rare.)

My feelings may not be quite as harsh as yours... but the sentiments here are the same.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 8/30/08 at 10:37am

I will say this, the recording does not entirely capture the performances properly. The three leads were electric in the theatre.

That said, I still say this is the definitive version of Gypsy.

ETA: by "properly" I simply mean that certain aspects of each performance aren't preserved as well audio-wise, as there were certain looks that made things more intense/heartbreaking/whatever. My best example being that, while still thoroughly intense, "Everything's Coming up Roses" is slightly less so, because you can't see Boyd and Laura's look of fear on their faces during it.

Updated On: 8/30/08 at 10:37 AM

[Byron Abens]

Posted: 8/30/08 at 1:29pm

I'm going to agree with a couple of the other posters, I don't feel this is the "definitive" Gypsy. In fact, I don't think there will ever be such a thing, at least in terms of performances. Laurents wrote the characters, especially Rose, far too well for such a term to ever truly be applied. There are so many layers and facets that no single actor could ever capture every aspect and say "this is 100% who the character is." I would even venture to say that Rose is the musical theatre equivalent of Hamlet. There is always going to be new territory to explore for each actress who attempts to take on the mammoth role.

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/30/08 at 1:32pm

Patti only sounds remotely interesting in "You'll Never Get Away from Me." The rest of the time she sounds like she is gargling before punching someone in the face.

- So I assume you prefer Bernadette's raspy voice straining to hit the notes.

[BroadwayBelle2]

Posted: 8/30/08 at 2:39pm

I like the bonus song "Small World/Mamma's Talkin Soft" too.
Updated On: 8/30/08 at 02:39 PM

[SweeneyPhanatic]

Posted: 8/30/08 at 9:17pm

Question: I'm trying to make a playlist in my library of the new recording with the extras from the B&N disc inserted where they would have gone in sequence. What I can't figure out is if the scene change tracks are supposed to go before or after the numbers they're titled as. I'm almost certain that they go after, but I'm not sure and can't find a complete music cue list for the show. If anyone can tell me it would be greatly appreciated.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 8/30/08 at 9:38pm

they go after their scenes.

speaking of the B&N bonus disc, did anyone else's have...interesting track listing names?

[SweeneyPhanatic]

Posted: 8/30/08 at 10:01pm

Thanks, and yes, but only in my iTunes library. Windows Media Player got it right.

My favorite: "more gypsy music"

[morosco]

Posted: 8/30/08 at 10:30pm

I can't shake from my head LuPone singing "everything's coming up Rose Ass" over and over. Ugh.

[H.Higgins]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 12:59am

I love the album from top to bottom. It sounds incredible.

I'm so grateful that this cast was preserved on CD.

[She_Had_Refinement]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 8:49am

I have a lot of Gypsy cast recordings and this is a very nice one. I will be listening to it in the top of the rotation for a while I think. A couple of remarks: the overture is very well performed here, and at a faster tempo that is exciting and more compelling than what I recall from the performance I saw. Second, having listened to the preview 5-track cd that was available at the theater, there is no comparison. The final product is miles better. Ms LuPone's voice sounds a bit bright on the preview, but there is no hint of that here as far as I can tell. Whether or not this recording is "definitive", it's well worth addition to a collection and compares favorably alongside the Merman and Lansbury cast recordings.

[pushdabutton]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 3:53pm

Is there any advantage to purchasing the cd at The St. James Theatre? I am seeing the show for the first time this Wednesday evening and was planning on picking it up at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square. How much is the cd at the show and is it any different from purchasing it elsewhere?

[WhitehallandMarks]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 3:58pm

dottedquarterrest:
Is anyone else hearing static/volume peaks on their CD? I thought it was my speakers, but it's the same on headphones and my bf's computer (with his own CD).

Listen to the last 10 seconds of May We Entertain You, it sounds like it hits peak volume in the actual mix on the CD(a few other places, too). Am I crazy?

I am SO glad you posted this! I've been weeding through threads here and on ATC to see if anyone else had the same problem. I first downloaded a "leaked" copy ahead of time and noticed it, but figured it was just a bad bitrate compression. I bought my own copy - the B&N version - and even straight from the CD, it sounds exactly like you described. It's like a static-y breaking-up crackling sound as if it hit max volume. If I turn the treble down on my speakers, it's a little less, but it's still there. I played it on three different players, used headphones, no headphones etc. and it happens every time. It sounds awful!

Has anyone else had a problem with this? I notice a lot of people praising the mix/sound quality, so now I'm wondering if there are some bad pressings out there.

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 6:33pm

For those who saw both shows:
Who is the better Dainty June? Kate Reinders or Leigh Ann Larkin?
I DEFINATELY perfer Kate Reinders on the cast recording.

[olitwist2]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 6:42pm

It is very bad quality for me too! I have some REALLY nice speakers and it still sounded staticy! That makes me very dissapointed! When someone buys a CD, they except great quality, this is not great quality. It sound like the version of Once Upon a Time from Brooklyn that I bought from itunes. When there are higher notes, it sounds staticy.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 8:04pm

Kate Reinders has a wonderful voice, but Leigh Ann Larkin's deadpan, cynical take on June is priceless. "If Momma Was Married" is a highlight in this recording more than in any of the others, IMO.

[Byron Abens]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 8:13pm

I loved Leigh Ann Larkin's performance. She definitely showed June's disenchantment with the whole thing from her very first scene, which I think is earlier than you see in most other productions. I also loved her choice of using her voice to show that extreme difference between June and "Dainty" June, though she really toes the line between brilliant and over the top. Luckily I don't think she ever crossed it, at least when I saw her.

[ahmelie]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 8:55pm

I adored Leigh Ann's performance at City Center. I thought it was the second best thing in the show, next to Patti. But I enjoyed it far less on Broadway, she's gone too far with it and it's beginning to border on campy.

[[tos]fan999]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 9:50pm

Honestly the only problem I have with the CD(s) is that when I put the B&N disc in sequential order with the main disc, the Let Me Entertain You dialogue interrupts the flow of Let Me Entertain You to Broadway. But with a little editing I fixed that.