Little Moments on Cast Recordings That You Love — Page 3

laurie beechman in ANNIE OBC"and now im stealing coal for fires...who knew i could steal!"

GRAND HOTEL - The Musical

The opening sequence, and I love how that there returns at the end of the show.

I do wish the OCR had included two extra bits: The show itself began with the hotel operators answer calls from guests, building into a cacophony of overlapping sounds. Then the orchestra began to rumble beneath it (as IS heard on the CD.) The other segment I wish had been recorded: the overlapping telephone conversations in the opening sequence, especially when Kringelien says "I'm Staying at..." and the whole company snaps in with "GRAND HOTEL! BERLIN!!!"

What a show...and it will never be revived the way it was originally presented.

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3. Brian Stokes Mitchell's last note in "Make Them Hear You" from "Ragtime"

I couldn't believe nobody had mentioned this before. That note absolutely blows me away every time I hear it.

There are a lot of great moments in the Ragtime cast recording. (I have the "Songs from Ragtime" done by the Toronto cast.)

During Wheels of Dream, I love the part where Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell are trading lines.

I also have to giggle during all the "wheeeees" in Crime of the Century. (And at the insults during What A Game, particularly the kid trying to repeat them.)

The end of Til We Reach That Day with the whole company singing is another fantastic moment.

I could go on and on about Ragtime. It's such an incredible score.

There also are some great moments on the 1994 Showboat cast recording. At the end of Lonette McKee's version of Bill, she stops and says "I don't know" at the end. It's absolutely heart-rending and nearly brings me to tears every time I hear it. (Michel Bell's Ol' Man River from that same recording is also amazing.)

At the opposite spectrum, I can't help but to grin during the exchange between Grethe Boston and Michel Bell during Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man on that album.

Probably a bit cliche, but the opening chords of Wicked tend to give me chills.

I am also quite partial to just about all of L5Y.

Also, and this might be odd, but in "Look at the Sky" in Urinetown, any of Hunter's powerful notes just make me deliriously happy.

"I'm Argentina, and always will be" from Eva's Final Broadcast in the OBC of Evita, I love how Patti has tears in her voice, so honest.

"But is Hans-Christian Anderson ever risque? Which eliminates A"
From A Little Night Music, it's probably one of my favorite moments in any show ever.

And on all versions of "Being Alive" the moment right before the final "alive" there's a genius level of anticipation that gives me chills.

In Sunset Boulevard during the "Greatest Star of All (reprise)" when Norma goes "If you're with me next year will be, next year will be. Bring in his head on a silver tray, she kisses his mouth, she kisses his mouth, she kisses his mouth!"
It's beautiful, I've always adored it, one of the few moments on Sunset that I actually adore.

And the final "Goodbye" on Where is warmth? from Baker's Wife. I love the similarities to Meadowlark and yet the distinction of the orchestration.

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Here's a few:

-Cathy's inner monologue from Climbing Uphill from L5Y. ("I should have told them I was sick last week...) It makes me wonder if Jason Robert Brown can read my mind, since I'm constantly thinking things like that during auditions

-The las part of Wheels of a Dream ("Beyond that road...). ALWAYS gives me chills, it is so beautiful

-How Did We Come to This? from Lippa's Wild Party. Julia carries so much emotion in her voice and it usually makes me cry

-Maria in the OBC of West Side Story. I love Larry Kert's extremely low note on "Maria"

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Spelling Bee- In the I Love You Song when Olive sings her last "how I wish you were, wish you were home" and she sings home high and soft, while her parents join in.

o, and i LOVE the piano in "louder then words". i wish i could play that!

Because it's pretty much the only thing I'm listening to at the moment...Shout! The Mod Musical

-James Bond Theme - they sing different syllables than they do it the show...amusing
-Puppet On A String - the first note has reminded me of The Lion King since the first time I heard it and it just makes me giggle
-These Boots Are Made For Walking - Julie's two "yeahs" because I can totally picture her saying them.
-I Couldn't Live Without You - the line "that your life was happy with another" because Erica says "with" lispy and "another" as "ah noth er."

I pretty much love anything that is different than they do it in the show because it makes me giggle.

Hope in the background of Mr. Cladwell in Urinetown. "That my daddy, thats my daddy, that MY DAD!"

Not on a recording but deserves to be because it indeed gives me chills- "Just her and me, the Wicked Witch of the East. We deserve eachother." Ah!

"I see - a river
Flowing for freedom...
I see a river just in view." The first part of that song just makes me want to sing.

"Who needs a dream, who needs ambition." The vocal on top of the kind of carnival sounding chords in the background is amazing.

Pretty much all of "I'd Rather be Sailing."

There are so many, but my current faves:

Little Women -- In the Fire Within Me, after "Only Beth, sitting contented said, in a tone so sweet, even angels would have listened. But we've got each other." The piano plays "somethings are meant to be" it's so haunting and perfect.

Little Women -- Astonishing, after she sings "Here I go..." the orchestra is crazy, I love that.

A Chorus Line -- Mara Davi's "Oh Darlin' you're not old enough to wear a BRA!"

ACL OBC - "He was an Indian Chief and he'd say Maggie, do you want to dance?"

Assassins - Ballad of Booth. After Booth is shot, and the balladeer starts singing again. "Johnny Booth was a headstrong fella ..." and of course, Michael Cerveris is heartbreaking in that song, you're almost forced to be sympathetic!!

On the Les Mis 10th Anniversary recording, during Fantine's Arrest:
"I'll kill you bastard try any of that."
I just love the way it sounds.

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