The most unfortunate thing about the Revival Cast Recording was that Stokes' Quixote, as heard on the CD, was FAR different from the one he portrayed on stage. On the CD, although Mitchell's voice is divine, he doesn't really embody the character like he did at the Hirschfeld. It sounds more like Brian Stokes Mitchell singing the Impossible Dream, rather than BSM playing Don Quixote singing the Impossible Dream. His phrasing in the theatre was very good, especially the contrasts in actually singing the verses, and speaking them. The impact that The Impossible Dream had live on stage far exceeds the recording, where there are, at times, places in the first two verses where the speaking and singing seem 'off'.
Having only seen Kiley's interpretation on old television shows and hearing him on the cast album, it's not truly fair to say that one is better than the other; however, seeing Mitchell and Co 3 times, I absolutely loved BSMs portrayal of Quixote as a desheveled old fool that possessed blind optimism and didn't seem nearly as cold as Kiley's interpretation. I'm sorry, but Kiley's Impossible Dream where he holds onto the pole for 2 minutes does not come any where close to the impact that came with revival's staging (even though it was still very simple..)
But I digress! I think your best bet is the Original Cast album (the Decca remaster ideally) and if possible, it might be worth your while tracking down the OLC, as Michell gives an incredible performance. Domingo's recording was just plain BRUTAL. Yes Domingo can raise the keys and hit the notes masterfully, but where's the character??
On a side note, there were some major technical problems in the production of the Revival recording. For instance, if you turn the volume up past a certain level, the higher/louder sounds in the track become muffled and distorted (this has been noted on several forums and amazon.com). The flutes are also very shrill throughout. Other than level issues, however, it's a brilliant recording!
Updated On: 12/8/04 at 03:55 PM
