'Oliver!' -Drury Lane 'Live' Cast Recording — Page 4

The one that springs to mind pre iTunes is Grand Hotel, which because of the unfortunate circumstances had the bonus track of David Carroll singing Love Can't Happen.

I'm also sure there are others and I also can't think of them!

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Updated On: 2/8/09 at 07:52 AM

I think a new recording would be good

For a collector like me it would be a dream come true if all productions had CDs containing the alternative performer.

The "Zorro" cast recording has two "radio mixes" of "Bamboleo" and "Djobi Djoba".

Re. Ellen Greene - I saw her do a one-night-only cabaret performance at the Green Room, Cafe Royal, about 1990 - one of the best cabaret sets I have ever seen. Let's all cross our fingers/make a wish and get her back in the West End.

I have a recording of Ms Greens cabaret.

I'm up on the 18th to see Sunset, have I got enough money I will most likely buy this. I loved Jodie's Nancy from what I saw of her on the TV show, and I really do want to hear both Roawn Atkinson as Fagin and Sarah Lark as the Rose Seller. I think all three Oliver's were great so whichever it was I wouldn't mind. I hope for the Laurence kid, he was brilliant, plus I met him on one of those Theatre Royal Drury Lane tours :P

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I'm afraid I can't get excited about this recording. I always found Jodie's vocals to be way over the top on the I'd Do Anything Show (and even more over the top when I heard her singing in Bryn Terfel's Faenol Festival show with John Barrowman). And I'm not a big enough fan of Lionel Bart's score to want another recording of it without some vocal presence that excites me.

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I'm listening to the samples on iTunes now. Not impressed with most of it, to be honest. The Sowerberrys sound great, though, just like they did on stage - I may be the only person in the world to buy "That's Your Funeral" and nothing else. :)

Updated On: 3/16/09 at 01:23 PM

I have just downloaded this from iTunes and listened all the way through and quite like it.
It is very much a live recording with lots of audience applause making it feel like it is really happening in a theatre (which some recordings don't).
I liked all of the performances, Jodie Prenger (Nancy) sounded great and Burn Gorman (Sikes) was very different to what I expected, I didn't know he could be that menacing after only seeing him in Torchwood.
Rowan Atkinson was great as Fagin but really sounds quite similar to Mr Bean (unavoidable I guess).
All round a great recording I think, there are a couple of odd mixes between songs but nothing detracts too badly.
I think it is a shame Tamsin Carroll didn't get a bonus track, it wouldn't have been too hard to do.

Just listened to Jodie's version of "As Long As...", and I was completely annoyed at her pronunciation. I'll be skipping over that track every time now, or just putting on Sally Dexter's amazing version.

Jodie definitely has the pipes and can belt out that song (and I personally love the heavy breathing) but when did Lionel Bart's lyrics become:
As lonG as 'e needs me, (note the huge accent on the "g" in "long")
Oh yeah, 'e does need me
Inspy of what you see
I'm sure that 'e needs me.

Updated On: 3/17/09 at 12:35 PM

I'm loving the new recording. I can't decide which I like better now, this one or the 1994 revival recording. I like the cast for the most part. I love it being live because it just sounds so much more energetic and lively than the studio recording, but the stage noise is a little intrusive. It's particularly annoying during "Food Glorious Food", but that's just a minor tiff. I enjoy Jodie Prenger for the most part, but my biggest complaint is the missing material. I like that there's more dialogue this time, but I don't see the point of recording more dialogue, but leaving out sections of music that were recorded last time and are now absent. I particularly miss "Rum Tum-Tum" and the dialogue before Nancy's reprise of "As Long as He Needs Me". Otherwise it's a very fine recording, and it will probably be my preferred Oliver! whenever I feel like listening to the score, but I'll probably still listen to the 1994 studio recording every now and then for a cleaner sound.

Anyone want to email me some tracks? O I'm from the US so I can't see the show

Also, does anyone remember if they cut the first verse of "Pick a Pocket or Two" on stage or is it just cut on CD? The CD is missing the "In this life, one thing counts..." verse.