Pacific Overtures Revival Cast Recording

i tried listening to it once...couldn't get through it. it has been sitting on my shelf ever since.

I have all 3 recordings too, but I favor the OBC for most tracks. It has a bigger sound, and tracks like "Four Black Dragons", "Someone in a Tree", and "Please, Hello" (my favorite song in the score) have a fuller and more dramatic feel.

I miss the big blast that "Please, Hello" has on the OBC. It just seems like more of a spectacle on the OBC. Which I prefer. The revival just sounds too tiny and quiet to me. The revival just seems to be holding back and a bit low energy.

I can hear the lyrics fine on the OBC, but I have heard that same complaint before.

FOr me, I like the bigger sound. But then again, the whole original production was much much bigger than the recent revival. It just seems to fit more into my vision of what the show should be.

I also have all three recordings. I must admit to only really listening to the revival recording after having it for a few months. There are a few tracks I like as much -maybe not better - for instance Someone In A Tree works very well for me; Please Hello, the rall at the end helps, I would think, with understanding the words better. I really like Next (sorry)

Saw the rival and the Original cast (one of my favorite Broadway memories). The revial was a very mediocre mounting of an absolutly brilliant production. I saw the same production at Lincoln Center and was completely boweled over. The new Broadway production has no where the sharpness and the focus of the Japanesse cast of the same production. I starts with the casting of the reciter (bland and damaging) and works it's way on down. The same holds true for the recording.

For a worthwile alternative to the OBC, check out the ENO cast recording. It was once available complete. See if anyone on e-bay has the 2 disc set for sale.

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Updated On: 10/19/05 at 10:07 AM

As previously stated, the orchestrations are just miles better on the original recording. That has a lot to do with the downfalls of this hollow revival recording released this year. It never musically reaches any peaks. The ballads are beautiful (Pretty Lady, Bowler Hat), I enjoy the added dialogue and I like B.D. Wong - a lot - but the songs never reach the brilliance of the OBC. It's a shame too, I actually liked the new staging. The kabuki was a wonderful concept (an authentic re-telling) but all of the technical aspects (set, lights, etc.) of the revival were gorgeous.

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I find it amazing that everyone has such negative opinions of the revival. Referring to it as "hollow." Stephen Sondheim himself wrote a personal note to the cast telling them that the revival production was his "perfect" vision of the show. He once left the performance in tears because he said that the 2006 production was the best that this show would ever be.

I dunno. just thought that there was so much more heart and insight into this show with a real japanese perspective. (And yes, the Prince production was incredible and beautiful... but much different than the composer had necessarily wished.)

The tempo on "Someone In a Tree" on the revival recording is deadly slow. The song goes on and on and on and never builds in intensity.