Preview track from Michael Rupert's CD plus RAGTIME with Julia Murney

[Hester Prynne]

Posted: 1/1/06 at 2:12pm

Checking out Myspace this morning and noticed that Michael Rupert has put up a snippet of a track from his new CD, plus "Journey On" from RAGTIME with Julia Murney playing Mother. Also, there's a live version of "Welcome To Falsettoland" from FALSETTOS with the Broadway lyrics.

Michael Rupert's Myspace page

Updated On: 1/1/06 at 02:12 PM

[AuditioningWaitress]

Posted: 1/1/06 at 3:12pm

Thanks Hester! I was actually going to post this, but you beat me to it! I love Julia Murney as Mother! She sounds divine!

[Hester Prynne]

Posted: 1/1/06 at 3:53pm

I agree. That production must have been amazing, with Rupert, Julia Murney and Norm Lewis as Coalhouse!

[AuditioningWaitress]

Posted: 1/1/06 at 4:20pm

Too true! Norm must have been simply amazing as Coalhouse. I've seen Michael as Tateh and I adored him. I wasn't so sure about Julia, don't get me wrong, I love her...I just wasn't sure she was "right" for Mother...She seemed to young for me. BUT, she totally blew we away on the recording...She sounds so good...

[Hester Prynne]

Posted: 1/1/06 at 6:06pm

She does sound great. I don't think she is too young for Mother. In the book she is in her mid twenties.

[TheatreMonkey]

Posted: 1/1/06 at 8:38pm

I must say that I had the privilege to be the Assitant to the music and assitant musical directors for this production. It was the North Carolina's critically acclaimed production. It was a true highlight -- I grew working at NCT when I was 8, doing various onstage roles, then switched to working with the musical director for the last few years before I left for college. All in all, after 10 years, I've learned TONS and met AWESOME people. Aside from the stellar cast for this RAGTIME, we had Sebastian Bach (not a great artist, but quite a character) and Kate Shindle (amazing!) for "Jekyll & Hyde", Paul Sorvino (so-so) for "Fiddler", Lauren Kennedy (a hometown sweetheart, I worked with her many a time before) and her husband Alan Campbell in "Beauty and the Beast", and Sheena Easton in "Joseph...".

At that was last season.

~Sam

Sorry to threadjack, I'm just quite proud of NCT. When people think of Raleigh, NC, great theatre isn't the first on their mind. Well, it should be.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 1/2/06 at 9:39am

Just listened to the clip-Julia and Michael sound extraordinary. I got a chance to see Michael as Tateh when he was a replacement on Broadway, and he was stunning (as usual). I would KILL to see Julia play the part of Mother.

[AuditioningWaitress]

Posted: 1/2/06 at 3:02pm

Hester - I guess you are right. It's just that everyone I've seen do it...The tour and on Broadway was so matronly...Julia seems so youthful and fresh...But I love her on "Journey On"...Her "Back To Before" must have been simply gorgeous.

TheatreMonkey - I actually have some family down near Raleigh and they saw BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and loved it. I just ordered the CD that Michael Rupert recommended on his site by a couple of kids down there. I thought my nieces and nephew would like it. http://blog.myspace.com/michaelrupert

Now if Michael would just get his CD out!!!

MEF - I would have killed to see her in it too.

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 1/2/06 at 3:28pm

Is it just me? I think Murney (who I love, don't get me wrong) sounds pretty bad. She seems to open up more at the end, but in the beginning of Mother's vocal part, she sounds like she is being strangled when she starts. The best Mother I have seen was Rachel York at Papermill (who I thought gave a better all around performance than Mazzie). If only there were a recording of the Papermill production...

[hannahshule]

Posted: 1/2/06 at 3:30pm

thespijean- I agree, that whole production was incredible, it's a shame it wasn't recorded

[AuditioningWaitress]

Posted: 1/2/06 at 3:34pm

I think Julia Murney sounds amazing as Mother. I think she has a lot of "warmth" in her voice...I loved Rachel York in the Paper Mill production, and I also wish it had gotten recorded, which I wonder if it would have if there already hadn't been two RAGTIME recordings on the market.
Updated On: 1/2/06 at 03:34 PM

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 1/2/06 at 3:50pm

This is amazing, thanks for posting the link. I like Julia Murney in the clip of "Journey On" so much more than I have some of the other times that I've heard her. Mother is an incredible role, and it'd be really interesting to see her take on it.

[TheatreMonkey]

Posted: 1/2/06 at 5:29pm

When I first heard Julia was coming to do Mother, I was surprised and excited. My only frame of reference for her was "The Wild Party" (a score I LOVE) -- needless to say, a role that's a LOT different from Mother! But she brought such an incrediable warmth and human touch. I saw the national tour of "Ragtime" many years before, and wasn't too impressed with the Mother. The thing with Julie is that when she went through her "transition" in the second act, there was this new feel and emotion that swept over her. Not to mention "Back to Before" was &^#( amazing!

~Sam

[AuditioningWaitress]

Posted: 1/2/06 at 5:37pm

Thanks TheatreMonkey I would have loved to hear her "Back To Before". Here's hoping Michael Rupert will post "Our Children"!

[Hester Prynne]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 3:26pm

I also really like Julia as Mother, and I'm not the biggest Julia Murney fan.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 3:28pm

I cannot wait for Rupert's new cd. It sounds great!

[Hester Prynne]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 3:30pm

Yeah it does sound great, although it seems strange to hear a guitar based song coming from him. I guess I'm just used to FALSETTOS and RAGTIME.

[AuditioningWaitress]

Posted: 1/3/06 at 3:51pm

I like that it's acoustic based...Makes it kinda different. I can't wait to hear more!

[MatthewAddison]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 3:59am

I can do one up on Theatre Monkey (aka Sam). I was IN the show.

So what Theatre Monkey? Who has the banana now?

I randomly found this thread...not adding to the banter- just harassing TM.

[TheatreMonkey]

Posted: 1/5/06 at 5:46am

Oh OH!

Little Matty wants to play?!

:-P

You're a fool.

[Anne_here]

Posted: 1/5/06 at 9:06am

Did I missed the snippet? I only see Marking Time, Journey On, Welcome to Falsettoland and Look How Far We've.

[AuditioningWaitress]

Posted: 1/5/06 at 7:59pm

Yes, It looks like it's off already...He's constantly changing his tracks on MySpace...I guess it's so people don't get bored with the same old tracks...

[Hester Prynne]

Posted: 1/6/06 at 6:14pm

You are right AW, he does change it a lot. I guess it keeps people, like me, to keep on checking it out. Also, on his blog he's posted a picture of his costume designs for THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK.


Michael Rupert's MySpace Blog

Updated On: 1/6/06 at 06:14 PM

[AuditioningWaitress]

Posted: 1/7/06 at 11:45am

Cool, thanks. I saw it yesterday. I keep hoping he'll put "Our Children" on there...Hint, hint if you are reading this!!!

[WChafin]

Posted: 1/7/06 at 12:29pm

Don't worry Waitress, I can almost guarantee you that Michael and Julia doing "Our Children" will make it on to the MySpace player.