The 2017 SITPWG Cast Recording is HERE! — Page 14

Lot666 said: "ljay889 said: "SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE TRACK LIST

6. The Dog Song"

Any thoughts as to why this piece is a separate track on this recording, but (I believe) was part of "The Day Off" on the original Broadway cast recording?"



Maybe they did research to discover the most fast forwarded part and did it to save people time. I'll admit I am glad to be able to just skip right by it

He really was quite remarkable - decent vocals and great acting (which I must admit is hard to capture on an audio recording). But can anyone really honestly say they have 100% unreserved satisfaction with Ashford? I guess it's harder for me than others to hear anyone but Bernadette in this role - and on paper Ashford ticks a lot of the boxes. I can tell that she put a lot of thought/effort in her performance, for example in terms of line readings or vocal technique/styles at different points of the score depending on the moment (so much so that it does almost make Bernadette's performance seem a little raw/unpolished). But at the end of the day Ashford's vocal timbre is dime a dozen. It's exactly the kind of vocal performance you'd expect from a skilled Broadway actor in the 21st century. Except for Sutton Foster (who someone once said here was the 'luckiest chorus girl in the world' - pick any truly successful musical star/leading woman and behind them is a truly unique, distinctive voice that cannot be easily confused with another (e.g., Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, Donna Murphy, Audra McDonald, Christine Ebersole, Angela Lansbury, even Carolee Carmello etc..). You either got it, or you aint. I don't think Ashford has it. What happened to the unique Broadway diva voice? Has it been trained out of people?

Updated On: 10/1/17 at 02:43 AM

I know I have a clear bias, but I would hardly call Ashford's voice a dime a dozen. It's unmistakeably Annaleigh Ashford. And this isn't to say she has the best voice in the world, but it is, indeed, a unique voice. Am I just delusional or can other people really easily confuse another's voice for Ashford's??

Also, I hate to be that guy, but Ashford won a Tony before she turned thirty. She's definetly got something.

^^^ Not sure how one can call her voice unique but not distinctive as those two words are synonyms. I wasn’t lucky enough to see this production, but I saw her in Kinky Boots. She was fabulous! I also love her performance on the new SITPWG recording. I’m not sure why we are compelled to always compare performers and (works of art) to each other to deem one the best and one or more the loser(s). In regard to female performers, this need to compare seems to take on an especially passionate fervor. When artists reach a certain point of excellence, there may not be a true best, just distinctive. I think Annaleigh Ashford falls in that category. Her work in KB as Lauren was excellent and different to me. (And isn’t that a different part of the magic of art - that it resonates differently with different people?) I can’t imagine Patti LuPone (at any age) in that Lauren role in KB. That’s obviously not to dismiss Ms. LuPone’s talent. That would be ridiculous. It’s just to say that Annaleigh Ashford is a unique, very talented artist in her own right. Of course, if we didn’t feel the need to compare artists and works of art, we wouldn’t need awards shows. There would be no Tonys, no Oscars, no Grammys. And I do love a good awards show. Lol. So I’m complicit.

Nothing will beat the combination of Patinkin and Peters. Peters quirky vocals as Dot will never be matched. The Gyllenhaal and Ashford pairing are definitely a close second for me, and I find them more enjoyable and fulfilling than the Evans/Russell pairing.

What I also loved about Gyllenhaal and Ashford is that they were totally believable as a couple in their early 30's, the couple should not appear too old. Ashford was the perfect physical compliment to Gyllenhaal, and someone like Rachel Bay Jones or even Carmen Cusack would've appeared much too old against Gyllenhaal's George, who died at only 31.

Updated On: 10/1/17 at 12:24 PM

devonian.t said: "As is often the case, Mandy and Bernadette, in creating the roles, seem to BE George and Dot.

Anyone else is merely ACTING the role.

Still, Jake and Annaleigh act the roles very well!"

I'm not really following your logic here. There are many instances in the history of theater where the actor who originated a role does not embody it as well as subsequent performers. I think we sometimes view the original version as the quintessential one because it is the basis upon which we form our conception of what the role is. I'm sure that for many people whose first introduction to the musical was with Jake and Annaleigh, those roles will be defined by them, with videos of Mandy and Bernadette appearing to involve their "merely acting" the roles.

poisonivy2 said: "You guys ever see Ashford in Masters of Sex? She brought so much humor and heart to a show where the leads were self-serious to the point of annoyance. I love her earthier take on Dot/Marie."

Should-be Emmy nominee!

qolbinau said: "But can anyone really honestly say they have 100% unreserved satisfaction with Ashford?"

Yes, I certainly can. I've seen, I guess, 6 Dots onstage now (the first of them being Peters, three times). All had their pluses and minuses, but Ashford would be high on the list, maybe at the very top. And whatever else one might say about the sound of her voice, it's distinctive -- I'd always know it was her.

I don’t know why I only just got around to listening to the new cast album. Wow. Michael Starobin’s refreshed orchestrations, gorgeously played and gorgeously recorded, sound incandescent. Every time the Sunday “burble” comes up (the sound you first hear at the beginning when George says “Harmony” it’s so magical it brings tears. And you really notice how beautifully it’s varied (as in “Move On&rdquo.

Question: Does anybody know who coached Gyllenhaal on the songs? I’m hugely impressed. Patinkin was more of a vocal powerhouse, certainly, but Gyllenhaal actually hits more of the notes as Sondheim wrote them—not easy at all! (Compare the two in “Finishing the Hat.&rdquo He clearly worked really hard on that, and I could just hug him for it (but I think there’s a long line in front of me waiting for that privilege).

Updated On: 11/18/17 at 02:33 PM