The Woman in White Cast Recording

[sadiem100]

Posted: 1/1/06 at 8:28pm

What are the best songs on it? Is it worth buying?

Updated On: 1/1/06 at 08:28 PM

[LizzieCurry]

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

I'll say it first:

CAST RECORDING!

[sadiem100]

Posted: 1/1/06 at 8:39pm

Ha my bad... there I fixed it. Now can anyone answer my question?

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/1/06 at 8:49pm

the best song on the recording is All For Laura...and yes, it is worth buying.

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 1/1/06 at 8:58pm

Yep, I agree with WithoutATrace. All For Laura is the best song, and the cast recording is definitely worth buying. I also like I Believe My Heart. You Can Get Away With Anything is a fun song. The whole cast recording is amazing, actually.

[bwaybabe85]

Posted: 1/1/06 at 8:58pm

I hope they re-record this show with the Broadway cast.

[Doogie]

Posted: 1/1/06 at 9:15pm

I really see no point in rerecording, as there are all of 4 different performances on broadway, and with the exception of Adam Brazier, they all sound basicaly the same as their London counterparts. Also, The whole show is on the OLC.

The score is weak anyway.

[Kicks8567]

Posted: 1/1/06 at 9:22pm

The CD is definitely worth buying. I happen to prefer disc one, but disc two is also very good. My favorite songs are All For Laura, I Hope You'll Like It Here, and I Believe My Heart.
Updated On: 1/1/06 at 09:22 PM

[BroadwayRandy0711]

Posted: 1/1/06 at 9:23pm

Yeah I had asked if there was going to be a Broadway Recording and the salesman at the souvneir stand said he did not think so.

[bwaybabe85]

Posted: 1/1/06 at 10:30pm

That's unfortunate. Maria, Angela, and Jill all sound better now than they did in the London recording, IMO.

[chernjam]

Posted: 1/1/06 at 10:40pm

I totally agree - they definitely should re-record, especially with the new voices, and a FULL ORCHESTRA rather than the theatre synthesizers we hear on the recording. Also, those heard on the original sound so much better now (Maria Friedman's All For Laura is so much more dramatic on stage than on the original cast recording)

That being said, my favorite song is "Trying not to notice" - it is one of Lloyd Webber's most beautiful, haunting melodies...

Jim

[442namffug]

Posted: 1/1/06 at 10:42pm

For future reference BroadwayRandy, the "salesman at the souvneir stand" probably doesn't know jack s**t.

[BroadwayRandy0711]

Posted: 1/1/06 at 10:52pm

You are probably right 442namffug. You would hope that they would have a little knowledge on the merchandise that they are selling though.

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 1/1/06 at 11:18pm

if you plan on buying it plan to listen more than once to get the hang of it, I really didnt like it the first time around--well i dont really like it in general..but yea

[amcchemist]

Posted: 1/1/06 at 11:44pm

I like the cast recording for an additional reason. I managed to be there Opening night when it was recorded - well mostly recorded - they did rerecord certain sections where the audience could be heard. I think one of my favorite selections was "Nevermore without you" and I loved "You can get away with anything" but that is really best viewed live, as you miss some of the Fosco antics that go along with the song if you just listen to the recording.

However, I have a question that, well, may be dumb, but I'm hoping someone on this board might be able to explain. On the OLCR, the last song is the live performance of Michael Crawford doing "I can get away with anything". However, there is a full minute of complete silence between the final number and the start of the live performance. Any idea why they would do that other than to drive poor souls like me insane? And those who know me know that is a really short drive. I know I've had to tell several people who thought there was something wrong with their CD that they needed to wait a bit. I keep thinking there must be some reason for the wait.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 1/2/06 at 12:00am

*Evermore Without You, amcchemist.

[jo]

Posted: 1/2/06 at 12:23am

I would like to hear a Broadway cast version. Having seen the show both in London and on Broadway, I think we can expect an even better version of a cast recording with the original cast on Broadway. Not only do we have more powerful voices and more dramatic performances in Michael Ball and Ron Bohmer, but even Maria, Jill, and Angela sound notches better compared to their London run. And Adam Brazier can compare well with Martin Crewes from the London production.

Per se, the musical score is wonderful to listen to.

My favourite songs and musical passages --

*I Believe My Heart
*All for Laura
*Evermore Without You
*Trying Not to Notice
*You Can Get Away with Anything
*If Not for Me, for Her ( deleted from the Broadway run)

and there is a musical passage when Walter was introducing himself to the woman in white which I find particularly haunting - too bad it wasn't part of a song.

Have you heard PHANTASIA - it includes a 25-minute full orchestra treatment of the musical score from THE WOMAN IN WHITE -- it is particularly beautiful!

[YayJudyYayJudy]

Posted: 1/2/06 at 12:27am

well, technically, only the first half of "If Not for Me, for Her" is cut from the production... but it's still gorgeous non-the-less...

[mpw607]

Posted: 1/2/06 at 9:29am

@Sadiem100 I agree with others that the best songs are "All for Laura" and "I believe my Heart". But unlike others I found the show disappointing overall, no better than pleasant. So I personally wouldn't spend my money on the CD. Really, you've got to see the show and make your own mind up.

[grizzabella]

Posted: 1/2/06 at 9:41am

I found the OCR well worth buying - but it took a few hearings before I really warmed up to it. I don't know your musical tastes, Sadiem100, but the show is, like Phantom, essentially an opera, with virtually all of the dialogue sung instead of spoken. It's also intricately plotted and will take careful listening to really understand what's going on. You can't just skim through it. You have to invest some thought.
The songs "All For Laura" and "I Believe My Heart" are gorgeous, and "You Can Get Away With Anything" and "A Gift For Living" are fun. You'll have to make the decision for yourself, of course.

[kec]

Posted: 1/2/06 at 10:31am

Add me to the list of those who endorse the OLCR. My personal favorites on the cds include "I Believe My Heart" "Evermore Without You," and "You Can Get Away With Anything."

I, too, hope they do a Broadway cast recording.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 1/2/06 at 11:00am

Barring some kind of miracle, there DEFINITELY won't be a Broadway cast recording.

[mallardo]

Posted: 1/2/06 at 11:32am

For those who haven't seen Woody Allen's "Match Point", there is a scene at "Woman in White" in London - though nothing of the show itself is seen - and "I Believe in Love" is heard on the soundtrack.

[sharon1]

Posted: 1/2/06 at 11:36am

I wish they would do a Broadway recording. All the male leads are different and frankly I think the three B's do a much better job than on the OLCR. Ball, Bohmer and Brazier do a fantastic job.

[riv]

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

A few points...

"Evermore Without You" is very strong and I'm happy to hear it's the song being used on radio commercials for the show.

There's nothing wrong with the London cast recording. A Broadway one isn't necessary.

Michael Ball is perfectly fine as Fosco, but--for once--I wished Michael Crawford were around. He has a natural eccentricity which seems to be perfect for Fosco. I would have loved to see him in this after hearing him on the recording.

Finally, I would like to recommend the "Phantasia" CD to anyone truly interested in "The Woman In White." The second track is The Woman In White Suite, a 26-minute orchestral suite of music from the show. Oddly, The Woman In White on stage does not contain an overture nor an entr'acte. You get launched right into the action in both acts. This was a mistake, in my opinion, especially for the second act. There's no reason an orchestral prelude to both acts should have been avoided. At least with this CD, we now get a chance to hear the music itself divorced from the lyrics and the show and can further evaluate it.

Fully arranged for the London Orchestra, the lushness of the music comes out in full force. Of course, depending on one's like or dislike of Andrew Lloyd Webber, this is either good or bad. I was more than happy to have the opportunity for an uninterrupted listen to the music on its own. The highlight is "You Can Get Away With Anything" performed as a grand, sweeping waltz. It's terrific. "A Gift For Living Well" has a Latin tango touch to it. "Evermore Without You" clearly shows its strength as part of the score and as an extractable show tune. Even numbers which didn't work on stage for me, such as the villagers' "Lammastide" and the "Lost Souls" lament of the London lowlifes, are put forth quite decently here. Overall, a very good renduring of the show's music.

This CD is a perfect complement to the orginal London cast album.
Updated On: 1/2/06 at 01:30 PM