Victor/ Victoria

[WildhornFanatic]

Posted: 4/12/07 at 9:33pm

Hey everyone,
So I just received the DVD of the Broadway musical, VICTOR/ VICTORIA. In all honesty, the reason I ordered it is because I know Frank Wildhorn composed three of the songs and I wanted to hear them, considering I'm a Wildhorn lover.

Despite my simple-minded reason for ordering the DVD, I really enjoyed the whole show. While I do think it was a bit long, I enjoyed the performances and thought the story itself was very interesting! It made me fall in love again with Julie Andrews. She is 60 years old here and still at the top of her game! Next to her, Rob Marshall's choreography is just genious. What an amazing choreographer. I can't stop myself from watching LE JAZZ HOT over and over again.

I do have to say I'm quite dissapointed in most of the music. In all honesty though, my favorite numbers are LE JAZZ HOT, TRUST ME, and LOUIS SAYS. The latter two written by Wildhorn. I do think that LOUIS SAYS and LIVING IN THE SHADOWS are the two songs that pop out, meaning it's obvious they were not written by Henry Mancini, but by another composer. I think Frank did a great job blending in TRUST ME with the rest of Mancini's score. But overall, most of Mancini's music just left me flat.

What is your opinion of the music from this show?
Updated On: 4/12/07 at 09:33 PM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/12/07 at 9:48pm

I love "Trust Me", "Luis Says" and "Living in the Shadows". The first time I saw the show I didn’t even know they had been written by Frank. It just made me love them even more after I found out. They’re quite an accomplishment. Maybe if he wrote more songs like that for his shows he wouldn’t be so despised by the critics and Broadway bit*hes. I adore the show as it is. I think it's very funny and touching at the same time. I hate when "Paris Makes Me Horny" is cut or when people slam the lyrics. I think it was intentionally written to seem as if Norma was making up the lyrics as she went along. Julie is amazing here, but she really did have some competition with Rachel York comedy wise. Rachel is pure genius here.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 4/12/07 at 9:52pm

I also like "Living in the Shadows", "Le Jazz Hot" and "Louis Says", the rest of the songs are pretty forgettable. Yet a great star vehicle. Rachel York has more of a comedic role, whoever plays Norma Cassidy will always get the laughs.

[D2]

Posted: 4/12/07 at 9:55pm

And for a polar opposite point of view, I prefer the Mancini songs that were written for the film. The Wildhorn songs pale by comparison, and "Paris Makes Me Horny" is pure crap, an embarrassment for the performer who has to sing it.

[WildhornFanatic]

Posted: 4/12/07 at 9:58pm

D2, what is it that you don't like about the Wildhorn songs? I'm not a HUGE fan of LIVING IN THE SHADOWS, it just doesn't work for me.

[D2]

Posted: 4/12/07 at 10:17pm

Truthfully, I've only heard the songs a few times - once in the theatre when I saw the show, and then a couple of times on CD. They never grabbed me, nor did they feel like they belong to the material the way the Mancini songs do. The show seemed unbalanced because of the marked difference in musical styles, and to me, the Mancini songs fit the style of the show better. I didn't hate the Wildhorn songs, I just felt they didn't belong stylistically.

[bwayboi4life42]

Posted: 4/12/07 at 10:34pm

I agree- I really enjoyed Mancini's songs from the movie, but most of the songs from the Broadway show were boring and dismal. I always really liked The Shady Dame from Seville.

[WildhornFanatic]

Posted: 4/12/07 at 11:25pm

Very interesting. Thanks so much for your feedback.

[WildhornFanatic]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 10:44am

[bump]

[jv92]

Posted: 4/14/07 at 11:03am

The score isn't really good. Honestly, why didn't Edwards and Co. get Jerry Herman to do it? Wildhorn AND Mancini's song are both pretty subpar and don't even get me started on the lyrics.

[mattrob]

Posted: 4/16/07 at 7:38pm

I think Mancini was Edwards favorite composer and he used him on most of his films. With that said, i love the original movie and the broadway show deserved a little more recognition

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/16/07 at 8:13pm

"Louis Seis" is one of my favorite numbers ever in a show! I loved it and actaully went back to see the show a second time to see it.

I thought it got cut before the show opened however.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 4/16/07 at 8:18pm

First of all, you cannot get me to say ANYTHING bad about Victor/Victoria. I love it and nothing is gonna change that fact.

[Dark_Angel]

Posted: 4/16/07 at 10:13pm

Incredible on screen....not so *hot* on stage. Though Julie is always a treat for the eyes and ears.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 4/16/07 at 10:17pm

It was hot onstage too, also "Louis Says" didn't get cut. It was very Madonna's Vogue at the MTV Awards.

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 4/16/07 at 10:50pm

It's main problem is that Leslie Bricusse is a very poor lyricist. Though his work here is head and shoulders about what he wrote for "Jekyl/Hyde".