West Side Story 2009 in the Recording Studio (Amazon.com)- Page 3

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 5/20/09 at 4:46pm

Maybe Matt was intentionally reading some of his Tony lines as Joe Kennedy Jr? It certainly sounds that way.

[tonight]

Posted: 5/20/09 at 5:09pm

yeah, his acting is pretty terrible. they should have gone with aaron tveit. ugh!

[ulkis]

Posted: 5/20/09 at 5:23pm

His line readings on the new recording are cringe worthy. He's the weakest Tony I've ever seen or heard, he makes Richard Beymer look like a total street thug.

I really like the way his acting in the beginning of Somewhere - he sounds kind of delusional, which I think is appropriate.

Josephina has a lovely voice, but her "you should know better!" made me giggle.

[binau]

Posted: 5/20/09 at 5:29pm

ulkis +! about "You should know better!", that's something I noticed straight away too.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 5/20/09 at 5:33pm

"You should know better!" totally sounds like Kelli O'Hara in Light in the Piazza...

[tonight]

Posted: 5/20/09 at 5:39pm

i think her "you should know better!" is cute, haha. :)

[binau]

Posted: 5/20/09 at 6:05pm

"You should know better!" totally sounds like Kelli O'Hara in Light in the Piazza... "


YES!

How does she say it on stage?

[ulkis]

Posted: 5/20/09 at 6:14pm

I remember it sounding fine on stage, so maybe she just had an off moment here. But then her acting was a kinda uneven in general.

[Anakela]

Posted: 5/21/09 at 12:10am

apparently my post earlier was lost, trying again-

I do hope all of you still buy the recording. Barnes and Noble will be releasing an exclusive edition with bonus tracks.

Is there any more info out yet as to what the B&N bonus tracks will include? When you go to bn.com it says Don't miss the Barnes & Noble Exclusive edition of the album, which includes a bonus cut of "I Feel Pretty" sung in Spanish. and I'm pretty sure that Me Siento Hermosa is not a bonus track?

I remember reading that Karen had recorded A Boy Like That in English also, was kinda hoping that *that* would be the bonus track.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 5/21/09 at 12:18am

"Me Siento Hermosa" is not a bonus track. Whoever wrote that probably meant a bonus cut of "I Feel Pretty" sung in English.

[binau]

Posted: 5/21/09 at 3:12am

Well B&N still list ""Me Siento Hermosa" as the bonus track..so they are probably just quoting the (what I assume to be) incorrect source..

[Marquise]

Posted: 5/21/09 at 9:14am

If it's a Karen Olivo or Josefina Scarglione sung track I will upgrade to the B&N version, which like all other B&N exclusives still get leaked anyway.

If it's another track NOT sung by Miss Olivo or Miss Scaglione then I will not upgrade to the B&N version.

"Quiero tomar este momento para decirle al Señor Laurents que has logrado destruir con su "visión" una de mis favoritas musicales. Espero que te retires despues de esta travestia."

Updated On: 5/21/09 at 09:14 AM

[philcrosby]

Posted: 5/21/09 at 11:42am

I am listening now ... beautifully recorded, but it still doesn't hold a candle to the OBC I am afraid. Kert, Lawrence and Rivera were perfection.

(Bernstein wasn't around for the recording of that one, either.)

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/21/09 at 1:09pm

I saw the revival again yesterday. My friend's name was called from the lottery. I highly reccommend seeing it from the front row, it's like a totally different show.
3 major understudies were on. For Tony, Riff, and Action. Matthew Hydzik was good, but still nothing amazing. John Arthur Greene was actually a fantastic Riff, and was probably better than Cody Green. And he was really sexy. Eric Hatch was a fine Action, but I prefer Curtis.

Even if you do not like the production, I reccomend seeing it now before the Tonys. because Karen Olivo is really giving it her all. This was the most intense I've seen her. She really deserves the Tony, it's nice to know Brantley and Isherwood agree.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 5/23/09 at 8:03pm

I was thinking Hair was going to be the hands down winner, but after hearing both I'd say West Side Story and Hair are pretty evenly matched, at least on record -- definitly not when seeing the live shows. I wonder if one of them will take the Grammy. I wouldn't be able to pick between the two.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 5/23/09 at 10:01pm

A very technical recording. The orchestra sounds fantastic. And most of the vocals are technically fine (Olivo sounds fantastic) though Cavenaugh's old man vibrato bugs me, and Cody Green sounds awful. Also, the acting is SO weak. Those line readings before "Somewhere"? Are they for real? It's like they're reading for the audio of a romance novel.

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/23/09 at 10:12pm

I think Cody sounds fine, more than serviceable. The OBCR Riff and the movie Riff (and I believe his vocals were dubbed) were pretty awful singers.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 5/23/09 at 10:15pm

I don't think that the OBCR Riff has an awful voice. At least he has a rough manliness to his voice, which Green does not have. He's also trying to do some random Bronx/Brooklyn/Queens mixture that just sounds like Cavenaugh's Joe Kennedy.

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/23/09 at 10:19pm

Well I do see your point. If anything, Cody's vocals are too "smooth" for the role. His understudy was great though! I am glad I got to see him. He was better than Cody, in general.

[yay_gerb]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 12:31am

as much as i didn't like this show, listening to it on amazon makes me want to give it another shot. i'll try lottery. maybe it will be better from the front row rather than watching the show sitting on the freaking moon.

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 12:33am

I definitely think it's A LOT better from the front row. It's like a different experience. Seeing Karen close-up is a must.

[binau]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 4:22am

"Well I do see your point. If anything, Cody's vocals are too "smooth" for the role. "

This is a strong criticism I have, at least only judging from the recording of course. The first 10 seconds of "Jet song" sound so..enunciated.

[jaso937]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 5:06am

just so people know who don't already, You can practically listen to the entire album on amazon.com. The "listen to a sample" link is really the whole cd. and wtf is up with cody green? that accent in Jet Song made me cry for what was to come for the rest of the cd. And matt Cavenaugh sounds pretty good. Not amahzing but decent. The way he sings some of the words is still strange though, but i like his voice. And the last note of Tonight has gorgeous placement. I'm still not through the whole cd but those are my thoughts so far.

[Drunk Chita Rivera]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 8:11am

I love the recording. Josefina sounds incredible in every song she is in. Karen is always incredible, I just wish Anita had more songs, she really only has two songs and one is half dance and the other is sort of a speaking song. I actually really like Matt's voice, I think it's beautiful, his acting is the problem for me.

[chino]

Posted: 5/24/09 at 9:29am

Does anyone know if its going to be in a jewel case or a cardboard one similar to the Gypsy Anniversary CD?