Which Sunset Blvd Cast Recording Do You Prefer?
Which Sunset Blvd Cast Recording Do You Prefer?
#0Which Sunset Blvd Cast Recording Do You Prefer?
Posted: 11/27/05 at 9:43pmI recently bought the London cast recording after enduring Glenn Close's screeching for entirely too long...yet I really only enjoy Patti LuPone and Daniel Benzali on the London recording. Kevin Anderson and Meredith Braun don't do anything for me at all. Anyway, I was just curious about which recording everybody else prefers. Discuss!
#1re: Which Sunset Blvd Cast Recording Do You Prefer?
Posted: 11/27/05 at 10:56pm
American. I prefer practically everything about it.
I like the tempos better, I like the orchestra better, and I like all of the supporting cast better. Especially George Hearn over Daniel Benzali. The former's voice is SO much more beautiful, in fact, with the exception of Ms. LuPone, everyone on the London recording is more "pop" in singing style.
when it comes to Normas, it's close, but I enjoy Ms. Close better. Ms. LuPone is fantastic, but I think Close gets into her performance more on record. It's still REALLY close though. Close's "With One Look" is better but LuPone's "As If We Never Said Goodbye" is better. But, if I had to choose, I'd go with the American cast.
Marlothom
Broadway Star Joined: 4/13/04
#2re: Which Sunset Blvd Cast Recording Do You Prefer?
Posted: 11/27/05 at 10:58pm
Patti Lupone version.
Generally, I enjoy listening to a singer who can actually hit the notes.
#3re: Which Sunset Blvd Cast Recording Do You Prefer?
Posted: 11/27/05 at 10:58pm
Orchestra -- US cast
Norma - hard as this is, I do like Patti more for vocals (although Betty Buckley supercedes both)
Joe - Kevin Anderson wins hands down
The rest of the cast - US Cast wins...
#4re: Which Sunset Blvd Cast Recording Do You Prefer?
Posted: 11/27/05 at 11:22pm
Oh, come on Marlothom, Glenn isn't flat.
She does sing the songs in a lower key, though.
Marlothom
Broadway Star Joined: 4/13/04
#5re: Which Sunset Blvd Cast Recording Do You Prefer?
Posted: 11/27/05 at 11:29pmOk. Generally I enjoy listening to women that belt really loud and high...fair enough?
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#6re: Which Sunset Blvd Cast Recording Do You Prefer?
Posted: 11/27/05 at 11:34pmI love the American Cast recording, my only wish is that there would be NO Glenn Close. My favorite Norma by far is Patti LuPone. I also think that it was rotten with what ALW did to her.
apdarcey
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/10/04
#7re: Which Sunset Blvd Cast Recording Do You Prefer?
Posted: 11/28/05 at 12:39ami mean, i really love the american recording. but patti is norma.
RentBoy86
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/15/05
#8re: Which Sunset Blvd Cast Recording Do You Prefer?
Posted: 11/28/05 at 1:17amI just ordered the London Cast after buying the American premier about 5 months ago. I love it. I find myself listening to the American cast all the way through all the time. I just love the orchestrations and music and everything about it. We'll see when I get the London recording, we'll see how it stacks up.
Smaxie
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/26/05
#9Helen Schneider
Posted: 11/28/05 at 1:20amGive the German recording a try. Helen Schneider is fantastic, as is Uwe Kroeger as Joe. And the lyrics sound better in German, especially that stupid title song.
#10Helen Schneider
Posted: 11/28/05 at 3:44amWhat did ALW do to Patti???? anyhow...i think Glenn Close is acting all the time...and eventhough Patti is a better singer...her cd sounds kinda plain...im sure she was amazing live...but Glenn has so much passion...she is awesome...she owns every song she sings. I also love Judy Kuhn and Alan Campbell.
#11Helen Schneider
Posted: 11/28/05 at 3:45amBetty Buckley was the worst Norma...she sounds like a cat being killed...i guess that's why she got the role of Grizabella in "Cats".
#12Glenn Close preferred...Loved ur comment muscle23
Posted: 11/28/05 at 3:53am
"Betty Buckley was the worst Norma...she sounds like a cat being killed...i guess that's why she got the role of Grizabella in "Cats"."---LOL, muscle23, I agree with you that of the Norma's I've heard on record, Buckley is the less appealing one.
Glenn Close is my favorite Norma Desmond which is on what I ase my Sunset Blvd. Cast Recording choice, because at the end of the day, this is Norma's world. I loooove Patti LuPone's performance on the OLC, but to me Glenn Close is an actress through and through and her "As If We Never Said Goodbye" just awakens something inside me that none of the other performers I have heard on recording of this song do (including always fab Barbra)
What are your opinions on Barbra's "As If We Never Said Goodbye"? What did Lloyd Webber did to LuPone?
rockfenris2005
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/10/04
#13Glenn Close preferred...Loved ur comment muscle23
Posted: 11/28/05 at 4:20am
Ug. Don't get me started. I bought the Broadway version, and then picked up the London and wanted to stab the CD player to death (like, literally, blow it up and make it catch on fire LOL). The London Cast is abominable; like walking through fire
Joe annoys the crap out of me... every single line he says makes my ears want to explode. Patti slurs all over the place like she's drunk, or yawning, and there's really no conviction in any of her performances (save with the exception of Never Said Goodbye which I really liked). I just can't imagine anyone but George Hearn playing Max... which is (I suppose) *sad*
I hated the London Cast. It's the only cast recording I've ever truly hated... and I mean *hate* hate* hate* and I don't hate anything *at all* save (probably) Dance of the Vampires on Bway (and even then the Previews version was stellar: it was the eventual that sucked)
It's the Glenn recording all the way with me: she doesn't sing it the best way.. but the emotion and the way she plays the character is spine-chilling. I sat there, stunned, terrified, even scared for my life, everytime she got angry. I hope she gets the part in the movie.
As for the LuPone incident... here's my understanding of it. Patti was to play the role on Broadway, but Andrew chose a star-name over Patti: which was Glenn Close: and Patti royally cracked it and sued ALW. Apparently the set collapsed on Lu Pone's last night in London (not sure?) or there was a malfunction that pissed her off even more. There was also Faye Dunaway, who was supposed to take over Glenn in the L.A. production, but she didn't make it to opening night and later sued Andrew. She is on terms with him now
That's all I know... and these are my opinions 
Quasi
Stand-by Joined: 11/11/04
#14Glenn Close preferred...Loved ur comment muscle23
Posted: 11/28/05 at 4:23am
I really like Glenn Close on the American Recording and I love the German recording with Helen Schneider als Norma. I think she is fabulous. 
#15Glenn Close preferred...Loved ur comment muscle23
Posted: 11/28/05 at 7:37amI actually prefer the Canadian one even though it is just a Highlights one
Sant
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/12/04
#16Glenn Close preferred...Loved ur comment muscle23
Posted: 11/28/05 at 8:22am
The American Cast Recording. Not only is it more complete than the London Cast, but it has overall much better performances. Alan Campbell totally outshines Kevin Anderson. The London Cast Recording does have a much better version of "With One Look" (I think the revised orchestration for the L.A. opening ruined the song - the tempo is just too fast for this wonderful song!) but Glenn Close is otherwise much better than Patti. Patti is a fantastic singer but as far as I'm concerned her performance seemed just too bland and too emotionless for my taste.
The case might be different if the London Cast Recording was as complete as the American. We'd get a bit better 'picture' of LuPone's performance. But based on what we really have, Close delivers a far better performance.
I haven't heard the German recording but I have the Canadian Cast and I have to say that it is ok, but the moment Norma shoots Joe is totally ruined by the awkward sounds Ms Carroll makes. While she's firing the gun she appears to be sobbing and uttering 'No...' as if she was witnessing someone else shoot Joe or sobbing because she's having trouble using the gun. Doesn't sound like a crime of passion/madness to me at all. Too weird for me.
Unknown User
Joined: 12/31/69
#17Glenn Close preferred...Loved ur comment muscle23
Posted: 11/28/05 at 8:36am
Glen would be my choice... although she may not have the grandest of voices; it was her interpretation that was right on. It seems she understood the role of Norma the best... I will never forget the final staircase scene... you could be in the last row of the cavernous Minskoff and still feel the emotion exploding from that stage. She is a true dramatic actress... and that is exactly what the role demanded!
I was fortunate enough to catch Patti in London, Glen in LA and NY, Betty in NY, Elaine in NY and Petula on the road… Glen is still my choice!!!
FYI… it seems on http://www.closeup.co.uk/blvd/homepage.htm they have Glen Close as capturing the movie role… who knows???
BroadwayPhil
Understudy Joined: 11/6/03
#18Glenn Close preferred...Loved ur comment muscle23
Posted: 11/28/05 at 8:54amWow, gotta get the OBC with Close. I Have and really like the London cast CD. Glen Close performance on the ALW celibration DVD is just awsume, she is a great actor, more than makes up for her vocals. Special to watch, she steals the show.
Albin
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
#19Glenn Close preferred...Loved ur comment muscle23
Posted: 11/28/05 at 9:02am
"Alan Campbell totally outshines Kevin Anderson."
I disagree. He "barks" alot of his lines.
Fosse76
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/21/05
#20Glenn Close preferred...Loved ur comment muscle23
Posted: 11/28/05 at 10:15am
"Joe - Kevin Anderson wins hands down"
Uh, he sounds as if he is half asleep throughout the entire recording. There is no energy at all in the London recording. The cast was phoning it in.
As for what happened, Webber decided to have Glenn Close open the show in L.A. and LuPone was upset and would have preferred to do LA as opposed to Broadway, but LuPone was still set to open the show on Broadway. But After Close received good reviews, Webber decided to have her open the show on Broadway, and that's when LuPone sued. The show was going to continue to play in LA, with Faye Dunaway as Norma when Close went to Broadway, but she can't sing, and she wasn't getting any better, so Webber fired her and simply just shut down the show in L.A.
kissmycookie
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/21/04
#21Glenn Close preferred...Loved ur comment muscle23
Posted: 11/28/05 at 11:10amActually, Betty Buckley's live recordings of Sunset songs from her concerts are the best renditions I've heard.
JMVR
Featured Actor Joined: 3/26/04
#22Glenn Close preferred...Loved ur comment muscle23
Posted: 11/28/05 at 12:57pmIMHO the cast in the London CD seem to have slept through the recording session. Maybe they went into the studio too early, but I can feel no emotion in their performance. For me, the US cast is the better choice. It sounds like you are listening to characters experiencing real and intense emotions; the London CD sounds like singers trying to sound good and get out of the studio ASAP.
#23Glenn Close preferred...Loved ur comment muscle23
Posted: 11/28/05 at 1:05pm
In fairness, the London cast recording was a rush job. In fact, they used some of the orchestrations from Lloyd Webber's Sydmonton workshop production. They were still doing revisions to the show, but I suppose they wanted to get the music out since there had been a huge demand for it.
The American Premiere Recording had something like an 80 piece orchestra. It was such a huge undertaking that I remember Billboard did a whole huge piece on it (I have it - will have to look for it)
#24Glenn Close preferred...Loved ur comment muscle23
Posted: 11/28/05 at 1:13pm
American cast recording, hands down, but the London Cast recording has its merits too (and one of the best lines that was cut from the American version - "I couldn't breathe in that room - it was so full of Norma Desmond)
I enjoy the German highlights (why was there never a complete cast recording made of this?) Least favorite would be the Canadian Cast recording - it's so weird to hear Rex Smith sing higher than Dihann Carroll during the Perfect Year (of my favorite songs)
of the three Normas I've seen - Betty Buckley, Elaine Paige (both in NY) and Petula Clark (2nd Tour) my favorite would be Elaine Paige - in a perfect world she'd be cast in the movie. Oh, and Alan Campbell over Kevin Anderson any day
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