Which version of The Scarlet Pimpernel is your favourite!?- Page 2

[philly03]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 11:50am

Christine Andreas was the original Marguerite. Hands down, a great actress, and I really like her voice, but many people find she has too much vibratto. Also, keep in mind that she's singing with a fake French accent on top of it, and when you hear her sing Storybook on the same recording, you will notice it's gone...because she's "in disguise."

And I agree...Frank needs to get on a big studio recording. Or he should have when he did the Encore! Recording had Rex Smith sing Guillotine instead of Falcon... or Where's the Girl?. The new wedding song isn't sung, I really like the instrumental rescue scene!, and of course the third or fourth reprise of "When I Look At You" at the end could use a recording too! Well actually, that one goes along with the middle of the Entr'acte. Regardless, it does deserve one with all those changes, but I'm guessing the producers gave up after 3 / 4 tries.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 12:07pm

My problem with Christine Andreas's vibrato isn't that she uses too much of it. It's that it's completely uncontrolled and unsupported. A Stevie Nicks vibrato, if you will.

I would like a new recording of the show as well, but more than anything I would like for Wildhorn to stop messing with his own shows so much.

[Anna_Elizabeth]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 5:24pm

There are foreign recordings popping up all the time now. :) Not sure how close to the original, or to how the script finally ended up, they are.

I remember when I saw SP1. Douglas and Christine were on vacation, but I didn't like how the story ended up. Missed SP2, but saw SP3, and enjoyed it so much more. And, of course, saw the tour with the oh, so many different leads, and then some. :)

[Baine]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 5:34pm

My birthday was last month, and I was in Japan at the time, so I traveled to see the Takarazuka Revue production of SP that was being performed in Takarazuka City, Hyogo.

It's the only version I've seen live, so I really don't have much to go on, but I thought it was a beautiful production, and I was amazed by how manly the guys sounded and how clear Marguerite's voice was. The costumes were really lavish, too.

I haven't had time to post a review up for the TR people because I was busy packing and moving back to the States and stuff. I don't know if anyone here would want to read the review or not, but if so, let me know and I will.

The DVD will also be out at the end of September for anyone who wants to see, but it's close to a hundred dollars, and there's a lot of shipping and stuff involved, so it's not cheap. It's a beautiful production, though. Actually, I wish Broadway shows also considered putting out a DVD at a high price like that.... It might catch on!

[philly03]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 9:20pm

If you're talking about the ending song of SP1, I wish they kept just that. Actually, I believe Nan said it was harder for her to cut the song "Believe" then "Only Love." I wish they kept the Believe reprise at the end, simply because the lyrics to When I Look At You..the final reprise were odd. And it's not as if that song didn't pop up every two minutes in Act 1!

And the Japanese production sounded interesting! LOL if you've listened to the other recordings, which one did it follow most? (SP1 or SP2?)

I would have hated SP1 if Mann, Sills, and Andreas were out. Even just one of them, seriously!

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 9:22pm

I thought it was a beautiful production, and I was amazed by how manly the guys sounded and how clear Marguerite's voice was.

The...guys? Guys? In a Takarazuka production?