Stand-by Joined: 11/23/03
I liked the Wicked Recording more then the boy from oz...
Stand-by Joined: 12/31/69
Comparing them is like Apples and Oranges.
But if I had to pick I would pick Avenue Q.
Apples Oranges and Bananas
Bananas and coconuts.
Oh sorry, BFO is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!
A minority opinion on this board:
No matter what one thinks about Hugh's triumph, the OZ recording sounds like what it is ultimately: a pop catalogue shoe-horned into a maudlin and mediocre bio-drama, much less successfully than Abba's tunes serve MAMA MIA. To me, the material that stretches best -- that plays as character-specific -- is given to the child-Peter ("Name In Lights"), and Garland. ("All I Wanted..." is affecting, subtly voicing some of the real Judy's middle-aged angst.) Many will disagree strongly with all my sentiments, but Peter's mom singing Melissa Manchester's "Don't Cry Out Loud" comes close to embarassing, despite Fowler's tenderness and investment. When we get to a turning point in the half-assed "story," what does "Boy Next Door" reveal about Peter's character? A man who's already boinked Garland's husband and married Liza M. has NEVER been anybody's idea of "a boy next door..." We never even seen the moment when Allen figures out he likes fellas. It's just a chance for Jackman to shine yet again, devoid of any meaning. It's interesting that that number was moved to that spot after the previews began. The song sentiments are so hollow, they were just reordered, plugged in until something sorta kinda worked okay.
Thanks to Hugh, and Allen's better pop melodies, what Ken Mandlebaum said about WICKED, I feel about OZ: "..it's a lot better than it has a right to be."
Videos