wonderful town recordings

[Pippin]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 4:51pm

I have the 1958 cbs telecast recording with rosalind russell. how does it compare with the original broadway and other recordings?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 4:54pm

The show was written with Roz Russell's talents in mind, so I have always thought that she was the best to perform it.

The Studio recording with Rebecca Luker and Karen Mason has the complete music, but their performances are rather bland.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 4:55pm

Brooke Shields is the best.

[Horton]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 5:02pm

I personally like the Donna M. one, in my opinion she is just the best!

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 5:06pm

I absolutely loved Brooke Shields on the show but the Donna Murphy recording is the best in my opinion, her One Hundred Easy Ways makes me laugh so hard every time I listen to it. Russell's Conga is the best in my opinion though.

[Isabella2]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 5:13pm

there seems to be an ongoing feud with brrok sheilds and Donna Murphy fans. I personally think Donna is much better that brooke. Donna animates the role so well, every line is said with feeling and precision that just makes it work better. Brooke didn't really try to make her ruth original. Sounded like to me that she was just copying the way Russel did it. Also she was very boring. In a way, she just sang the notes.. and not very well mind you. It's almost like you could hear her struggling for some emotion. It's also really interesting to go on brodway.com and check out the opening nights of both donna murphy and brooke for wonderful town. The cast describes donna as being a hardworker, extremely hysterical, the reason why the show started and "lucille ball and ethell merman in one person" The only thing they said about brooke is that she's nice and down to earth.

So get both versions and see which one you'd prefer.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/19/05 at 5:18pm

Um. The role of Ruth was written for a woman with a VERY limited singing ability and range. The amazing Roz Russell successfuly speak/sang through the role.

The role was NOT written for a big belter/amazing singer like Donna. Though she sounds great belting through the songs - the songs were NOT meant to be sung that way.

Brooke is actually closer to the original vision of Ruth than Donna is. Brooke even took optional notes that Roz didn't sing, but Brooke still kept true to the original vision of the character, in my opinion.

Anyway, all the top critics agreed, Brooke Shields was GREAT in WT, and was not to be missed. And some agreed that she was better for the role than Donna.

The end.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 12/20/05 at 12:05am

The OBC (Decca) captures the best performances BUT has two drawbacks: 1.) Sound quality as on all of old Decca albums is flat and boxy and 2.) To fit on 78 RPM records the songs had to be trimmed. The full album plays barely 45 minutes.

The TV Cast album (it is not from the soundtrack of the telecast: it was done in studio in advance of the telecast so the record would be on sale in stores the day after the broadcast) has better sound and is more complete, including the dialogue insertes in "Christopher Street" and the full Overture. Some of the cast (Jacqueline McKeever, Sydney Chaplin) are far inferior to their original cast counterparts.

Elaine Stritch starred in a 1967 revival. Too bad it wasn't recorded: I can just hear Elaine doing full justice to "100 easy Ways."

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/20/05 at 4:00am

Another virtue of the '58 TV cast recording: the orchestra is on fire. I find it the most exciting recording of the score, and the Overture and dance music just explode. McKeever is inferior to Edie Adams on the original Broadway cast recording, but she still sounds sweet. Chaplin is an acquired taste, I guess, but there's something charming about him, whereas I've never quite warmed to mealy mouthed George Gaynes on the original recording.

[Pippin]

Posted: 12/20/05 at 10:50am

smaxie, you are so right, the orchestra is fantastic!!! the overture is so fun to listen to and the wrong note rag is great!!

[BwayLover]

Posted: 12/20/05 at 11:30am

ljay889 - if we're talking pure enjoyment of the recording, not the performance.....I think you'd agree with me that Donna's voice is more pleasant to listen to. At least I think so.
Plus, what does it matter who the songs were written for? A song, by definition, benefits from a good voice singing it. The songs were written to allow a limited voice to shine, so if a great voice sings them...all the better, cause it shines even brighter! It doesn't mean that only limited-voiced singers do these songs justice.

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 12/20/05 at 11:32am

do they still even sell the recording with brooke? if they do, where can you get it? i want it badly! I LOVE BROOKE! :)

[children&art]

Posted: 12/20/05 at 11:37am

My fave is the 1999 London studio recording with Brent Barrett as Wreck, Audra McDonald as Eileen, and Kim Criswell as Ruth.

And can you believe that "Wonderful Town" is the ONLY Bernstein score to win a Tony (not "Candide", not "West Side Story").

[Pippin]

Posted: 12/20/05 at 11:40am

I'm always all for a pleasant voice, but it is also what is behind the voice. Linda Eder's is pleasant, but there is nothing else working except for her vocal chords. Now we all now Elaine Stritch doesn't have the best singing voice, but there is no one else that I would want to hear sing Ladies who lunch or Broadway baby. I would say the same applies here, though I have never heard the Donna murphy version.

[BwayLover]

Posted: 12/20/05 at 11:47am

Pippin, I absolutely agree with you! But, I was only talking about one aspect.. The great thing about Murphy is that on top of having a wonderful voice, she's a wonderful actress...so it's the combo of both.

[Pippin]

Posted: 12/20/05 at 11:53am

very true, Bway, and I respect your opinion. Murphy is wonderful, and I would like to listen to her version of Wonderful town.