110 in the Shade (2007 Broadway Revival Cast)
|
List Price: Our Price: $13.71 You Save: $6.27 (31%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $8.98 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for 110 in the Shade (2007 Broadway Revival Cast)
Free Music Review: Audra McDonald Lifts Quality of CD
Hit: 4 Stars
When it opened originally the show didn't do well, so it seemed anodd choice to revive. When the Tony Awards aired, it became evident how much the show gained from Audra McDonald's performance. A friend of mine was lucky enough to see it and felt she elevated the entire evening. The CD captures her musical abilities well. I've been following her since I saw her in Carousel years ago in NYC. Well worth the purchase.Free Music Review: LOOK WHAT THEY'VE DONE TO MY SHOW, MA! . . . . .
Hit: 3 Stars
I'm not ashamed to say that 110 IN THE SHADE is one of my favorite shows. I was fortunate to catch it in Los Angeles in 1964 on the first leg of its national tour. What a production! What a cast! The extraordinary Inga Swenson (a fellow Nebraskan), the splendid baritone Stephen Douglass, the wonderful character actor Will Geer, the delightful Lesley Ann Warren. (Ray Danton had replaced Robert Horton). What exciting, Copland-esque orchestrations by Hershy Kay (CANDIDE, ON THE TOWN, JUNO, A CHORUS LINE) and thrilling choral settings by Robert De Cormier! Later, in 1970 I had the good fortune to be cast as File in a community theater production.
In other places on amazon.com, I've bemoaned the fate of the 1963 Original Broadway Cast recording, deleted some time ago by RCA with no apparent plans for a reissue. Therefore, I've been anticipating this new recording ever since the announcement in the NEW YORK TIMES of the Roundabout Theatre Company's impending revival starring Audra McDonald, without question the finest singer/actor now gracing the Broadway stage. Imagine my disappointment when the initial release date was delayed, and delayed a second time.
So, when it arrived in today's mail, I tore off the cellophane, and dropped it in my CD player in expectation of wonderful things to come.
Never have I been so disappointed.
What with the exorbitant cost of mounting a show on Broadway, I understand that concessions must sometimes be made. BUT WHY MUST THOSE WHO PRODUCE REVIVALS OF OUR BELOVED MUSICAL SHOWS HAVE TO MESS WITH THE ORIGINAL? (THE PAJAMA GAME and KISS ME, KATE are other prime examples.) Instead of a sizeable chorus singing Robert De Cormier's magnificent choral settings, we have ten (yes, TEN. It would appear that my hometown of Comstock has a greater population than Three Point, Texas.) townspeople singing trite and colorless arrangements by some unidentified musical hack. Hershy Kay's exciting and breath-taking orchestrations have been replaced by anemic, recording-studio-quality dreck by the usually-reliable Jonathan Tunick. Seldom are there any echoes of that sonorous "Aaron Copland Americana" that fits this musical like a glove. As good as Ms. McDonald is (and she is very, very good), her voice alone is not enough to make the first act finale, "Old Maid," the dramatic show stopper it should be. It cries out for a real orchestra behind it, not a 15-piece band with only two violins, one viola, one cello . . . Oh, well. You get the picture.
Nor do the sound engineers do anyone a favor, especially Ms. McDonald. During loud passages, in particular, the voices are often uncomfortably strident, and the over-all recording is harsh and two-dimensional. (Compare this recording to the expertly engineered MARIE CHRISTINE.)
I would love to see this production; it has to more satisfying than this recording. And I wish I could give the recording a higher rating, if only for the excellence of the performances. Ms. McDonald, Texas drawl aside, is a remarkable Lizzie; John Cullum is a fine H.C.; Christ Butler and Bobby Steggert are acceptable as Lizzie's brothers; Christoper Innvar is a strong File, although I wish he had used his "theatrical" voice more often; Steve Kazee is more vocally-assured than Robert Horton on the 1963 recording, but Horton is considerably better with the dialogue.
Since used copies of the 1963 Original Cast Recording are commanding an outrageous price, might ArkivMusic be planning an ArkivSong CD-on-Demand? Hope so. There's also the "complete" recording from JAY with Karen Ziemba as Lizzie, Richard Muenz as File, and Ron Raines as - so I've been told - the best Starbuck by far. Just listen to the audio samples of the JAY recording and you'll understand - and be as saddened as I am - how far off the mark this revival is. What a shame! It could have been great.
Free Music Review: It's not 110%
Hit: 3 Stars
The CD is well produced and Audra McDonald is wonderful, but most of the music sounds dated and old fashioned. Maybe that's because the show is dated and old fashioned.Free Music Review: This show was a stinker
Hit: 1 Stars
I saw the NY production a few months ago. Huge disappointment. I recall there was one good number in the second act. Everything else (music and otherwise) was tedious and completely forgettable. If I hadn't paid so much money to see the show, I would have walked out at intermission.
I would like to listen to an old recording with the large choruses as others have mentioned. Perhaps that would make a difference.
What's the fuss about Audra McDonald in this show. She's a great dramatic actress, but her voice is rather shrill with an unpleasant tone. She should just stick to speaking parts.