A Catered Affair (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
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Free Music Notes for A Catered Affair (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Free Music Review: A Lovely Affair
Hit: 4 Stars
Another gem that will probably go under-appreciatted, much like The Light In The Piazza, Parade and Floyd Collins. All beautifully written, intelligent and unconventional musicals, that have the audacity to expect the audience to have to think.
And this is absolutely uncoventional. No huge song and dance numbers, no big opening or finale. Basically a chamber musical, small orchestra, the score is almost recititive, it becomes an extension of the characters thoughts or conversation. And it is absolutely lovely. All about the trials amongst an ordinary middle class family, circa 1953, over a daughters impending wedding.
The performances are marvelous. Harvey Fierstein (despite what others have commented) gives a very understated and touching performance as the gay uncle. Faith Prince brings a quiet longing and sadness to the role of Aggie, the mother. And most impressive is Tom Wopat as the father, coping with all the stress and problems of the situation (as well as years of a stale marriage and loss of a son), until finally he explodes in desperation towards the end of the show. It is utterly heart breaking.
Most definetly worth getting if you're interested in thought provoking musical theater.
Sadly, it's already closed, not helped by the poor choice of scene televised on the Tony Awards. The scene and song simply did not work on TV, there were certainly more effective moments that should have been chosen.
Free Music Review: A simple, yet sweet new musical
Hit: 4 Stars
The score to a Catered Affair may not go down in Broadway history as one of the greats, but the simple melodies are touching, and the lyrics have a humanity to them. This is not the big, brassy, full orchestra musical (a la this season's Young Frankenstein), nor is a genre changing breakthrough for musical theatre (like In the Heights). Instead this score fulfills the true duty of a theatre score: to give the characters a mode of expression when words are not powerful enough. Be it Aggie imagining the perfect wedding she never had for her daughter, or Tom's frustration at being asked to give up his life's savings for a fancy party. For a true theatre fan, this recording is a glistening memento of a mostly dull 2007-2008 musical season on Broadway, or at least, its better than Young Frankenstein.Free Music Review: It is what it is
Hit: 4 Stars
This is the OBC recording of A Catered Affair -- a show that many of us can either take or leave -- still, it is a faithful recording of the production -- from the nuanced and lovely Faith Prince, to the absolutely awful (on stage and on recording) Harvey Fierstein. But it is what it is. I don't expect the show to run very long in NYC, so it's important to preserve the score for future productions. It will make for a good study recording for the many college and community productions sure to follow. It's worth a listen, and a place in your musical theatre library -- but I doubt listening to the score itself is going to pull may people into wanting to see the production itself.Free Music Review: A great recording, but...
Hit: 3 Stars
Since I am unable to travel to New York often enough to see all of the shows in which I am interested, I often purchase the cast recordings.
"A Catered Affair" is a great recording, thwarted only by the shameful self-casting of its book writer and lyricist, Harvey Fierstein.
His voice is so irritating, his singing so cringe-inducing, that it renders the recording nearly unfit for repeated play. Usually I listen to cast recordings over and over, to the point that I almost have them memorized.
But Harvey Fierstein's voice is like dragging nails across a chalkboard (albeit several octaves lower). I will never understand his popularity in "Hairspray" and the revival of "Fiddler on the Roof".
Free Music Review: Not Your Typical Score
Hit: 3 Stars
Given the pedigree of this show, I was anxious to see "A Catered Affair" last month in New York. The cast (led by Faith Prince, Tom Wopat, Harvey Fierstein, etc.) were excellent in this musical - a musical, however, l that felt much more like a interesting play with incidental music - similar to "Caroline or Change".
The score was beautiful, but simply did not have many (any?) songs that remained embedded in the brain afterwards. It plays better as a continuous story. And Mr. Fierstein's voice simply does not play as well here as it did in his Tony-winning role in "Hairspray".
Best Tracks:
Married
Vision
Don't Ever Stop Saying "I Love You"