Ultimate Broadway

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Free Music Notes for Ultimate Broadway

Free Music Review: A WINNER FROM BEGINNING TO END
Hit: 5 Stars

Beginning with Alfred Drake's lusty "Oklahoma!," the show credited with revolutionizing the Broadway musical, we are taken along for a dazzling two-hour ride through Broadway history. There are the unforgettable classics: Ezio Pinza's magnificent baritone wrapping around "South Pacific"'s treasured "Some Enchanted Evening," and Gertrude Lawrence exuding charm with Yul Brynner over the musical question "Shall We Dance?" from "The King and I." There is Julie Andrews' soaring coloratura flying with "My Fair Lady"'s "I Could Have Danced All Night." The ethereal beauty of "West Side Story"'s "Maria" and "Tonight." Robert Preston crashing his way through "Seventy-Six Trombones" from his star-making performance in "The Music Man." The queen of the Broadway musical, Ethel Merman, turning into a paramount with "Gypsy"'s "Everything's Coming Up Roses." Mary Martin's plaintive paean to the most beautiful sound in all the world, "The Sound of Music." Robert Goulet shows why he will always be the penultimate performer of the love ballad "If Ever I Would Leave You" from "Camelot." And Carol Channing's unforgettable swagger into the Harmonia Gardens to the tune of "Hello, Dolly." The irrepresible Zero Mostel winking his way through "Fiddler On the Roof"'s "If I Were a Rich Man."

And that's just the first side.

Barbra Streisand becoming Barbra Streisand with "People," her showstopper from "Funny Girl." John Cullum's glorious "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever." Richard Kiley's faithful knight Don Quixote, vowing his eternal conquest for "The Impossible Dream" as the "Man of La Mancha." "Mame," the irrestibly catchy title tune of the 1966 smash. Liza Minnelli, who was not in the original Broadway production, but who thrills with her sensational rendition of the title song from the 1972 film soundtrack of "Cabaret." Judy Collins, another performer not in the original cast of "A Little Night Music," but who is intensely moving with her rendition of Stephen Sondheim's popular hit "Send in the Clowns." Before Catherine Zeta-Jones electrified movie audiences with "All That Jazz," Chita Rivera smirked and cackled it to fantastic effect in "Chicago." "One," the unforgettable production number from "A Chorus Line." Andrea McArdle with "Tomorrow" from "Annie." "Memory" from "Cats"...Michael Crawford's haunting "The Music of the Night" from "Phantom of the Opera." Elaine Page stepping in for Glenn Close with a rhapsodic "As If We Never Said Good-bye" from "Sunset Boulevard." And the undying "Seasons of Love" from "Rent."

The classics are well represented, but there are also many delightful sides to this musical feast. Ray Bolger's inimitable "Once In Love With Amy," from "Where's Charley?" is an old-time treat, along with Carol Channing gnashing her way through "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." There is also a pre-"Law and Order" Jerry Orbach, waltzing through the lilting "Try to Remember" from "The Fantasticks." There is the spinning "Aquarius," as originated in "Hair," the divine Patti LuPone in the performance of her career as "Evita," pleading "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina." Jennifer Holliday's jaw-dropping "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from 1982's "Dreamgirls." And there is Aretha Franklin shining with "I Dreamed a Dream" from the epic "Les Miserables."

This is not only the perfect collection of Broadway memories, but it is a wonderful introduction to the genre for newcomers. And they will be as intoxicated and enchanted by these glorious performances, all beautifully preserved on these sharp, clear soundtracks. There is something for everyone here: from the sentimental theatergoers of years past to the new generations finding a whole new world through the musical theater. Trust me: for theater buffs, this is the only Broadway CD you'll ever need. And for the rest of you: welcome to a wonderful, wonderful ride.

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