Of the cast recordings you’ve added to your video harem in recent months (or years), which have been summoned most often to your bedchambers and which have been forlorned?
The ones I’ve added recently:
Wicked- I like Dancing Through Life and every Joel Grey number, but otherwise wasn’t blown away
The Frogs- Nathan Lane starred and rewrote this Sondheim updating of Aristophanes. It’s too tongue in cheek and tries too hard to be witty, then leads to a climactic showdown twixt Bernard Shaw and William Shakespeare THAT’S NOT ON THE CD EVEN THOUGH THE BUILD-UP IS!, but I can’t totally diss it as it has an incredibly moving number, Ariadne. Though mostly a farce ala Funny Thing… Forum, the mood darkens for one number in which Dionysos, sailing on Styx with Xanthius, laments his beloved wife (yes, I know, they’ve tamped some with the myth), and even with the less than Lanza stylings of known poof Lane it’s a hauntingly beautiful song (perhaps due to the cello). I recommend the CD almost for that alone.
Assassins- the Neil Patrick Harris revival. It has a lot more dialogue and even some more music than the original, but I prefer the original in almost every way.
I know there are more but I’m drawing a blank. What musicals have you listened to lately and how did you like or not like them?
Got a bootleg copy of “Wicked” from a buddy of mine the other week. Love that show. “Defying Gravity” is definitely a favorite here. Then there is “Avenue Q”. Just about anything from that makes me laugh alot.
Ah, of course… Avenue Q, how could I forget. Totally brilliant- I’ve already lost two CDs to friends who wanted to “borrow it just long enough to record it”. And how ironic that Gary Coleman can’t get a job to save his life but as a character he’s in one of the biggest hits on B’way.
I recently got Rent, as well, which I also like quite a bit. It’s longer and more emotionally draining than Wicked, though, so I don’t listen to it as often.
Avenue Q is still on my wish list, as is The Last 5 Years (any opinions on that show?). And thanks, Sampiro: I just added Spamalot.
Spamalot: Not as funny as, say, Avenue Q, but The Song That Goes Like This is great.
Avenue Q: Brilliant because it’s known for being raunchy, but is actually sad and sentimental at the same time. For Now is probably my favorite song ever.
Wicked is pretty good. I’d love to see the stage show sometime, but until then I’ll make do with the songs. I don’t like all of them, but most of them are pretty good. **Defying Gravity ** is a great one, **Dancing through life ** is great too and I’ve got a fondness for **What is this feeling?,**which I get stuck in my head every so often.
