Reviews

Just a review of the couple of albums I have been listening too recently:
NINE: Nine is quite simply a musical theatre triumph. For sure one of the richest scores in recent memory. Maury Yeston's score is beautiful, moving, challenging, and profound. I don't often lavish compliments, but this music is so fantastic, I bought the 2002 revival cast days after acquiring the original. Highlights in include, "My Husband Makes Movies", Guido's wife's intro, and subsequent explanation of her husband's livelihood. Upon first listen, I assumed this would be one of the best of the album, but it was quickly forgotten when "A Call From the Vatican" raged on to my iPod. Anita Morris from the Original Broadway Cast purrs, and then quite literally growls into a climax. Beautiful and seductive. "Folies Bergeres" is a bit of a fantasy number, highlighted even more so by the casting of Chita Rivera in the new Broadway cast. "The Bells of St. Sebastian" is full of imagery, but the structure of the song did not suit me. And then "Unusual Way". What other superlatives can I use. It is breathtaking, easily exploding into the top 30 of 100 my Favorite Showtunes. And then, "Getting Tall".  Nine's retrospective finale has orchestrations unheard of in modern musical theatre. Large orchestras are a dying breed on Broadway today, and it was refreshing to hear such a grand sound from Nine. Yeston also creates one of the most necessary overtures in Broadway history, and even more innovative, it is sung by the cast. Undoubtedly, unquestionably beautiful. Grade: A

GRAND HOTEL: To perhaps defend my partiality to Yeston's "Nine", I cannot be so kind about his revisions to Grand Hotel. Originally conceived by Robert Wright and George Forrest, Yeston was brought in by director Tommy Tune to revise the ailing score and lyrics. Grand Hotel has a bloated concept that interweaves six or seven different stories of guests and employees at the hotel. The score is not completely devoid of beauty, the ballad, "Love Can't Happen" is lush, but a bit melodramatic,. It's reprise in "Roses at the Station" highlights it's beauty especially. "Maybe My Baby Loves Me" isn't awful, and it entertains, but its one of those playful, meaningless numbers. "I want to Go to Hollywood" and "Who Couldn't Dance With You" also highlight a forgettable cast album and a near forgotten one as well. Grade: C

SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE: Sondheim at his best. With a book that has a fantastic first act, but a simply disappointing and dull second act. Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin are combined with such great material, the cast album is an instant classic. They both give incredibly touching vocal performances. The song, "Sunday in the Park with George" is a good opener. "Finishing the Hat" is a fantastic male solo, both touching and loosely structured to reflect the pointillism of the painting the musical is based on. "Sunday" was my instant favorite from the recording. It's on par with the operatic melodies of Leonard Bernstein. "We Do Not Belong Together" has a heart-wrenching line from Peters, that gives her character and Patinkin's a whole new level of characterization. The second act opener, "It's Hot Up Here" is funny, and melodic, and a highlight of the dismal second act. And "Move On" is a beautiful tribute to artists, as is the entire show. Grade: A

IN TROUSERS: I have been waiting a long time to listen to this cast album, as William Finn has recently become one of my favorite composers. It's a song cycle. It leaps from Marvin's adulthood to his labored past and adolescence. It is abrasive and distinct even today, as I am sure it was even more shocking when it was produced. "Whizzer Going Down", while perhaps nice musically, is a terror of a song, with far too many innuendos for my taste. The real triumphs here are Finn's two female ballads, "Love Me For What I Am" and "I'm Breaking Down".  Overall, the first part of the "Marvin Trilogy" is less focused and more repetitive, but still has valuable musical qualities. Grade: B