Of all Leonard Bernstein scores
this has always been my favorite and it never sounded as good as it sounds in
this new cast recording. Thanks to Rob Fisher’s musical direction and vocal
arrangements it sounds more exciting than ever and the result is a fresh
rewarding recording.
Like in the show, the best thing
is Donna Murphy (she should have won the Tony for Best Leading Actress in a
Musical) and it’s her tracks that make all the difference. “One Hundred Easy
Ways” is sung with perfect comic timing and it was never funnier. Her
renditions of “Conga!”, “Wrong Note Rag” and specially the hilarious “Swing”
are a riot. She’s brilliant!
The rest of the cast gives her
good support and have their moments. Jennifer Westfeldt is a sweet Eileen and
has a good moment with “It’s Love”, like Greg Edelman (who sounds better on the
CD than on stage) has.
There are a couple of songs that
I never cared much, like “Pass the Football”, “Conversation Piece” and “What a
Waste”, and I haven’t changed my mind with this new cast. But the rest of the
score is so good that I prefer to forget that those songs are there. My favorite
song has always been “Wrong Note Rag”, specially the middle section, and here
it’s simple fantastic. And of course I love the beautiful “It’s
Love”.
Before this one, my favorite
recording of the score have been the London cast with Maureen Lipman, but now,
of all WONDERFUL TOWN recordings, this revival is the one that I recommend.
I have always loved this score. I was very fortunate to see the London production, many years ago, and, like you, I preferred that cast album for many years. Have you heard the concert recording with Kim Criswell as Ruth and Audra McDonald as Eileen? When that appeared, around 2000, it quickly became my favourite. There is even a DVD of the concert which is superb.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had seen the London production, it really sounds great and fun. I never saw the concert you mentioned, but you made me curious about it. Thanks for the tip!
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