Montage, Part 1: Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Love
Montage, Part 2: Nothing
Montage, Part 3: Mother
Montage, Part 4: Gimme The Ball
Dance: Ten; Looks: Three
The Music And The Mirror
One
What I Did For Love
One (reprise) / Finale
In the fall of 2006, A Chorus Line came back on Broadway 16 years after its original run closed, and it felt as if it had never left. The new production, put together by alums from the first one, is a carbon copy of Michae... more »l Bennett's groundbreaking staging, and the cast recording follows suit. The good news is that Marvin Hamlisch's energetic, pop-inflected score sounds as great as ever; the bad news: well, you might quibble with the staging but when it comes to the CD, there isn't really any bad news. This time around, the songs are performed in the order in which they are performed live, and the recording includes more of the incidental music and the dialogue. Among the highlights are Natalie Cortez's fabulous "Nothing" (check out the Bacharachian trumpet-and-piano arrangements, which aren't all that surprising since co-orchestrator Jonathan Tunick had worked on Bacharach's sole musical, Promises, Promises) and Jessica Lee Goldyn's uproarious "Dance: Ten; Looks: Three." And then there's "One," which remains one of the most memorable songs in the musical-theater catalogue?-lucky for us, we get it twice since it's reprised at the end. --Elisabeth Vincentelli« less
In the fall of 2006, A Chorus Line came back on Broadway 16 years after its original run closed, and it felt as if it had never left. The new production, put together by alums from the first one, is a carbon copy of Michael Bennett's groundbreaking staging, and the cast recording follows suit. The good news is that Marvin Hamlisch's energetic, pop-inflected score sounds as great as ever; the bad news: well, you might quibble with the staging but when it comes to the CD, there isn't really any bad news. This time around, the songs are performed in the order in which they are performed live, and the recording includes more of the incidental music and the dialogue. Among the highlights are Natalie Cortez's fabulous "Nothing" (check out the Bacharachian trumpet-and-piano arrangements, which aren't all that surprising since co-orchestrator Jonathan Tunick had worked on Bacharach's sole musical, Promises, Promises) and Jessica Lee Goldyn's uproarious "Dance: Ten; Looks: Three." And then there's "One," which remains one of the most memorable songs in the musical-theater catalogue?-lucky for us, we get it twice since it's reprised at the end. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
"It's nice to see such a great show back on Broadway, but this recording just can't escape the shadow of the orginal (and far superior) production. Most everything feels slowed down - too slowed down. I gave it a couple of listens, but it just didn't have the magic. Best tracks:
At The Ballet
The Music And The Mirror
What I Did For Love
One/Finale
Worth the ticket? - Absolutely!, but pick up the landmark 1975 recording instead of this merely "passable" version."
Some really curious musical choices hamstring this recording
Musical Lover | Ohio | 11/06/2006
(2 out of 5 stars)
"There are several questions I have after listening to this CD.
Why are the tempos so crazy? The opening number plods along like a funeral march, while At The Ballet zips past as if the performers are on crank. Part of me suspects that cast is performing against a pre-recorded accompaniment track.
Why does everything sound so thin? These orchestrations were created to achieve maximum resonance in live acoustic settings. On this CD, it's like every single instrument is separately mic'ed and mixed to within an inch of its life, sometimes to the detriment of the overall sound. Sometimes, obviously live instruments sound like MIDI. Usually it's the sound engineer's job to make the opposite happen!
Why are the vocals so "hot"? In the OBC, there were occasions when the entire chorus would get overwhelmed by reverb and full-sounding orchestra. Now it's the vocals that tear at the balance.
Who cast this show? I'm not going to single any one cast member out because it would rude, but -- oh screw it. You deserve to know. This Cassie is some serious vocal ugly. I didn't once wonder along with Zach why she was stuck auditioning on the line, like I did with Ms. Donna McKechnie's fabulous triple threat.
Why not update some of the orchestrations? I have a deep and abiding respect for Jonathan Tunick (who is among my top three favorite Broadway creative types), but it's 2006. Wah wah pedals are out.
Overall, although this CD is good for completists, it's not going to knock the OBC recording out of it's slot as the definitive A CHORUS LINE recording. If you don't have a Chorus Line CD and are trying to decide which one to buy, track down the re-mastered version of the original broadway cast. It's vintage, but it has a raw warmth that is missing from the revival cast."
Ineffective Revival,
Tom George | Wash. DC | 03/02/2007
(1 out of 5 stars)
"Having seen the original in 1975 shortly after it opened, and subseqeuntly, different casts over the years, I was hugely disappointed in this production. While it would be unfair to expect the current revival to have the same impact as the original (they were, after all, playing their own lives), this is oddly unmoving. Every performer seems to be "acting", whereas the original, they all came aross as natural and real. Charlotte D'Amboise is talented and appealing but somehow, she too seems to be forced. Donna MacKechnie was heartbreaking, her dancing was pure passion and desperation, and you totally understood why she could not blend into the chorus, she was such a standout, so amazingly talented with such star quality it was sometimes difficult to stop watching her when the other cast members were performing. D'Amboise comes across as just another member of the ensemble, and in The Music and The Mirror, is just dancing really, really hard.
While there is a little more music on this cast album, stick to the OBC to get what it was all about.
I thought to the novice who'd never seen ACL, that this production would seem wonderful, but I have a sister and her husband who recently saw this (and had never seen any production before) and they found it rather dull and ineffective. The original simply overwhelmed with it's brilliance...not here. BTW avoid the dismal mess of a movie at all costs.
Still, when a musical such as ACL chnges the face of musical theater, I say "Bravo" to any production available!!"
I'll Take The Original Any Day
dlmorrow | USA | 11/10/2006
(1 out of 5 stars)
"The movie was trash. And this revival isn't much better. I saw the original both in Workshop at the Public in NYC and 5 times at the Shubert. AND ... this new revival though I give them all credit for trying ... it just doesn't cut it. There isn't any magic in the mirror. Ed Kleban ... are you rolling over in your grave??? Someone wrote that the arrangements et al were pretty close to the original. Not! There is just something missing here in this production. Perhaps it's the fact that everyone is trying to mirror ... er ... create (re-create) the original. Perhaps it might have been better had they had felt less restricted (in creating a historic theater fable) and had more freedom to get up the energy, drive and passion A CHORUS LINE must have to tell all the stories."
It's "A Chorus Line"
~Amante | Frederick, MD | 06/04/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Well, this is A Chorus Line. I don't hear much difference from the original. Sound quality is a little better, the voices are a little bit better, and there are a few added notes here and there, but overall I don't feel this is a must have if you already own the original. Now if you have to choose between which one to get, I would say get this one. As I've said the sound quality and some voices ARE better on this one, but not so drastically that you need this one. I like A Chorus Line and I am happy I got this CD, but it definitely doesn't wipe the original off the map. I suggest this for collectors, and younger new listeners. Favorite song: "What I Did For Love""
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1
![Seussical [2000 Original Broadway Cast]](https://nationalbookswap.com/cd//m/02/4802/514802.jpg)
