Maury Yeston Antonio Banderas Chita Rivera - Nine The Musical 2003 Broadway Revival Cast (25 tracks) +Album Reviews +Used CD available for Swap

A stellar version of "Nine"

Steven Valenti | Cleveland, OH | 04/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This revival recording of "Nine" is superb. I actually prefer it to the original Broadway recording and the London concert version (which are both fine). Maury Yeston's music and lyrics are among the best for any modern musical, and the cast here is ideal.

The performances are exemplary, from Antonio Banderas as womanizing film director Guido Contini and Mary Stuart Masterson as his long-suffering wife Luisa, to Laura Benanti, Jane Krakowski, and the rest. Their singing easily matches or surpasses the previous casts, and their acting on the whole is stronger. They just feel more assured to me. Banderas also sounds more feasibly Italian than previous Guidos, which is useful in terms of the character. For their part, the women put on fake accents, which has the potential to be a distraction, but here didn't bother me at all.

Highlights from the score and this album include Banderas's charismatic rendition of "Guido's Song," Krakowski's sexy "A Call from the Vatican," Benanti's almost impossibly-beautiful version of "Unusual Way," and Masterson's bitter and expertly acted "Be On Your Own." The orchestra here is smaller than previous versions, but this doesn't detract in any significant way. The strength of the music and the performances comes through just fine."

It's not a 9, It's a 10!!!

boop455 | TX | 06/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nine is one of my favorite musicals. This is the best recording of it out of the three recordings you can buy. Antonio Banderas can sing! He surpasses Raul Julia on the OBC and Jonathon Pryce on the OLC as Guido Contini by far. "Guido's Song" is phenomenal on how he gets his confused feelings across. But the real gem of this album is of course THE WOMEN! The amazing Chita Rivera (West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie, Kiss of the Spider Woman) is perfect as Liliane La Fleur. Her "Folies Bergeres" is the best you will ever hear. Laura Benanti (Into the Woods) brings an incredible Italian flair to Claudia Nardi. Her "Unusual Way" is unbelievable in it's feeling. Mary Stuart Masterson, in her musical debut, IS the Luisa Contini we've all been waiting for. Her "My Husband Makes Movies" is fantastic and her "Be On Your Own" sends chills down my spine every time I hear it. My personal favorite on the album is Jane Krakowski (Once Upon a Mattress, Company, Grand Hotel) as Carla, Guido's mistress. Her "Call From the Vatican" is so sensual and sexy and is awesome from start to finish. Her "Simple" is great as well. Other great songs are the hilarious "Be Italian", and the touching "Only With You". Nine is a must have for any musical theater lover and will be in your CD player forever."

Better than the original -- even if you don't believe me!

George Dansker | 07/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Who cares about some bad accents. This cast is entirely better than those who came before them on the 1982 cast recording. Though the original cast, led by Raul Julia, were great actors and gave their roles thrilling performances in their own rights, these performers easily outdo them. Their vocals are far superior, and their acting is fine for this recording even if the accents do get a bit tiring.Antonio Banderas comes across well as Guido Contini, the famous filmmaker, as do the other leads: Chita Rivera, Jane Krakowski, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Laura Benanti. I'm seeing this on Broadway in August and I only hope it's as good live as it is on disc. Standout tracks include "My Husband Makes Movies" and "Be On Your Own," both sung wonderfully by Mary Stuart Masterson, "Guido's Song," and "The Bells of St. Sebastian."I highly recommend this disc, as well as the original, but I think this CD is a great point of entry for those hoping to enjoy this musical. The music is brilliant, and these performers bring out the best in the material."

Definitive NINE, a must have recording TEN STARS!!!!

George Dansker | New Orleans, La United States | 06/19/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the recording for which I have been waiting 20 years! I have always loved the music of Maury Yeston's NINE but have never been completely satisfied with any recording I had heard: not the original Broadway cast, the Australian cast or the Jonathan Pryce recording from London.This brand new recording absolutely blew me away. Antonio Banderas is the greatest of all Guidos. He sings beautifully, with terrific musicality and superb diction, and gives a tremendous amount of soul, passion, and heart to his portrayal of Guido. Mary Stuart Masterson is heartrending and commanding as Luisa and also sings very well, her "Be On Your Own" is shattering in its dramatic effect, Jane Krakowski is fantastic and alluring as Carla, and Laura Benanti as Claudia must possess the most beautiful soprano voice on Broadway today. The duet between Benanti and Banderas "In a Very Unusual Way" is sublime and haunting. And to have Chita Rivera, who has 1000 watts of star power, as Liliane LaFleur is incredible luxury casting.I saw the show about 1 month before I heard the cd, and I can say that the cd, conveys all the excitement, warmth and humanity of the highly praised and very successful Broadway production.The cd is long, about 79 minutes of music, and there is a good use of spoken dialog to help convey the story for those not familiar with the show. It is a treat to get the complete "The Grand Canal" sequence, and one can see how brilliantly constructed is this scene. The cd booklet is beautiful, gorgeously illustrated and with (a rarity) the complete lyrics of all the songs. Sonically the cd is excellent, and special praise must go to the ravishing orchestrations (and excellent playing of the orchestra), as well as the extremely strong work of the other performers -- all who are excellent.I know that Amazon only allows me 5 stars to rate this cd, but I would easily give it 10 if I could. One of the most important cast albums of the past 10 years!Buy it -- you will love it, and return to it many times."

An all-star spectacle

Frankie | Los Angeles, Ca. United States | 06/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"WHAT A GREAT CD! This revival has a lot to live up to due to the expectations of a top-notch cast and every performer gives there best. Owning all three cast recordings, I can say vocally, Antonio Banderas is the Best Guido compared to Jonathan Pryce and Raul Julia. He has a rugged sexiness in his voice and his irisistable charm to many women is very believble. As Carla, Jane Krakowski is amazing. She has obviously trained her voice a lot since Grand Hotel. Her range is incredible, as the role of carla demands, and her take on the character is sexy, funny, better than Anita Morris, but not quite as strong as Becky Normand in the London Concert Cast or Alice Ripley in the recently released Maury Yeston Songbooks (Also released by PS records). Mary Stuart Masterson shines in the role of Luisa, Guidos long suffering wife. She Sings "Be on your own" the best I've ever heard it performed. Chita Rivera and Myra Lucretia Taylor also give show-stopping performances. With a rich score, lucious orchastrations, and a talanted and beautiful and sexy cast NINE is finally brought to the glory it deserves."

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