A frenetic score, populated with miscast voices.
The Music Man | United States | 01/18/2009
(2 out of 5 stars)
"This new recording of a new musical version of Anne of Green Gables suffers from a couple of major flaws: the score is frenetic without respite, substituting speed and fast-paced lyrical patter in substitute of humor or charm. The lyrics, by Gretchen Cryer, are often forced, and put words into the characters mouths that sound older than they're written. The music, by Nancy Ford, struggles to place notes for all the over-written lyrics, and although written with intelligence, none of the melodies are striking, or memorable after hearing them. (And shouldn't a musical about Anne Of Green Gables be filled with lovely melodies?). The final nail in the coffin for me is the singers - the singers all sound TOO OLD for their parts, with the children parts all sounding as if they're in their late twenties. The fault again lies with the score, which is written for performers who are more accomplished - it's as if the authors were trying to fit a Stephen Sondheim musical framework onto a book that cries out for a Richard Rodgers - it just doesn't work. The orchestration is mostly just piano, with the occasional wind or string instrument adding a little color. If you're looking for a good "Anne Of Green Gables" musical, check out the Norman Campbell version, which, to my tastes, is far closer to the spirit of the source material than this."
Pales by Comparison"
Gentleman Jim | MO, USA | 01/24/2009
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Very disappointing score. Chalk up another Stephen Sondheim "Wanna Be" in regard to melody, charm, hummability, felicity, etc., all of which are lacking in this latest retelling of the classic feel-good story. The songs are forgettable and the melodies almost non-existant. It sounds and feels like a very cheap recoriding with a tinkling piano and few other insturuments in accompaniment. The rich, lush score that Norman Campbell wrote and produced for the Canadian edition of "Anne of Green Gables" in the early 70s is much superior to this drab and colorless recording."
