Search - Harvey Schmidt, Tom Jones :: The Show Goes On: A Portfolio Of Theater Songs By Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt (1998 Original Off-Broadway Cast)

Heaven in an album

efrex | New York, NY USA | 03/30/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones may "suffer" from having written one of the all-time greatest theatrical smash hits in "The Fantasticks" in that the remainder of their work (and it spans four decades) is often pushed to the wayside. Yes, the two wrote more than "Try To Remember", and this album, featuring the two songwriters with three delightful backup vocalists takes the listener on an educational and entertaining journey through their career, with detours down some paths not taken, in the form of songs cut from shows or which were substantially reworked.Highlights include Jones's remeniscing about Gower Champion calling with the idea for "I Do! I Do!", a selection of songs from "Celebration" (since the cast recording is long out of print, this is really the only commercial recording of any of the songs that I know of), and a couple of novelty numbers ("Mr. Off Broadway" could, with a name-change here or there, be just as topical now as when first written, despite Jones's comments, and "Wonderful Way to Die" from "The Bone Room" is an absolute hoot).I saw Schmidt and Jones at the York theater, and this cast recording captures the charm and delight which this wonderful pair continues to bring to live musical theatre."

Entertaining record of their Off-Broadway revue

efrex | 08/28/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The music is enjoyable, and it is always a treat to hear composers perform their own work, but this isn't one that will be played over and over. The treats on this album are the songs not available on the original cast recordings of their works, but many of the songs are abbreviated into mere snippets (most of the selections from Celebration), and the material tends to be I DO, I DO heavy. I would have appreciated the inclusion of some of the music from PHILEMON, and more from BONE ROOM, and COLLETTE.While not a perfect recording, the listener DOES get the sense that they are there in the theatre ( although the audience on the recording does react to many visuals which are of course lost to the listener), and not in a cold recording studio."