Search - Stephen Sondheim :: Saturday Night (1998 Original London Cast)

Saturday Night Fever

mgraingers@aol.com | London, England | 02/17/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My wife and I were lucky enough to attend the premiere London Bridewell production of SATURDAY NIGHT. To me, the 1998 recording captures the vibrancy and excitement of the Bridewell production. From what I see on this site, the main complaint seems to be the inauthencicity of the Brooklyn accents: so what? they seem good enough to me. I'm no great Sondheim acolyte, but I'm writing this after seeing Len Cariou and Judy Kaye in the 20th anniverary SWEENEY TODD at London's Festival Hall (13th February). Great production, but I don't think that anyone could descibe their lilt as nineteenth century Cockney.Back to SATURDAY NIGHT; to me the CD is full of joy (I agree, however, that better sleeve notes are needed) and I can't see how anyone could disagee that songs like SATURDAY NIGHT, CLASS, EXHIBIT A and ONE WONDERFUL DAY are classic show tunes. WHAT MORE DO I NEED? If in doubt, buy it.Mark Grainger."

A solid addition to any Sondheim collection

scottminos@hotmail.com | Washington, DC USA | 10/12/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"While Saturday Night may not be one of Sondheim's best works, it certainly is not his worst. And even Sondheim's worst is good. This musical - Sondheim's earliest work - stands on its own and his genius, even at such an early age, shows through. While some of the songs are not as good as others, generally the songs from the first half such as Exhibit A, Saturday Night, In the Movies, and Class shine brilliantly. And while this cast is not quite as good as the Off Broadway cast, I think both titles are worth having to compare against each other. All together, an above average to good album that will not disappoint."

Sondheim's First not the worst.

~Amante | Frederick, MD | 01/06/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"
While Sondheim has had his hits and flops, Saturday Night stands out as a middle ground. The score was started as one of his first only to be completed much later, but you can hear a battle between simplicity and complexity that seems to be the maturing Sondheim. The lyrics are of lesser quality than future Sondheim endeavors, but they are not bad. The singers on this album are fun but not quite as good as the singers in the Saturday Night (2000 Off-Broadway Revival Cast) cast. All in all, the whole CD is just fun. The differences between the two casts is minuscule and unless you are extremely picky about vocal quality it doesn't really matter which CD you get. I strongly suggest this for new and old, Sondheim fan or not. Its probably not one I will listen to often but it is certainly a nice one to have around. Favorite song: "Class""