A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (1962 Original Broadway Cast) [Cast Recording]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
"Tragedy tomorrow, comedy tonight!" With that song, one of the most famous opening numbers ever, the brilliant career of Stephen Sondheim as a Broadway composer and lyricist was born. Sondheim had written lyrics for the classics West Side Story and Gypsy, but he wanted to compose as well, and after 1954's Saturday Night was derailed, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962) gave him his first Broadway show. Based on the Roman comedies of Plautus, it's a light frothy entertainment (as promised in the opening) led by the outrageous Zero Mostel as the scheming slave Pseudolus. The Gordian knot of a plot also involves Jack Gilford as fellow slave Hysterium, Preshy Marker as the vacant Philia, Brian Davies as the young hero, Hero, and Ron Holgate as the testosterone-oozing soldier Miles Glorious. Sondheim the composer proves an ideal match for Sondheim the lyricist: you can hear halting uncertainty and not-yet-blossomed passion in "Love, I Hear," "I'm Calm" perfectly captures Hysterium's hysteria, and "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid" is pure vaudeville genius. --David Horiuchi

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (1962 Original Broadway Cast), Music, Stephen Sondheim, Cast Recordings, Classical, Musicals, Original Cast Recordings, Show Tunes, Showtunes / B'way

Average customer rating:

Sweet melody

Woot! The best recording of Forum

Timeless and Classic

Everybody ought to have this CD

Music in Good 'Forum'

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1996 Broadway Revival Cast)
Stephen Sondheim
Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Applause Musical Library)

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (1962 Original Broadway Cast)

Matthew Broderick in "How to Succeed in Business WIthout Really Trying!"

A Little Night Music (1973 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B000002SJO
Release Date: 1996-06-25

Tracks:

Overture
Comedy Tonight
Love, I Hear
Free
The House Of Marcus Lycus
Lovely
Pretty Little Picture
Everybody Ought To Have A Maid
I'm Calm
Impossible
Bring Me My Bride
That Dirty Old Man
That'll Show Him
Lovely (Reprise)
Funeral Sequence
Comedy Tonight (Finale)

Amazon.com

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, the first Broadway show for which Stephen Sondheim wrote both music and lyrics, has proven to be one of the master's most enduring creations, appearing in community theaters and, in 1996, in this full-scale Broadway revival. In the role of the scheming slave Pseudolous, Tony-winner Nathan Lane isn't the maelstorm that was Zero Mostel in the 1962 original Broadway cast, giving a subtler, neurotic performance. While one might miss the sheer force of Mostel's personality driving these madcap antics (based on the Roman comedies of Plautus), Lane's approach allows the show to become more of an ensemble vehicle. In a gender- and race-neutral move, Lane was subsequently replaced on Broadway by Whoopi Goldberg. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

Sweet melody.......2003-12-16

1) Show is hysterical. The music, the tempo, the acting, it all worked so well, and there was such cohesion it was superb
2) I played Hysterium in my high school play (Greenwich, CT: Brunswick - '01), and I had so much fun, and the CD helped immensley, as I heard several versions of the songs, and this one just rocked
3) N. Lane's voice is very strong, but can sound whiney at times. I don't know...I'm not getting money for this, so what do I know?!
4) Any chance I can get on stage?

Woot! The best recording of Forum.......2003-10-05

My high school is doing Forum for there musical this year (I play Erronius by the way..), and this play is hysterical.Although, the movie conversion was totally crappy. The stage version is funnier. Nathan Lane was superb as Psudolus, and i reaaly didnt like him being replaced by Whoopi Goldberg...o well...

Timeless and Classic.......2002-05-06

I personally am not a fan of classic musical theatre (although the time it was written may not be classic, but I do consider the music to be), but I love this album! The lyrics are witty and clever, and the wonderful music is all that I'd expect from Sondheim. This is a sure bet for anyone who's looking for a light-hearted musical where everything turns out okay in the end.

Everybody ought to have this CD.......2001-08-21

If you want to laugh, listen to Everybody Ought to Have a Maid. If you've never seen this show, I feel sorry for you. It's hysterical from start to finish. A great show and a great CD. I only wish that the early 70s revival which starred Phil Silvers was out on CD.

Music in Good 'Forum'.......2000-05-27

The number one reason to buy this remake is this: They took all of us musical theatre people's advice and speed it up! The tempo of this rendidtion is quick, smart, well timed musically and comically, and wonderfully orchestrated.

Saks and his team have turned in a fun album of a show that sometimes needs to be seen (Coutesans, Marcus Lycus) to be appreciated. Great attention was paid to sound effects which helps the listening audience understand the action that more than likely was happening on the stage at a particular momnet. And that, my friends, is the mark of a good musical theatre recording.

Much has been said about the individual performances, all of which are clear, well sung, and spoken. However, to say they are good performers is to take away from the real genius here. To make this musical work (and I've done it a couple of times) one has to find a complete cast of talented character actors. Romeo, Maria, Hamlet, and Barbara please sit down and make way for the circus fare. Saks has found his faux with the likes of Lane, Sabella, and Linn-Baker.

At times the orchestrations drag on and the quality of the actual recording could be better if you have an audiophile ear. But for the most part this is a must have for the musical theatre person.

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (1962 Original Broadway Cast)
Average customer rating:

still hilarious

Even with flaws, the best of the crop

Terrific Songs!

Perfect...Absolutely Perfect...

Sondheim light

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (1962 Original Broadway Cast)
Stephen Sondheim
Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Sondheim, Stephen | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1996 Broadway Revival Cast)

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Deluxe Edition) (1961 Original Broadway Cast)

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Applause Musical Library)

A Little Night Music (1973 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B000002SOA
Release Date: 1993-05-11

Tracks:

Overture
Comedy Tonight
Love, I Hear
Free
Lovely
Pretty Little Picture
Everybody Ought To Have A Maid
I'm Calm
Impossible
Bring Me My Bride
That Dirty Old Man
That'll Show Him
Lovely (Reprise)
Funeral Sequence
Finale

Amazon.com

"Tragedy tomorrow, comedy tonight!" With that song, one of the most famous opening numbers ever, the brilliant career of Stephen Sondheim as a Broadway composer and lyricist was born. Sondheim had written lyrics for the classics West Side Story and Gypsy, but he wanted to compose as well, and after 1954's Saturday Night was derailed, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962) gave him his first Broadway show. Based on the Roman comedies of Plautus, it's a light frothy entertainment (as promised in the opening) led by the outrageous Zero Mostel as the scheming slave Pseudolus. The Gordian knot of a plot also involves Jack Gilford as fellow slave Hysterium, Preshy Marker as the vacant Philia, Brian Davies as the young hero, Hero, and Ron Holgate as the testosterone-oozing soldier Miles Glorious. Sondheim the composer proves an ideal match for Sondheim the lyricist: you can hear halting uncertainty and not-yet-blossomed passion in "Love, I Hear," "I'm Calm" perfectly captures Hysterium's hysteria, and "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid" is pure vaudeville genius. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

still hilarious.......2007-02-07

After providing the libretto for the musicals "West Side Story" and "Gypsy", Stephen Sondheim decided to write both music and lyrics for his next project, which turned out to be A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, a raucous, musical comedy (with the emphasis on comedy) set in Ancient Rome, and featuring a book by Larry Gelbart and Burt Shevelove.

The original production opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on May 8, 1962, and went on to run for 964 performances. The lead role of Pseudolus was originally earmarked for Milton Berle and Phil Silvers - for various reasons both were unavailable - and the part wound up going to Zero Mostel, who created one of his most well-remembered roles.

Brian Davies (fresh from playing Rolf in Broadway's "The Sound of Music") is a very well-sung Hero, nicely-partnered by Preshy Marker in the role of Philia. Their duet "Lovely" is adorable, and Marker's 11 o'clocker "That'll Show Him" is good value.

The colourful supporting cast included some big names on the Broadway musical comedy scene (Ruth Kobart, David Burns, Jack Gilford). John Carradine and Ronald Holgate (as the preening he-man Miles Gloriosus) add some fun to the numbers, too. Songs like "Comedy Tonight!", "Dirty Old Man", and "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid", are the kind of fall-down funny numbers that one seldom hears in musicals these days.

While ...FORUM established Stephen Sondheim as Broadway's "golden boy of the moment", his next big show, "Anyone Can Whistle", folded after only nine performances. In 1965, he decided to go back to doing the libretto for Richard Rodgers' "Do I Hear a Waltz?", only for it to be another middling failure. Success would come in the 1970s and 80s with a series of highly-stylised works (beginning with "Company").

Here in ...FORUM, you can hear Sondheim in full musical comedy mode, with a score that fairly bubbles with merriment and mirth.

[Angel Broadway/EMI 0777 7 64770 2 2]

Even with flaws, the best of the crop.......2007-01-18

After checking into all the available soundtracks of the musical, I selected this one primarily for the original performance of Zero Mostel. Like many remastered CDs, there are volume problems with the recording--I really had to crank it up to be able to hear anything! I do wish that the soundtrack from the film, with Phil Silvers and a young Michael Crawford, was available, but this will do in the meantime.

Terrific Songs!.......2006-01-06

I recently saw a great production of "Funny Thing Happened," in Roanoke not so long ago with my girlfriend. We had both listened to the CD prior to seeing it and loved the songs from it and the play was a riot! It was just so funny I couldn't stop laughing. I especially liked Hero, and want the part so badly. No wonder this musical is such a big High School and Summer Stock fave. Everybody ought to have a copy of this CD.

Perfect...Absolutely Perfect..........2004-06-19

Innitially, when i first listened to this recording after buying it, i was slightly dissapointed. I certainly enjoyed the different music styles and clever lyrics, but i felt that the stars, and Zero Mostel in particular, were not as great as i had been led to believe they were. Comedy Tonight proved something of a dissapointment, and i winced several times during Free, where it seemed to me that Mostel had stopped singing and had started yowling. The only numbers that immediately made a favorable impression upon me were Lovely and Impossible, and these are still my favorite moments in the CD. What i didnt realize was that i had been listening to the recording with the ears of someone who expected to find the classic,overwhelming style of the period, full of showstoppers and sweeping romantic moments. This piece is none of those things. Indeed, in many ways, it is not like any musical i had ever heard before, and i have heard quite a few. It is...I suppose the only way to describe it is to call it a phenomenon that occured purely by chance when three men came together with a vision of a musical that would mesh the comic style of the Roman playwright Plautus with classic American vaudeville and do it so effectively that it would become a timeless classic of musical theater that would continue to delight audiences for over fourty years. This piece has been performed so often, and is such a well known favorite that it is a wonder to me that i, devoted musical fan that i am, could have gone so long without having any knowledge of it. I now know how deprived i was, and how deprived you will be if you do not buy this recording. And whatever you do,dont buy a different one until you own this one. While i have only heard extracts from other recordings, i can safely say that no musical collection is complete without THIS recording of the material. It isn't only because there is a freshness, a tentative bubble of excitement hanging over this recording, or because the orchestrations and the quality of the CD are very good. After you have bought it, and listened to it several times, ask yourself, honestly if you could imagine A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum without Zero Mostel, or indeed without any of the other stars. The cast are so superbly suited to the piece that it is little wonder that it became an immediate hit, and they have a lot to do with the fact that this musical has made its mark in an industry that is one of the most popular forms of live entertainment the world has ever known. The whole thing is wonderful...there is not one song in it that does not grow on, or appeal instantly to the listener. How i could have ever been less than overwhelmed with Comedy Tonight is beyond me, and there are many other memorable moments on this CD. Do not hesitate over this one. Just buy it. You can always give it away if you find it less than satisfactory, but i seriously doubt that you will. Sorry for taking up so much of your time, but when i am passionate about something, i want the whole world to share it with me.

Sondheim light.......2004-01-31

There are so many productions of FORUM each year that Sondheim could easily have retired and lived off the royalties of this one show. (Fortunately for us, he didn't)

Usually the first original cast recording is prferable over later revival and film versions. In this case, the 1996 revival cast with Nathan Lane is slightly better and more closely resembles the score the way it is presented in the theatre.

This original 1962 cast is not quite as polished a recording, but it does have Zero Mostel, Jack Gilford and the other members of the original cast sailing though Sondheim's music and lyrics with a spririt of fun.

Tracks:

Give My Regards To Broadway- Joel Grey
Swanee- Al Jolson
When The Moon Shines On The Moonshine- Bert Williams
A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody- John Steel
My Man- Fanny Brice
Fascinating Rhythm- Fred Astaire, Adele Astaire
If You Knew Susie (Like I Know Susie)- 78rpm Version Eddie Cantor
Someone To Watch Over Me- Gertrude Lawrence
Bill- 78 rpm Version Helen Morgan
Ol' Man River- Paul Robeson
Ain't Misbehavin'- Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra
Ten Cents A Dance- Ruth Etting
Body And Soul- Libby Holman
Brother, Can You Spare A Dime- Bing Crosby
Night And Day- Fred Astaire
Heat Wave- Ethel Waters
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes- Tamara
You're The Top- Ethel Merman
Summertime- Anne Brown
September Song- Walter Huston
My Heart Belongs To Daddy- Mary Martin
It Never Entered My Mind- Shirley Ross
Bewitched, Bothered, Bewildered- Vivienne Segal
Oh, How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning- Irving Berlin
Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'- Alfred Drake

Tracks:

New York, New York- Cris Alexander,Adolph Green,John Reardon
If I Loved You- John Raitt,Jan Clayton
Come Rain Or Come Shine- Ruby Hill,Harold Nicholas
There's No Business Like Show Business- Ensemble
How Are Things In Glocca Morra? From "Finian's Rainbow"- Ella Logan
Once In Love With Amy- Ray Bolger
Wunderbar- Alfred Drake,Patricia Morison
Some Enchanted Evening- Ezio Pinza
Lost In The Stars- Todd Duncan
Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend- Carol Channing
Luck Be A Lady- Robert Alda,Guys
Getting To Know You- Gertrude Lawrence
Who Cares?- Jack Carson,Betty Oakes
Stranger In Paradise- from " Kismet" Doretta Morrow,Richard Kiley
Ballad Of Mack The Knife- Gerald Price
Hey There- from "The Pajama Game" John Raitt
Whatever Lola Wants- Gwen Verdon
I Could Have Danced All Night- Julie Andrews
Standing On The Corner- from "The Most Happy Fella, 1956" Shorty Long,John Henson,Alan Gilbert
The Party's Over- Judy Holliday
Glitter And Be Gay- Barbara Cook
Tonight- Larry Kert, Carol Lawrence

Tracks:

Seventy-Six Trombones- Robert Preston
I Enjoy Being A Girl- from "Flower Drum Song, 1958" Pat Suzuki
Everything's Coming Up Roses- Ethel Merman
My Favorite Things- from "The Sound Of Music" Mary Martin
Put On A Happy Face- from "Bye Bye Birdie" Dick Van Dyke
Try To Remember- Jerry Orbach
Camelot- from "Camelot" Richard Burton
Love Makes The World Go 'Round- Anna Maria Alberghetti
I Believe In You- Robert Morse And Co.
The Sweetest Sounds- Diahann Carroll,Richard Kiley
Comedy Tonight- Zero Mostel
What Kind Of Fool Am I?- Anthony Newley
As Long As He Needs Me- Georgia Brown
Hello, Dolly!- Carol Channing,Cast
People- Barbra Streisand
Anyone Can Whistle- from "Anyone Can Whistle" Lee Remick
If I Were A Rich Man- Zero Mostel
Night Song- Sammy Davis, Jr.
The Impossible Dream- Richard Kiley
If My Friends Could See Me Now- Gwen Verdon
Open a New Window- from Mame Voice

Tracks:

Willkommen- from "Cabaret" Joel Grey
Let The Sunshine In- James Rado,Lynn Kellogg,Melba Moore,Cast
I'll Never Fall In Love Again- Jill O'Hara,Jerry Orbach
The Ladies Who Lunch- from "Company" Elaine Stritch
Tea For Two- Roger Rathburn,Susan Watson
I'm Still Here- Yvonne De Carlo
I Don't Know How To Love Him- Yvonne Elliman
We Go Together- Adrienne Barbeau,Barry Bostwick,Walter Bobbie,Cast
Corner Of The Sky- John Rubinstein
Send In The Clowns- Glynis Johns
Ease On Down The Road- Stephanie Mills,Tiger Haynes,Ted Ross,Hinton
One- from "A Chorus Line" Cast
All That Jazz- Chita Rivera,Ensemble
Tomorrow- Andrea Mcardle
Don't Cry For Me Argentina- Patti Lupone
Come Follow The Band
Lullaby Of Broadway- Jerry Orbach
And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going- Jennifer Holliday
The Bells Of St. Sebastian- Raul Julia

Tracks:

Memory- Betty Buckley
I Am What I Am- George Hearn
Move On- Bernadette Peters,Mandy Patinkin
Do You Hear The People Sing?- Michael Maguire,Cast
The Music Of The Night- Michael Crawford
You're Nothing Without Me- James Naughton,Gregg Edelman
The American Dream- Jonathan Pryce,Cast
Doctor Jazz- Gregory Hines,Company
With One Look- Glenn Close
On Broadway- Adrian Bailey,Frederick B. Owens,Ken Ard,Victor Trent Cook
Le Jazz Hot- Julie Andrews,Ensemble
Seasons Of Love-
Hakuna Matata- Max Casella,Tom Alan Robbins,Scott Irby-Ranniar,Jason Raize
I Wanna Be A Producer- Matthew Broderick,Ensemble
Dancing Queen- Louise Plowright,Jenny Galloway
Good Morning Baltimore- Marissa Jaret Winokur
Movin' Out- Michael Cavanaugh,Band
I Go To Rio- Hugh Jackman,Company
Defying Gravity- Kristin Chenoweth,Idina Menzel

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous for any Broadway-lover.......2007-01-30

Packs into 5 CD's a sampling of Broadway tunes from the 20's thru (almost) today, mostly from original cast recordings. Includes not just well-known hits, but also some lesser-known gems. Sound quality is first rate, booklet is informative too. Have given this as a gift to several friends with rave reviews.

Top Shelf.......2007-01-04

This is THE definitive collection of Broadway hits. I have other collections, and none of them measure up. A great deal of care was obviously taken in compiling and presenting this box set. It covers a lot of ground, starting with some long-forgotten but still very enjoyable hits from the days of yore, and finishing with present-day favorites. To the best of my knowledge, the recordings are by those who made them famous. You won't be disappointed.

TERRIFIC CD'S.......2006-03-23

THESE BROADWAY MUSICALS CD'S ARE A BROADWAY LOVERS DREAM. WITH EACH SONG, MEMORIES COME FLOODING BACK. BOTH THE FAMILIAR AND THE FORGOTTEN SONGS ARE A TRUE LISTENING PLEASURE. IF YOU LIKE BROADWAY, YOU'LL LOVE THIS SET.

Great Collection of Broadways greatest Songs .......2005-06-14

This Collection was perfectly made it has almost all the most famous Broadway songs on this 5 cd set. The Music is great and has Broadways greatest treasures like "Memory""People""With One Look""Give my regards Too Broadway" just to name a few of this numerous cd set with over 100 songs. This is a great buy if you like musicals or The music of Broadway

Great Compilation!.......2005-01-17

If you are a fan of the Broadway Musicals, this is a collection that you should purchase. Since I got the 5 disc set I've enjoyed listening to it. The majority of the songs are done by the original singers. The collection is priceless considering that you will have over 100 songs from popular musicals since the beginning of Broadway

Sondheim - A Celebration at Carnegie Hall (1992 Concert Cast)

Average customer rating:

Great CD
Simply the Best
Inconsistent, but mostly excellent
"Celebration" is not strong enough a word
A maginificent evening, a magnificent album

Sondheim - A Celebration at Carnegie Hall (1992 Concert Cast)
Stephen Sondheim , Betty Buckley , Paul Gemignani , Patti LuPone , Liza Minnelli , and Bernadette Peters
Manufacturer: RCA Victor Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Side By Side By Sondheim (1976 Original London Cast)
Sondheim Evening: A Musical Tribute (1973 Concert Cast)
Send in the Clowns: The Ballads of Stephen Sondheim
Sondheim - A Celebration at Carnegie Hall
Sondheim, Etc.: Bernadette Peters Live at Carnegie Hall

ASIN: B000003FDW
Release Date: 1993-02-23

Tracks:

Symphonic Sondheim: Sweeney Todd--orchestra, Jerry Hadley ("Johanna"), Eugene Perry,Herbert Perry ("Pretty Women")
Evening Introduction--Bill Irwin
Loveland/Getting Married Today--Ensemble, Jeanne Lehman, Mark Jacoby, Madeline Kahn
Waiting for the Girls Upstairs--George Lee Andrews, Michael Jeter, James Naughton/Love, I Hear--Michael Jeter/Live Alone and Like It--James Naughton
Someone Is Waiting--Richard Muenz/Symphonic Sondheim: Barcelona--orchestra
Being Alive--Patti LuPone
Good Thing Going--The Tonics
Losing My Mind/You Could Drive a Person Crazy--Dorothy Loudon
Our Time--Boys Choir of Harlem/Children Will Listen--Betty Buckley
Anyone Can Whistle--Billy Stritch
Water Under the Bridge--Liza Minnellli, Billy Stritch
Back in Business--Liza Minnellli, Billy Stritch, Ensemble

Tracks:

Symphonic Sondheim: Comedy Tonight--Bill Irwin, orchestra
Sooner or Later--Karen Ziemba
Pretty Lady--Mark Jacoby, Eugene Perry, Herbert Perry
Green Finch and Linnet Bird--Harolyn Blackwell
The Ballad of Booth--Patrick Cassidy, Victor Garber
Broadway Baby--Daisy Eagan
I Never Do Anything Twice--BETTY
With So Little to Be Sure Of--Jerry Hadley, Carolann Page
Not a Day Goes By--Bernadette Peters
Remember?--Ron Baker, Peter Blanchet, Carol Meyer, Bronwyn Thomas, Blythe Walker (Quintet)/A Weekend in the Country--Kevin Anderson, George Lee Andrews, Mark Jacoby, Beverly Lambert, Maureen Moore, Susan Terry, Quintet
Send in the Clowns--Glenn Close
Old Friends--Liza Minnelli
Sunday--Bernadette Peters, Broadway Chorus

Customer Reviews:

Great CD.......2006-08-06

This is a wonderful double CD of fabulous musical numbers performed by theatre greats and directed by a legandary musical director.

Simply the Best.......2005-06-29

First, to the person who criticizes the recording b/c of "Broadway Baby." Daisy Egan (who sings in in this recording) sounds like she's 10 becuase she IS young. She had just appeared on Braodway in Secret Garden and won a Tony for it. It's a joke...Broadway BABY...hello, it's a joke.

In a compilation of songs like this you're always going to have tracks that you prefer over others, but the majority of the renditions in this CD are great. This is simply one of the best collections of Sondheim out there. You get interpretations that span from "classical" (Green Finch), to bordering on insane (Anything Twice). This is to demonstrate how versatile this composer really is.

In my opinion, some of the best renditions are "Not a Day Goes By," "Anyone Can Whistle", "Girls Upstairs Medley," "Losing My Mind/Drive a Person Crazy," and "Weekend inthe Country." Makes me wish I had been there to witness it first hand.

If you love Sondheim and enjoy hearing Broadway performers, get this CD. A great recording.

Inconsistent, but mostly excellent.......2004-03-21

I am sure no knowledgeable person would deny how absolutely perfect all these songs are. However, the performances on this album are extremely inconsistent. It will go from an excellent rendition (Waiting for the Girls medley, Sunday, With So Little To Be Sure Of, Sooner or Later, Green Finch, Send in the Clowns, Pretty Lady) to the weird (I never Do Anything Twice), to the bad (Broadway Baby, Our Time). I still have absolutely no idea how they managed to butcher one of the best songs ever written--Good Thing Going--and turn it into smooth jazz elevator music. Why would they give Broadway Baby to someone who sounds like she's 10? That said, Liza Minelli, Glenn Close, Karen Ziemba, Dorothy Laudon and the "Waiting for the Girls" performers are all very good. And ending with Bernadette Peters and "Sunday" ends the set on a absolutley fabulous note.

"Celebration" is not strong enough a word.......2003-04-30

This review is by Crosley.

I have been a major Sondheim fan for quite some time, and I finally obtained a copy of this album. I was blown away by the excellent cast and phenomenal selection of music. It is obvious how much work went into this production, considering that this is the live recording of a one time show, and it's flawless. The songs cover all of his shows with the exception of "Passion," which was released 3 years after this show. Also, the shows for which he wrote only lyrics are ommited, like West Side Story, Gypsy, etc. Thus, you can find material from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Anyone can Whistle, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Merrily we Roll Along, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and Assassins.

There are two striking things about this CD (besides the music and performers themselves). First of all, some of the songs are completely stylistically reworked. The most obvious are "Good Thing Going" and "I Never do Anything Twice." Both are traditionally very ballady with a piano accompaniment, but here they have been redone as jazzy tunes. The result is excellent. Such reworkings demonstrate that Sondheim writes music for virtually any style, and in these cases, across several styles. It's a great example of his variety. The other interesting thing is how many songs have overlapping melodies of songs from different shows. Case in point, "Our Time" and "No one is Alone" are sung seperately by the Harlem Boys Choir and Betty Buckley (the original Grizabella in Webber's atrocious "CATS," although Buckley was excellent) respectively, and then combined. Putting these two songs together offer different meanings to each, and the music is only enhanced. Another example, the trio of "Waiting for the Girls Upstairs," "Love, I Hear," and "Live Alone and Like It" are sung in that order, and then the latter two are combined. Again, the meanings of the songs change, this time in an almost narrative style, and offering different takes on love in the same montage. Lastly (at least for this review, there are more), Dorothy Laudon's (the original Ms. Hannigan in Annie) combination of "Losing my Mind" and "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" is brilliant. Those who are familiar with these songs will wonder how exactly they fit, but trust me, they do. She swtiches back and forth between melodies to create a number that starts poignant and beautiful, and soon moves to become uproariously funny. Both the song reworkings and overlapping melodies of unrelated songs are all for the better.

I recommend this recording to anyone wanting to get better acquainted with some of Sondheim's best work, or those already familiar who want to hear a tour de force of phenomenal music. It has been said that Sondheim is a masterful lyricist (which he is), but lacks real talent for music. This CD is the final proof that such critics are wrong. His music may take a few listenings to get into, contrary to Webber or Wildhorn, but unlike those two, he doesn't cater to the audience. He challenges them to think outside of traditional musical theater in a glorious repertoise of shows that reach for a smarter, more sophisticated form.

A maginificent evening, a magnificent album.......2001-12-16

There's something to be said for the first concert you ever see at Carnegie Hall. I was fortunate enough to have this be my first. This entire evening was devoted to his genius and the performers did not disappoint.

This wonderful double CD shows off the best and brightest of the musical theatre composer and it is, as one person put it, "an embarassment of riches." With songs from his finest works done in amazing arrangements (listen to that harmony in "We Had a Good Thing Going"!) combined with fabulous performers this is a Sondheim lovers delight.

Tracks:

Comedy Tonight (from ''A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum'') (Jason Alexander, Michael Kubala, Joey Mckneely, Scott Wise & Company)
The Worst Pies In London (from ''Sweeney Todd'') (Angela Lansbury)
The Little Things You Do Together (from ''Company'') (Cleo Laine)
Everybody Ought To Have A Maid (from ''A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum'') (Stephen Collins, Christopher Durang, Michael Rupert)
Agony (from ''Into The Woods'') (Robert Westenberg, Chuck Wagner)
Getting Married Today (from ''Company'') (Madeline Kahn, Mark Jacoby, Jeanne Lehman, Ensemble)
I Never Do Anything Twice (from ''The Seven Percent Solution'') (Millicent Martin)
The Story Of Lucy And Jessie (from ''Follies'') (Lee Remick & Company)
Chrysanthemum Tea (from ''Pacific Overtures'') (Alvin Ing, Mako, Mark Hsu Syers, Timm Fujii, Gedde Watanabe, Patrick Kinser-Lau, Conrad Yama, Jae Woo Lee, Ernest Harada, Freda Foh Shen)
You Must Meet My Wife (from ''A Little Night Music'') (David Kernan & Millicent Martin)
It's Hot Up Here (from ''Sunday In The Park With George'') (Bernadette Peters)
The Boy From . . . (from ''The Mad Show'') (Millicent Martin)
A Little Priest (from ''Sweeney Todd'') (Angela Lansbury & Len Cariou)
Agony (Reprise) (from ''Into The Woods'') (Robert Westenberg, Chuck Wagner)
Can That Boy Foxtrot! (from ''Follies'') (Millicent Martin, Julia Mckenzie
You Gotta Have A Gimmick (from ''Gypsy'') (Debbie Shapiro, Faith Prince, Susann Fletcher)

Customer Reviews:

He only thinks they're funny.......2007-01-10

Some of the songs on here are good and some are just not funny at all. I prefer some of his others works to this one, but it is still worth listening to.

Average customer rating:

Sondheim recital
Also a very dissapointed fan
Adequate performance; poor entertainment
a very disappointed fan
What a train wreck!

Sings Sondheim
Mandy Patinkin
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Dress Casual
Mandy Patinkin
Experiment
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Kidults

ASIN: B00006JP2C
Release Date: 2002-10-29

Tracks:

Opening
Lesson #8
Another Hundred People
When?
Someone Is Waiting
Johanna
Green Finch and Linnet Bird
Pretty Women
Finishing the Hat
If You Can Find Me, I'm Here
Live, Laugh, Love
Live Alone and Like It
Everybody Says Don't
Rich and Happy, Part 1
Our Time
Broadway Baby
Rich and Happy, Part 2
Uptown, Downtown
Liaisons
Send in the Clowns
Live, Laugh, Love (reprise)
You Could Drive a Person Crazy

Tracks:

Free
Company
Waiting For The Girls Upstairs
Pleasant Little Kingdom/Too Many Mornings
Not While I'm Around
All Things Bright and Beautiful
It Takes Two
In Someone's Eyes
Beautiful
Losing My Mind
Take the Moment
Sunday

Amazon.com

Recorded live at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia, this double CD is one heck of an extensive tribute to Stephen Sondheim. Backed only by Paul Ford on piano, Mandy Patinkin gets through nearly three dozen songs penned by the Broadway master. Some are obvious (excerpts from Sunday in the Park with George, in which the singer created the title role), others less so ("If You Can Find Me I'm Here" from Evening Primrose). Patinkin is often mocked for his shivering falsetto, but here, it's actually when his voice explores a lower register that it falters. What's more interesting is when he tackles songs usually sung by women, such as Follies' "Broadway Baby" and Company's "Another Hundred People" and "You Could Drive a Person Crazy"--the latter hammed up so much that you can hear the chewing of the scenery. A distinctively mannered interpreter, Patinkin remains an acquired taste, but fans of his will be in heaven with this set. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews:

Sondheim recital.......2007-01-22

Probably the best way to approach these disks is to treat them like a recital in a concert hall. Rather as you would listen to a Schubert or Schumann song cycle. Taken together this way, we come to hear Sondheim as one of our finest composers, serious, comic, manic, depressive, always dead on target no matter what the subject matter. And Patinkin is perfect for these songs; he understands the meaning and value of every note and every word, just as a fine concert singer would do, and he makes his listeners understand, too. One of the most intriguing concept albums in recent memory, and a joy all the way through. Bob Finley, Palm Springs, CA.

Also a very dissapointed fan.......2003-08-22

I too LOVE Mandy and Stephen Sondheim and own just about everything both has ever made! I also have been to 6 of Mandy's live performances. This was truly a big dissapointment to me. Every concert I have seen Mandy in has been filled with emotion and his personality just grabs hold of you for an evening of wonderful escape-ism. This to me was very un-entertaining and I actually became irritated after awhile of listening to it. It seemed to drone on with out the wonderful feelings and emotions and soaring voice that Mandy typically puts into his music. I gave this as a gift too (since my friend and I had missed Mandy at his Sondheim review in DC last year) and felt badly that I had. There are so many other great recordings of Mandy...Kidults, Saturday in the Park with George, The Secret Garden, Mandy sings Rogers & Hammerstien and Sondheim. This one has just sat on my shelf after I played it through twice hoping to warm up to it...while my other recordings are very worn out with years of playing!

Adequate performance; poor entertainment.......2003-05-04

I received this disc the same day a "Philip Quast Live at the Donmar". The Quast disc has its own flaws (and I dont wish to compare the two performers) but it has been strung together in a more thoughtful manner, with witty imagination and using a more dangerous in the choice of songs, which is really where this disc fails. The songs here are generally enjoyable though rather standard, and the lack of cohesion (running the songs together doesnt count) means I just dip into the discs listening to a few favourites, rather than enjoying the whole show.

a very disappointed fan.......2003-02-05

I have every recording Patinkin appears on, even if he's only on one track; I adore his voice, his flair, his emotion, his ability to deliver a song.

But (much of) this recording is disappointing, mainly because Mr. Patinkin's voice in the lower range sounds muddled and forced, as though he's lost ability to control it (however, the more falsetto sounds are as clear and sharp as ever).

And I don't care for the format of this performance. Live recordings should have live audience reactions: one (often unrelated) song after another without applause had me wondering when--if ever--was the audience was going to be allowed to react.

Also, while I've never had the privilege of attending a Patinkin concert, I imagined that--above all-- he would be passionate. Perhaps he was. But what (mostly) comes across on the CD is a somber--almost technical--performance.

I hope he's healthy, that mixed quality of singing on this recording was just a fluke, and that his next CD will be a Five-star as all his previous ones have been

What a train wreck!.......2003-01-15

Hate to join the chorus of neigh-sayers, but jeeeez! I have to agree that with the exception of a few cuts (such as "Hyphenated Harriet") Mandy is a vocal bull in a china shop -- what he doesn't shatter he ... on. What should have been a tribute (I love Sondheim, but do we need ANOTHER anthology recording of oft sung songs?)is more like a wake. Mandy seems intent on becoming the male Ethel Merman -- if you can't hold the note, belt it out with a misplaced vabrato and maybe no one will notice. I REALLY wanted to like this recording, but is truly horrible. If the pipes are gone, Mandy, I hope you get back to acting.

Average customer rating:

Worth having because of Honey...
One of the best Sondheim compilation CD availiable
Honestly, Why Bother?

The Musicality of Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim , Carolee Carmillo , Sean McDermott , Judy Kaye , Julia Migenes , Susan Egan , Emily Loesser , Stephen Bogardus , Elisabeth Welch , Caroline O'Connor , and Don Stephenson
Manufacturer: Jay Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Musicality of Kander & Ebb
The Musicality of Porter
The Musicality of Rodgers & Hart
Musicality of Andrew Lloyd Webber
Musicality of Lerner and Loewe

ASIN: B0000640NQ
Release Date: 2002-05-07

Tracks:

Broadway Baby (Follies) - Carolee Carmello
Anyone Can Whistle (Anyone Can Whistle) - John Barrowman
Lovely (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) - Emily Loesser and Don Stephenson
Being Alive (Company) - Stephen Bogardus
Liasons (A Little Night Music) - Elisabeth Welch
Wait (Sweeney Todd) - Judy Kaye
Loving You (Passion) - Sean McDermott
Honey (Cut: Merrily We Roll Along) - Jacqueline Dankworth, Maria Friedman, and Michael Cantwell
Lion Dance (Pacific Overtures) - ENO Orchestra
I Remember (Evening Primrose) - Julia Migenes
Stay with Me (Into the Woods) - Caroline O'Connor
Sooner or Later (Dick Tracy) - Susan Egan

Customer Reviews:

Worth having because of Honey..........2006-09-20

... the Lion Dance and the fact that some of these arrangements work well out of context. Some of these songs in their original arrangements are diffiicult to listen to on their own. Regretfully, some of these arrangements are a little cheesy (for example the saxophone solo in this version of Loving You).

All in all, this is an okay compilation of some Sondheim songs, but definately one to get after having bought all the original Broadway cast recordings.

One of the best Sondheim compilation CD availiable.......2002-08-25

I love this CD, every track is a winner. Get it.

Honestly, Why Bother?.......2002-07-31

All in all, this is a pleasant enough compilation. There are no embarassing moments. The performers all acquit themselves nicely. But in the long run, there's really little to recommend this above the rest of the many tributes and reviews recorded of Sondheim's music. No new interpretations. No amazing performances. No inspired song choices. Nothing special here, folks.

Average customer rating:

There's No Business Like Show Business!

Manufacturer: RCA Victor Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005QK4S
Release Date: 2001-10-23

Tracks:

The Producers: Main Title And Credits - Orchestra
The Producers: The Plot - Zero Mostel/Gene Wilder
The Producers: Opening Night: Lobby, Overture - Gene Wilder/Zero Mostel/John Zoller
The Producers: Springtime For Hitler - Chorus/Mel Brooks
The Producers: Prisoners Of Love - Zero Mostel/Gene Wilder/Chorus
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum: Comedy Tonight - Jason Alexander/Scott Wise/Joey McKneely/Michael Kubala/Company
Chicago: All That Jazz - Bebe Neuwirth/Company
Annie Get Your Gun: There's No Business Like Show Business - Ethel Merman/Bruce Yarnell/Rufus Smith/Jerry Orbach
42nd Street: Lullaby Of Broadway - Jerry Orbach/Full Company
Guys And Dolls: A Bushel And A Peck - Faith Prince/Tina Marie DeLeone/Denise Faye/JoAnne M. Hunter/Nancy Lemenager/Greta Martin...
Gypsy: You Gotta Have A Gimmick - Debbie Gravitte/Faith Prince/Susann Fletcher
Gypsy: Everything's Coming Up Roses - Angela Lansbury
A Class Act: Better - Lonny Price/Julia Murney/Nancy Kathryn Anderson/Carolee Carmello/Jonathan Freeman/Ray Wills...
A Class Act: Broadway Boogie Woogie - Carolee Carmello/David Hibbard
Cabaret: Willkommen - Alan Cumming/The Kit Kat Girls And Boys
Kiss Me, Kate: Another Op'nin', Another Show - Gogi Grant/Howard Keel/Anne Jeffreys
Kiss Me, Kate: We Open In Venice - Gogi Grant/Howard Keel/Anne Jeffreys
42nd Street: Finale: 42nd Street (Reprise)/Bows - Jerry Orbach/Full Company