Brooklyn: The Musical (2004 Original Broadway Cast) [Cast Recording, Live]

Mark Schoenfeld, Barri McPherson, Eden Espinosa | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 14, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording, Live
• Label: Brooklyn Records/Razor & Tie
• ASIN: B0006L0LMK
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #160,053 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Good Crowd Goin' ...

2. Heart Behind These Hands

3. Thank You, Sir

4. Scene One

5. Christmas Makes Me Cry

6. Not a Sound

7. Brooklyn Grew Up

8. Creating Once Upon a Time

9. Once Upon a Time

10. A Witness to History

11. Superlover

12. The Challenge

13. Brooklyn in the Blood

14. Brooklyn Grew Up (Reprise)

15. Magic Man

16. Once Upon a Time (Reprise)

17. Love Was a Song

18. I Never Knew His Name

19. The Truth

20. Does Anybody Wanna Buy a Memory?

See all 29 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When Brookyn the Musical landed on Broadway, many reviewers said that the American Idol sound had come along with it. It¹s hard to disagree, especially when Eden Espinosa, playing the title character, opens her mouth. Espinosa, who learned the performing ropes in California theme parks, is an unfocused belter who mistakes grandstanding melisma for emotion. And overemoting is the last thing you want to do when you have to deliver lines such as "This weight in my heart/This ache in my soul/This yearning in my heart just keeps on going on/There's a voice deep inside/And it cries and it cries." Unfortunately, the tunes (mixing rock, gospel and R&B, and recorded in front of a live studio audience) don't make much of an impact. Newcomers Mark Shoenfeld and Barri McPherson have come up with a well-meaning show that brims with enthusiastic naïveté but ultimately fails to convince. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An emotional blockbuster of a musical, December 18, 2004

By 

Herbert E. Paradis Jr. (Skowhegan, Maine USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brooklyn: The Musical (2004 Original Broadway Cast) (Audio CD)

Saw the musical in early November and was impressed with the phenomenal cast who were literally holding the matinee audience in the palm of their hands. It became an emotional experience for those in my group who have not been able to stop talking about the show since and who are all looking forward to another trip to New York so that they might have the opportunity to see it again. Waited patiently for the original cast CD to be released and received it this week; have listened to it almost unceasingly. For those who have not seen the show, listening to the CD is the next best thing. The voices are right there up front as is the emotion. If you like Broadway musicals with a good book, then Brooklyn the Musical is your cup of tea. The music is as great as is the cast singing it. I don't know how you could go wrong. Hopefully the show will receive many Tony nominations.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Recording, August 5, 2005

By 

Brinton Roberts - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brooklyn: The Musical (2004 Original Broadway Cast) (Audio CD)

the rock/pop score of Brooklyn the musical provides an extremely fun listen. not to mention some of the highest belt to hit broadway for some time. Awesome preformances from cast members including Eden Espinosa and Ramona Keller make this soundtrack a must have. the listener can follow the entire story of the show with the c.d. because the cast has recorded not only the music from Brooklyn but also segments of dialogue. The show is recorded live which can be a little annoying due to the audience's responses, but Brooklyn is still worth owning.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good but has its faults, August 10, 2005

By 

Phil Glew "Phil" (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brooklyn: The Musical (2004 Original Broadway Cast) (Audio CD)

I first listened to Brooklyn upon recommendation from a friend. Although the show does not scream Broadway finesse, it does have some amazing numbers. Eden Espinosa's vocal-chord-breaking belting is superb, "Once Upon A Time" being possibly the very best musical pop-ballad this year. With a good supporting cast (including Kevin Anderson of Sunset Boulevard fame), this show is great... but not too great. The first few tracks of this cast recording do not sparkle, and, while some may be reminded of RENT - this is no RENT. Whilst this pop-musical tries hard to appeal to a wide range of audiences, few of the numbers from this show manage to hit us with musical joy.

Having said that, the songs that are well delivered are strong, some even managing to raise humming from the listener. Ramona Keller's different yet beautiful solo, "Raven", shines with touching emotion. Sadly, there is little else to speak of in terms of goodness, apart from the fact that Mark Schoenfeld's role in the creation of this show is clearly apparent with the shows rare but hard-hitting emotional touches.

With poor critical reviews, this show never really hit-it-off on the Great White Way and, with its innovative yet cheap-looking costumes and stage design, should have opened off-Broadway. This cast recording (recorded live in the studio) is one to get if you like the musical of today. It's not one for us musical theatre fans of years past, apart from for the odd song here and there.

There is a lot better stuff out there folks... but "Once Upon A Time" is far and away the best you'll get from this show!