Customer Reviews

Cabaret (1999 Studio Cast) (First Complete Recording)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an excellent recording to use as reference. As a music director for a production of Cabaret, this recording was released just in time. Very helpful for choreographers who need to hear the 'bells and whistles' of the percussion part in dance numbers such as "Money Song" and "Fruit Shop Dance".

Any director, choreographer, and music director mounting a production of the 1987 revision really should listen to this as it is the only recording of Cliff's new solo "Don't Go" (but if you have a choice - use "Why Should I Wake Up?" instead), and the 1987 "Money Song" as published by Tams-Whitmark.

Judi Dench is marvelous in her solos, but to be honest, the rest of the performances fell flat for me. I felt the energy was low, and the dialects and diction left much to be desired.

If you are a Cabaret collector, a Judi Dench fan, or a music director or other such production team member, this recording will interest you greatly. However, for listening pleasure, stick to the original Broadway and Broadway Revival cast recordings. The only tracks unique to the recording are "Don't Go", the 1987 "Money Song" and some dance and incidental music. All other tracks can be found on the Original Cast, Revival Cast, and Film soundtracks, and with the exception of Dench's numbers, all are performed better on those recordings.

I have searched high and low for a Cabaret soundtrack that could be the perfect one. Unfortunately there is not a perfect one, but if there is one that makes it closest out of all the recordings I would have to say this is the one. I think Pryce and Dench do a wonderful job. Sally is done above average, unfortunately I think she disappoints on "Maybe This Time." (The soundtrack which has the only great recording of this song would have to be the movie) However, she is much better that the most of rest of the recordings (the other great one being the original broadway cast). The best part about this Cabaret is that every song is on this soundtrack, which is immpossible to find in any other Cabaret soundtrack. If you would like to find an alternative to this one, it would be to purchase the Original Broadway and movie version, otherwise this is probably the best choice for a Cabaret recording.

Hi. You wonder why Earth is so popular? I think it is because there are recordings such as this around! And it is there I start my revue:

This version of Cabaret is a real special gem for Cabaret fans. It has a number of pushing and pulling factors. The C.D. is essentially utilising the original book, music, lyrics and orchestrations as conceived by the authors, performed on double C.D.

This Studio Cast has recorded the majority of the music featured in the original Vocal Score, including the much loved, and sometimes much missed Telephone Dance, Fruit Shop Dance and Sitting Pretty, despite missing a few incidentals but including Sallys Revolt and the Break Up (with dialogue!). All of the music is in its original orchestrations and played by the National Symphony Orchestra; large and well rehearsed! They performed the technically difficult Telephone Dance and Sitting Pretty with great, noticeable enthusiasm, as well as the Kick Line being very good- sometimes throughout the C.D. there are uncertainties with the tempo. There was an over-exaggerated reverb throughout, although one gets used to the echo after a while!

I particularly wanted to buy this C.D., instead of the original Broadway version, because of the performers: Dame Judi Dench (playing Fraulein Schneider); the lyricist Fred Ebb (playing Herr Schultz); Maria Friedman (playing Sally Bowles but best known for The Witches of Eastwick and the Joseph video); Jonathan Price (playing M.C.); Gregg Edelman (playing Cliff); and many other well-known faces!

Although I say that the performances were generally well-judged, I must admit that I was a little unsure of the standard of some of the singing, especially the Jewish shopkeeper with the broad American accent! At least he knows his words quite well! I was pleasantly surprised at Dame Judis performance. Although not a singer, her acting and accent are just perfect for the part and gains almost top marks (50 marks to be precise!). Some people say that Maria Friedman plays Sally a little over the top. I cant help but notice that Friedman found some of her songs a little bit too hard to sing for her range and that she lost a lot of emotion in Cabaret itself. She plays her, in some places, over the top, yes, but I agree with some that this is how Sally is supposed to be. Her eccentric performance got me laughing!

Another reason why I bought this C.D. was because they included many bonus tracks. They added some of the Cut Songs. These include Dont Go and I Dont Care Much. They also added Songs especially composed for the movie (Money, Money, Mein Herr, Maybe This Time etc) as well as a very interesting merge of Sitting Pretty and Money, Money as arranged for the 1987 revival. These being preformed, I think, by the Studio Cast. Excellent!

The written commentary with it is also interesting (simple yet detailed synopsis and information regarding the genesis of the show). The booklet also contains photos of the performers recording the C.D.

In summary: While singing isnt admittedly the best, this package is a library of entertainment for the Cabaret fan especially, and would be advisable to buy if you, e.g. knew the performers and would like to take advantage of the bonus tracks and variety of music, as well as if you want a more up-to-date recording (1993-2000).

Most thorough recording containing not only 1966 and 98 tunes, but the hard to find 1987 revival pieces as well. A must for anyone doing this production.

I own several Jay Masterworks editions, and I have to say that, next to West Side Story, this one sounds the most authentic. When I listen to it, I can actually see the club and all the bizarre cabaret girls dancing around onstage while the MC grins devilishly. I would say that the Original Cast is the best version to get for it's authenticity, followed by the movie soundtrack simply for it's rendition of "Mein Herr", then this one. This has slightly better performers than the original cast (Maria Friedman is awesome, despite what many people say) and , while there is a fuller orchestra, it's still the same music and key, making this what a revival of this fascinating show should have been. The revival cast sports none of the subtlty of the original play... as well as some of the most wretched over-emoting vocal performances known to man. Get this and the movie soundtrack for great singing, and get the original cast for the atmosphere. These CD's are what Cabaret is about.

Five stars may seem a lot when the average for this item at the time of writing is hovering around the 3* mark. However this is a definitive set featuring all the music in the performing edition of the show as well as other titles added since the original Broadway production or from the film.
'Definitive'? Certainly! Fred Ebb sings Herr Schulz and you can be sure he would not have let his name and reputation be attached to an inferior product.
The cast is stupendous. Not only has Dame Judie Dench graduated from her West End role of Sally but the marvellous Maria Freidman (Woman in White) and Jonathan Pryce (Miss Saigon) head an all star cast of mainly British artistes. Among the Kit-Kat girls alone are Gay Soper, Claire Moore, Jacqueline Dankworth and Clare Burt.
Pryce may be no Joel Grey but who is? He is perfectly acceptable and in the end it is the totality of performance that should be judged and here this set stands as high as the original cast recording yet it is so much more complete. If we can never have a top live production on DVD (where is that Sam Mendes Donmar production of 1994?) then this is a more than acceptable substitute.

The beauty of this recording is getting to hear Judi Dench, who played Sally in the Original London Cast, now playing Frau Schneider. She seems most at ease playing this character where J. Pryce seems to be going through the motions with little attention to character development or coloring. It is a pleasure to have all the incidental music (with some exceptions) and all the variations to the score from the film to the most current manifestation. Some tempos feel a little deliberate. But for a good reminder of the fullness of the score this is a nice addition.

I bought this CD because I love this musical and this is the most complete recording you can get of it. First and foremost, the music- Kander and Ebb's music is "perfectly marvellous" and this recording really brings out the best in the music, though the intimacy of the kabarett numbers are lost because of the size of the orchestra. The non-kabarett numbers, however, have never sounded better- they sound lush and full of life- amuch like a film score in fact! The performances- Let's start with Sally Bowles. Maria Friedman is not the best Sally i've heard, in fact she is the worst! Though Sally is meant to be over the top and dramatic, miss Friedman goes WAY over the top and her performance in the dialogue scenes are usually cringe-worthy, though the final scene, I have to admit, is quite moving- for here, she restrains herself. Her singing is rather bad, and though Sally is meant to be a bad singer, she is meant to have some inate charm in her, which miss Freiedman sadly lacks through her breathy singing. Gregg Edelman and John Mark Ainsley are in fine voice and provide us with some pleasurable listening, but it is Judi Dench and Fred Ebb (yes- the lyricist) who really steal the show- Ebb's performance has remarkable character that more than makes up for his lack of range and singing ability (especially if you can ignore his non-German accent). Judi Dench however, is truly the star in this version- her Schneider is truly heart-breaking- her voice has all the character that is needed and her "What would you do?" is absolutely tremendous- she leaves us with only one problem- she makes us want to see her perform the role on stage- which she has sadly never done up to this point! In fact, miss DEnch makes a far better SChneider than she did Sally in the original London production. The truly major flaw in this recording is Jonathan Pryce's awful Emcee- he merely tries to imitate Joel Grey while trying to merge his Engineer (Miss Saigon) into the larger than life role. His accent seems to change at any given moment, so one is never able to associate with him as a particular character. This CD also gives us the bonus tracks of the revival numbers as well as the movie numbers- though Maria Friedman does no justice to them, though she is fairly impressive on "Meinn Herr". I'd like to say that this is the definative version of Cabaret, but it's not- though you can really do no better for the non-kabarett numbers- here I would say that this is the definative version. But for the kabarett numbers,I recommend the new (1998) version which really has the feel of the kabarett!

This is an amazing compilation of the FULL, COMPLETE score of Kander and Ebb masterpiece, Cabaret. It includes Curtain Call and Exit Music! It even includes songs from the Film Minelli), and 1997 Cast Recording (sung by these actors, not the orignal.)

This recording features Jonathan Pryce (Engineer of MISS SAIGON) as the M.C. He does pretty well with the material but nowhere near the calibur of Joel Grey of the Original Cast Recording or Alan Cumming of the Revival Cast CD. "Willkommen" is presented in it's original Theatrical format, with no introduction of the girls and boys like the Revival Cast CD. "Two Ladies" is sung well by Louise Gold and Claire Moore (known for her portrayel of Ellen in MISS SAIGON), but Pryce is a bit vocally weak in the higher, falsetto parts. The song is cool, cuz it even has the exit music. "I'm Sitting Pretty" is in it's entirety 5.43 secs. With Introduction to every girl, and monologues in between (The Russian, Japanese, French, American girls.) One dissapointing part is when he slows down the infamous fast part, "I know my little cousin Eric....." that Joel Grey does so well. Pryce does better in "If You Could See Her", "Money", "I Don't Care Much", and "Money Money".

Maria Friedman (Roxie in a production of London's CHICAGO, Narrator of JOSEPH.. the video, also in the new Musical WITCHES OF EASTWICK) plays Sally Bowels. I'm very unsure of her performance. At times it's charming and vocally strong, but mostly breathy, and the work seems to deep for her voice. I can say that she hits some amazing notes in "Mein Herr", "Maybe This Time" and "Cabaret", but when the songs get in the lower register, she seems to struggle. Pay attention to "Perfectly Marvelous" how she goes in and out audibly. But this recording is a plus because it has ALL the dialogue that belongs in the middle of the songs. It even has just the dialogue of "Sally's Revolt" against Cliff, and thier "Break Up", which is interesting to hear. Also a highlight is the small point in the score where Sally does a brief duet with Herr Schultz when he sings "Meeskite."

Dame Judi Dench (Queen Elizabeth in Shakespeare in Love, Original London Sally Bowles of CABARET) plays Fraulein Schneider. Her rendition of "What Would You Do" is so powerful and stirring, making it the best one on CD. True, she doesn't have much of a singing voice but her acting is so incredible it shines through. "So What" is sung with more disgust and sarcasm than comedic, as most perform it. Herr Schultz is sung by the Lyricist himself, Fred Ebb. This it a very special album. Although he doesn't have a strong singing voice, it's very enduring. Their version of "It Couldn't Please Me More" is adorable.

Gregg Edelman (CITY OF ANGELS, Javert in LES MISERABLES in 1999) has a wonderful baritone voice. His acting is incredible too. I think he's the best Cliff on Recording. His rendition of "Why Sould I Wake Up" is the first one I liked. I've heard others before but he really knows how to deal with the text. He also does well in "Perfectly Marvelous". He sounds the All-American type.

The Kit Kat girls are all famous London Actresses.

Maria: Louise Gold

Lulu: Gay Soper (Mdme Thenardier LES MISERABLES COMPLETE REC.)

Rosie: Claire Moore (Ellen MISS SAIGON, Christine PHANTOM OF..)

Fritzie: Jacqueline Dankworth (Charity SWEET CHARITY Studio rec.)

Texas: Caroline O' Connor (Anita WEST SIDE STORY Studio rec.)

Frenchy: Calire Burt (Rizzo GREASE London CD) DIVAS, huh?!

So, if you have a few extra bucks, purchase this CD. I'd give it 3 1/2 stars if I could. There are plenty of familiar faces to keep you happy, as well as the entire score to CABARET!

Not perfect by any means but superbly 'real'.

I loved the 'feel' of this recording, but it did make me wish there was a Original cast recording of the London staging in 1968 with Judi Dench as Sally Bowles: she was even better than Liza minelli in the part and that's saying something as I consider Liza's Sally to be one of the best performances on screen ever!