Customer Reviews

A Catered Affair (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The recording of "A Catered Affair" sneaks up on you. It's a slightly sad, bittersweet story. There are no Kander & Ebb or Jerry Herman-like vamps and key changes, blaring trumpets, and big production numbers where suddenly everyone belts the title tune. But this is a haunting show and score. It gets under your skin and makes you think and feel things - exactly what a work of art should do.

The songs by John Bucchino are musicalized scenes, with tender melodies rich with subtle surprises - unexpected notes or rhythms, but these surprises don't feel forced or calculated, but simply human. Bucchino is a craftsman as a lyricist; all the rhymes are true and rarely call attention to themselves, but they also have a poetry that can be heart-stopping. A favorite example is calling the words "I love you" a "three-syllable bouquet".

This recording by PS Classics captures the score and the show. It weaves dialogue, underscoring, and songs to give a full sense of the story, the time, the place, and most of all these beautifully rendered characters. This is not a star vehicle, but Faith Prince in particular - as the mother weighted with regrets - gives a magnificently nuanced performance. She can convey a history of feelings in a single word. Tom Wopat comes across as absolutely truthful as her over-burdened husband, and gets something of a "Rose's Turn" in his explosive "I Stayed". Leslie Krtizer is fine, quirky, and touching as the (mostly) practical bride to be. I am less enamored of the Harvey Fierstein as the uncle. Although he wrote the libretto, his foghorn of a voice calls too much attention to itself, and just doesn't seem to fit with the tenor of the rest of the performances.

The orchestrations are by the incomparable Jonathan Tunick. He works miracles with a spare ten musicians - though I would love to hear what he would accomplish with greater resources. The elegance of the score, the arrangements and the orchestrations, rather than fighting the kitchen-sink realism of the show, adds a layer of poignancy and a subtext of feeling that enriches the story immeasurably.

Mark Horowitz

Reviewing a cast album is tricky. Do you write about the recording, or the show? I'm a fan of both. The show is a lovely, thoughtful piece about a family dealing with love and loss. Some call it kitchen-sink drama; I call it real life. The score is beautifully melodic, and perfectly captures the real, human emotions of the characters. This is not about tap shoes, helicopters, or pseudo rock and roll. It's about people.

This recording preserves that beautiful score, along with the amazing performances of Faith Prince, Tom Wopat, and the rest of the cast. The CD booklet has the complete lyrics, along with plot synopsis and commentary -and many color pictures. It's as classy as the wedding that Aggie wants for her daughter in the show. Listen to the previews. Visit the show's website to see clips. Then judge for yourself. This is an underrated gem of a show, and a cast album that is extremely satisfying to listen to.

A Catered Affair is the best original cast album of the year since it combines all the elements for a great recording. To begin with it perfectly captures the entire play so that you can understand the development of the characters and their motivations. The music is wonderful as would be expected from the great John Bucchino with gorgeous melodies and insighful lyrics - the songs really grow on you and you will be hooked on them after several hearings. (If you are not familiar with John Bucchino's wonderful music try It's Only Life or Grateful, his other compilation CD's). The performances are wonderful, most notably Faith Prince and Leslie Kritzer, who creat wonderful chemistry on disc and are heartbreaking in their simplistic desires and longings. Add solid performances by Tom Wopat in an explosive song called I Stayed and the warm Harvey Fierstein in his inimitable style. Add to this the wonderful Jonathan Tunick arrangements, which could not be bettered. This is a score that will only grow with repeated hearings and familarity - you will really be hooked once you start. This is what Broadway musicals should be about - an original score that furthers the plot and explores the characters with beautiful melodies and lyrics. Don't pass this one by.

Another gem that will probably go under-appreciatted, much like The Light In The Piazza, Parade and Floyd Collins. All beautifully written, intelligent and unconventional musicals, that have the audacity to expect the audience to have to think.

And this is absolutely uncoventional. No huge song and dance numbers, no big opening or finale. Basically a chamber musical, small orchestra, the score is almost recititive, it becomes an extension of the characters thoughts or conversation. And it is absolutely lovely. All about the trials amongst an ordinary middle class family, circa 1953, over a daughters impending wedding.

The performances are marvelous. Harvey Fierstein (despite what others have commented) gives a very understated and touching performance as the gay uncle. Faith Prince brings a quiet longing and sadness to the role of Aggie, the mother. And most impressive is Tom Wopat as the father, coping with all the stress and problems of the situation (as well as years of a stale marriage and loss of a son), until finally he explodes in desperation towards the end of the show. It is utterly heart breaking.
Most definetly worth getting if you're interested in thought provoking musical theater.

Sadly, it's already closed, not helped by the poor choice of scene televised on the Tony Awards. The scene and song simply did not work on TV, there were certainly more effective moments that should have been chosen.

Since I purchased this CD last week, it has been on repeat constantly. I have not seen the show (getting tickets very soon!), but the score is very layered and sophisticated, yet intentionally humble (to go along with the theme of the show).

John Bucchino is, hands down, among the most talented songwriters in the world. He comes through on this score. At first I was expecting the typical Broadway formula - large opening, a few ballads, a few uptempos, and some large choral pieces thrown in. This CD is different, which is what makes it so special. In its understated in an elegant approach, it is painfully addicting. I am also not somebody who listens to lyrics as much as the music, but this show carries a knock-out punch message that you have to be willing to hear and experience. For those who are, it will take you on a rollercoaster ride. Keep your eyes (and ears) open, and enjoy (if you've heard the CD, you'll know what I mean).

It's fine that some people enjoy this score. I find it songless, which wrecks any enjoyment for me. If listeners are gratified by the extended-recitatif format, or are able to discern songs that I can't hear, God bless 'em -- but I'd like everyone to stop making snooty and dismissive comments about "hummability" or "tapping choruses" or "blaring horns," or any of the other purportedly Cro-Magnon qualities of traditional showtunes. Such smears are traditionally invoked in defense of composers who try to hide a paucity of inspiration with a veneer of highbrow art-song pretension. When I hear them, I wonder which showtune in particular is being referred to -- "Ole Man River"? "Summertime"? "Fugue For Tinhorns"? Hummable tunes all, and appealing on a crowd-pleasing level, and executed with, if I may say so, more skill than is apparent in some of the "Catered Affair" numbers.

So if you like CDs of this ilk, buy them, listen to them, and best wishes to you. But there's nothing bourgeois or corny or in any way declasse about traditionally discernible songs.

"A Catered Affair" met with mixed to negative reviews when it opened on Broadway in April. Everything from the score to the production to the source material was attacked with gusto. However, if this recording is indicative of what's happening on the stage of the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York, it's probably worth a visit. True, this is not exactly the flashy hit-mongering that passes for Broadway entertainment these days, but that's what makes it so special. The original kitchen sink drama this is based on was emblematic of its time, a true 50s artifact that still resonates today thanks to original writers Gore Vidal and Paddy Chayefsky. And the score underpins that point with subtle poignancy. The oboe / horn combo in the opening prologue recalls the type of subdued jazzy underscoring found in many a 50s film. Credit goes to the great Jonathan Tunick, whose orchestrations always serve the material but also tenderly recall that bygone era with wistful gentility. John Bucchino's evocative score has been criticized for its low wattage, but a sockeroonee "Wicked" tunestack would be totally wrong for the themes and characters of this show. Using a quiet, chamber musical approach, Bucchino eschews bombast for emotional phrasing with the most intimate grace. We share the longing sadness and survivability of a battered but unbeaten family, a strongly drawn group of human beings from another time. Songs like "Partners", "Married", "Our Only Daughter" and "One White Dress" draw the characters sharply with sly wit and compassion...and they "sound" like a family, not a group of actors. All of this recalls the monumental "Caroline, or Change" that completely reinvented the musical theater palette several seasons back with its adventurous artistry. Both scores are unconventional and completely dedicated to content and character.

The cast, with one exception (and it's a biggie) is marvelous. The great Faith Prince underplays Aggie in what is possibly her most touching portrayal and her songs, especially "Married", are standouts on this recording. True, the high-volt Prince persona is muted, but this allows her a depth of characterization that was heretofore unseen. Tom Wopat brings real fire to the beleagured figure of Tom, especially in his growling heartbreaker, "I Stayed", and both Matt Cavanaugh and the beguiling Leslie Kritzer hit just the rote notes, literally and figuratively, as the devoted intendeds. The one blight is the librettist, Harvey Fierstein, who doubles as closeted bachelor-brother Winston and massacres every one of his songs with that course growl that was funny for five minutes in "Hairspray" but undoes the material here. He's all wrong for the part which, ironically, is the only ill-conceived character of the lot.

What really boosts this original cast recording, however, is its presentation. So much of the generally smart libretto (Harvey again) is included here that it's like an old radio program where the listener gets the entire storyline through the clever use of words. Dialogue segues into song so effortlessly that the seemlessness is often breathtakingly natural. And the caliber of the recording is pristine. "A Catered Affair" may be too glum for the "Mary Poppins" crowd, but it's an adult musical about adult themes and deserves an audience to keep such artistic audacity alive in the musical theater.

I fell in love with John Bucchino's music when I first heard "Grateful" several years ago. When I first heard that he was attached to "A Catered Affair", I was thrilled! I pre-ordered the CD as soon as I saw it was going to be released.

Upon first listening to the recording, I was struck by many similarities to "The Light in the Piazza" which is one of my all-time favorite scores (and shows), although this has a much more "working-class" theme. This score is so well written that it is almost like listening to the spoken word and not music! I was immediately drawn into the emotions of the characters - all of them! When Faith Prince sings "Our Only Daughter", I could not stop from tearing up. She is so well-cast! Tom Wopat is also perfect as the husband whose pent-up anger over years of frustration finally boil over in "I Stayed"! As for the rest of the cast, they are able to bring true humanity to each of their characters as I have not heard from a cast in a long time.

Many criticisms of the show have to do with the lack of a hummable score and no chorus. I found this to be a welcomed diversion from recent shows! It was refreshing to hear realistic emotions expressed through song by the characters themselves without having to resort to a back-up chorus of tappers filling time on the recording. It is also a nice diversion from the recent Disney musical invasion! As for the score itself, as a musician, I found a lot of songs that have stuck in my head. I cannot wait for the sheet music to be released!

I have been recommending this recording to everyone who displays even remote interest. I purchased my tickets to see the show in NY the day after I listened to the recording. My wife & I are more excited to see this than we have been since we saw "The Light in the Piazza" a few years back!

Given the pedigree of this show, I was anxious to see "A Catered Affair" last month in New York. The cast (led by Faith Prince, Tom Wopat, Harvey Fierstein, etc.) were excellent in this musical - a musical, however, l that felt much more like a interesting play with incidental music - similar to "Caroline or Change".

The score was beautiful, but simply did not have many (any?) songs that remained embedded in the brain afterwards. It plays better as a continuous story. And Mr. Fierstein's voice simply does not play as well here as it did in his Tony-winning role in "Hairspray".

Best Tracks:

Married
Vision
Don't Ever Stop Saying "I Love You"

The score to a Catered Affair may not go down in Broadway history as one of the greats, but the simple melodies are touching, and the lyrics have a humanity to them. This is not the big, brassy, full orchestra musical (a la this season's Young Frankenstein), nor is a genre changing breakthrough for musical theatre (like In the Heights). Instead this score fulfills the true duty of a theatre score: to give the characters a mode of expression when words are not powerful enough. Be it Aggie imagining the perfect wedding she never had for her daughter, or Tom's frustration at being asked to give up his life's savings for a fancy party. For a true theatre fan, this recording is a glistening memento of a mostly dull 2007-2008 musical season on Broadway, or at least, its better than Young Frankenstein.