Customer Reviews

City of Angels (1990 Original Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Love this CD. It has the most exciting Jazz-Swing score done for Broadway in many years. It also has the wittiest lyrics. I had the pleasure of seeing the show on Broadway - with this cast. It was nothing short of amazing how well the songs fit the characters (those who haven't seen the show - read the plot outline - it helps). Some may think the vocal quality is lacking but the songs are so character driven that this is a less important consideration. Would highly recommed this for anyone who loves witty lyrics and a big band sound.

Now big band era music isn't exactly my favorite, but I can still appreciate the score to this well writen, well plotted Tony Award winning (1991, I think) Best Musical. Cy Coleman makes yet another genre inspiring musical.

This story within a parellel story of a dectective novelist and his own created characters is a well orchestrated and well played libretto. The orchestra is great. Some really great songs are: the femme fatale's "LOST & FOUND", the witty reparte in "YOU'RE NOTHING WITHOUT ME" that is a banter between the writer and the character he created, the unapprecitaed secretary's "YOU CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON ME", the very funny female duet "WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT WOMEN" and the dramatic song "FUNNY". These are all great songs. The rest are a little to old style I think for me to really appreciate.

In all, a strong cast, orchestra and stylized score make for a Tony Award winning musical. If you like Coleman's other works like "BARNUM" & "WILL ROGER'S FOLLIES" you'll probably love this. Both of those were 6-7's in my book as well.

To give you an example of my favorites: Sweeney Todd & Les Miserables.

1990 Tony winner for Best Musical, "City Of Angels" contains a great score, filled with jazz-oriented melodies & torch songs. Not all the songs are terrific, but most of the score lends itself to repeat listenings. Best tracks include:

Double Talk
What You Don't Know About Women
With Every Breath I Take [beautiful song!]
Lost And Found
You're Nothing Without Me [the show's hit]
You Can Always Count On Me
Funny

Great cast ... great buy!

"City of Angles" is half Raymond Chandler, as we follow the adventures of Stone (James Naughton), the tough private eye and half Cecile B. DeMille, since we are also dealing with Stine (Gregg Edelman), the author of the popular detective novels starring Stone. The gimmick is from writer Larry Gelbart is that Stine is in the process of adapting his first screenplay and what we are seeing with Stone is in fact the movie he is writing. Of course, to make things interesting, each character in the real world of Hollywood has a counterpart in Stein's movie script (e.g., Rene Auberjonoi's Hollywood mogul Buddy Fidler and his equally sleazy fictional counterpart Irwin Irving). Similarly, the music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by David Zippel reflects both the Broadway musical we are seeing and the 1940's film noir detective movie it contains. Coleman's music is very much in the various styles of the period, ranging from big-band swing and torch songs to groups vocals and Latin numbers. For me the fun part is when the author and his creation go at each other in the show's best song, "You're Nothing WIthout Me," which comes back at the end of the show as "I'm Nothing Without You" as the two are reconciled after the requisite happy ending, which certainly takes full advantage of the peculiar situation through a very creative role reversal. Naughton's performance as the world-weary Stone deservedly won a Tony for Best Actor in a Musical. "City of Angels" is a fun show, although listening to the album does not really capture its best parts because this is one of those rare musicals where the book is superior to the score.

This musical is terrific fun! I have never seen it (though I would LOVE to do so), but I listen to it over and over. The story is marvelously ridiculous, the singing is great, the characters are over the top, and the music itself is interesting and catchy. This is the sort of show I would recommend to people who don't usually listen to musical theatre, though I would recommend reading the plot synopsis first.

For reference, my other favorite shows include: Closer Than Ever, Falsettos, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Chicago, and Anything Goes.

I know that it is probably a scandal to like better a soundtrack other that the Original Broadway, but I must insist that the talent is of a higher caliber. If you can compare the two soundtracks especially of the characters of Stine and Jimmy Powers you'll understand. Plus, there are songs included in the London soundtrack that are omitted from the Broadway.

I loved this show when it ran on Broadway and am thrilled to have the music back in my music library (I lost my first CD years ago).

I will point out one flaw with this particular copy of the recording. I purchased it with Amazon (rather than iTunes) because I wanted the liner notes and credits (I recall them in the original packaging). What I received from Amazon was a bare bones disc that had absolutely no credits or liner notes. It didn't even have a cast member listing.

I know I speak for most of the musical theater recording collectors when I say we are purchasing these recordings for more than just the music. We want to read about the production, we want to know who's singing and playing the roles. This bare bones version of the recording had none of that and that's quite a disappointment.

CITY OF ANGELS took the top awards at the 1990 Tony ceremony, and deservedly so. The book by Larry Gelbart is fast moving and funny: loaded with wonderful one-liners. Then there is Cy Coleman's wonderful score perfectly in keeping with the late 40s period of the piece. David Zippel made an impressive debut writing lyrics that perfectly match the characters and situation and are every bit up to the level of the book. Listen to Dee Hoty plow her way through "It Needs Work"... so totally in tune with what the character is feeling. The recording has been well-produced and easily communicates the story. There is a synopsis and libretto enclosed. Hopefully we'll see a full fledged revival of CITY OF ANGELS before too long.

I was first exposed to the music of City of Angels by a college roomate who suggested that "With Every Breath I Take" would be a great song for me (I use it quite often in auditions). I had the opportunity a year or so later to see a performance of it and was thoroughly enchanted. The music is catchy but if you ever have the chance to see a well done performance, I highly recommend it. If you are the type that likes to sing along with your soundtracks (like I do), you will love this one!

A duet between an author and the character he created, each claiming "you're nothing without me," is just one example of how sharp, witty and clever show is, with an unusual score, jazzy and bluesy and very 1940s, and some of the best lyrics I know.