Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Stronger material, weaker cast, October 19, 2002
This review is from: The Complete Recording of Boublil & Schonberg's Miss Saigon (Audio CD)
As a die-hard fan of the OCR, I was thrilled to find this full recording, since I knew many of the bridges between songs and some lyrics were deleted due to their length. With the full score and lyrics, songs like "The Morning of the Tiger" and "The American Dream" remind the listener of the visual spectacle that made each song so memorable, and the dialogue sung by Kim and Thuy in the prelude to "This is the Hour" is more haunting and sad than any duet between Kim and Chris. Pity the souls who have had to replace Lea Salonga, whose angelic but tough performance set the standard for Kim. Joanna Ample has a lovely voice, but why on earth did she overenunciate certain syllables, and why did her "accent" come and go, to the point of distraction? Then there is the horrible male cast. Kevin Gray (Engineer) and Peter Cousens (Chris) whine and shriek their way through the songs, and Hinton Battle's (John) over-the-top but brilliant brimstone and treacle performance seemed out-of-place next to the weak vocals of Gray and Cousens. The only improvement on the new disc is Charles Azulay, who gives Thuy a more empathetic voice (and the added lyrics provide some explanation on his and Kim's past). Overall, buy the OCR for the performances, but get this as a companion piece for the full score and added lyrics, to get the full feel for the Miss Saigon experience.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Complete Recording is great!, August 4, 2002
This review is from: The Complete Recording of Boublil & Schonberg's Miss Saigon (Audio CD)
I have owned the OLC of Miss Saigon for a long time now, and i thought that it was fantastic, and i still do, but the complete recording is also just as good, and includes the entire score. Earlier this year i was lucky enough to see Joanna Ampil playing Kim in Manchester, England, as she does on this CD. At first I was worried that her voice was a little deep, but she manages to act through her voice and the finished performance is one which can very nearly challenge Lea Salonga's portrayal (but not quite 'cause Lea's is perfect!). Reviews I have read of this album are really anti-Peter Cousens, and although his voice can be a little annoying (... and Australian??) at times, the portrayal is still good. Kevin Gray as the Enginner is a very good casting decision, as he captures the essence of the sleazy pimp in a similar way to both Jonathan Pryce of the OLC and Leo Tavarro Valdez of the UK Tour. Ruthie Henshall is a brilliant Ellen, and the variation in her voice is one of the best that I've heard, especially in The Confrontation. Hinton Battle (Who won a Tony for his 'John') is another good choice... Charles Azulay possesses the power and presence to play Thuy very well, as he does on this album, and although he seems to sound a little too American this is a believable performance of the role. In short, this is a very good Miss Saigon album, but I would advise you to buy the OLC as well as this, as songs such as 'I Still Believe' have never sounded as good as the original.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
No Match for London Cast, June 7, 2002
This review is from: The Complete Recording of Boublil & Schonberg's Miss Saigon (Audio CD)
After listening to this recording of one of my favorite musicals of all time, I was thoroughly disappointed, but I did like a few of the things about it. We'll begin with its good points. First, it contains virtually all of the score, so one can listen to it from beginning to end and have a good idea of what is going on in the show. The original London recording only contains "highlights," if you will, of the entire show. Also, this recording gives its audience a better idea of what the show is like today, as it has been changed a great deal since the time it was originally recorded by the stunning London cast. With that said, I would not recommend this to anyone who hasn't first heard the London recording. All three principal characters have their faults and do not live up to their predecessors. Joanna Ampil is at a great disadvantage in this recording; it is hard to live up to the almightily perfect Lea Salonga, who originated (and won a Tony for playing) the role of Kim. Ampil has a pretty voice but her rather deliberate enunciation becomes annoyingly unrealistic after awhile, and she lacks the heartwrenching emotion that Salonga always possesses in everything she's in. Chris on this recording is not as good as the original Simon Bowman, his voice is nicer but he has trouble staying on pitch (he's continually flat). He also enunciates words very dramatically and unrealistically. Kevin Gray does a good job as the Engineer; he makes a good impression of being the slimy creature that he is supposed to be portraying, but is still not quite as good as the original Jonathan Pryce's (Tony-winner for the role). All in all, the three principals do not live up to the emotion or vocal talent that the original three possess. On the other hand, the secondary characters of Ellen, John, and Gigi are all portrayed very nicely on this recording. Ruthie Henshall's Ellen is pure and she hits both the high and low notes with grace, while still keeping intensity, something that the original Claire Moore doesn't achieve quite as well. Hinton Battle's John (Tony-winner for the role) is very nice with his rock-gospel style, which provides emotion that the original Peter Polycarpou seems to lack at times. And Sonya Swaby, even in her cameo role, makes a nice appearance as Gigi. The orchestration in this recording is nowhere near that of the original recording, and often sounds too deliberate and emotionless. The background ensemble, the chorus line, also sounds emotionless at times and it's a bit too obvious that it was recorded in a "studio." (Hence, "studio" cast). Although Miss Saigon is a great musical and can hardly be ruined by any means, the problems with this recording are numerous and aren't easily overlooked. All in all, the London recording is leaps and bounds better than this, but it does have its good points.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
