Customer Reviews

Do Re Mi (1999 Broadway Revival Cast)

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

 

 

It took me a while to warm up to this album, as much of the score and the dialogue is very dated, if not downright corny. "The Late, Late Show" is a case in point. This bit of fluff was obviously intended to showcase Phil Silver's talent as a mimic, but many of the references are no longer relevant, or sound like bad cartoon dialogue. But despite such drawbacks, this is a fun album to have. Nathan Lane does about as well with the material as one could do nowadays and turns in an engaging performance. As for the songs, there are several you will want to skip over and over again, but just as many you will want to play over and over again. "Cry Like the Wind" is a song of timeless beauty, and there are many "upbeat" numbers you'll want to play just because it feels so good to listen to them. And then there is Brian Stokes Mitchell, who understandably has taken Broadway by storm. His clear, powerful baritone will knock you out of your chair on "I Know About Love" and his "Make Someone Happy" duet soars to the heights of the headphones. If you want to make yourself happy, buy this album and give it a little time to sink in. It's worth warming up to.

The new cast recording of Do Re Mi would be an excellent addition to any Broadway show collection but would probably not appeal to the average music fan. Most of the songs are theme driven and are best within the context of the show. The singing in this version is universally good - Nathan Lane is Nathan Lane, which is good, but Brian Stokes Mitchell is the real reason to purchase this CD as his renditions of four songs is outstanding, including the well known Make Someone Happy.

I snapped this one up immediately because I'm crazy about the score. (Has a more upbeat Broadway pep number ever been written than "It's Legitimate"? This is what the American musical is supposed to be about.) Nathan Lane is our most inspired clown, on Broadway at least, and does a fine job here. But nobody could top Phil Silvers in the same role. He brings a dramatic depth of feeling to "All of My Life" that Lane can't quite hit. But that's a minor quibble. The voice that leaps out at you on this recording, however, is that of Brian Stokes Mitchell. Here, in one neat package is the new Alfred Drake. Every note he touches he turns to instant gold, and his songs are the ones I play over again when I'm through -- and then once more. This guy is NEVER going to be out of work. Bravo yet again for the Encores! series.

This 1999 recording of Do Re Mi is a better recording than the original Broadway Cast, but the music is about the same. The show was a fluffy thing built around Phil Silvers. Now the star is Nathan Lane. Different actors, different styles. Nathan Lane, of course, can sing. "It's Legitimate" is still a raucous number as it should be. One wonders, though, why shows like this are being revived.

I resisted buying this recording until very recently, primarily because I believed that listening to it would sully the memories of Phil Silvers, Nancy Walker, John Reardon, and Nancy Dussault from the RCA original cast recording (sadly deleted - and sorely missed). Al Hirschfeld's drawings on the back of the CD and on the back of the booklet reminded me of how much these entertainment giants are missed AND how much we all miss Al Hirschfeld.

So, with trepidition, I began to listen. "The new orchestrations by Luther Henderson sound wrong," was my first impression. "They don't sound 'Broadway' enough." Then came the song "Waiting." "Randy Graff can't hold a candle to Nancy Walker," I thought. "Miss Walker would do such and such at this point. Oh, I'm not going to like this at all."

But it grew on me. Gradually I let myself appreciate Nathan Lane (no, he isn't Phil Silvers) and Miss Graff as they performed "Take a Job." "It's Legitimate" almost won me over with its Broadway brassiness. Brian Stokes Mitchell's "I Know About Love" is very fine, and Heather Headley brings a freshness to "Cry Like the Wind," even though Nancy Dussault's version still haunts me. But the turning point was "Adventure." Yes, I still miss Phil Silvers and Nancy Walker, but Nathan Lane and Randy Graff are superb here. So I permitted myself to enjoy the show, making mental notes like: "No one plays a schlmeil the way Nathan Lane does. Hum . . . I don't recall Phil Silvers being this human and sympathetic ('All of My Life')."

I'm glad that someone at the City Center Encores decided that DO RE MI needed a new recording, because this recording is a prime example of the genius of Jule Styne, Betty Comden & Adolph Green. On first listening, one might think that the songs are less than great, until you realize how well they serve the plot and the characters. For example, "All of My Life" reminds me of "Rose's Turn" from GYPSY (music by Mr. Styne). Both Hubie Cram and Mama Rose go through critical self-evaluation that allows the audience to see what drove these people to do what they did. These songs help us to understand the characters and even forgive them for the horrible things they have done. Styne, Comden & Green were true craftspeople who separately and individually have given the world some of the best moments in the theatre.

Again, thank you DRG and City Center Encores! Now, RCA, why don't you help us out and reissue the original cast recording. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would add it to my collection.

This is not the finest score ever written, but I play Make Someone Happy over and over and over (and I have the Original Broadway Cast and the London Cast as well, and believe me, I do not play THEM over and over). I give it five stars because Mitchell and Headley are ss good as it gets.

i was in New York 1962 and missed the show
i have two copies on LP and one re release of the original on CD.
i find the score to be great.
i have alway wanted to see the play.
its a shame no one filmed either the original or the remake for posterity or did they?
barry

If you are thinking of getting this album for Brian Stokes Mitchell's voice, i don't think it's worth your money. He only has a couple of numbers in here. One album that has a lot of good stuff with Brian's voice is "Kiss Me, Kate." Heather's number in "Cry like the Wind" is one of the most magical experience anyone can have.

This isn't the one of the best shows ever written. This isnt one of Comden & Green's best efforts. Nor is it among Jule Styne's better scores. It is a solid mediocrity, the kind of thing written to play out a season, create a mildly enjoyable diversion, nothing more. It more or less succeeds at this, butit certainly doesnt exceed this goal. The songs are sometimes catchy - although the overture promises more excitement than is delivered. Many of the bigger songs sound rather like lyricised bits of walk-out music. The big showstoppers - Make Someone Happy, Cry Like the Wind - are totally unremarkable songs, not even barely integrated into the plot; the production numbers are quite dumb. The cast on this album is so so; Lane is ather bland, but he doesnt have much to work with. Randy Graff is surprisingly flat - hey, anyone suffers next to Nancy Walker. Headly and Mitchell are both good, although they seem to be taking the songs more seriously then they're worth. The CD seems to get blander every time i listen to it . . .all in all not really a worthwhile purchase.