Customer Reviews

Fosse (1999 Original Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I have to agree with most that the CD doesn't compare to the show itself. What it does do, is make you remember how great the show is. Valerie P. is amazing. It's worth getting the CD simply for her version of "Life is just a bowl of cherries" and Shannon's "I gotcha!" If you're a fan of broadway (or Bob Fosse) it's a definite must for your collection.

Incomprable music celebrating the best of the Broadway works featuring Fosse numbers...lovingly recreated with a stellar cast and orchestrations. Enjoyable listening for anyone, but a must-have tribute for any fan of the Great White Way!

I was a little disappointed when I first listened to Fosse. If you haven't seen or heard anything by Mr. Fosse, this is a wonderful (5stars) cd. But if you're like me, and have seen All That Jazz, Pippin, Chicago, Damn Yankees, Cabaret, et., you'll notice the spark missing from some of the songs. This is a great cd, in that is gives you a wide selection of his works. I must recommend this cd to any music and dance lover.

I just saw Fosse in NY yesterday, and i thought it was amazing. But I wasn't expecting it to be good at all when i first walked in, because this CD is just not that good. Except for numbers like Big Spender and Sing, Sing, Sing, the CD on a whole seems very dull and lifeless, but on stage, even the dullest of songs (except for maybe the incomprehensible "Cool Hand Luke") was one fantastic event after another. See the show, but don't waste your time with the CD, and DEFINETLY don't judge the show from just listening to the CD.

Fosse is enjoyable, but the CD is missing songs, where is Cabret and Pippin? Also some songs didn't translate to CD, such as Bye Bye Blackbird, but for the most part the CD is nice to listen to, but only buy if your a broadway collector.

Although the show far exceeds the CD in the thrill and joy that it brings, the album still provides a lot for those who can not find recordings of some of these songs on other albums. Ralph Burns's orchestrations alone are superb. I have listened to the original orchestrations from shows like Sweet Charity, Pippin and Chicago as well as "All that Jazz" and I was thrilled to find how hard Burns has worked to create a different style with his work from the originals. The album also packs some of the strongest and most enjoyable vocal talents I've ever encountered on a Broadway recording. The voices are real and not are of the phony angelic opera-based type found in many other broadway recordings. Vallerie Pettiford's rendition of "Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries" alone is enough to give this album 5 stars. Again, it is a bigger thrill to see these songs performed on stage, but for what it is, the album is definitly a gem.

As for the numbers that were cut, I wanted them to include the "mein Herr" number, which is also performed by pettiford, but I suppose it's hard to get the rights to reproduce all of these songs and print them. Since the rights to all of these musicals are owned by different companies, RCA would have had to go through all of them to get the copyright. some may have agreed to the stage performance but not the album.

All in all, I highly recomend this album.

i enjoy this cd, as i enjoy this show, and i look forward to seeing a local tour of it this december. the songs themselves are positively wonderful, and the orchestrations are fabulous. there's so much energy on this cd, and all in such an artsy form that i doubt many people could actually appreciate the talent of this show...but i love it.

Suprisingly this recording is truly alive with the nuances and trebles of a live performance. The cast voices are superbly skilled. The energy oozes out of the CD player as FOSSE performers articulate each note and word of the songs. Favorites: Crunchy Granola Suite, Hey Big Spender and the insturmentals.

As a stand alone recording, Fosse: A Celebration in Song and Dance would appear quite week without the visual aspect of the show. Unlike other Original Broadway Cast Recordings, the music selections here neither make the story progress - as there is none - nor translate the essence of the show.

However, if you have seen the show, you will smile widely while listening to the recording. Jane Lanier, Michael Paternostro and Alex Sanchez (Steam Heat) transpose quite well on CD, and so does Big Spender and Mr. Bojangles. But nothing compares to the dazzling rendition of the "Big Deal" classic, Life's a Bowl of Cherries, performed by the stellar, beautiful, talented and gracious Valarie Pettiford, who, with this performance may have failed to snag a Tony, but solidified the strong hold she has on her fan's admiration and won the heart of a new generation of spectators who had yet to discover the wonder that is Ms. Pettiford.

What a gem this is. Very slick and with a modern feel yet still capturing the essence of each of the productions the numbers come from. A shear joy to listen to.