Customer Reviews

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1996 Broadway Revival Cast)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The number one reason to buy this remake is this: They took all of us musical theatre people's advice and speed it up! The tempo of this rendidtion is quick, smart, well timed musically and comically, and wonderfully orchestrated.

Saks and his team have turned in a fun album of a show that sometimes needs to be seen (Coutesans, Marcus Lycus) to be appreciated. Great attention was paid to sound effects which helps the listening audience understand the action that more than likely was happening on the stage at a particular momnet. And that, my friends, is the mark of a good musical theatre recording.

Much has been said about the individual performances, all of which are clear, well sung, and spoken. However, to say they are good performers is to take away from the real genius here. To make this musical work (and I've done it a couple of times) one has to find a complete cast of talented character actors. Romeo, Maria, Hamlet, and Barbara please sit down and make way for the circus fare. Saks has found his faux with the likes of Lane, Sabella, and Linn-Baker.

At times the orchestrations drag on and the quality of the actual recording could be better if you have an audiophile ear. But for the most part this is a must have for the musical theatre person.

My first experience with Forum was through a friend's high school production. Most of the humor went over my head, as well as the actors'! Ten years later, I found this recording, and it is marvelous!

Nathan Lane is priceless, doing exactly what he does best. Of course, pair him with Ernie Sabella and you really can't go wrong. "The House of Marcus Lycus" and "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid" are two of the highlights here.

There really isn't a low point at all, Sondheim even handled his romantic leads with a good bit of wit and irony. A must have for any Sondhein fan!

I personally am not a fan of classic musical theatre (although the time it was written may not be classic, but I do consider the music to be), but I love this album! The lyrics are witty and clever, and the wonderful music is all that I'd expect from Sondheim. This is a sure bet for anyone who's looking for a light-hearted musical where everything turns out okay in the end.

If you want to laugh, listen to Everybody Ought to Have a Maid. If you've never seen this show, I feel sorry for you. It's hysterical from start to finish. A great show and a great CD. I only wish that the early 70s revival which starred Phil Silvers was out on CD.

One of the great things about this album is how the performances really capture the energy and wit behind Sondhiem's clever lyrics, and wonderful music.

Each of the performers goes above and beyond that which they are called upon to do, and the singing becomes infectous. Nathan Lane is wonderful as the scheming Pseudoulus and each line is delivered with such a duality that it never becomes boring to listen to.

This is the next best thing to actually seeing the show, and holds a place in my collection as one of my favorites. Wonderful.

They cut "Lovely" from the Overture ! Unforgivable ! They cut a verse from "I'm Calm" ! Hey, when I played Hysterium, I made them put it back in the score ! You betcha ! Miles Gloriosus here is miscast, and the 2 romantic leads aren't too good. Stick to the original with Zero !!!

The Broadway revival of AFTHOTWTTF is a great addition to your Broadway CD collection. Nathan Lane really stands out in all his numbers. It's also great to hear Ernie Sabella and Mary Testa in the cast. I have to say I enjoy the revival cast recording more than the original recording.

From the cover, it looks like the MP3 version is the movie soundtrack, which you should avoid at all costs, in favor of either the original Broadway cast album or the 1996 Nathan Lane revival.

I love the show and this recording is awesome with the 96' cast including Nathan Lane. I especially enjoy "Comedy Tonight". Enjoy!!

I, myself, am an aspiring actor. The summer youth theater production of "Forum" opened just yesterday. I have an eensy teensy part, but I love the play 130%. I would DEMAND anybody that is reading this to go see it or listen to it. I've seen it about 20 times and I laugh every single time. It's wonderful and hysterical and just a little bit raunchy. It's one of the most clever plays that I have ever seen.