Customer Reviews

Guys & Dolls (1976 Broadway Revival)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I always enjoy listening to the "different" versions of musicals and once again I have managed to find another one. Unlike most Guys & Dolls CD's this one features a unique DISCO beat throughout almost the entire show. I enjoyed listening to it from the first notes of the overture. If you are buying this CD because you are in the show do it. You'll love it. But if you need to hear those difficult harmonies in Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat dont buy this one because they changed the chorus part completely. That is the only change that might make a difference.

The music is wonderful, the singers and arrangements are terrific. Just great happy music.

I first came across this recording when I was researching for a production of Guys and Dolls I was directing for a community theatre. I'm a big fan of staying true to the original script while also tweaking the show to make it unique. When I put this into the player I was mainly just wanting some music form the show to get me thinking about how to stage. The moment Runyonland started I was out of my seat screaming for my roomate (who was in the show) to come and listen. Then I played it for my cast to show them the kind of vibrant energy I wanted them to have while singing the songs traditionally. I think this CD is a joyous tribute to a great musical. Personally my favorite is the Nathan Lane version, but this is worth the listen by all means. It's too much fun for it's own good.

First of all, is that how you spell "pioneer"? Anyway...

This is a PHENOMENAL spin on the broadway classic 'Guys and Dolls'! It takes risks that I have seen few shows take. However, there are some classic broadway lovers who would find this show offensive and over-the-top. But for anyone who's open to change *and a good change at that* this a great recording to purchase! I recieved it as a present when I was seven years old, and still listen to it this day *I'm 16 years old now!* It's well worth it!

5 Stars!!!

Okay, i have to admit that this CD is kind of fun to listen to; there is definitely an excitement to be felt, and its good that the show wasnt treated as a relic but actually updated. However, as the 1992 Nathan Lane et al. production proved, one doesn't need to totally reinterpret a show to make it seem fresh. By adding a rather silly disco beat here and there (yet not substantially changing the orchestrations) the arrangers simply added a distraction that diminishes but doesn't ruin the impact of the terrific score (some shows, it seems, can survive anything.) The cast is very good (although I am no fan of Gillaume - oh, i hope i spelled that right,) and the CD is an enjoyable curiosity, but it by no means outshines the original nor the 1992 revival (my personal favorite.)

Shocked, Appalled, Embarrassed, Amshamed are the words that decribe how I felt when I first heard this recording. I am a huge fan of this show. I think it is one of the greatest Broadway shows ever written and I am not against new interpretations of the show(see my review of the NEW 2001 Cast Recording with Maurice Hines) but this version is "TERRIBLE"!!!! The Motown, disco, gospel thing that they did with this score is a joke. It takes away from the score and adds nothing new or interesting. My mouth literally dropped when I heard the disco funk music come in during the middle of "I've Never Been In Love Before". There is something to be said when myself, being an African American, is offended by what an African American cast allowed to be done to this show!!! The ONLY saving grace here is ROBERT GUILLAUME as Nathan Detroit. He has an outstanding voice, the best singer of all the Nathan's I have ever heard(even beating out Sinatra from the film). His voice is very smooth and melodic with a wide range and LUCKILY none of his songs were changed for this recording. SO.....If you love Guillaume get this recording...If you love the show "Guys and Dolls" DO NOT get it!!

When I first heared this cd I was startled! I even checked to see if it was really Guys and Dolls. Then when I listened to it I heared that the Lyrics were all the same, even the notes, but it was the beat that was different. It was almost like a disco. It is not a bad cd at all, it's just different, in a good way. Then I read somewhere that it was an all black version of guys and dolls it made even more different and special. If you like guys and dolls I'm almost possitive you'll like this cd.

Almost without exception, all the recordings of Guys & Dolls are very good. The most recent one (1994?) with Nathan Lane is exceptional and the original cast from 1950 also provides a great version. But, this 1976 recording is, without a doubt, the best Guys & Dolls out there. It captures all the energy and vitality of the show.

"Guys and Dolls: Back... Black... and Better Than Ever" is how the original newspaper ad touted this 1976 revival. I'm still not sure I like the excessively 1970s orchestration of the overture, but I think I know why they did it: it makes the reorchestrations in the rest of the production seem tame by comparison.

The cast is great and I like the arrangements of most of the songs. The upbeat numbers are excitingly catchy, the ballads are downright slinky at spots, and the actress who played Adelaide really knew how to sell a comedy song. Of the five recordings of the score I've heard, this is the one I enjoy most.

I'm glad to see it's out on CD, because I've played the old Motown cassette so many times it's starting to jam.

This is my favorite version of this musical. The vocals are all terrific and the arrangements are great! It's hard not to find yourself singing the tunes long after you've stopped listening.