Customer Reviews

Hey Mr Producer [VHS]

5 star:		(69)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Okay, so it is pretty much the same as the VHS version, but if you like DVDs better, buy this. The sound and picture are very good, as is the show itself. I absolutely loved every single performance! Some of the shows I have never seen, but I was glad that they were actually acted out instead of just having the actors standing there singing as if they were in a concert (Les Miserables the 10th Anniversary Concert, for example). Overall, I give this 5 stars.

Wow!!! It's quite unlikely for a video of a 162 min. length to feel that you want to see
more, you really wish it won't end. There are lots of highlights and they are spread in
the whole video so you really won't get bored watching the whole thing.

My favorite parts are:

1. Little Shop of Horrors (Ellen Greene was fantastic and I love her renditions of
"Somewhere That's Green" and "Suddenly Seymour")

2. Unexpected Song
(Bernadette Peters was just funny, she's great, I especially like the beginning part prior
to the "Unexpected Song")

3. Miss Saigon montage
(I'm a little disappointed since this is one of my favorite musicals, and I don't think
that it was given enough emphasis in the video, there were 5 songs included
from the show but the first 4 songs were dramatically shortened, they sang about 2 lines from
"Wedding", about half of "Last Night of the world", 1/4 of "This is the hour", and 1/3 of
"The Heat is on in Saigon", the show deserved more than the way it was presented, but
nevertheless anything with Lea Salonga is a highlight for me. But the chronology of songs were
great starting with how kim and chris met, then got married, then the last night of the
world, then this is the hour)

4. Broadway Baby (the three ladies were terrific, and it's just a nice song to
sing in this kinds of concerts, it's especially great when a bunch of ladies occupied the
stage and join singing.)

5. Sondheim portion ("You could drive a person crazy" was just fun to watch,
a lot of Lea Salonga fans said before that they wish to see her in a happy song
since they used to seeing her in tragic chracters, and well this is a good sample. Lea was
fantastic here looking all cute and pretty and funny. Another highlight would be
"You Gotta Have a Gimmick" all three ladies were funny and great. Well of course there's Judi
Dench's version of "Send in the Clowns" Plus it's fun to watch people's reactions while they
are just on the stage watching the one performing)

6. Duelling Pianos (It's truly a joy to see two of the most accomplished
composers still living together. I like what they did at the tunes of
"Send in the Clowns" and "Music of the Night", you dont know if this kind of thing would happen
again so this is definitely a must watch)

7. Les Miserables (well perfect to end
the concert, but just like Miss Saigon many were shortened to a great extent. Where's
"A Little fall of Rain"? I especially like Lea's version of "On My Own" here
better than the Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert. Beautiful rendition.)

I highly recommend this to musical fans. Worth your money.

For those wondering what the differences are in the several different dvds.....this one has the book in Chinese and the main menu is in Chinese. You have to click English and, at least on my player, have to click audio button on the remote to get sound. So far I have found no listing of who sings the various songs. The picture and the sound quality are good and the new products section is entertaining with an ad for Riverdance partly in Chinese.

No matter what your taste in musical theater, this DVD has something for you. I was amazed at the depth and breadth of work Cameron Mackintosh has produced. Here is a collection of the well known, e.g., Bernadette Peters singing "Being Alive" from Company and Elaine Paige singing "Memory" from CATS, and the less known, e.g., Tom Lehrer's "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park", from Tomfoolery. Special favorites and highlights for me include the wonderfully talented Ellen Green singing "Somewhere that's green" and "Suddenly Seymour" from Little Shop of Horrors; Judi Dench doing a moving rendition of "Send in the Clowns" from A Little Night Music; David Campbell's all too brief Martin Guerre and Last Night of the World from Miss Saigon introduced me to a terrific new singer. The orignal crew from Side By Side By Sondheim is also wonderful to experience once again. If you like good music; fine performances; and sure fire fun, give this DVD, and also available CD, a listen and a watch.

If you like broadway shows , this is the ultimate video for you. Compilation of songs from different musicals sang by the original casts themselves. Major performers were Elaine Page <breath taking>, Bernadette Peters <enough said>, Lea Salonga <crystal clear angelic voice>, Michael Ball <my idol...the man>, Ellen Greene<pleasant surprise> and Colm Wilkinson <rather see Michael Crawford ...sorry>. If you dont get to go to Times Square much ...you should get this video!

This video is the one MUST-HAVE music theater video! It showcases over 20 of the worlds most loved musicals (and a few lesser known ones as well), and does so fairly. Cameron MacIntosh is a true theater prodigy and his career definitely deserves applause. The highlights of this video include the wonderful Sondheim section on the second half, as well as the entire femlae cast joining in a rendition of 'Broadway Baby'; also, the stunning Les Miserables finale, and my personal favorite sequence of the evening: two of musical theaters most brilliant, successful, and creative composers ever- Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber- teaming up for a very clever medley of 'Send In The Clowns' and 'The Music of The Night'. This was indeed a happy moment for me, as I got to see them performing together, with no animosity between them (that I could detect!). All in all a brilliant and entirely enjoyable video for any music theater fan's collection!

The video is an excellent work, a real treat for all musical theater fans out there and for those who love to see more of Lea Salonga. GREAT ARTISTS, GREAT MUSIC in one GREAT VIDEO. We hope to see more videos like this soon.

Anyone who loves Music or Musicals cannot afford to pass this by. A celebrity cast of over 200 performing from different musical shows - I never tire of watching it - gripping from beginning to end! A 'must' for any video/DVD collection!

I have a feeling Amazon will slap some "This review refers to the VHS edition" on my review, since the DVD hasn't been released in the US yet--but rest assured, I had the good fortune of viewing this DVD in Asia this summer. I'm not quite sure why they released it there first, but regardless onto the review.

The show is a remarkable collection of talent from both sides of the Atlantic. Many of Mackintosh's most famous productions are featured, ranging from "My Fair Lady" to "Little Shop of Horrors" and "Les Miserables". Particularly painful is Liz Robertson's portrayal of Eliza Doolittle, exacerbated by Julie Andrews presence OFF-stage. Regardless, Jonathan Pryce wonderfully reprises his "Miss Saigon" role, Bernadette Peters sings a wonderful "Being Alive" from Company, and Lea Salonga beautifully sings her signature "On My Own" from Les Miserables. Also entertaining are appearances by Hugh Jackman (as "Oklahoma"'s Curly!!!), Tom Lehrer, Colm Wilkinson, Elaine Paige, Stephen Sondheim--the list goes on and on.

The bottom line is: if you're a fan of musicals, this show won't disappoint. I didn't particularly like all of the voices or all the songs (I particularly dislike Colm Wilkinson, either as the Phantom or as Valjean), but that's to be expected in such a diverse selection and cast. With the Queen of England in the theater, how could it be bad?

The version I viewed was on two discs, and had good-quality audio. The features were a bit lacking, but not unexpectedly so--the show is what counts, anyway. Let's hope it gets released in the US soon.

This lavishly produced collection of talent is by far the most impressive yet. The fact that it unfolds before the Queen of England is noteworthy in itself, but to see such great stars as Julie Andrews, Jonathan Pryce, Dame Judy Dench, Lea Salonga and Bernardette Peters is just beyond belief. Although three hours in length, it moves quickly from one enormous talent to the next. You barely catch your breath from one sensational peformance then another moves in to capture the spotlight. Truly a performance for the ages!