Customer Reviews

Kiss Of The Spider Woman: The Musical - Original Cast Recording (Original London Cast)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN is a fabulous musical version of the Manuel Puig novel. The musical originally opened in London following a season in Toronto, before opening on Broadway. Chita Rivera originated the role of Aurora, the spider woman, who haunts the dreams of Molina (Brent Carver), a convicted sex-offender. Sharing Molina's prison-cell is Valentin (Anthony Crivello), and together they form a friendship. Aurora remains a spectre in their complicated relationship, which is tested to its limits when Molina comes up for parole and Valentin asks him to deliver some messages, which might endanger Molina's freedom. Chita Rivera gives a galvanising performance as Aurora, the Kander-Ebb score suits her voice to a tee, especially the seductively-catchy "Where You Are". Brent Carver gives Molina a frailty and strength which is heartbreaking. Anthony Crivello is heartstopping in the role of the manipulative Valentin. Also check out the `New Broadway Cast Recording' which was made after Vanessa Williams, Howard McGillin and Brian Stokes Mitchell took over the lead roles.

With the talents of Chita Rivera, Terrence McNally and Kander & Ebb, you'd expect "Kiss of the Spider Woman" to be a tuneful and well written musical with a star performance. It is more than that.
"Kiss of the Spider Woman" is such a superlative musical. The score is perhaps Kander & Ebb's best since "Chicago." While the show only gets good after the wonderful "Dressing Them Up", it truely is perfect for the show. With tender moments ("Dear One", "Mama It's Me), fun ("Where you Are", "Gimme Love"), rolliciking, ("The Day after That") and chilling (The Title Song, "Anything for Him") The score is tuneful and versitile.
We can hear snippets of McNally's chilling libretto. I have read it, and the final scene gives me the chills.
In the performance department, Chita Rivera gives a commanding and masterful performance as Aurora. She is better than any 25 year old around.
Brent Carver is also great in the role of Molina-the gay window dresser. He sings and acts superbly. However, recently, I have grown to enjoy Mr. Anthony Crivello's performance. Starting with his haunting, yet tender section in "Dear One" and ending with his incredible "The Day After That", Crivello gives a terriffic performance.
I recomend this to any Kander & Ebb or Broadway fan, or anyone interested in listeting to the best musical of the 90s, ranking with "Ragtime." Wonderful!

Kander and Ebb will be remembered for Chicago and Cabaret... but if there's justice in the world, they'll also be remembered for Kiss of the Spider Woman, one of the most haunting musicals ever to grace the Great White Way (West End, Toronto, et al).

The score is timeless and capitivating (with the exception of "Marta", which played so much better on stage but comes across like one big yawn on the recording).

I know most people don't like her, but Chita is Chita! She holds her own against any twenty year old on the stage today.

Brent Carver is at his best here, and it isn't hard to understand why he walked away with a Tony. (What's more odd to me is that he didn't take one for Parade as well!) While he doesn't always sound technically perfect (sometimes he stretches his voice a tad too thin), it is that very quality that makes him so perfect. Of the nine Molinas I've seen (I'm a fan, ok?), Mr. Carver is the only one to play the role with so much sadness and regret. Everyone else seems so caught up in "the gay thing" (swishy hands and such are one thing, but I've seen Molinas who lisp and make me agree with Valentin about the "prissy whine") that they forget Molina is a real person!

Anthony Crivello is decent enough, but he does little to make Valentin likeable. His "Day After That" is a little too over-the-top for my taste. Brian Stokes Mitchell is a far better Valentin.

Honestly, I think everyone should own both recordings, but if you('re sane and) only want one, stick with the original. Brent Carver's "Dressing Them Up", "Anything For Him", and "She's a Woman" are worth overlooking any shortcomings this disc may have.

This production of KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN premiered in Toronto in June 1992. As a theatre reviewer I atteneded the opening night performance. It is rare that a show is so near perfect at this early stage in its life. The first act needed some trimming and the pacing was uneven, but the score and performances were nothing short of dazzling. The production played Toronto through the summer of 1992 the opened in London for a six month run, then the cast moved to Broadway where the show deservedly won the 1993 Tony for Best Musical and Tonys were won by the three stars.

This CD was made during the show's London run and is billed the "original cast recording" leaving the location subject to debate. Local pride makes me think of this as the original Toronto cast. Since it was recorded in London, I suppose technically it s the original London cast, and since the same cast opened it on Broadway it is also the original Broadway cast!

Whatever label you use, it is a fine recording. Chita Rivera may have been too old for Aurora but the character is ageless...a memory frozen in Molina's mind. And she acted, sang and danced the hell out of the part! The huskiness in her voice only adds to the enigma. Brent Carver and Antony Crivello were both perfect choices for the mis-matched cell mates - each man using the other to advance his own cause. This is not a true romantic piece...Even when Valentin gives himself to Molina it is part of a plot to manipulate him.

Still, Kander and Ebb have found so much heart in this story: "Dear One" is one of the most beautiful songs the partners have ever written. (In an interview, John Kander told me this was his favourite number in the score. Fred Ebb's favourite was the song "Dressing Them Up" where he got to show off his lyric writing abilities.) "You Could Never Shame Me" has become an anthem that every closeted gay man wishes to hear from his own parents. Listen to the longing that comes through in Carver's sensitive reading of "She's a Woman." The score sometimes goes off the rails..the "Morphne Tango" was one number that Toronto critics expected to be dropped and yet it's still there. Overall it's another first rate show from Kander and Ebb (and Terrence McNally who adapted Manuel Puig's novel.)

The recording includes most of the major musical material and a few lines of dialogue. The packaging includes background notes, a detailed synopsis and libretto packed with many color photos of the production.

As the musical enetered its second year in New York the original cast members departed and Vanessa Williams was signed to play Aurora (A younger more sensual Aurora) with Howard McGillan and Brian Stokes Mitchell. A new "Broadway" cast recording was made by Mercury which included more of the score as well as several key dialogue seuqnces (very abridged) so the recording gave the listener a sense of hearing the full show. Because it communicates more of the drama of the piece, the second recording is slightly preferable but the performances of the original cast remain unbeatable!

Kander and Ebb's score for KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN is a delightful mix of rumba, salsa, and Broadway standards. I recieved this recording after owning the Vanessa Williams version for several years, and both are excellent, though I think Williams was ten times better than Rivera, who is really not right for the role. Her voice is has a nice style to it, but she sounds like an old lady (which she is, as cruel as that is to say), instead of a young temptress. Brent Carver, on the other hand, has a voice that is beautiful as it is effortless. Anthony Crivello is also in good form as Valentine, though I happen to be very fond of Brian Stokes Mitchell's voice. Also,this CD does not include some of the key dialogue included in the later Williams version, which made smoother transitions between songs. I recommend KISS, but think that the Vanessa Williams version is a little stronger if I had to choose between the two.

One of the more recent original offerings from Kander and Ebb (Of "Cabaret" and "Chicago" fame), "Kiss of the Spider Woman" makes for a very entertaining recording in this version of the original London cast. The score is not as consistently excellent as those of Kander and Ebb's more famous offerings, but there are many wonderful songs, such as "Over the Wall," the poignaint "Dear One," the sdeuctivly catchy "Where You Are," the "Morphine Tango," the powerful trio "Anything For Him," and the title song. The show sounds fascinating, dealing with a theme very similar to Sondheim's "Follies": the effects of running from reality by using entertainment as escapism. But whereas "Follies" focuses on dissapointed middle-aged couples trying to reclaim their supposedly happier, simpler youths through the glamour and showtunes of the pre-WW II era and clearly views such behavior as unhealthy, "Spider Woman" takes place in a Spanish prison filled with bad food, constant torture by the authorities, and horrible conditions. It follows Molina, a gay hairdresser accused of "corrupting a minor," as he takes refuge in fantasies based on the movies he used to watch starring Aurora, a star/sex goddess who seems to be Marlene Dietrich, Rita Hayworth, and Carmen Miranda all rolled into one, and attempts to draw his cellmate, revoluntionary Valentin, into these fantasies to spare him further pain. Unlike "Follies," "Spider Woman" seems to take the viewpoint that escapism is necessary for survival, but of course the shows are set in very different circumstances. On paper, "Spider Woman" sounds like a better show than "Follies;" I don't get the impression that it is from this recording or recordings of "Follies" I've heard, but its more hard-hitting approach to a similar subject is admirable, well-executed and very interesting to listen to and imagine, especially as performed by a good cast like the one on this recording. Anthony Crivello is a powerful Valentin, and is in much better voice here (Complete with some beautiful falsetto high notes) than he is on the later recording of "Marie Christine." Brent Carver is both amusingly over-the-top and poignaint as Molina, a very affecting performance. As for the controversial casting of Chita Rivera as Aurora, while it may be true that she is too old to be playing such a glamorous, sexy role, and this is apparent on the recording whenever she has to sing too high or hold a note too long, she uses her voice and considerable acting talents to create just the right amount of exotic and, yes, seductive mystery for the character. What a pity I didn't see her in London or on Broadway so I could watch her dance! Rivera is definitly a theater legend and you can hear why here. While this show is not nearly as frequently performed as "Cabaret" or "Chicago," what we hear on this recording sounds very interesting. Definitly worth looking in to.

Kander and Ebb's breathtaking score explores the depth of human longing in a tender and subtle way. This ingenious, masterfully written work intricately dissects the power of human exclusion without being overtly schmaltzy. This haunting work is known to evoke the most dramatic human reactions.

I just wanted to say that I do not think like the review that above me. I think that maybe chita rivera but voice is not soft and pure like venesa wiliams. But that what makes chita rivera the best spider woman. Her voice is maybe not soft and pure...but it is full of mystery and enchantment. And she can just hypnotize you with it. you can really understand the fear of brent carver on link 15 when she is asking him to kiss her and control him just with her voice... Venesa williams maybe singing it...but chita rivera also acting it...and that is the best reason to bye this version .

Chita Rivera, Brent Carver and Anthony Crivello are all perfect in this musical version of Manuel Puig's novel. Listen to " You Could Never Shame Me," and hear Kander and Ebb at their best.

When I originally saw this show, I wasn't exactly sure how the Oscar-winning movie would translate into a musical. A knockout! Brent Carver & Chita Rivera, Tony winners for their roles as Molina & The Spider Woman, respectively, translate marvelously on this cd.

Kander & Ebb's score is highly entertaining, with many standout numbers. Hightlights include:

Her Name Is Aurora
Dear One
Where You Are
You Could Never Shame Me
She's A Woman
Gimme Love
Kiss Of The Spider Woman
Only In The Movies

While not as brilliant as "Chicago", this Kander/Ebb score is every bit as good (or better) that their "Cabaret" score!

A well-deserved win for Best Musical!