4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful, The Definitive Recording of this musical, June 26, 2000
This review is from: Merrily We Roll Along (1993 Leicester Cast) (Audio CD)
The Cast is spectacular in the performaces. Maria Friedman and Jackline Dankworth truely act AND sing their way through this masterpiece. I marvel at how good the cast is in their respective roles. The Orchestration throughout the piece is exciting and engaging, capturing the jazzy nature of musical well. Sondhiem has ingeniously written the score with Reprises before the original song. The reverse order of the musical makes the lead character, Frank, more likable as the musical goes on because he starts a jaded (successful) adulterer. The advent of many motifs repeated throughout the piece make it fluid and understandable, though the musical is notoriously hard to understand. I really enjoyed both renditions of Not A Day Goes By, especially the pain and anger of Beth's song the first time and the love the second with Mary chiming in during an aside. It is fitting that the same song is used for Frank and Beth's Divorce as well as their marriage. The chorus renditions of "Merrily We Roll Along" Transitions are beautiful and are so good. The ending and Encore work very well and leave a feeling of hope, like it doesn't have to turn out that way. It almost seems that what has happened is only one possibility. The future of Franklin Shepard is soo cynical that the hope and naivity feel refreshing. The ending starts off with a horrible man and ends with a young naive boy. Of all the other versions of this musicals I have heard, including the original cast and 90s off broadway version, this is the best. Thank You Mr. Sondhiem for your Wonderful Music and the cast for their talents
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