Customer Reviews

Nine (1982 Original Broadway Cast)

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I absolutely adore Maury Yeston's score for the Tony Award winning musical "Nine". The music is lovely and the lyrics are both funny and poignant, and the score contains such wonderful songs as "Be Italian", "The Grand Canal", "Unusual Way", "A Call from the Vatican", "My Husband Makes Movies", and others too numerous to name. Raul Julia, Karen Akers, Anita Morris especially stand out with dynamic performances.Having said that, I have to advise against getting this CD. The reason? Columbia/Legacy is remastering this CD in the spring of 2003 to coincide with the 2003 revival. The remaster will have TWO CDs, much more music, and bonus tracks! Fans of the show should rejoice! I suggest that you wait until the 2003 remaster to come out to fully appreciate the wonderful score of "Nine".

When "Nine" beat out "Dreamgirls" for the Tony's Best Musical, some were appalled and infuriated. As magical as the Dreams certainly were on stage, especially the Tony Winning Jennifer Holliday, "Nine" deserved the award for its sheer brilliance. As a stage musical, I can think of only "Sweeny Todd" when it comes to the scope and passion it evokes. Every song contributes to the story, and each character is complete, from start to finish. Some songs speak to heartbreak and love, while others are giddy reminders of life as a teenager and young adult. A startling and unforgettable performance by the late great Raul Julia and the high kicking Lilianne Montevecci make this a must own CD for any true love of the Broadway Musical. To be sure, "Dreamgirls" had catchier tunes and more sing-song-y lyrics, but the depth of emotion captured in "Nine" make it an even greater classic. I long for it to return to the New York Stage so it can win Tonys all over again! Pure MAGIC, LAUGHTER, FUN and PASSION. You'll LOVE IT!!

In addition to winning the Tony award as the season's Best new Musical, Maury Yeston won the 1982 Tony Award for Best Original Score over fellow nominees Stephen Sondheim for MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG; Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice for JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT; and Henrry Krieger & Tom Eyen for DREAMGILRLS. It's an amazing score, full of character insight.
The song "Unusual Way" is one of the most haunting and beautiful love songs ever written for the Broadway stage, and I note that more and more singers have started including the song in their repretoires.

Then there's the dazzling "Grand Canal" sequence... a mini-opera in the style of Rossini that is nothing short of brilliant.

The original cast album was made with the cast performing the entire show twice in the studios. The tapes were then edited and released on LP (66 minutes longg) and cassette (80 minutes.) The first Cd release in 1984 was just the LP version. Now, Sony has gone back to the session tapes and not only restored all the music but even some dialogue and musical sequences that didn't even make it onto the cassette. Not ALL the show is here: Total playing time for the show proper is 86:08.

The sound on this new reissue is sensational. The lyrics come through much more clearly than in previous releases. the notes about the recording sessions are good and Maury Yeston provides interesting facts about the creation of the show...but no synopsis (!!!) and only a two pictures of the show (one in colour.) Not very helpful that. The demo recordings are interesting but you'll probably only listen to them once.

Too bad the production was never video-taped. Tommy Tune's staging is still talked about today.

Nine has always been one of my favorite shows. I just bought the Original and London cast recordings and they were both very good, but for some reason I like the Revival much better. Maury Yeston's music and lyrics have never been matched in one of his musicals. This is his ultimate musical. Below are the main characters and the ultimate people who have recorded them.

GUIDO CONTINI- ANTONIO BANDERAS: ANTONIO BANDERAS, from the Revival, was very touching and gentle during his beautiful solo "Only With You" where he talks about the three women he loves. His "Guido's Song" and "I Can't Make This Movie" bring out how tortured Guido is and it is phenomenal to listen to. RAUL JULIA, from the Original, is a much rougher Guido. He was still very good, but he was almost a Rex Harrison type of speak-singer. His "I Can't Make This Movie" and his gorgeous "Bells of Saint Sebastian" were his highlights of the album. JONATHON PRYCE, from the London, was the worst. He wasn't as good as the people above, which I can't understand because he was so fantastic in Miss Saigon. The one song where I actually thought he was above average was "Only With You."

LUISA CONTINI- MARY STUART MASTERSON: MARY STUART MASTERSON was the anchor of the entire Revival recording. Her Luisa was the one we were waiting for. Everyone knew she was a great actress, but who knew she had such an amazing voice. She is handed the best songs from the score and she makes them her own and are they great. Her strong passion and patience of her husband in "My Husband Makes Movies" comes across beautifully in Act 1, and then her hysterical fury in her Act 2 number "Be On Your Own" is the definitive one, and one of my two favorite songs on the recording. ANN CRUMB, from the London, is also a very good Luisa. Her best song is "Be On Your Own." Her belt and the anger in her voice make it the highlight of that album. KAREN AKERS, from the Original, is very different from the above two. She sounds much older and her voice does not have the strength or belt of Masterson or Crumb. But in two cases that does work. "My Husband Makes Movies" and her lines in the "Overture" are actually very moving because she has a lot of world weariness and pain in her voice, and that makes it move effective.

CARLA ALBANESE- ANITA MORRIS: My favorite part and ANITA MORRIS immortalized it on the Original recording. Her incredible phone romp "A Call From the Vatican" is the reason enough to buy the Original recording. She brings so much sexiness and vulgarity and yet so much cuteness to the part that you listen to it over and over again. "Simple", her Act 2 good-bye song, is very tender and heart-wrenching. JANE KRAKOWSKI, the Tony winner from the Revival, makes "Vatican" her own. She takes the cuteness from Morris and puts in her own brand of sexiness. Her breathy voice makes for an excellent Carla. Her "Simple" is amazing in its change from sexy mistress to heart-broken woman. She makes "Simple" a great exit. BECKY NORMAND, from the London, pales to both Morris and Krakowski, but she is definitely a great Carla. She has the sexiness of Morris and her "Vatican" is something special. Her "Simple" is her highlight though.

CLAUDIA NARDI- LAURA BENANTI: LAURA BENANTI has the most gorgeous voice on Broadway today. I don't think anybody could have played Claudia as beautifully as she did. Her teasing "A Man Like You" is a perfect lead-in to the best song on the album. "Unusual Way" is the best song Maury Yeston every wrote, as far as I'm concerned. Laura Benanti sings it the best of anybody who's ever even recorded it. Her shimmering soprano makes Claudia sensational. Her loving nature during "Unusual Way" makes an unexpected change to her almost icy good-bye dialogue during "Simple." I can't imagine anybody even touching "Unusual Way" after Laura Benanti has recorded it. SHELLY BURCH, from the Original, is a good Claudia, but not up to Benanti's Her "Unusual Way" must have stunned crowds back in 1982 for she has an unbelievable voice. Her dialogue in "Simple" is very icy as well. ELAINE PAIGE, from the London, has one good thing to her credit, "A Man Like You." Her "Unusual Way" doesn't even begin to compare to Benanti's and Burch's.

LILIANE LE FLEUR- LILIANE MONTEVECCHI or CHITA RIVERA: The one part that I just could not make up my mind about. Both women are just phenomenal as the producer who wants a musical. LILIANE MONTEVECCHI is on the Original and London recordings and does Liliane justice. The real reason that Liliane Le Fleur is even a character is because she was originally player by a Liliane (Montevecchi) and she was a former Folies Bergeres star. That brings about the "Folies Bergeres" number. A great piece of singing, costumes, set, dancing, etc. This brings the whole stage into the old time stage of the Folies Bergeres. Montevecchi brings such flair to the French producer that you would have thought that nobody could top her. However, the amazing veteran CHITA RIVERA, has proved that people can always be topped. Chita brings almost even more zest than Montevecchi and she can still kick up her heels higher than almost anybody. Chita is still a star after all these years and she never fails to awe. Granted, the producer is French, and Chita, obviously, is not, but still she can be anything she wants.

GUIDO'S MOTHER- TAINA ELG: Having another one of the most beautiful songs in the score, Guido's Mother is in flasbacks. TAINA ELG, from the Original, is the best person. Her "Nine" tops everybody. Her voice and accent make the character very true to the Italian person she portrays. MARY BETH PEIL, from the Revival, and FIONA O'NEILL, from the London, are both fine Mothers and sing great renditions of "Nine."

SARAGHINA- MYRA LUCRETIA TYLER: In the part of a whore, Saraghina has one of the best known songs from Nine, "Be Italian." MYRA LUCRETIA TYLER is incedible. Her deep belt and almost rough tenderness to the little boys makes her the best Saraghina. KATHI MOSS and ELLEN O'GRADY from the Orignal and Lonon casts, respectively, make good Saraghina's, but don't even come close to Tyler's.

DIERDRE GOODWIN, from the Revival, STEPHANIE COTSIRILOS, from the Original, and CAMERON JOHANN, from the Original, as OUR LADY OF THE SPA, STEPHANIE NECROPHOROUS, and LITTLE GUIDO are the best people in those roles. The ensemble on all three CDs are excellent in the groundbreaking "Overture Delle Donne." If you would like to listen to a complete recording of Nine, get the Original or Revival. If you would like to listen to the best recording over all, get the Revival. If you just love Nine, get all three and find out your opinion.

The surprise winner of 1982's Best Musical Tony (beating the equally deserving "Dreamgirls) was "Nine", an intelligent production, with a beautiful score by Maury Yeston.

While arguments can be made about whether this original or the 2003 revival are better, I slightly prefer the revival, only because the orchestrations sound richer. The casts of both are terrific!

Best tracks include:

My Husband Makes Movies
A Call From The Vatican
Only With You
Folies Bergeres
The Bells Of St. Sebastian
Unusual Way
Simple
Be On Your Own
I Can't Make This Movie

Both versions are worthy purchases, but if you have to pick one, pick the revival (single disc, synopsis, lyrics).

For those of us unfamiliar with the plot of Nine, listening to this CD is somewhat confusing. The music is wonderful. Its some of the best music I've ever heard from a musical. My favorites are Folies Bergeres, The Bells Of St. Sebastian, and Be On Your Own. But like I said before, I have no idea who some of these characters are and why they are doing what they are doing. I would have loved to see song lyrics or a synopsis of the plot. Other than the lack of a synopsis I love Nine.

In December, 1982 I visited New York City for 12 days and took in 16 different musical events, but among the many highlights of that trip THIS remained the event that I have long remembered and cherished.

To have seen this musical with its original cast was to have glimpsed something truly special and timeless, and something of that elusive, magical experience is captured by this reissue. The additional material helps flesh out the musical's framework and makes the dysfunctional story line work a little better than it did in the original release and subsequent expanded version on cassette.

What makes this release so special (in addition to the improved sonics, previously unreleased selections, and reminiscences by Maury Yeston) are the voices of the original cast. Of course, to me the late Raul Julia will always be Guido Contini the way Zero Mostel will always be Tevye, Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins, Mandy Patinkin as Che Guevara, Patti LuPone as Evita, and so on. With such a bizarre premise (Fellini's 8-1/2 as a musical?), it is essential to have a Guido that not only sounds good and looks good but is worth believing in, complete with foibles. And what a surrounding cast! Karen Akers's heartbreaking Luisa made everyone (almost!)forget Anita Morris, Liliane Montevecchi, Taina Elg and Shelly Burch. Composer Yeston also reveals the secret why this particular musical soundtrack always sounded so unified and well-paced (CBS/Columbia actually recorded two complete run-throughs of the entire musical).

Things to nitpick? I wish there were more pictures of the original production (a knockout direction job by Tommy Tune), and I wish there could have been some way to include a libretto. As it is, this is a totally indispensable recording that no one who loves Broadway can afford to pass up. I have had this recording in three different earlier manifestations; suffice to say that THIS is the one to cherish. I have not heard the 2003 cast recording yet; I am not sure after rehearing this that I need to.

Yes, this is a great recording- as far as it goes! This CD is the same as the original record album. HOWEVER, a cassette was released with about 20 EXTRA minutes of music, including fuller versions of some songs. You can't get the cassette anymore,at least I can't find it.I've heard rumors of a remastered CD of the cassette version will be released. I hope that happens real soon!

Maury Yeston's NINE is one of my all-time favorite musicals. Opening on Broadway at the 46th Street Theatre in 1982 and directed by Tommy Tune, it quickly became the hottest ticket in town, and stole the 'Best Musical' Tony from DREAMGIRLS.

Raul Julia plays the central character of Guido Contini, an acclaimed movie director who is haunted by the many women in his life: his patient and loving wife Luisa (Karen Akers), his mistress Carla (Anita Morris), his once-and-future muse Claudia (Shelly Burch), his manager Liliane La Fleur (Liliane Montevecchi), and his mother (Taina Elg).

Karen Akers is beautifully-cast as Luisa, and sings the plaintive "My Husband Makes Movies", and later the anguish-laden "Be On Your Own".

Anita Morris almost steals the show with arguably the musical's high-point, "A Call From the Vatican", which Morris belts in grand style. Liliane Montevecchi, in her Tony-winning performance, sings the cute "Folies Bergeres". Shelly Burch sings one of the loveliest songs ever penned by Maury Yeston ("Unusual Way"), which contrasts effectively with the sobering "Simple".

If you have yet to fall in love with this gorgeous score, this cast album is the ideal place to start.

The remastered reissue of Nine ranks as one of the finest remasterings from any company in recent years. Restoring much of the material not present on other recordings of the (flawless) original cast, this two-disc recording is about as complete and blissful as they come. The bonus tracks--featuring the score's composer, Maury Yeston, singing all the parts to demos of three of the show's songs--are great, but unnecessary really; the recorded score is more than worth the price by itself.

Listen to the power and angst present in Raul Julia's voice. Karen Akers's barely suppressed upsetedness in the beginning gives way to palpable rage at the end. Liliane Montevecchi's delicious performance as the French film producer is priceless. "Be Italian," sung by Kathi Moss and the show's youth ensemble, is exciting. Shelly Burch's "Unusual Way" is gorgeous and definitive. And... well, what needs to be said about Anita Morris? Her performance shimmers, from the sultry stylings of her first number (the famous phone sex romp, "A Call From the Vatican") to her heartbreaking second act goodbye song.

The full orchestra and cast provide a lush, irreplaceable sound that gives the recording that rare quality of really making you feel like you are watching the show live. If you are a musical theatre fan and don't own this recording, buy it now. You will not regret it. It almost never gets better than this.