Customer Reviews

The Robber Bridegroom (1976 Original Broadway Cast)

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

 

 

The Robber Bridegroom is one of a group of little known but wonderfully performable musicals. This recording, which features Barry Bostwick as the romantic hero of this bluegrass fantasy, gives you a little of the freewheeling flavor of the show. Written by the team that went on to give us Driving Miss Daisy, the story is based on a novella by Southern writer Eudora Welty. The bluegrass score is the foundation for this strange, funny, romantic love story, and the characters include a gentleman-by-day bandit-by-night hero, a wicked stepmother right out of a fairy tale, and a pair of bumbling villians, one of whom is a talking severed head! The songs are singable- listen to the lullaby Sleepy Man or the haunting Deeper in the Woods- the plot, hilarious. If you're a music theatre person, give this a try.

The Robber Bride Groom is a wonderful production that has been one of the best kept secrets of Broadway. It's music is so lively and "foot stompin'" on CD that it makes you want to get up and square dance when you listen to it. Certainly you do not have to love country music to love these extraordinary musical pieces. "There's Nothin' Up", "Rosamund's Dream", and "Deeper In The Woods" are some of the most beautiful songs that you will ever hear. And "The Prickle Pear Bloom", "Two Heads", "Love Stolen", and "Goodbye Salome" are hilariously funny and entertaining. I would highly recommend this soundtrack to anyone!

Replacing my collection of Broadway LPs is a daunting, and expensive task. I've had to be selective, of course, and have usually used my inner juke box as a guide. If there are songs that I just can't get out of my head, I usually buy the CD. "Goodbye Salome" (fun and infectious) and "Sleepy Man" (a gorgeous ballad) are two such songs. But they're just a sampling of this super strong, melodious, unjustly forgotten Broadway score. Another reviewer called it "redneck" music, and perhaps it is to some degree, but that's completely in keeping with the subject matter. For me there's more musical complexity to this than just Flatt & Scruggs hillbilly fiddle scratching. Robert Waldman has composed a real score, one with terrific variety, some haunting melodies -- and the lyrics (by Tony, Pulitzer and Academy Award winner, Alfred Uhry) are simple, yet clever and elegant. The cast is uniformly great, with Barbara Lang's vivid Salome a standout.

My one issue (hence the three stars) is with the audio transfer, which is abysmal. The recording sounds as if it were made in the bottom of a barrel (particularly on an iPod), which has seriously hampered my enjoyment of it. But no-one else has complained about this, so maybe it's just my copy. Hopefully there will be a remastered version out soon; you might want to wait and see.

I have been looking for thisa for about 8 years on CD. My old 33 1/3 wore out and so did my cassette tape. I HAD TO HAVE THIS ON CD and it took calls all over the country as well as the internet and 8 years to find it... buy it now if you are interested it's a rarity.. By the way the samples are off by one so if you are not faliliar with this wonderful show don't get too confused just sit back and enjoy!

This show should be better known. I think it's just as good as "Big River" and in several ways much more complex. One of the few musicals that really combines country and folk and Broadway
effectively. It's a forgotten gem-- & cast all do a fine job too.

its been one of my fave musicals for years. helped my aunt with a theater production which snagged me into loving the whole thing....and when I bought the original Broadway album (on lp that's how long ago it was)....well, I was in heaven. yes, its hillbilly. yes, its not Mozart or Beethoven, but its so unique and cool and fun in its own right that I think it deserves way more kudos and a wider recognition than it now receives. look on Google...impossible to find full songs. just samples. I looked for it once on Rhapsody and search gave no results. let's put this out for the public in its fullness. it really does deserve the exposure. and the recognition for its brilliance, silliness, engaging storyline, and its ability to make you hear the tunes all day long over and over in your head. :)

I purchased this soundtrack not because I wanted it, but because I needed it. I was cast as Jamie Lockhart in a production of "The Robber Bridegroom" and getting a feel for the songs without this recording proved to be a daunting task. While one may think of "A rollicking country romp" as something simplistic and, for lack of a better term, "hillbilly"; this judgment proves to be very untrue of "The Robber Bridegroom." The orchestral work in this show is beyond complex, performing it, while a lot of fun, is also probably some the hardest work I've ever had to do on stage. The ensemble performs many numbers on top of rolling bluegrass reels and much of the lyrics are off the offbeats which makes for a very original, enjoyable collection of show tunes. Despite the fact that, yes, this is a musical, the soundtrack is perfect for anyone who is a fan of bluegrass. Putting aside the "Broadway elements" of the tracks, you are left with good, classic bluegrass tunes. This is truly an original piece of theatre and, when done correctly, is quite a sight to see.

This item was exactly what I ordered. Its not a great musical in my opinion, but I didn't buy it because I liked it, I bought it because I needed it.

I was not prepared for how... um... redneck this production sounds. It makes BIG RIVER (a fave of mine) sound "citified." A LOT of WARBLING and drawling and vocal scooping. It's so thick, it actually distracts from the melody and music. But it sounds well-portrayed and energetic and funny. I just wasn't prepared for the kind of musical it is. No negatives intended.

"Sleepy Man" is a beautiful track, and if you love a clear soprano, it's a must-hear (try Emily Skinner's solo CD).

I write this review to steer those who may not like hillbilly country music in another direction.