Customer Reviews

Sondheim: A Celebration (1997 AIDS Charity Benefit Cast)

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

 

 

I find it hard to be too critical of any concert put on for charity, as this one was. However, there are several uneven performances on this collection, as well as a few flat-out bad ones. These, luckily, are balanced by some great performances and some clever interpretations of Sondheim standards. I especially enjoyed David, Shaun, and Patrick Cassidy singing "You Could Drive a Person Crazy", the cast of Forever Plaid singing "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd", "Barcelona", and Tim Curry's interpretation of "Losing My Mind." This is not a collection for the Sondheim purist, nor is it a good introduction for someone who knows little about Sondheim's work. But if you're willing to wade through a few questionable performances to get to the good stuff, you'll enjoy it.

This album has been derogatorily referred to as the "Send in the singers" album by Sondheim afficianados, and not without reason: The interpretations of "Someone in a Tree" and "Invocation" are off-key, off-tempo, and off-full. There are some redeeming features (A hysterical parody of "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" by the Forever Plaid cast; Glynis Johns's proof of her ownership of "Send in the Clowns"; and the Cassidy brother's "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" are probably the major ones for me), but this is by far and away the most mediocre of the Sondheim compilations out there. If you must have every thing ever done, then get this album; otherwise, get the considerably better Carnegie Hall celebration.

maybe visuals would help? maybe you had to be there?

it starts off with this horrible muddy rendition of "invocation to the gods" with two people singing and seemingly competing rather than cooperating. most of the numbers are fine but far from the best renditions i've heard of those songs, but not a few are the worst renditions i've heard, in my opinion. dale kristien does "move on" in a higher than usual key and it sounds strained and unhappy up there. all right, i really enjoyed carole cook's "can that boy foxtrot" (although i have an eerie feeling that i was missing a lot without the visuals). and glynis johns singing "send in the clowns" was a lovely revisit. but mostly this was an uninspired CD--one that i'll keep because i'm a completist, but seldom revisit.

How can Sondheim be dull? Easy--just check out this disc. It's definitely got its good points (the Plaids, Michael Jeter's "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid," a few others), but it's flaccid and disappointing in many ways. There are few A-list musical theatre performers in the cast--the biggest names are the Cassidy brothers, Michael Jeter, Glynis Johns, and Tim Curry--and some of the musical arrangements are very peculiar. For completists only.

Before I picked this CD up I read the other reviews. Many of them suggested that it was a really bad show, I didn't believe them, I figured that it was just people who were snobs. I was wrong. The first couple songs are dreadful, about the middle it picks up and there are a few songs that I do actually like. But really this is not Broadway's elite and if you are looking for a broad overview of Sondheim's work, I wouldn't start here. Better options would be "Sondheim: A Celebration AT CARNEGIE HALL" or "The Stephen Sondheim Album". Don't waste your $$$ on this.

This was a live recording of a charity event to benefit AIDS.
None of the performers got paid.
They had one private rehearsal with the musical director and then a brief sound check kind of rehearsal.
Give them ALL a break and give them ALL a big hand!
There were some stunning performances and some hysterical ones too.
Having seen the live show I can tell you that watching and not just listening probably makes a difference. I'm just glad they recorded it.

I had to buy another copy because I wore this one out the first time I played it. This is a wonderful live CD with some of your favorite musical theatre performers twisting Sondheim ever so slightly -- Michael Jeter singing "Everybody Ought To Have A Maid" while in a maid's apron and combat boots, three men singing "You Could Drive a Person Crazy," an incredibly emotion rendition of "Losing My Mind" by Tim Curry and my personal favorites "Franklin Shepard, Inc." and "Can That Boy Foxtrot."

My only complaint (as it always is with a live CD) is that we miss the live interaction and some of the visual jokes that the audience is dying over....but for the most part...BUY IT...it's wonderful and you will love it.

With a composer like Sondheim, it's always a bit of a disappointment with any "compilation" to think, "Well, why didn't they include this song or that one?" There are favorites of mine that aren't represented. (What? No "Ladies Who Lunch" or "Sunday"? And nothing from "West Side Story" or "Gypsy," though Sondheim didn't write the music to either.) Still, what is here is wonderful.
It's refreshing to hear fun versions of some of Sondheim's best. "Invocation" gets things off to a rousing start. "Sweeney Todd" is delightful - completely removed from the dark context of the musical. "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" done by the Cassidy brothers is a hoot. "Getting Married Today" is a fun song anyway, and Nancy Dussault does it justice.
Then the "serious" renditions. "Not a Day Goes By," "There Won't Be Trumpets," "Not While I'm Around/Children Will Listen" (Loretta Devine adds poignancy), and Tim Curry nails "Losing My Mind."
The only misstep (in my opinion) is Wally Kurth's "No More."
I love Sondheim, and I'm glad to have this in my collection.

Bar none, the worst Sondheim compilation and/or concert to ever be foisted together. Many of the artists were likely very busy when they committed to this project, but that does not excuse the utter shoddiness of some of the performers' preparation. Worst example: The tenor in the "Kiss Me" quartet from "Sweeney Todd" sings most of his music wrong, or late, or early, or all three combined. Other examples of mediocrity include inane gender switching -- the Cassidy's singing "You Could Drive a Person Crazy"??? -- and a notable veneer of passionless performances. On that last note, I got the distinct impression the performers were sight-reading their scores. This CD remained in my collection for several years simply because I was maintaining a comprehensive Sondheim collection; I just downsized my library, and this was the first CD to get sold on eBay.

If you like Soundheim, gotta get this. If you love Sondheim, how come you don't have it already. Three incredible tributes to him over the years by STAGE in LA, with showstopper after showstopper guest singers strutting their stuff in an evenings tribute to Sondheim. This recording catches one of the three different tributes. It's a fantasy of performers - literally the best from stage and screen, one after another, interpreting and re-imagining songs in ways that even Sondheim would be amazed. You should have been there for the show. This is the next best thing.