Customer Reviews

Taboo (2003 Original Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I loved the cast - Raul Esparza and Euan Morton did truly remarkable jobs, I always claimed that George O'Dowd's "Ich Bin Kunst" was worth the price of admission itself, and the rest of the ensemble was putting out utterly praiseworthy performances. And I loved every note of the score; it's one of the best pop scores of the last ten years, both in the quality of the songs and in the sense of theatricality they have. The problem was the book of the musical: structurally, it was a mess, and a lot of the book scenes left a lot to be desired. It never came together or was driven by any great dramatic logic - and in live theatre, sadly, great performers and score don't make up for that. I loved Taboo dearly, but at the same time I understood exactly why it failed.

But this is the cast recording of the show, not the show itself - so the book is noticeably not a problem. What's left is solid gold: a score shining bright, the performances noticeably just as crisp as they were on the Plymouth Theatre stage. In fact, to my ears, the album sounds pretty much exactly the same. Esparza, Morton, and O'Dowd are once again the heroes - Morton's haunting voice captivates, Esparza is electric and thrilling as ever, and O'Dowd's performances are remarkable and lack the vocal trouble he seemed to be having onstage. Sarah Uriarte Berry's lovely "Il Adore," stripped of the film projection that upstaged her in the stage show, is allowed to be just a personal moment. Liz McCartney's "Talk Amongst Yourselves" is still effecting, and we have fun with Jeffrey Carlson and Cary Shields as well.

This cast album is, in some ways, a vindication of the Broadway show; it is the gold that shone through the dross of the book and kept a small core of fans coming back for more, and more. It is a shame that this brilliant score was not part of a bona fide hit, and it is a shame that Raul Esparza wasn't recognized for his brilliant acting work, but the music is on record for perpetuity, and deserves a listen.

As a side note: this recording of Taboo is very different from the London cast recording. There's great material that isn't on London, and vice versa; as well, all the performances on both albums are excellent. Anyone who can appreciate this beautiful, deeply theatrical score should own both.

Taboo has a great score and a great cast to perform it. I saw the show once, not knowing what to expect, but by the first number "Freak/Ode To Attention Seekers" I fell in love with it, and the rest was just as good. The songs are great and the cast is very talented. Someone who would be put off by the visuals of the show should still give the music a try (I got some friends in school to listen who I know would never have seen the show, and they liked the music).
I was disappointed that Boy George's score did not win a Tony, nor did the two actors nominated for their roles, Euan Morton and Raul Esparza, who were fantastic. Sadly, it is too late to see the show anymore, but the music still lives on. This album is a great addition to a CD collection and I reccommend buying it if you have not already done so!

A really great cast album. I saw the play twice and loved it. I laugh every time I play the CD remembering the wit in a very fond look back at the 80's. Boy George was almost as over the top as Leigh Bowery and his musical numbers are quite a treat. Euan Morton's voice on "Stranger in this World" is moving and seemingly heartfelt. And I just cannot say enough of Jeffrey Carlson's rendition of "Genocide Peroxide" Fabulous!

For the life of me I could not understand why the play was not so well received but after the recent Presidential election I realize that there are not as many open minded people out there as I thought.

The way that "Out of Fashion" uses a line from each previous song I thought was unique and shapes a very interesting song. But the whole CD is really, really worth a listen.

I was fortunate enough to see this show twice on Broadway and, even though the new book by Charles Busch was a little problematic, the show made me leave the theatre on a natural high. It was very uplifting and the Broadway cast were superlative in their passion onstage and on this recording. I've had this new CD for a couple weeks now and, honestly, it hasn't left my car CD player since.
Once you listen to this CD, spread the word on its joys.

Despite this being a theatrical score, "Taboo" doubles as a terrific pop cd, filled with many great melodies & messages. Best tracks include:

Stranger In This World
Everything Taboo [great dance song!]
Talk Amongst Yourselves
Out Of Fashion [the voices blend beautifully together]
Il Adore [gut-wrenching song]

It's really too bad the show didn't hang around a bit longer ... maybe it was just ill-timed. I also wish the U.S. version had contained "Touched By The Hand Of Cool", but it was dropped for some reason.

Thanks Rosie for introducing this music to us!

I absolutely LOVE this soundtrack!!!!! I got it on Saturday, August 21st at Circuit City and is my all time favorite CD right now. I know most of the songs, but I'll learn other songs like ''The Fame Game (aka Fame is What She Wanted),'' ''Talk Amongst Yourselves,'' ''Come On In From the Outside'' and ''Petrified.'' The songs I know are: ''Freak/Ode to Attention Seekers,'' ''Stranger in This World,'' ''Safe in the City,'' ''Dressed to Kill,'' ''Genocide Peroxide (aka Evil),'' ''I'll Have You All,'' ''Sexual Confusion,'' ''Guttersnipe (aka Stars From the Gutter),'' ''Do You Really Want to Hurt Me,'' ''Church of the Poison Mind/Karma Chameleon,'' ''Everything Taboo,'' ''Out of Fashion,'' ''Il Adore,'' and...........

OF COURSE, THE NUMBER 1 TABOO SONG THAT YOU CAN'T HAVE A TABOO CD WITHOUT..........



''ICH BIN KUNST''!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love that song so much! In fact, it's my favorite Boy George song!

I will also learn ''Love is a Question Mark.'' I love to sing these songs in the car or to my friends in recess at school.

I can't believe that the show closed. After hearing the score I find it even harder to believe. Some of the best tunes heard on Broadway EVER! Every song is a gem. I am also glad that the Tony committee saw fit to honor this work. If you didn't see the show before it closed definitely give this CD a listen. If you were fortunate enough to see Taboo before it closed this CD is a must have. A word of warning..every time you listen to it you will wish you could see Taboo one more time.
Two words to Rosie....thank you

This was my first Broadway show , I heard all the hype before hand. I was lucky to see it on the last night and what a show. The music was super and it made you sit up and get involved with the plot and the music . To bad it did'nt last longer , the show and especilly the musical score deserves better. " Out of fashion " was my favorite song and Eurans voice was so beautiful , it wraped around the music . Making that time period very ineresting and telling a very moving story to boot.

I don't want to gush too much, but listening to the new Broadway recording last night, it was like seeing the show live again. The highlights include Euan Morton's haunting Stranger In This World (this should be released as a single) and beautiful Pretty Lies; Raul Esparza's heartbreaking Petrified; Liz McCartney's showstopper Talk Amongst Yourselves (Brooke Elliott did a terrific job when McCartney was out on maternity leave!). You get 21 songs here, I'm sure you'll agree with me that Boy George is a genius, the music is amazing, touching and beautiful one moment and rugged rock and roll the next. I still wonder why this show did not catch on, I saw it five times and loved it more each time. Lastly, for all of his 1980's success, I think Boy George's material really shines here...I'm not sure if I have or will ever see another Broadway musical that moved me or the audience this much, it got a standing ovation for every performance.

...although the guitar tones sounded flat and the chorus wasn't miked or mixed well with the orchestra and the leads. But overall, I found this work invigorating and entertaining.

I think Boy George's debut into musical theater writing is very successful with Taboo. His ballads "Stranger in This World" and "Talk Amongst Yourselves" are particularly beautiful and effective. Overall a good score, having not seen the production. (Would love to see it in Atlanta, if it tours.) I hope he will do more theater projects in the future. Look out Elton!

IMHO, the Broadway version of the score is better orchestrated and developed over the London version (barring NYC's flat guitar sounds and the muddy sounding chorus). And as with all Broadway transfers, the vocals tend to sound more "New York Shrill" than "European Chic" (compare Julie Covington to Patti Lupone's Evita, for example) but that phenomenon isn't all that bad, with many of the actors from the London production singing on the Broadway recording. And with the recent additions of "Come In From the Outside," "Church/Karma" and the "Fame Game," I prefer the Broadway version over the London version.

My two cents.