Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful book turned to a beautiful musical, July 2, 1999
By A Customer
It doesn't matter if you are a Broadway fanatic or if you're irritated with friends who can't stop singing/humming/tapping "The Movie in My Mind", "On My Own", "The Music of the Night", "Magical Mr. Mistofolees", etc. This cast recording can make you laugh, sob, want to jump out of your seat, change the world, perhaps even save aristocrats from the guillotine! Christine Andreas' voice soars in "Storybook", especially when she gets to the French lyrics at the end (and the translation is gorgeous as well). One other performance I must specifically commend is Terrence Mann's "Where's the Girl?" Time after time, it's been said that any woman, girl, or female child will be mesmerized by his voice, Frank Wildhorn's music, and Nan Knighton's lyrics; it only gets more true each time it's said. Douglas Sills is incomparable as Sir Percy; he plays the inane Englishman beautifully in "The Creation of Man" but becomes dashing and sigh-worthy when he opens "Into the Fire". Overall this recording belongs in every CD collection, so I must reccomend to everyone, especially those already owning Broadway cast recordings.
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best cast--no contest!, May 29, 2000
I know what you're thinking. You've seen the stage production and then you discover that there are almost as many versions of the soundtrack as Sir Percy has hats. I've seen the production 2 times (it was fabulous, by the way) and this recording is the most satisfying. At the theater where I saw "SP" they were selling the Encore! version. Granted, the sequence of the songs on the Encore! version matches the current stage version slightly better, but you would miss out on the thunderous voice of Terrence Mann, which is showcased wonderfully on this CD. You also get the added bonus of the beautiful song "Only Love", which, unfortunately, is not in the current stage production. Overall, the differences between this CD and the stage production are very slight, BUT that is made of for because you have the best cast. Douglas Sills is great on both versions, but seeing him perform the role in person was total eye and ear candy!
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inventive and true to the story, October 1, 1999
By A Customer
This album never lets up; with every song, you catch yourself laughing aloud, shivering, or smiling. Douglas Sills' performance as Sir Percy is priceless (catch "She Was There", and you'll hear why), and Christine Andreas plays Marguerite to sheer perfection in a heart-rending "You are My Home" (with Gilles Chiasson of the *RENT* OBC). Still between all the emotional music and poetic-yet-concise lyrics, Terrence Mann and his villainous Chauvelin steal centre stage. "Where's the Girl?" will make any female swoon, "Falcon in the Dive" will shock you with the sheer vocal range, and you will thus be hooked on the magic of Terry's voice. This is a great introduction to new Broadway and an amazing CD in its own respect. I reccomend this to any- and everyone; *The Scarlet Pimpernel* is NOT to be missed.
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Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
DVD ~ Anthony Andrews
~ John Caird
~ Nan Knighton
~ Stephen Schwartz
~ Rebecca Luker
by Frank Wildhorn 
