Kiss Me, Kate (1999 Broadway Revival Cast) [CAST RECORDING]

Michael Berresse, Amy Spanger, Kiss Me Kate (Related Recordings), Cole Porter, Lee Wilkof, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Marin Mazzie, Ron Holgate

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 25, 2000)
• Original Release Date: January 25, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording
• Label: Drg
• ASIN: B00003OP0U
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,006 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Broadway & Vocalists > Musicals > Revivals

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
This terrific new recording of Cole Porter's greatest show grabs you from the beginning: shimmering strings lead straight into "Another Op'nin', Another Show" before the orchestra takes over. Then it's on to many of Porter's best-loved melodies and wittiest lyrics, including "Wunderbar," "So in Love," "Always True to You (In My Fashion)," and "Why Can't You Behave?" Art imitates life in this story of a troupe's performance of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, as the stars quarrel as much offstage as they do onstage, and Porter's score reflects this with both contemporary '40s songs ("Too Darn Hot") and Bard-inspired stage songs ("I've Come to Wive It Wealthily in Padua"). Similarly, Don Sebesky's marvelous new orchestrations alternate a jazzy band with Elizabethan-period drums and recorders. Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marin Mazzie (both alums of Ragtime) are in glorious voice as the feuding stars, while Amy Spanger and Michael Berresse shine as the secondary couple. Surprisingly, when this production debuted on Broadway in the fall of 1999, it was the show's first-ever major revival. The original 1948 cast recording is still great listening, but this is a Kiss Me, Kate for the new century. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Suffers only by comparison, January 25, 2000

By	F. Behrens "Frank Behrens" (Keene, NH USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

There are now three recordings of <Kiss Me Kate> that are worth considering. The original cast has the advantage of having the three lead voices for which Cole Porter composed his score and they are all very good indeed: Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison and Phyllis Kirk. Then there is the absolutely musically complete studio version on EMI with Josephine Barstow, Thomas Hampson and Kim Criswell. And now we have the revival-cast recording of the highly praised production of 1999 out on DRG 12988.

Not having seen it, I cannot vouch for how well this cast acquits itself on stage; but I cannot give the highest marks for what I hear on this CD. Brian Stokes Mitchell has a voice close to Drake's but more lightweight and more comical. For me, he ruins "Were Thine That Special Face" by treating it less musically than did Drake and fairly shouting the "You'll be mine all mine" at the end. Marin Mazzie is also less musical and more screechy than Morison ever was in "I Hate Men" though she is fine in "Wunderbar" and "So in Love." Finally, Amy Spangler has a somewhat colorless voice and lacks the spark Kirk gave the role back then.

Note: This is not to say that the original way is the only way in which these roles can be sung! I am saying that in this particular case, the original singers are far more effective to me than are the recent ones.

Yet this DRG offering has the advantage of far better sound than that of the original Columbia LP and a good deal more music: the Act I finale, "Cantiamo d'amore," Pavane, and a lot of dance music, all of which are not in the original recording. (Of course the 2-CD EMI set has every note and even appends some songs dropped before opening night.) Also the numbers involving the chorus are far livelier than on either of the rival sets, with the "ad libs" and chorus noises as they sound in the stage production.

So as momento of the revival, this is a very good purchase indeed. And while it will not replace the original cast set, it certainly complements it nicely.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Broadway Lives On ! ! !, July 23, 2000

By	Eddie Landsberg "(just about) 10 years review... (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I've been a fan of Marin Mazzie and Brian Stokes Mitchel ever since I saw them in RAGTIME, so to me, this cast recording is THE Broadway Dream Team. - - Both of these individuals are commanding performers and have a strong stage presence. You know who are the stars when they're on stage, and both have unforgettable voices that not only hit the right notes, but really convey the emotions of the words they sing and drive them home. If you don't find the performance and orchestration of SO IN LOVE alone to be a haunting and memorable listen, its time for the Prozac me-thinks.

Performers aside, this is a play that has the audience in its grips from the opening scene, and much of it is due to the witty dialogue and Cole Porter's tongue twisting and outrageous lyrics. This is definitely not the type of CD that you'll buy and listen to one time because you have tickets to or saw the musical, I guarentee you, it'll be in the player for a long time to come and keep coming back.

Viva Classic Broadway ! ! !

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars broadway buff, March 20, 2006

By	J. William Ilmanen "broadway buff" (Santa Barbara County, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a case of fixing something that ain't broke. Cole Porter is a master of musical score, his genius lies in the superbly witty blend of the story line, lyrics, and score. Technically this recording may be superior to the original 1950 Broadway version, but that's all. Modifying the score is an interesting effort but inferior to the original. The singing voices of the actors in this new Broadway cast probably appeal to the less-well trained ear of to-day's young adults, but to someone a bit older than that these, their voices sound ill trained, screechy and oblivious of the original score and lyrics. Cole Porter's elegant wit blows completly by them.
I give it 3 stars for technology, but suggest you stick with the original for pure enjoyment.