Bells Are Ringing (2001 Revival Broadway Cast) [CAST RECORDING]

Faith Prince (Artist), Betty Comden (Artist), Adolph Green (Artist), Jule Styne (Artist), Tina Landau (Artist), Marc Kudisch (Artist), David Garrison (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 26, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording
• Label: Varese Sarabande
• ASIN: B00005LNGT
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #159,352 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Broadway & Vocalists > Musicals > Revivals

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Although she's not averse to doing new material (she appeared in William Finn's Falsettoland, for instance, and let's not forget that brilliant bomb called Nick and Nora), Faith Prince is a living embodiment of Broadway's golden age. From her star-making turn as Miss Adelaide in the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls to superb performances in the recent revivals of Little Me and The King and I, Prince always is perfectly attuned to classic material. In this short-lived revival of the 1956 musical Bells Are Ringing (directed by Tina Landau, whose previous musical-directing experience was on Floyd Collins), the singer reprises a role created by Judy Holliday and once again proves her versatility. The duet with Marc Kadisch on "Just in Time" is particularly delicious, doing full justice to that beloved song. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a fine revival, January 4, 2003

By	Byron Kolln (the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

BELLS ARE RINGING was brought back to Broadway in 2001, in an ill-fated revival that only lasted a couple of months due to lukewarm notices.

Tony-winner Faith Prince (GUYS AND DOLLS) gives her all in the lead role of hopeless romantic Ella Peterson. The role is virtually owned by the late Judy Holliday, who starred in the original Broadway run and later the under-rated movie version. Prince gives us a fresh new look at Ella, with glowing readings of "It's a Perfect Relationship", "Just in Time" and the still-delicious "The Party's Over".

Marc Kudisch, in the decidedly-wooden role of Jeff Moss, sings wonderfully in his songs including the frenetic "I Met a Girl" and "Long Before I Knew You".

This cast also includes Beth Fowler as Sue and Martin Moran as Sandor, who share the comical duet "Salzburg".

Most of the criticism in this revival was aimed at Tina Landau's direction, and the age of the book which seemed too old-fashioned for 'modern' theatregoers. Still, a great musical and a great recording for fans.

Highly-recommended

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good only if you saw the show., July 18, 2002

By	"jbhapgood2" (new york city, new york USA) - See all my reviews

I loved the revival of the musical. It's classic! It's so funny and charming and unpretentious. But unfortuneately this album displays the musical as dull and lifeless. Faith Prince comes off as overplayed and "kitschy" and Mark Kudisch comes off as bored. When I saw the show neither seemed that way at all. The song "I'm Going Back" brought the house down on Broadway, but I often skip that track when I listen to the cd, I'm sorry to say. Luckily, the big hit from the show "The Party's Over" is still as beautiful as the first time it was written-- and Thank God. It's a good play... a good cast... and has good music! It just comes off as very poor and dull...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Revival, July 25, 2001

By	John Rice (Milwaukee, WI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Judy Holiday production of Bells are Ringing has been a favorite. Betty Comden,Adolph Green and Jule Styne have composed a great musical with style, comedy and even a cute long story. The revival left nothing out from the original and gave bew life through Faith Prince to the kind of musicals that are probably past their prime. But they were fun! What is striking about Prince's vocalizations on the album is that she works her own interpretation in her numbers. An one who is very familiar with the Holiday album, these stylizations first seemed out of place. But then one had to simply listen to another artist create the role of Ella Peterson. And Prince does that very well. Her voice is better than Holiday's and while she brings the kind of naivete of the character, she also brought another way of seeing the character. One hopes this show goes on the road.