Wonderful Town (2004 Broadway Revival Cast with Brooke Shields) [Cast Recording][Enhanced][Soundtrack]

Leonard Bernstein (Artist), Betty Comden (Artist), Brooke Shields (Artist), Adolph Green (Artist), Jennifer Hope Wills (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 7, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording, Enhanced, Soundtrack
• Label: Drg
• ASIN: B0006SSRGA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #191,731 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Wonderful Town is a terrifically fun musical, but do you really need this recording? The answer will be yes if you fall within one of these two categories: (a) You collect recordings of the show and must own them all or (b) you're a huge fan of Brooke Shields. The actress replaced Donna Murphy in the lead role of the 2003 Broadway revival, and did a creditable job bringing Ruth Sherwood to gawky life during her five-month run. Shields performs over the same instrumental tracks you can hear on the revival's prime recording. (Jennifer Hope Wills replaces Jennifer Westfeldt as Eileen Sherwood; the rest of the cast is unchanged.) From a purely vocal point of view, the switch wasn't an upgrade--Murphy is among Broadway's best stylists after all--though Shields is far from being an embarrassment. She may not have the technique, but her comic gusto is winning. Still, this CD remains for completists only. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brooke Shields is the new girl in "Town"..., February 28, 2005

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

Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a re-jigged edition of the 2003 Broadway revival recording of WONDERFUL TOWN, featuring 2004 replacements Brooke Shields and Jennifer Hope Wills as Ruth and Eileen Sherwood, respectively. In one of those rare occurances where 2 different recordings exist for a single revival, it's great to be able to compare Shields and Wills with their predecessors (Donna Murphy and Jennifer Westfeldt). Brooke Shields gamely brings her own spin to the role of outspoken self-reliant Ruth, and her "100 Easy Ways to Lose a Man" is full of comedy and mirth. Jennifer Hope Wills has a glowing and lilting soprano voice which suits the numbers of Eileen to a tee. The rest of the cast remains the same (only the tracks of Shields and Wills are new, the rest recycled from the 2003 album). Not essential if you were satisfied with the Donna Murphy effort, but one can never have too many recordings of this heavenly score.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still a Wonderful Town, January 6, 2005

By	Music Man (Boston MA) - See all my reviews

Okay, so Brooke Shields is not a premier vocalist. Let's remember that the part of Ruth Sherwood was initially written for THE non-vocalist of musical theater, Rosalind Russell, and was tailored to her vocal limitations. As I recall from that cast recording, her shortcomings were more than compensated for by the sheer force of her acting chops. While Shields is no Roz Russell, she acquits herself fairly well on this recording and is certainly never less than a complete pro. One internet review accused her of having pitch problems, which may be true, but anyone who's listened to Donna Murphy (or Russell, for that matter) could make the same claim. Shields manages. Unfortunately, her occassional tendency to mimic the vocal mannerisms of Murphy is a bit too obvious and is a distraction. On the other hand, Jennifer Hope Wills makes for a saucy Eileen and is a great addition to the new recording. Of course, new is relative here since everything else on this CD is a holdover from the initial Murphy CD. Still, I have to give this one 4 stars because the score is still magnificent and this is as pristine and dynamic a cast recording as I've ever heard. These songs fairly leap out of the speakers and listening to them is an absolute delight. It may not be the definitive version of the score (that honor belongs to Murphy's) but it's so close to perfection that it shouldn't be ignored because of the supposed limitations of a perfectly fine performer. Listen to Brooke, and you'll still want to CONGA!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The very underrated Brooke Shields, May 26, 2005

By	David Varkonyi - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had the pleasure to actually see Brooke in Wonderful Town on it's closing week, 3 times!!! The most touching was the closing night's performance when her husband actually brought their daughter to the theatre and handed her to Brooke on the stage for a few minutes.
I was lucky i saw her performance all 3 times from right in the front row!!! It was just an amazing experience!
When i bought the Cd, just before seeing the first performance i was quite disappointed in it, but when i actually saw it the same night i was fascinated by it!!! On stage she sang with all her heart and emotions and that counts more than having big pipes...althought her role doesn't require a necesseraly good singer but she did a marvelous job with it! Just seeing her belting out that last note in One Hundred Easy Ways was just amazing! She actually can sing! (Although just listening to the Cd might be not enought to judge that)
In the numbers Conga and Swing she was also just fascinating!
It's just a shame she has been overlooked at the Tony awards this year, at least a nomination she would have deserved!
Nothing compares to seeing her live and every time i listen to the Cd, the emotions what i felt sitting in the theatre watching this fascinating woman working hard right in front of me and displaying an acting range which she never got a chance to proove in movies.
Althought eventually she performed the same play but all 3 times i saw it she always made it fresh and new and Ladies and Gentleman that IS A SIGN OF A REAL ACTRESS!!!!