On the Twentieth Century / N.B.C.R.

Some background. I'm a self described Broadway snob, having seen hundreds of shows over the last 40 years - including the original - back when I was 12 years old. I wore out the original LP recording until I had every note memorized. Picked up the piano selections, and played it cover to cover with the record. In high school, I played piano for our shows and starred in one musical production. So I know the enormous amount of work that goes into a show. With that background, I can always find something redeeming in even the worst turkeys. Many a show, I'll go out humming the scenery. Even some good shows have a moment where the pacing fails, and I find myself yawning. In this show, the pacing is PERFECT. Two and a half hours fly by and I'm smiling throughout. The music and lyrics are brilliant. The performances are magnificent - from the leads - to the incredibly talented company - every one of which plays multiple small roles and sing brilliantly, with beautiful voices belting out multipart harmonies. This is one of those rare shows that is just THAT GOOD, that you want to see it again every night. In fact, I just saw yesterday's matinee, and will see the final show today, July 19.Regarding the singing performances on this recording, they are all amazing, but one will always stand out - Kristin Chenoweth. Let me make something clear - if she's coming to your town for a show - GO SEE HER. If she does another broadway show, GO SEE IT. I've been following everything she's done in NY since I saw her in the original WICKED (not one of my favorite shows - but she and Idina Menzel killed it with their performances). Nothing else to be said. Incredible voice, amazingly funny. JUST GO. Oh, and go buy her DVD - Coming Home.One of the challenges I had with this recording is how well I knew the old one. So when changes were were made (the loss of "Our Private World" in the Overture, the loss of a few bars at the end of the title song, the rewriting of "The Legacy"), it was jarring to my ears. After getting used to the changes, I came to appreciate the true quality and mastery of this recording. For as little as they took away, they added - A WHOLE LOT. Tons of dialog, musical queues, entire numbers - including my new favorite "Indian Maiden's Lament". So much new material was added that this extended to two CD's. Incidentally, if you're like me and are trying to cut down on clutter by only buying digital, don't do so with this. The CD set is beautifully crafted with images of the show printed on the discs. You get the MP3's from Amazon, anyway when you buy the disc. This particular disc is worth owning. Another reason you want this is because for some reason, Amazon and Apple refuse to put GAPLESS PLAYBACK on their apps. There are times when tracks are supposed to run into each other seamlessly without pauses. It works on CD's but still not on these two players. Very frustrating (this only happens a few times in this. More of a problem in opera recordings.) ANYONE AT AMAZON LISTENING??? GAPLESS PLAYBACK - PLEASE!Last thing to mention is the audio quality. It is amazing. The old recording sounded like the performers were recorded on a single mike 500 feet away. This one makes them sound as if they are singing right next to you. I can hear subtleties and harmonies that I never heard before.When you hear a recording like this, one has hope that in this culture that embraces musical mediocrity (ala Madonna) there remains a bright spot where true talent is celebrated.After today, It's too late to see this show, but buy this recording. It's the next best thing.Special shout out to the company of this show. Every one is a star. Google any of the names and you'll find impressive resumes and performances from ultra talented, ultra professionals. Thanks for bringing it all together here. Best hopes for all your futures!(See The Standbys for a true appreciation of the talent, pain, and dedication of these incredible folks. Out of stock here, but available on Apple for download. Features one of the company, Ben Crawford - a true star in his own right.)

Others have said it better than I, but I'll just repeat: this is a practically perfect recreation of the show (minus about an hour of dialogue, but oh well). On the plus side -- and this is a huge plus -- this recording contains much more of the music and a lot of dialogue not in the original. The more complete and accurate version of the title track is alone worth the price. I saw the original show five times (twice on Broadway) and I have for forty years now missed the middle part of the title track from the OBC recording.They did expand the original recording for the CD release, but this part still wasn't there. Obsessive much?But it's virtually complete now.Minor quibbles? Sure, a couple. They did rewrite one of the funniest songs of the original -- THE LEGACY has now been retitled BECAUSE OF HER, probably to give the illusion of some sort of emotional epiphany in Oscar, and the new one is funny too, but lacks the hilarity of the original tune. Probably a more important reason for the new lyrics (by Adolph Green's daughter, herself a lyricist) was that all the references were to things long past (and largely trivial). The original gave a sly wink to the audience, with the assurance that they'd get the jokes.This mostly trivial dumbing down -- and again, it's not a reason to hate the show, just a recognition of how great the Original 1978 show was -- is evident in a couple of the jokes on the new recording. In the original, Oscar demands a contract for Lily that is "the most stirring document since the Magna Carta." In the new version, the reference is to The Bill of Rights. (Shockingly, the original full 1978 libretto does refer to the Bill of Rights, so this must have been a change made on the fly.) Later, when Lily is reading the Maugham script, she comments "Three halves" without the addendum, "Bigger than life" a common critical phrase of the time.Yeah, not a big deal, but I've remembered the original lines for 40 years now.Another minor quibble: The expanded CD version of the OBC contained an encore of the title track to close Act I. It's not here, but it's hard to believe it wasn't in the 2015 show. It's in the original libretto. On the flip side, an expanded and more compete Entr'acte is a most welcome addition.And then there's Peter Gallagher. He's fine, more than fine actually, he's fantastic. But compared to the seething fiery Shakespearean venom of John Cullum, no one can compete.But on balance, well worth the investment.

The title just about says it all. This is a VERY generous recording of an excellent show. The two-disc format makes it easy to follow the plot with plenty of dialog between the songs to give you the full scope of the production. Kristin Chenoweth is superb as Lily Garland and sings with all the power and energy necessary to make the score soar. The show itself has been one of my favorite musicals for years and this recording will not disappoint any new listeners. It's fun, it's silly, it's old fashioned in a good way, and it is very well produced. A lot of care and love went into this recording, and it shows. The original production ran for over a year in the late '70's, and I hope this new one runs a good deal longer. Chenoweth may have lost the Tony this year, but you'd never know it to hear her on this recording. She is equally a match for Madeline Kahn (the original Lily) and I am hard pressed to say who is the better of the two. Peter Gallagher, who co-stars as Oscar Jaffe, does well enough in his role, but he is no match for John Cullum (the original Jaffe). He does not have the heft or gravitas of his predecessor, but he acquits himself adequately next to the dynamo that is his co-star. Maybe he's better in person; he's just a little pale here. But don't let that quibble stop you if you're interested in this recording. The positives far outweigh the negatives and this new Twentieth Century holds up well over repeated listenings. You'll come back to it more than once; it's just that good.