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First Lady Suite - A Musical (Premiere Recording) | 
 enlarge | Artists: Michael John Lachiusa, Gregory Jbara, Kate Shindle
Label: P.S. Classics
Category: Music
Buy New: $17.98
New (26) Used (9) from $8.99
Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 71125
Format: Cast Recording, Soundtrack
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
UPC: 803607020620
EAN: 0803607020620
ASIN: B00008BL61
Release Date: March 4, 2003
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | Opening | | • | "Always something..." | | • | Over Texas | | • | "Ladies... Tea?" | | • | Four More Years | | • | Caroline | | • | Kitty Cat Nap | | • | The Smallest Thing | | • | "What what?" | | • | This Is What We Are | | • | "Mary Gallagher, you're needed" | | • | "This is the worst birthday..." | | • | Where's Mamie? | | • | My Husband Was an Army Man | | • | Melba, Gloria | | • | "To Algiers" | | • | Algiers | | • | Kidnapping | | • | Old Rules Are Old Rules | | • | Tomorrow I Will Love You More | | • | "Bluer than blue" | | • | "This is the beginning..." | | • | Eleanor's Room | | • | Wingwalk | | • | Eleanor's Hand | | • | "If the DAR wants to support rearmament..." | | • | When Eleanor Smiles | | • | Eleanor's Letter | | • | Eleanor Sleeps Here | | • | "Miss Hickock, I must ask you to come back inside" | | • | Great Ladies | | • | "Look at Washington!" | | • | Closing |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Michael John LaChiusa's First Lady Suite is a fascinating probe into some of history's most neglected figures, the wives of U.S. presidents. The title is a wordplay on the familiar presidential suite, but also a reference to the three-part structure that focuses on Jackie Kennedy, Mamie Eisenhower, and Eleanor Roosevelt as they examine what their lives have become and take a metaphorical journey from flying prison to glorious solo flight. The cast, which presented the work at Los Angeles's Blank Theatre in March 2002, is uniformly fine, and it seems unfair and unnecessary to single out any of the nine members (some playing more than one role)--even the first ladies, because in some cases their assistants are equally prominent characters. As for hummable tunes, LaChiusa's score will never be mistaken for something by Jason Robert Brown, but it's angular and jazzy, and when appropriate, it soars. Considering how many unfamiliar shows have been derailed by half-hearted recording packaging, it's a pleasure to report that First Lady Suite comes with a full libretto, cast credits, photos, and liner notes. The show, and those who wish to experience it, deserves nothing less. --David Horiuchi
Description
The award-winning score by five-time Tony nominee Michael John LaChiusa (The Wild Party, Marie Christine, Hello Again) in which First Ladies Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Kennedy and Mamie Eisenhower--and the people closest to them--reveal their true selves in song. An imaginative and irreverent look behind the scenes of the White House, "First Lady Suite" receives its premiere recording here, following acclaimed productions in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, and Washington, D.C. "This witty musical never fails to charm and engage... fresh, surreal historical riffs that are slyly subversive in a way we haven't seen since 'Assassins.'"--Los Angeles Times.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Overblown and nonsense August 21, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Don't buy this cd. It is dramatic to the point of melodrama, and it's annoying. The performances are bordering on ridiculous because they are so over the top. The music isn't some of LaChiusa's best either. This is one that should just be quietly forgotten. It will make you tired to listen to it. The unending references to flying will grate on your nerves if nothing else will!
An impressive achievement from an exciting composer April 28, 2005
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Based on the cast recordings of "Hello Again," "Marie Christine," "The Wild Party," and now "First Lady Suite," it's clear that Michael John LaChiusa is the most exciting (and prolific) musical composer of the last ten years. His music is incredibly inventive, his lyrics intelligent, and he has a knack for choosing unlikely and compelling subjects for his shows. His scores, as great as they are, also tend to be somewhat challenging, requiring repeated listenings to fully appreciate. "First Lady Suite" is no exception-- it's not all easy listening at first, but it sticks with you.
Although this recording is from a 2002 production, the show actually pre-dates "Marie Christine" and "The Wild Party," having arrived in the early 90's with "Hello Again." While it's not quite as accomplished as those scores, it's still an impressive achievement. The show is made up of three main parts, each attempting to shed some light on a notable first lady-- in order, they're Jackie Kennedy, Mamie Eisenhower, and Eleanor Roosevelt. The Kennedy sequence is the most serious, taking place on Air Force One the day of the president's assassination. The other two contain a lot of surprising humor, especially the wacky second sequence, which finds Mamie, among other things, flying on her bed through time. Each portrait feels stylistically surreal, with a dreamlike quality, and LaChiusa's unique musical style fits it all very well. There aren't really any easy showtunes here, but he's able to generate a lot of emotion through the music, and the cumulative effect is poignant and memorable.
 Bear with it. February 20, 2004
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I really want to recommend close and repeated listening to this CD. Even though i'm a big fan of La Chiusa's Marie Christine and Wild Party, my first hearing of this show left me cold. The show seemed too unstructured to really carry a listener along - remembering that the experience of a show heard on a CD player is totally different from seeing it on a stage. I left the CD alone for months, and it's only because I'm currently working on some other La Chiusa music that I decided to give it another go. This time the show glowed out at me from the speakers. The lyrics are utterly remarkable, the characters honed to perfection and the music lilts between recitative and "numbers" with amazing fluidity, encompassing a vast range of styles that suit the moment ideally. Not all the singing is beautiful but it as always characterful and precise. I recommend this recording to anyone and urge you to put the effort in. It will reward every moment with so much beauty and wisdom.
wonderful! October 16, 2003
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
What a treat to hear such great voices singing early LaChiusa. I especially loved Kate Shindle -- a former Miss America -- making a strong showing in the part of a lesbian. She's a stand-out. This is a must for any fan of cutting-edge 21st century American musical theater.
Here's To The Ladies July 18, 2003
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Great recording of a whacked-out, excellent show. The cast is terrific: most especially Heather Lee and Mary Pat Green ("Eleanor Sleeps Here" is my favorite play.) "Where's Mamie" has got to be my favorite song. Great liner notes, too. The whole thing makes me want to find out more about First Lady history.
It's not easy-listening stuff, like Hairspray, which is easy to get on first listening. But I'm into musicals that get better and better every time you hear them.
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