Broadway Musicals of 1964

This edition isn't quite up to the best (1943 and 1933 in my opinion) but I don't think it was the greatest year. My main criticism of the series is that I wish they would put the introductions on seperate tracks from the songs--you can listen to a song over and over but you don't necessarily want to her the spoken intro--as interesting as it is the first time. It is definitely a plus for any show collector and for Liz Callaway alone it is worth it.


A traffic accident on Broadway   May 20, 2003
 3 out of 4 found this review helpful

This is a difficult review to write, because it's not going to be kind. But I think it's important that other musical theater fans know what's in store for them if they buy this CD, which seems so attractive in concept but is such a failure in practice.

The Broadway By The Year series on CD appears to be trying to be a cross between the Bruce Kimmel-produced series for Varese Sarabande (such as Unsung Musicals and Lost in Boston) and the STAGE concert series (which focuses on particular composer/lyricists).

Without a doubt, the Kimmel series is the most successful: It unearths some lost musical gems and gives them new life in very enjoyable performances.

The STAGE CDs -- proceeds from which go to a good cause (AIDS charities) -- tend to encourage the performers (recorded live in concert) to go way over the top in their only shot at the spotlight. It's not what the composers had in mind, but sometimes the results are undeniably exciting.

The Broadway Musicals of 19xx series also consists of recorded live concerts, in this case focusing on the songs from shows that opened on Broadway in a particular year. As I mentioned, it's a nice concept. But judging by this Broadway Musicals of 1964 CD, it fails miserably.

First, the selection of songs is rather uninspired. If you're a fan of Broadway musicals, you've heard many of these songs before, and in better versions. The few songs that are showing up for the first time on CD are unexceptional.

Second, the arrangements are not very good. Some songs are taken at such a dirge-like pace that the singers seem to be pausing after every word. It dissipates all energy from the songs.

Third, the sound. I like the extra edge of excitement that comes from live performances, but in this case, all you get in the extra edge of badly recorded voices. The miking accentuates the defects of some of these performances.

Ah, the performances. I can't think of another CD of this type that I found unlistenable almost all the way through. Alix Korey is incredibly strident and shrill, right from the very first number, "Cornet Man" from Funny Girl. Sharon McNight shrieks through one number and plays overly cute in the next -- she's unbearable. Craig Rubano sounds like he's channeling a bored Anthony Newley (a final top note is exciting, but the rest is not). Even one of my favorite Broadway singers, Liz Callaway, sounds well below her best -- although she still outclasses everyone else. Almost every one of the singers on this CD sounds under-rehearsed.

Finally, although surely well-intentioned, whose thought was it to include on the CD the spoken intro to every song explaining a bit of each musical's history? That's fine when you listen to this CD the first time, but who wants to listen to it after that?

Again, if you want to venture out and discover some unusual Broadway songs, I recommend the Unsung Musicals and Lost in Boston series. But forget this one, unless you want to be turned off Broadway musicals forever.