K-I-N, G-A-R, T-H-U-R -- Arthur!
May. 24th, 2005 07:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
filkertomI indulged myself a bit, and picked up the original cast album to the 2004 Broadway production of Sondheim's Assassins.
I'm having trouble listening to it.
Neil Patrick Harris is good, although frankly I thought he was better in Sweeney Todd In Concert. But everything else -- the singers, the musical direction, the arrangements -- just are not anywhere close to the original recording. Now, that may be unfair -- the original recording featured Victor Garber, Terrence Mann, and Jonathan Hadary, in as good an ensemble cast as you are likely to find -- but, dammit, this is Sondheim, and it's Broadway, and if you don't have the chops you don't do it.
Fortunately, that wasn't the only CD in my Amazon box.
Five minutes of Spamalot made up for Assassins very nicely. It's a frickin' hoot, and it's so good to hear Tim Curry singing again.
I'm having trouble listening to it.
Neil Patrick Harris is good, although frankly I thought he was better in Sweeney Todd In Concert. But everything else -- the singers, the musical direction, the arrangements -- just are not anywhere close to the original recording. Now, that may be unfair -- the original recording featured Victor Garber, Terrence Mann, and Jonathan Hadary, in as good an ensemble cast as you are likely to find -- but, dammit, this is Sondheim, and it's Broadway, and if you don't have the chops you don't do it.
Fortunately, that wasn't the only CD in my Amazon box.
Five minutes of Spamalot made up for Assassins very nicely. It's a frickin' hoot, and it's so good to hear Tim Curry singing again.
