Broadway Musical Soundstaging

[garymd]

I just finished listening to my all-time favorite musical, Man of LaMancha (original broadway cast). The soundstaging on this cd may be the most impressive of any I've listened to so far.

The voices of the characters were exactly as they should have been on stage. It was amazing. When 3 characters were singing, 1 was far left, 1 middle, 1 far right. Another song, 2 were together on the far left conspiring, while the other was in the middle. In the dying scene at the end, Don Quiote was in bed in the middle while Dulcinea was just left (close to the bed leaning over him) and Sancho was middle right on his other side.

We were in the front row last year when the play came to the National Theater. Great performance.

Anyone else have the same experience with other musicals?

[WMcD]

I suspect that what you have is not a recording "on stage". I.e. it was not done on the large expanse of floor necessary to put on the big show. Rather, it was probably done by the performers in a studio with a lot of favorable acoustics, excellent equipment, and mixing.

That may seem antithetical (anathema?) to your recall but it is the best way of getting a good recording. I'd think that all the big Broadway LP records were done this way too.

Thanks for the tip. Can you give me more info on the label and number. I'd like to buy it.

Another excellent recording is "The King and I" with Julie Andrews and Ben Kingsley. This must have been studio effort because I'm not aware of them doing it together on stage. It is well worth having. If you buy it and don't like it, I'll buy it from you, and pay for shipping.

It is heartening that these classic pieces come back into circulation and touch a chord which e.g. rap/grung doesn't match.

I saw South Pacific as presented by a group in Dallas a few years ago in a small theater in Dallas. It was the best performance of any musical play that I've ever seen. Unfortunately there was no CD and no ongoing road show.

They may be schmaltz, but they're great schmaltz.

Gil

[garymd]

Gil,

Yeah, I know they do these in the studio but it still amazes me how they recreate the stage presence of the characters. There is only one Man of LaMancha original broadway cast recording with Richard Kiley, etc. It has a yellow cover. When I was a kid, my father played the lp just about every night on his mono system with his little fisher amp and some off-brand 2-way speaker that had 4" legs. Listening to it tonight on the scott for the first time (I listen to it in the car a lot) it reminded me so much of the sound from my father's system.

I have lots of musicals on vinyl that I've picked up recently but haven't had the chance to listen including South Pacific and The King and I. Those will be next on my list now.

[lynnm]

I recently purchased the Movie Sound Track of "Fiddler on the Roof" on LP for about a dollar.

Movie sound tracks are usually dreg but this one is a prise !

Topol masterfully narrates the story and the music/songs from the movie are played. If you weren't familiar with the story you would be enthralled. This soundtrack album doesn't need the movie to tell the story !

It is rare that broadway cast recordings or movie soundtracks are worthwhile but it does happen.

[dougdrake]

Gary - I saw the original cast perform Man of La Mancha at Carnegie Hall when I was a young teen living in NY, with my parents. Wasn't a dry eye in the house at the end!! A lifetime memory.

My wife named her dog Soncha, in honor of Don Q's lifetime pal.

DD

[IndyKlipschFan]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005NKSV/ref=pd_sl_aw_alx-jeb-6-1_dvd_404891_1/002-5787413-7237627

Please, if any of you have never been to NYC, to experience real theater, go out and buy Jekyll & Hyde - The Musical (2001). Baywatch alum David Hasselhoff stars in the dual title roles of Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical, Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse's version of Robert Louis Stevenson's gothic horror classic. The story of the brilliant scientist who uncovers the good and evil aspects of the human heart was a pay-per-view event on the Broadway Television Network, filmed on stage before a live audience. If that audience had seen a lot of Broadway shows, they probably didn't see much they hadn't seen before, but its familiar plot and accessible pop score give Jekyll and Hyde a certain appeal, especially for musical novices. If you want to see as well as experience what a real broadway show feels like, but in your house..

Rocorded wonderfully from the stage in NYC, the DVD is left as though you were in the audience...Just some better camera angles and closeups without over doing it.

I can only wish if the truth is Nathan Lane and Mathew Brodderick are coming back to do "The Producers," they will film it this way too.. Gene Wilder, in the origional film is amazing too..

When I was little kid I started with "A Chorus Line" and Yule Brenner in The King and I (also on DVD) in NYC... I have gone back every couple of years to see 2-3 shows and love LIVE theater especially musicals... I wept at "Miss Saigon," Laughed at "Grease" and "Gypsy," "Guys and Dolls" and "Oklahoma" and especially "How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying!!" Among many others over the years..

[garymd]

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On 8/15/2003 12:05:15 AM dougdrake wrote:

Gary - I saw the original cast perform Man of La Mancha at Carnegie Hall when I was a young teen living in NY, with my parents. Wasn't a dry eye in the house at the end!! A lifetime memory.

My wife named her dog Soncha, in honor of Don Q's lifetime pal.

DD

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I'm jealous! Although Brian Stokes Mitchell and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio were absolutely fabulous, I wish I could have seen the original. They only did about a zillion shows. My parents saw the original a couple times but never took their poor children.

Lynn,

I also have a nice copy of Fiddler I haven't listened to yet. It's also one of my favorites. I'll listen to that one very soon (I may also have the movie version - I'll have to check that out).