Side Show Revival Cast Recording

[iholland95]

Posted: 3/3/15 at 1:41am

What do you think of the new Side Show Revival cast recording starring Emily Padgett and Erin Davie?

My personal opinion: I think for certain songs such as Come Look at the Freaks, the OBCR is better because it has more orchestrations and stronger vocals. In terms of blending, I think Emily and Erin's voices blend much better than the OBCR of Emily and Alice.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 3/3/15 at 2:02am

I agree, like Em & Erin's blend of voice better yet I still terribly enjoy listening to Emily and Alice.
Well, I am not a fan of the new recording as it sounds tiny and terribly sterile yet I like some parts better but overall it lacks the edge and grit the OBCR had! The orchestrations are lush and rich sounding in the OBCR.
Come look at the freaks-opening & finale is far dramatically superior musically in the original...listen for yourself as are many others!

Updated On: 3/3/15 at 02:02 AM

[tazber]

Posted: 3/3/15 at 6:34am

The recording sounds wonderful.

I do like the material on the OBCR better, but I find I'm playing this recording more because it sounds so fresh.

The only new song I like is All in the Mind. Speaking of which, Javier Ignacio has a lovely voice.

Overall it's a more complete recording than the original. The only song they left off is New Years Day, which had been re-written and really should have been included.

[gypsy101]

Posted: 3/3/15 at 2:42pm

I think the new girls lack the star quality Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner had. These girls really sound like sisters, so good job there, but Alice and Emily have this kind of ethereal quality when they sing together. Erin and Emily didn't thrill me like them.

The material was also pretty different. I had heard there were some rewrites, but they really changed so much of the score. All in all, a good recording!

[Auggie27]

Posted: 3/3/15 at 2:49pm

I'm in the minority, I don't hear the immense difference in the voices, and I saw the original several times and the revival twice. That sai, I think Pagett's vocals grew more Skinner-like as she played it over the months from CA to NY, and Davie matched her. I don't believe they were singing the roles as they finally did at La Jolla. At the final performance I saw, December 27th, they were damn close to the intensity of the original stars. The end of the first act had that same clutch when they got to "Who would want to join this madness...?"

But I thought they had a better staging of the recitative section between the press conference and the song proper than originally given. They were at physical odds, and Condon blocked them pulling at one another across the St. James stage It set up a more active frame for the song than the original (and I saw the original enough to remember the difference). I think it gave "Who Will Love Me...?" a better launch, and it pushed these two singing actors to make an aggressive take. Just my opinion, but I really liked the new stars. And of course, the ending was absolutely more visually powerful with (SPOILER) the twins coming apart during their final duet, and then the Browning set. It's one place Condon just eclipsed the Longbottom vision, not easy to do. I believe it changed the way the music was sung and landed, as per my note on the blocking at the end of act one.

[brucebossa]

Posted: 3/5/15 at 3:38pm

BILLBOARD #1 CAST ALBUM this week
Billboard #1 = SIDE SHOW

[jasonf]

Posted: 3/5/15 at 4:05pm

I really liked the revival album, but throughout the whole thing my wife and I kept saying, "Norm Lewis is just so much better." The two lead women were fantastic, and the new orchestrations are great. While none of the new songs especially stood out, they weren't anything "skippable" either.

I just wish Norm Lewis could have been Jake...

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 3/5/15 at 8:33pm

I haven't listened to the album yet, but for me none if the new songs seemed necessary, with the exception if the Houdini/backstory sequence. To me none of the songs that were written to replace old numbers surpassed the material they were written to replace, which made me question why they felt those songs needed to go. Was the show really improved in any way by replacing "When I'm By Your Side" or "We Share Everything"? For me, the answer is no.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/5/15 at 8:36pm

Agree re Norm Lewis.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 3/5/15 at 8:36pm

^ AEA & Roxy

NO as well and yes Norm

Updated On: 3/5/15 at 08:36 PM

[SayitSomehow]

Posted: 3/6/15 at 11:08am

A million times yes to Norm Lewis.

That is the biggest drop in quality between the two productions, and it's a painful one.

[RW3]

Posted: 3/6/15 at 12:05pm

The cut song "Side Show" is so haunting, yet beautiful.

[hanabana]

Posted: 3/6/15 at 3:23pm

I guess I am the minority here, but I actually love David St. Louis' take on Jake. I think he sounds marvelous. (I also was lucky enough to catch the revival on Broadway, and thought Jake's parts were big highlights of the show)

Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of Norm Lewis, who is absolutely amazing. However, I prefer the arrangement for "You Should Be Loved" in the revival - the orchestration feels slower toward the end and thus more dramatic. I think they both sound great, but just prefer the revival recording a bit more.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 3/6/15 at 5:33pm

Not sure why this is NOT on Spotify?