I'm in desperate need of some new musical material - I'm going shopping later, but being a poor college student, I can't buy ALL of these. So, help me decide:
Assassins Hedwig The Lion King (yep, that's right. I don't own this) Chess Big River The Wild Party (Lippa)
I'll probably go for two... but tell me what you think! I'm trusting you guys since you have a pretty good sense of what I like.
I"d for sure get Lippa Wild Party. That is some of the best music out there sung by some of the best triple threats out there.
Personally, I'd get Hedwig, too...but Big River and Assassins would make excellent choices, too. I'd stay away from the others. They rarely make the CD rounds in my system.
"Fundamentalism means never having to say 'I'm wrong.'"
-- unknown
I would go with Chess and Assassins. Chess is older but the music is really diverse and interesting. Assassins is more challenging intellectually, but I really like that one, too!
The Hedwig Cast Recording and Soundtrack are a bit difference. They have most of the same songs but some songs are on the Soundtrack that aren't on the Cast Recording and vice versa...I like the Cast Recording better, but both are awesome and you can't go wrong which ever one you choose.
You're always sorry,
You're always grateful,
You hold her, thinking:
"I'm not alone."
You're still alone.
-"Sorry-Grateful" Company
Emcee, you definitely want the new Assassins recording! Definitely!
QM
'He really wasn't good as Fieyro. Is it just me or does he sort of come across as a pimp? Just...the hand motions I've seen him do and the attitude..not that Taye is a pimp.' - SallyBrown on Taye Diggs as Fiyero
Thanks guys! I'm definitely going to go with Assassins and The Wild Party for now. I'll get the others at some point (my bank account is still a little upset with me at the moment). I'm on the fence with Hedwig - I'm going to get a copy, but I'm not sure whether it's going to be the movie soundtrack or the cast recording.
Emcee- are you in NYC? If so, you can also go to the Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library and check out a pile of cds. They let you keep them for a couple of weeks I think. This is often how I find new audition material- just going thru cd after cd. They also have sheet music that you can sign out.
Emcee, I would say The Wild Party-It's my new obsession, I LOVE this music, and Assasins because it's wonderful and Mario Cantone's monologue "Have it Your Way" is hysterical!
"What a mystery this world. One day you love them and the next day you want to kill them a thousand times over." The Masked Bandit in THE FALL
I suppose if you're only getting one recording, get the new Assassins recording. BUT... The off-broadway cd has it's advantages also. Both casts work quite well together, and both feature Sondheim's brilliant score. The off-broadway recording contains the full Booth-Oswald scene, while the newer recording only has snippets of scenes, and about 3 minutes of that 10 minute Oswald scene. The voices are a bit clearer on the revival recording, and has some different orchestrations, and I guess I enjoy listening to that one more than the original. But I certainly wouldn't say that the new recording is FAR superior to the original.