Simplest-shop.comonline shopping, the simple way |
Welcome | Help  |
| Search for |
|
Home > Popular Music > Styles > Broadway & Vocalists > Musicals > General > Catered Affair Original Broadway Cast Recording
This website will be shutdown on 2008-04-01.
|
 Add to shopping cart |
A Catered Affair (Original Broadway Cast Recording) | |||||
 
| 80% Recommended by our customers. Label: P.S. Classics Catalog: Music Release date: 2008-05-27 Media: Audio CD discs number: 1 Format: Cast Recording Ean: 0803607086428 Upc: 803607086428  Tip: compare prices with similar music CDs |
| |||
| Top stores | Description | Price | Link to shop |
| amazon.com |
Availability: in 24 hours Current discount:24% off !! |
$14.99 | |
| used | 6 used offers, as low as... | $8.69 | see more used offers |
| all new | 33 thirdParty new offers, as low as... | $11.54 | see more ThirdParty new offers |
| Album tracks: (17) |
 Partners Ralph and Me Married Women Chatter No Fuss Your Children s Happiness | Immediate Family Our Only Daughter Women Chatter 2 One White Dress Vision Don t Ever Stop Saying I Love You | I Stayed Married (reprise) Coney Island Don t Ever Stop Saying I Love You (reprise) Coney Island (reprise) |
| Professional Review: |
| A Catered Affair, the new musical with book by four-time Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein, score by John Bucchino and direction by Tony Award-winner John Doyle, poses the question that inevitably faces every mother and daughter: whose wedding is it anyway? It's 1953, and family ties are strained when a Bronx mother struggles to give her only daughter the elaborate wedding she herself never had and the bride never asked for. Based on the 1956 motion picture of the same name, the production stars Tony Award-winner Faith Prince as Aggie Hurley, the mother-of-the-bride, Tony Award-nominee Tom Wopat as 'Tom Hurley,' the father-of-the-bride, and Fierstein himself as Winston, the uncle-of-the-bride. It's a funny, poignant and oh-so-human tale of love and disaffection, and the tender and melodic score to A Catered Affair -- expertly preserved on this original Broadway cast recording -- explores both our need for love and the true meaning of family. |
| User Reviews: |
 Written on June 2, 2008 Summary: A Dreary Affair As was the general critical concensus, "A Catered Affair," Harvey Fierstein (book and lyrics) and John Bucchino's (music) new kitchen sink musical, is far from perfect. Based on a 1956 movie, the musical remains a flawed show at best with some strong performances (and one entrirely ill-conceived interpretation). The show is filled with numerous anachronisms that just make little sense. For instance, the premarital bedroom scene between the two soon-to-be-newlyweds, played by Leslie Kritzer and Matt Cavenaugh. However that didn't bug me as much as Fierstein's openly gay and outspoken Uncle Winston. Fierstein's voice doesn't help. At all. The story concerns Irish-American cabdriver Tom Hurley and his wife, Aggie, the unhappily married parents of Janie, whose impending marriage to Ralph acts as the show's center. Aggie yearns for a big, splashy affair (the one she never had) that would helped to be payed for with Tom's savings for part ownership of his taxi cab. Janie and Ralph want something simpler. Winston has his own ideas for the wedding (and the Hurleys have their own, too, that don't include Winston) and the soon-to be in-laws add their own visions of grandeur to the proceedings. After much hubub, City Hall seems more and more intriguing. This recording manages to stick in a fair amount of dialogue (mainly from Fierstein - who acts almost as a narrator to the story); however, the book is unbearably pretensious and unimaginative - as is the music. The lyrics are adequate enough to not sound riduculous, however bring nothing more than a few decent rhymes. The main issue here is the music itself. Bucchino's score is lacking any true melody and the musical quickly turns into one of those shows that seem to go on forever without so much as a tune to remember. The recitative offered is sorely lacking in interest and just blabs on. The underscoring works better than the songs and confirms my belief that this would have made a better play with music. Aggie's "Married" and Janie's "One White Dress" are the only notable songs, and this has less to do with the songs themselves than with the performances. And yet, even these songs will leave your memory once they are over. Everything else gets lost in an endless loop of vamping and melodic searching. The performances are solid throughout. Faith Prince is a touching Aggie and Tom Wopat does what he can with Tom Hurley. They both are seasoned actors and have the skills to engage when necessary. However, given weak material, even the best performers can be easily challenged to entertain. And they falter here under the the laborious score and book. Leslie Kritzer and Matt Cavenaugh sing well and look good together. Then of course you have Harvey Fierstein. When his croak is used to maximum effect ("Hairspray"), it can be a tool used to convey pathos and comedy. However, unashamedly casting himself in a role made for someone else, Fierstein unfortunately shines a light on a miscast and ill-conceived character. His voice is distracting at best and his vocal inflection (leaning towards an almost effeminate lilt) helps not. The show reeks of self-indulgence and nihilism. I blame it all on Fierstein. His shtick doesn't work here. His handprints are all over the production and you can tell. In a noble effort to bring a serious-minded musical to the Broadway stage, "A Catered Affair" provides a boring and pretensious snorefest and gives inconsequential, yet fun, shows like "Xanadu" a reason to thrive.  Written on May 28, 2008 Summary: An Underrated "Kitchen-Sink" Musical "A Catered Affair" met with mixed to negative reviews when it opened on Broadway in April. Everything from the score to the production to the source material was attacked with gusto. However, if this recording is indicative of what's happening on the stage of the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York, it's probably worth a visit. True, this is not exactly the flashy hit-mongering that passes for Broadway entertainment these days, but that's what makes it so special. The original kitchen sink drama this is based on was emblematic of its time, a true 50s artifact that still resonates today thanks to original writers Gore Vidal and Paddy Chayefsky. And the score underpins that point with subtle poignancy. The oboe / horn combo in the opening prologue recalls the type of subdued jazzy underscoring found in many a 50s film. Credit goes to the great Jonathan Tunick, whose orchestrations always serve the material but also tenderly recall that bygone era with wistful gentility. John Bucchino's evocative score has been criticized for its low wattage, but a sockeroonee "Wicked" tunestack would be totally wrong for the themes and characters of this show. Using a quiet, chamber musical approach, Bucchino eschews bombast for emotional phrasing with the most intimate grace. We share the longing sadness and survivability of a battered but unbeaten family, a strongly drawn group of human beings from another time. Songs like "Partners", "Married", "Our Only Daughter" and "One White Dress" draw the characters sharply with sly wit and compassion...and they "sound" like a family, not a group of actors. All of this recalls the monumental "Caroline, or Change" that completely reinvented the musical theater palette several seasons back with its adventurous artistry. Both scores are unconventional and completely dedicated to content and character. The cast, with one exception (and it's a biggie) is marvelous. The great Faith Prince underplays Aggie in what is possibly her most touching portrayal and her songs, especially "Married", are standouts on this recording. True, the high-volt Prince persona is muted, but this allows her a depth of characterization that was heretofore unseen. Tom Wopat brings real fire to the beleagured figure of Tom, especially in his growling heartbreaker, "I Stayed", and both Matt Cavanaugh and the beguiling Leslie Kritzer hit just the rote notes, literally and figuratively, as the devoted intendeds. The one blight is the librettist, Harvey Fierstein, who doubles as closeted bachelor-brother Winston and massacres every one of his songs with that course growl that was funny for five minutes in "Hairspray" but undoes the material here. He's all wrong for the part which, ironically, is the only ill-conceived character of the lot. What really boosts this original cast recording, however, is its presentation. So much of the generally smart libretto (Harvey again) is included here that it's like an old radio program where the listener gets the entire storyline through the clever use of words. Dialogue segues into song so effortlessly that the seemlessness is often breathtakingly natural. And the caliber of the recording is pristine. "A Catered Affair" may be too glum for the "Mary Poppins" crowd, but it's an adult musical about adult themes and deserves an audience to keep such artistic audacity alive in the musical theater. Written on May 27, 2008 Summary: The best cast album of the year. A Catered Affair is the best original cast album of the year since it combines all the elements for a great recording. To begin with it perfectly captures the entire play so that you can understand the development of the characters and their motivations. The music is wonderful as would be expected from the great John Bucchino with gorgeous melodies and insighful lyrics - the songs really grow on you and you will be hooked on them after several hearings. (If you are not familiar with John Bucchino's wonderful music try It's Only Life or Grateful, his other compilation CD's). The performances are wonderful, most notably Faith Prince and Leslie Kritzer, who creat wonderful chemistry on disc and are heartbreaking in their simplistic desires and longings. Add solid performances by Tom Wopat in an explosive song called I Stayed and the warm Harvey Fierstein in his inimitable style. Add to this the wonderful Jonathan Tunick arrangements, which could not be bettered. This is a score that will only grow with repeated hearings and familarity - you will really be hooked once you start. This is what Broadway musicals should be about - an original score that furthers the plot and explores the characters with beautiful melodies and lyrics. Don't pass this one by. Written on May 27, 2008 Summary: Celebrating "A Catered Affair" The recording of "A Catered Affair" sneaks up on you. It's a slightly sad, bittersweet story. There are no Kander & Ebb or Jerry Herman-like vamps and key changes, blaring trumpets, and big production numbers where suddenly everyone belts the title tune. But this is a haunting show and score. It gets under your skin and makes you think and feel things - exactly what a work of art should do. The songs by John Bucchino are musicalized scenes, with tender melodies rich with subtle surprises - unexpected notes or rhythms, but these surprises don't feel forced or calculated, but simply human. Bucchino is a craftsman as a lyricist; all the rhymes are true and rarely call attention to themselves, but they also have a poetry that can be heart-stopping. A favorite example is calling the words "I love you" a "three-syllable bouquet". This recording by PS Classics captures the score and the show. It weaves dialogue, underscoring, and songs to give a full sense of the story, the time, the place, and most of all these beautifully rendered characters. This is not a star vehicle, but Faith Prince in particular - as the mother weighted with regrets - gives a magnificently nuanced performance. She can convey a history of feelings in a single word. Tom Wopat comes across as absolutely truthful as her over-burdened husband, and gets something of a "Rose's Turn" in his explosive "I Stayed". Leslie Krtizer is fine, quirky, and touching as the (mostly) practical bride to be. I am less enamored of the Harvey Fierstein as the uncle. Although he wrote the libretto, his foghorn of a voice calls too much attention to itself, and just doesn't seem to fit with the tenor of the rest of the performances. The orchestrations are by the incomparable Jonathan Tunick. He works miracles with a spare ten musicians - though I would love to hear what he would accomplish with greater resources. The elegance of the score, the arrangements and the orchestrations, rather than fighting the kitchen-sink realism of the show, adds a layer of poignancy and a subtext of feeling that enriches the story immeasurably. Mark Horowitz |
| Comparison map |
| Wondering how the music CD "A Catered Affair (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" relates to similar music CDs? Find out at a glance here: |
| Price comparison |
 A Catered Affair (Original Broadway Cast... |
 Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific (The New... |
 In The Heights |
 Adding Machine: A Musical |
 Gypsy - 2008 Original Broadway Cast |
| Our price | $14.99 | $12.99 | $16.99 | $16.99 | $13.99 |
| List price | $19.98 | $18.98 | $21.98 | $19.98 | $18.98 |
| Lowest used price | $8.69 | $11.05 | $12.73 | $12.43 | $9.99 |
| Lowest new price | $11.54 | $12.99 | $12.83 | $12.17 | $11.87 |
| Collectible price | - | $175.00 | $30.50 | - | $21.99 |
| Catalog | Music | Music | Music | Music | Music |
| Release date | 2008-05-27 | 2008-05-27 | 2008-06-03 | 2008-06-03 | 2008-08-26 |
| Media | Audio CD | Audio CD | Audio CD | Audio CD | Audio CD |
| discs number | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Format | Cast Recording | Cast Recording | Cast Recording | Cast Recording | Cast Recording |
| Ean | 0803607086428 | 0886973045725 | 0791558442823 | 0803607086527 | 0610583243123 |
| Upc | 803607086428 | 886973045725 | 791558442823 | 803607086527 | 610583243123 |
| Link to shop* (opens in a new window) | BUY IT NOW* | BUY IT NOW* | BUY IT NOW* | BUY IT NOW* | BUY IT NOW* |
| take one out? |
|
I am here: Home > Popular Music > Styles > Broadway & Vocalists > Musicals > General > Catered Affair Original Broadway Cast Recording
This website will be shutdown on 2008-04-01.
|
 E-mail this page |
|
About the Simplest Shop | Help | Term of Use | Privacy Policy
Home | Contact us | Bookmark us | get paid for writing |
|
Copyright Simplest-Shop.com 2004. All rights reserved |