The Best in Broadway Sheet Music
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 December, 1997)
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Reviews (2)

not good
If youwant to get a compilation of songs that are wellknown and a bit over done... this is the book for you. However, the songs are not in their original keys, and are not suitable for most formal auditions. futher more, the song selections are not unique... and to find a unique song this book does you no good.
DONT BUY THIS BOOK. Everyone has it, and the songs in it are not good.

The Best in Broadway Sheet Music-Review
This book has a lot of great broadway music in it. The music is easy to sight read and it really has the best of Broadway within it's pages. ... Read more

Isbn: 0769218210
Sales Rank: 649619
Subjects:  1. Instruction & Study - Composition    2. Music    3. Reference   

Cats - The Musical (Commemorative Edition)
by Elaine Paige John Mills Ken Page
Director: David Mallet
Average Customer Review:
VHS Tape (06 January, 2004)
list price: $9.98 -- our price: $9.48
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Editorial Review

This pop-cultural phenomenon has been performed on stage for more than 50 million patrons in 26 countries for almost 18 years, churning more than $2 billion in ticket sales. Now that Cats has finally made it to the small screen, attention must be paid not just by fans of this critic-proof show, but also by those entertainment mavens who have somehow avoided Cats until now. The video version has been restaged but, alas, not really reconceived for its new medium.

The video cast, assembled from London, Amsterdam, and New York productions, is competent. Ken Page as Old Deuteronomy, Jacob Brent as Mr. Mistoffelees, and Elaine Paige--the original London Grizabella, the Glamour Cat well past her prime--are a great deal more than that. Paige has toned down her theatrical belting of her big number, "Memory," and allowed the faded ruin of her character's soul to prevail in close-up. For all the "covers" of her signature song, Paige's version remains definitive. The video is, by definition, more intimate, not always a good thing: costumes are even more Halloweeny in garish close-up, the cats less cuddly without that all-important interaction, the stage's appropriately midnight lighting transmuted to a Las Vegas neon. And the chorus of cats in production numbers is even clunkier and more amorphous in two- and three-shots.

The one complete newcomer to the cast is the 90-year-old icon among English actors John Mills, a delight as Gus the Theatrical Cat. Sir John and his character show the youngsters how it's done in close-up, largely behind the eyes, abetted by a heart-tugging delivery of his one song. Yet virtually all of the songs are lip-synched, further robbing the video Cats of its onstage seeming spontaneity. It's clearer than ever that Lloyd Webber's music is mostly twaddle, with the important exception of "Memory," which instantly and rightly became one of the genuine theater standards not dependent on context, in the vein of Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns." On the plus side, most of the Cats characters and lyrics, from T.S. Eliot's 14-poem Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, are far better defined and understood from the video version. --Robert Windeler ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Box set
• Special Edition
• NTSC

Reviews (466)

CATS- the musical, Andrew Lloyd Webber
I absolutly love this musical! I went to block buster one day in search of a different musical, but no luck. So I said "well, I've wanted to see CATS for a while" so I rented that instead, and I'm glad I did! So I watched it for the first time and it was nothing I thought it would be. So then I watched it once more... Thats when I fell in love with it! Well, rental time was up and out of the seven days I had it, I watched it twenty-two times! Well, I rented it again and then I got up to fourty-six times. Then I bought it off of E-bay a few days ago, and I have watched it fourty-nine times in all. You may think I'm obbsessed... BUT I'M NOT!!!!!!! I LOVE IT!!! My favorite lil' kitty is The Magical Mr. Mistoffelles A.K.A. Quaxo. I recomend this wonderful musical to EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love it!

I Would Give It Way More Than 5 Stars!
I cannot say in words how wonderful this is. You have to see it for yourself. I can only say one thing:BUY IT! You will not be disappointed!

CATS? a play about CATS? o grrrreat.
i guess you are wondering about the title of my reveiw? eh?.. well you know you were thinking that! CATS is actually a very interesting film. the first time i saw it i was like ok a little wierd but the second time i got really into it.micheal gruber, elaine page, and ken page were excellent in this. along with jo gibb, jo bingham, and many more! CATS is not a movie you can just skip through, you have to watch all of it to understand it. I bet that when i say "jellicle cat" you have no idea what i am talking about. am i right?.. well you have to watch the movie to find out. the dancing is great in this! this movie is also a very escting one.... with all the macavity scares!i hope my review helped! enjoy the movie! ... Read more

Asin: B00004XMTH
Subjects:  1. Musical   

A Child's Celebration of Showtunes
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (27 October, 1992)
list price: $14.98 -- our price: $13.99
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Reviews (6)

This Music is a Spoonful of Sugar for all!
Every child should have this CD if not for it's content (it's grrreat!) then for its "historical" value in exposing them to some of the musicals their parents grew up with.I wish there were more CDs like this - I would own them all.The only down-side is there are no accompanying lyrics but at least there's an address you can use to request them (free).Excellent!

A Child's Celebration of Show Tunes
My 4year old daughter loves it!She plays it over and over.I must admit, it is fun to hear her singing the songs from musicals I grew up with.It is something that we can enjoy together and that she enjoys by herself as well.

One CD that's still fun the 100th time you hear it
My toddler loves music and this is OUR favorite CD.I love show tunes and these are great selections for kids.I appreciate the fact that the songs are sung by the broadway casts.I know that kids like to hear other kids sing, but sometimes mom needs a break from those cheerful, slightly off-key kids choruses. ... Read more

Asin: B000002M5S
Sales Rank: 2420
Subjects:  1. 60's    2. 70's    3. Childrens    4. Musicals    5. Pop    6. Show Tunes    7. Showtunes / B'way   

Making Musicals : An Informal Introduction to the World of Musical Theater
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 August, 2004)
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Editorial Review

The man who wrote the words to The Fantasticks andseveral other musicals shares his hard-earned wisdom in a book that'spart history, part how-to, with just enough memoir thrown in to give ita unique personality and flavor. Jones (not the pop singer) lays outthe rules of writing Broadway-style musicals, illustrated with examplesfrom the great shows, from Oklahoma! on. He then explains how heendeavored to break those rules and advises writers of the newmillennium on how they might do the same. Those writers will likelyfind their shows competing with Jones's Fantasticks, whichopened in 1960 and is still going strong. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Do not collaborate before reading this book
Tom Jones' MAKING MUSICALS is taken from a series of lectures Jones gave for a class in writing musicals.I found this little book very interesting and full of good advice.Jones doesn't pretend to tell you everything you need to know to write a musical or give specific techniques to write a hit.He's merely passing on what he has learned in his very long career as a writer of musicals.(He started in the 50s writing nightclub revues before hitting paydirt with the American theatre's longevity champ, THE FANTASTICKS, which ran an astounding 42 years.)He gives a brief overview of the history of musical comedy and some basics about getting started on writing your own musical.A lot of this information is available in other books, but what really sets Jones' book apart is the chapter on collaboration.Mr. Jones ought to know a thing or two about collaboration since he and composer Harvey Schmidt had a collaboration that lasted from the 1950s into the 21st Century, when Schmidt chose to retire.Jones tells how to choose a collaborator as well as how to make a good collaboration last.This chapter ought to be mandatory for all aspiring collaborators.(I wish I had read it before my own ill fated attempt at collaboration!)While hardly comprehensive, this is an excellent little book.Four stars.

"Fantastick" book!A must for musical theater fans!
Finally, an insider has published a book giving a first hand account of the process of writing a musical.While the first half of the book covers the history of the American Musical very nicely, the second half does asuperb job of guiding us through the difficulties in writing a musical.

Tom Jones leads us through what makes a musical, what the differencebetween lyrics and poetry is in song writing, and makes suggestionsregarding how to find a collaborative partner and how to get your workproduced.

I consider this to be a required text for anyone considering acollaboration on a musical. ... Read more

Isbn: 0879100958
Subjects:  1. General    2. Genres & Styles - Musicals    3. Libretto    4. Lyric writing (Popular music)    5. Music    6. Musicals    7. Production Of Musical Drama    8. United States    9. Writing and publishing    10. Performing Arts / Theater / General   

Broadway Musicals - Show by Show
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 January, 1990)
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Reviews (5)

Great book
This was the required text book for a class in musical theater in college.I found it informative but lacked many details that I would have like to have known.

Could use more frequent updates but...
overall a nice book covering the Bway Musicals. I happened to purchase one for a friend who attends the theater (both Broadway and off-Broadway) religiously and she was very happy with the gift.

A true must-have book for all musical theatre fans!
This book has proven and indispensable part of my theatre library, and if you get it, it will become one for you as well.Want to know what date the original production of Show Boat opened on Broadway?This book will tellyou.Who the original stars of Mexican Hayride were?That's in here, too. You will be able to find the answer to just about any question you couldever ask of Broadway's hit musicals.A perfect companion piece to KenMandelbaum's Not Since Carrie (which chronicles the flop musicals this bookmostly excludes), and a wonderful way of tracking the history of theBroadway musical, Broadway Musicals: Show by Show is as comprehensive,helpful, and essential as reference books on Broadway come. ... Read more

Isbn: 0793577500
Sales Rank: 127270
Subjects:  1. Genres & Styles - Musicals    2. History and criticism    3. Music    4. Musicals    5. Songbooks - Popular    6. Theater - Broadway & Musical Revue    7. United States    8. Music / Reference   

Hair
by John Savage Treat Williams
Director: Milos Forman
Average Customer Review:
VHS Tape (04 April, 2000)
list price: $14.95
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Editorial Review

The Age of Aquarius is brought to life by the filmmaker who made Amadeus a household word. Milos Forman directed this version of James Rado, Gerome Ragni, and Galt MacDermot's landmark musical in 1979 between his Oscar-winning films One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus. With mixed reviews (Gene Siskel named it that year's best film) and lukewarm box-office grosses, the film all but disappeared from the collective consciousness. Yet the film beautifully delivers on its promise to bring the '60s back to life. Hair re-creates a colorful world of counterculture finding an anvil to pound on: the Vietnam War. Forman and his design team allow the film to wash over you, starting at the free-flowing opening in which masses of hippies, police, and even their horses eagerly groove to the familiar beat of "Aquarius." In the best work of his career, Treat Williams makes his leading- man debutas Berger, the leader of the Central Park troop who takes draftee Claude (John Savage) under his wing on his trip through New York City and the apex of what the '60s was. The new recording of the music is quite fine, with Chicago band member Don Dacus's rendition of the title song a highlight. As Berger's pièce de résistance number says, "I've Got Life"; so does the film, right down to its poignant declaration to "let the sunshine in." --Doug Thomas ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• NTSC

Reviews (74)

"Hair" is a musical triumph!
I only watched this movie because I heard the main song from it, and was extremely curious how that could be a movie. So I went to my local video store to rent it, but they didn't have it. So I special ordered it. I can only say the movie is worth much more than what I payed. First off, the music is brilliant. The movie also seems to poke fun at certain stereotypes. It really is a classic.

Hair is no longer the symbol of today youth.
The 60s, the hippies, the anti-war passion, the Vietnam War .... was it a lost generation of the youth? Or, was it the idealism, the cry against the establishment?

Today, there are many other types of wars, atrocities, claims of injustices, ... we don't have similar hippies movement! Is it a new generation who knows what she wants? Or, is it we have too many pre-occupation of greater things for the future ; the internet revolution, with information and knoweledge, promising and exciting technologies, SMS, MP3 ....

Refer QuaSyLaTic

Andrew
http://www.360q.com

Great adaptation
Of all the contemporary musicals, Hair is probably the best stage to screen adaptation. The movie is actually better than the Broadway production. The cinematography is excellent, the actors are perfectly cast, the choreography is great, the music and songs wonderful, and there are lots of nice, subtle touches. This film does not just capture the time period in which it takes place, it also captures the spirit of peace, love, hope, equality, acceptance, and freedom, without forgetting boring things like responsibility and consequences. Hair is really one of the great American musicals, and deserves a place of honor. ... Read more

Asin: B00004STCS
Subjects:  1. Musical   

Fiddler on the Roof (Widescreen Edition)
by Topol Norma Crane
Director: Norman Jewison
Average Customer Review:
VHS Tape (10 September, 1996)
list price: $24.98
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Editorial Review

This rousing musical, based on the stories of Shalom Aleichem, takes place in pre-revolutionary Russia and centers on the life of Tevye (Topol), a milkman who is trying to keep his family's traditions in place while marrying off his three older daughters. Yet, times are changing and the daughters want to make their own matches, breaking free of many of the constricting customs required of them by Judaism. In the background of these events, Russia is on the brink of revolution and Jews are feeling increasingly unwelcome in their villages. Tevye--who expresses his desire for sameness in the opening number, "Tradition"--is trying to keep everyone, and everything, together. The movie is strongly allegorical--Tevye represents the common man--but it does it dexterously, and the resulting film is a stunning work of art. The music is excellent (it won Oscars for the scoring and the sound), with plenty of familiar songs such as "Sunrise, Sunset" and "If I Were a Rich Man," which you'll be humming long after the movie is over. Isaac Stern's violin--he provides the music for the fiddler on the roof--is hauntingly beautiful. And despite the serious subject matter, the film is quite comedic in parts; it also well deserves the Oscar it won for cinematography. --Jenny Brown ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Dolby
• Widescreen
• NTSC

Reviews (101)

excellent
You've got to admit, for a movie made in yougoslovia, this is really good.
It's about the progromes that the jews were exposed to towards the end of the czarist era in russia.
excellent musical, highly reccommended.

Bringing Down The "Roof"
"Somethings will never change" Tevye (Topol) shouts at one of his daughters when he finds out she wants to marry a man who is not Jewish. And that line is really the basis of the film. "Fiddler on the Roof" is a story about where does tradition fit in a new modern world. As the times change, must our beliefs? But we can't abandon everything, because to do so would cause a void in our moral life, whatever that is. We need some sort of structure, some sort of guidlines to live by.

Actually that description makes "Fiddler on the Roof" sound like a very serious movie. Well in fact it is. The musical aspect of the film though drowns that out. I think the same thing happen with a film like "Cabaret". Here we have two musicals that take on some very serious subjects; traditional values and Nazis, and adds music to them. What happens in the end is most people just walk away humming the songs not fully knowing what the film was trying to say.

But if people do just walk away humming the songs does that mean the movie did a poor job of explaining what it is about? I don't think so. "Fiddler on the Roof" explains itself rather frankly. It doesn't hide behind its songs. And even the songs explain the film's theme. Take a song like "Tradition" for example.

Many people by now know that this movie was based on a hig stage play and when released as a film was met with equal enjoyment by fans of the stage work. What some may not know is director Norman Jewison did not want to direct this film when first asked. He thought the producers were only asking him to direct it because they thought he was Jewish. When he explained to them he's not, they said we know, that's exactly why we want you to direct it.

Jewison has directed some very good films including the Oscar winner "In the Heat of the Night" and "The Thomas Crown Affair", and some of his recent films have been quite entertaining, "The Hurricane" and "The Statement".

"Fiddler on the Roof", according to my father, who is a musican, is the greatest musical Hollywood ever made. And the songs are memorable. My favorite is "Sunrise, Sunset" and almost everyone likes "If I Were A Rich Man".

I think it's too bad this didn't win "best picture" when released. It lost to "The French Connection". Here would have been my choice for the best film of the year.

Bottom-line: Besides having a great musical score "Fiddler on the Roof" has some serious things to say. It is a wonderful film.

One of the best musicals ever made
"Fiddler on the Roof" is one of the best films ever made. It is a musical with wonderful songs, but at the same time, it is so much more. First and foremost, it is a film about family ties, values, and conflicts. It is a film about love. It is a historical film. It is very funny, very witty, and very sad, all at the same time. I laughed, and then I cried. It has memorable characters: Haim Topol, who played Tevya the milkman on the stage in London, is made for the role, and has become identified with it. He portrays an authoritative, yet sympathetic father, and he is the source of many witty and very funny comments about life. Just to give you a few examples: "Would it spoil some vast eternal plan / If I were a wealthy man?" or "A bird may love a fish, but where will they build a house together?" or in attempting to explain how a certain tradition began, "I'll tell you. I don't know."

Norma Crane is equally wonderful in playing Tevye's wife. Life has not been good to her, and this shows, and she has never experienced romantic love. It takes 25 years to realize that she loves Tevye, to whom she was married through the matchmaker. But she is a good, loving,forgiving mother, and a devoted wife.

There are other memorable characters, such as Yente the matchmaker, Lazer Wolf the butcher, and Mottel the tailor. The three eldest daughters are beautiful and dream of a great match. Their song, "Matchmaker," is one of the best songs ever written for a musical. Going contrary to tradition, each of them foregoes the services of the matchmaker and marries out of love, even if the price is poverty, suffering, or banishment from the family.

The first part of the film focuses on ordinary everyday life in the village of Anatevka. The second part dramatizes a dark page of history, as the village Jews first suffer a pogrom, and are eventually driven out of their village at the orders of the czar. Some of them head for America, others for the Holy Land, but some move to a different part of Russia or to Poland, and we cannot supress the knowledge that this is a very sad ending indeed, as we know that they and their children will end up in Nazi concentration camps.

The film is replete with humour, wit, love, and great songs, among which "Tradition" (accompanied by wonderfully clever film shots, "Matchmaker," "If I Were a Rich Man," "To life," "Sunrise, Sunset," "Anatevka," some merry, some hearbreaking, all utterly enjoyable and touching.
Pay attention to the opening shot of the film, it is absolutely brilliant. The cinematography is splendid, the colours are strong and fresh. The locations are beautiful and faithfully recreate village life.

The second disc is replete with information, such as a documentary on the shooting of "Fiddler," on location in Yougoslavia, in 1971, which is excellent and in parts brought me to tears, as the director talked about the historical context of the film; a shorter interview with the director, Norman Jewison, reminiscing about the making of this film (by the way, he recounts that the producers at MGM thought he was Jewish, because of his name, and were surprised to learn that he is actually Christian); authentic period photographs; the director reading from two stories by Shalom Aleichem; a deleted song, "Any Day Now," which I regretted they deleted; posters, trailers and TV spots.

I really urge you to buy this DVD, it is a film you will constantly love to rewatch, and to which you cannot remain indifferent. You will laugh, cry, be entertained, as well as deeply touched. It is one of my most treasured DVD acquisitions, and one that will never lose its grip. I had seen it on TV several times before, and I still wanted to purchase it so as to be able to return to it time and again.
... Read more

Asin: 6304151314
Subjects:  1. Musical