Music : Wonderful Town (2004 Broadway Revival Cast with Brooke Shields) |
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Rating:  - * Wonderful Brooke ... New York City Critics Said: "In replacing the beguiling Donna Murphy, Shields hasn't so much replicated her performance as rejuvenated the role of Ruth Sherwood and the show itself. She hasn't done it, it should be mentioned, through the application of a new kind of show-biz razzle-dazzle; instead, Shields triumphs by taking the show back to its roots. And in doing so, she's found something that Murphy - while excellent in the role - somehow lacked" -Talkin' Broadway- "Brooke is a Delight" -Ben Brantley, New York Times- "She's a terrific performer, careful and resilient, with an unerring sense of humor and a style that can make ungainliness graceful and reticence explosive. She is the perfect Ruth, a would-be writer, who sees herself as the Ugly Duckling second banana to her younger, glamorous magnetic sister Eileen" -Clive Barnes, New York Post- There is nothing I need to add. Brooke Shields, Jennifer Hope Wills and original cast member Gregg Edelman are the ideal cast for Wonderful Town. Rating:  - * Good Piece but... ... This show is nice, very broadway. The music is nice, lyrics fun, and whole show a nice piece. It isn't something I would listen to over and over which is why it's only getting three stars, but it isn't something that I won't play from time to time. Of the two recordings I have (this one and the 2003 revival) there are MINISCULE differences, but I would say the 2003 revival is the better of the two (and cheaper). I like Donna Murphy's character over Brooke Shields. Good CD for collectors and new broadway listners alike. Fav Song: "Conga" Rating: - * The very underrated Brooke Shields ... I had the pleasure to actually see Brooke in Wonderful Town on it's closing week, 3 times!!! The most touching was the closing night's performance when her husband actually brought their daughter to the theatre and handed her to Brooke on the stage for a few minutes. I was lucky i saw her performance all 3 times from right in the front row!!! It was just an amazing experience! When i bought the Cd, just before seeing the first performance i was quite disappointed in it, but when i actually saw it the same night i was fascinated by it!!! On stage she sang with all her heart and emotions and that counts more than having big pipes...althought her role doesn't require a necesseraly good singer but she did a marvelous job with it! Just seeing her belting out that last note in One Hundred Easy Ways was just amazing! She actually can sing! (Although just listening to the Cd might be not enought to judge that) In the numbers Conga and Swing she was also just fascinating! It's just a shame she has been overlooked at the Tony awards this year, at least a nomination she would have deserved! Nothing compares to seeing her live and every time i listen to the Cd, the emotions what i felt sitting in the theatre watching this fascinating woman working hard right in front of me and displaying an acting range which she never got a chance to proove in movies. Althought eventually she performed the same play but all 3 times i saw it she always made it fresh and new and Ladies and Gentleman that IS A SIGN OF A REAL ACTRESS!!!! Rating: - * Great music! Great fun! ... I had the pleasure of watching Brooke Shields and Jennifer Hope Willis on Broadway, and I was thrilled to get the album with the cast I saw! Even though I had already purchased the 1999 studio recording of the show, I had to have this one, and I have not regretted it. Both Brooke and Jennifer were great in the show, and so was Gregg Edelman. And yes Brooke can sing, and she was very funny, perfect for the role of Ruth (and she was there!). It would be hard to get in front of Broadway audiences night after night as she did, giving the performance she did, if she could not sing. Her dedication was much appreaciated by lovers of this and all other shows on Broadway. Enjoy the recording! Rating: - * Brooke Shields is the new girl in \"Town\"... ... This is a re-jigged edition of the 2003 Broadway revival recording of WONDERFUL TOWN, featuring 2004 replacements Brooke Shields and Jennifer Hope Wills as Ruth and Eileen Sherwood, respectively. In one of those rare occurances where 2 different recordings exist for a single revival, it's great to be able to compare Shields and Wills with their predecessors (Donna Murphy and Jennifer Westfeldt). Brooke Shields gamely brings her own spin to the role of outspoken self-reliant Ruth, and her "100 Easy Ways to Lose a Man" is full of comedy and mirth. Jennifer Hope Wills has a glowing and lilting soprano voice which suits the numbers of Eileen to a tee. The rest of the cast remains the same (only the tracks of Shields and Wills are new, the rest recycled from the 2003 album). Not essential if you were satisfied with the Donna Murphy effort, but one can never have too many recordings of this heavenly score. |
Critics and audiences didn't seem too happy with Back to the Future, Part II, the inventive, perhaps too clever sequel. Director Zemeckis and cast bent over backwards to add layers of time-travel complication, and while it surely exercises the brain it isn't necessarily funny in the same way that its predecessor was. It's well worth a visit, though, just to appreciate the imagination that went into it, particularly in a finale that has Marty watching his own actions from the first film. --Tom Keogh
Shot back-to-back with the second chapter in the trilogy, Back to the Future, Part III is less hectic than that film and has the same sweet spirit of the first, albeit in a whole new setting. This time, Marty ends up in the Old West of 1885, trying to prevent the death of mad scientist Christopher Lloyd at the hands of gunman Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson, who had a recurring role as the bully Biff). Director Zemeckis successfully blends exciting special effects with the traditions of a Western and comes up with something original and fun. --Tom Keogh
