How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying: Matthew Broderick: Amazon.ca: Music

1. Ov - Orch
2. Dear Reader - Walter Cronkite
3. How To Succeed - Mathew Broderick, Company
4. Happy To Keep His Dinner Warm - Meagan Mullally, Victoria Clark
5. Coffee Break - Jeff Blumenkrantz, Victoria Clark, Ensemble
6. You Have Alertly Seized Your Opportunities - Walter Cronkite
7. The Company Way - Gerry Vichi, Matthew Broderick
8. The Company Way (Reprise) - Jeff Blu menkrantz, Company
9. Entrance Of Hedy LaRue - Orch
10. A Secretary Is Not A Toy - Jonathan Freeman, Company
11. Been A Long Day - Victoria Clark, Mullally, Mathew Broderick, Ensemble
12. Been A Long Day (Reprise) - Jeff Blumenkrantz, Ronn Carroll, Luba Mason
13. Saturday Morning Ballet - Orch
14. Grand Old Ivy - Ronn Carroll, Luba Mason
15. Paris Original - Megan Mullally, Kristi Lynes, Victoria Clark, Lillas White, Company
16. Rosemary - Mathew Brodick, Magan Mullally
17. Act One Finale - Mathew Broderick
18. Entr'acte - Orch
19. How To Succeed - Victoria Clark, Kristi Lynes, Women
20. So You Are Now A Vice-President - Walter Cronkie
See all 29 tracks on this disc

Product Description

From Amazon.com

Just as new producers had done to Broadway's 1992 revival of Frank Loesser's Guys and Dolls, this Tony-winning revival of Loesser & Burrows's 1961 Pulitzer Prize winner has been transformed into a cartoon-like fantasy, featuring even more satire than was originally intended. Which, after all, is the only way numbers like "Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm" or "A Secretary Is Not a Toy" can be played in the post-feminist late '90s. And yet, the original 1961 period piece still remains the better musical recording--because it had both Robert Morse (who, with all due respect to Matthew Broderick, owns the role of Finch) and Rudy Vallee; and because some aficionados are mighty unhappy with the changes made in the orchestration of the vehicle's much beloved showstopper, "Brotherhood of Man." --Bill Holdship

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Customer Reviews

25 Reviews

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (25 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Bigger is not always better... but also not always worse, May 2 2004

By

Jay Dickson (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (Audio CD)

The transformation of HTSIBWRT (the acronym by which the original was known) to H2$ (the acronym for this major revival) was not a simple one, even though (surprisingly) the show proved so timely when revived its book didn't need to be greatly rewritten. Its orchestrations, however, were enormously revamped and expanded, sometimes to the show's detriment (the reworking of the big finale, "the Brotherhood of Man," doesn't have the same kind of impact the original did, for example). And despite the fineness of Matthew Broderick in the lead role, he doesn't project the kind of ingratiating sexiness that made such a star out of Robert Morse. But everyone else in this re-do is superb, from Ronn Carroll as Mr. Biggley to Megan Mullaly playing the ingenue very charmingly years before she would stumble across the TV studio set as Karen Walker. (She's very charming in the great "Paris Original" number.) Best of all is Victoria Clark as Smitty, the heroine's best friend: her singing and speaking voice are so perfectly clear and memorable that you may never be able to get her pronunciation of the name "Rosemary" in the beginning of the show's second act completely out of your head.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Loesser's most adventurous score in a first-rate revival, Feb 28 2004

By

Jay Dickson (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (Audio CD)

Every song in HOW TO SUCCEED is a winner, even though there's hardly a standard in the whole show. How many musicals can you say that about? Asked to do the show, Frank Loesser truned it down and finally reconsidered: he came through with what is probably the most ambitious score of his career. How do you explain a song like "Coffee Break" or "A Secretary is Not a Toy"?--and yet both songs work beautifully, and are hilarious and still timely send-ups of office caffeine addiction and sexual politcs (respectively).

Although Matthew Broderick (while still quite fine) may not be as ingratiating or sexy as Finch as Robert Morse was, the rest of the cast is just about ideal. The real standout, as someone mentioned before, is the marvelous Victoria Clark as Smitty, but almost the whole cast shines. Before "Will and Grace" was a hit Megan Mullaly made me listen very carefully to her terrific renditions of "Happy to Keep his Dinner Warm" and (especially) "Paris Original," and Luba Mason is VERY funny as Hedy LaRue.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful energy in this recording!, Feb 22 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (Audio CD)

I recently purchased this recording to fill out my Broadway collection even more and I absolutely fell in love with the performances.

When this cast recording first came out, I was skeptical-thinking that it could never supercede the 1961 original. I was intrigued when The New York Times had Broderick on its front page with an in depth article on how an actor can infuse a popular song into something meaningful and how the current crop of opera singers could learn a thing or two from listening to MB's way with a lyric. Well...that article provoked quite a reaction from opera fans. Listening to this recording years later, I cannot help but agree with The New York Times. Broderick sings each song in a lilting voice, delivering the lyrics with intent. He sings the characterization and presents a guileful, cunning rogue.

Megan Mullally is a wonderful Rosemary who sings with just the right touch of irony to keep one from gagging on the sexist perception of women. Love Walter Cronkite's contributions and the additional dialogue added to the intro. and exit of songs aids the the characterizations as well. The sound production is top-notch and the whole cast performs on high octane. Recommended highly.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious!
A true gem of a revival, the most notable performance given by Victoria Clark as Smitty. Fresh orchestrations, nice contemporary vocal styles leave you toe tapping through to... Read more

Published on July 13 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Such an excellent show!
What an absolutely wonderful recording! I recently acquired this CD from a friend and was blown away! Read more

Published on May 28 2002 by captainjill05