Search - Michael John LaChiusa, Audra McDonald, Anthony Crivello :: Marie Christine (1999 Broadway Cast)

Marie Christine (1999 Broadway Cast)
Michael John LaChiusa, Audra McDonald, Anthony Crivello
Marie Christine (1999 Broadway Cast)
Genres: Pop, Soundtracks, Classical, Broadway & Vocalists
 
A retelling of Medea transposed to 19th-century America, Marie Christine falls short of its lofty ambitions, which still makes it more audacious than most of the current Broadway fare. Composer-lyricist Michael John LaChiu...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Michael John LaChiusa, Audra McDonald, Anthony Crivello, Mary Testa, Vivian Reed
Title: Marie Christine (1999 Broadway Cast)
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: RCA Victor Broadway
Original Release Date: 4/18/2000
Release Date: 4/18/2000
Album Type: Cast Recording
Genres: Pop, Soundtracks, Classical, Broadway & Vocalists
Styles: Vocal Pop, Opera & Classical Vocal, Musicals, Traditional Vocal Pop
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 090266359325, 090266359325

Synopsis

Amazon.com
A retelling of Medea transposed to 19th-century America, Marie Christine falls short of its lofty ambitions, which still makes it more audacious than most of the current Broadway fare. Composer-lyricist Michael John LaChiusa's lyrics can be cumbersomely narrative, and too often he dispatches a song without letting it develop fully, as if refusing to be overly easy on the ear. But the man's dramatic flair is undeniable, and this recording allows us to fully appreciate subtleties that got drowned in Graciela Daniele's often-dreary staging at Lincoln Center. Second-act opener "Cincinnati" shows that when he feels like it, LaChiusa can write the kind of boisterous big number that brings down a house. In the title role, Audra McDonald confirms that she is an incandescent presence. This welcome recording may help rehabilitate a misunderstood show. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

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CD Reviews

Beautiful... but how is it a show?
Kris | USA | 05/27/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)

"The "Beautiful" motif fits this show well... the music is beautiful. And arrogant. And lonely- Except for Audra's sake, I can't see how anyone went to see this.



My biggest complaint with with music is that LaChiusa refuses to allow his melodies to develop fully, which is unfortunate, because he's written some of the most beautiful music to come to New York since Adam Guettel's Floyd Collins, or even Sondhiem's Passion. In too many songs, he allows the song to build much too quickly; "Tell Me" for example, moves in suddenly, which, while striking, fails to fully develop the rage Marie Christine feels. Also, it seems LaChiusa feels that no chord, or even rhythm can be anything less than confusing. There doesn't need to be three melodies within the chord at the end of "Finale", nor does he need to follow the one truly melodic song in the entire show, "I Will Love You", with a jarring and, frankly painful, chord that seemed to assault my ears. This certainly doesn't help the hummable factor.



On another note, Audra McDonald is astoudning. She owns every note of LaChiusa's amazingly complex score. Her presence fills up the air from the moment you hear her voice. Anyone else in this role would have resulted in a complete wreck of a musical\"chamber opera". The rest, with the possible exceptions of Mary Testa and Darius DeHaas, are adequate and have their moments.



Ultimately, LaChiusa's music leaves a powerful impression; For all it's faults, I can't stop listening to several songs from Marie Christine: "Tell Me," "Your Name," "Paradise is Burning Down," "Prison in a Prison," and of course, "Beautiful" all enter my mind and won't let go, much like Marie herself."
Life embodied
marcia | Poughkeepsie NY | 02/13/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'll be brief by saying that I disagree with most of the posted reviews that claim LaChiusa's music to be cold or unncessarilly complicated. After speaking with Marc Kudisch (from LaChiusa's "Wild Party")after a performance of "See What I Wanna See"--an equally moving and stimulating piece--he recommended that I listen to LaChiusa's works multiple times to appreciate their subtle genius. I've listened to the recording of Marie Christine well over 50 times and am still discovering subtle patterns and recurring melodies that provide moving links to the characters' respective emotional journeys and memories at the time. More importantly, however, LaChiusa is unafraid to tackle dark subject matter and present it in an honest and raw way--seemingly unchained by the expected commercial value recquired of most Broadway shows today. Because of this, he is able to tap into some of the most primal of human emotions through his music, which is likewise butressed by the fantastic Audra and supporting cast. Perhaps its the actor/musician in me that finds this piece intriguing, but I believe that anyone who is willing to listen to this ablum without any pre-conceived notions about what it is or should be, can benefit from not only the beauty and insight of the music, but also the thoughtful presentation of the raw elements of the human experience that are, in some ways, universal to all of us. In other words, I highly recommmend this CD as one of LaChiusa's exemplary works."
Misunderstood
Wren Spencer | USA | 01/31/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Let me place my view of this piece in context -- I have just come off an extensive study of Gershwin's Porgy & Bess, a show that, sadly, was viewed -- and presented -- as a Broadway vehicle until the Houston Opera restored its full operatic score in 1976. I HATED P&B as Broadway vehicle/movie, but find it interpretation as an opera breathtaking.



I say all that to say that from the first time I heard Marie Christine I could not - for the life of me -- figure out what the *&(& it was doing on Broadway. Kudos for the reviewer who noted Medea isn't a sympathetic figure -- she isn't by B'way terms.



However, she fits comfortably into the world of opera - a place filled with unsympathetic leads.



I'd like to see MC staged by an opera company. Not "sold" as a B'way musical. Look at MC compared to Hairspray, Spamalot, even Guettel's Light... then place it in context with La Traviata, Aida, Carmen...

"