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Original Broadway Cast. This was the only recording of the show that I owned for years and years, and it’s still my favourite recording. There are some really great things about it. I love the completeness of it – you can easily follow what’s going on even if you don’t know anything about the show. Also, the cast is great – Bernadette Peters, Joanna Gleason, Robert Westenberg and Chuck Wagner in particular. Everything about it just feels the way it was meant to be! I’d say it’s a must-have for any fan of the show. |
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Original London Cast. Once you get used to the British accents, you’re bound to enjoy this recording, though not quite as much as the original Broadway cast. There’s a tiny bit of energy lacking, and just a certain indescribable “something” that makes the Broadway cast so fantastic. Some of the cast are equally as good as their Broadway counterparts, while others I don’t like as much. Still, if you are a fan of the show, or are interested in hearing the song “Our Little World” which is not on the original Broadway cast CD, you won’t regret making this purchase. But if you’re new to the show, get the Broadway cast first! |
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New Broadway Cast. I was really excited to get another recording of this show, and this one is really fun as well. Laura Benanti is fantastic as Cinderella, and I love Gregg Edelman as well. Vanessa Williams has some really nice moments, but other parts (like the “rap” in the opening sequence – what’s up with the orchestrations there?) didn’t quite work for me. I’m not sure why they had both princes as wolves for “Hello Little Girl”, but it doesn’t really make much difference. The biggest difference from the original cast is the song “Our Little World” (also on the London recording), which I’m pretty ambivalent about. It’s kind of nice for Rapunzel to have something to sing, but the song itself doesn’t really do much for me. And there are a couple of things, like Jack and Red Riding Hood coming in at the end of “Steps of the Palace” that I rather dislike. However, overall, I do enjoy this recording, but I’ll probably still listen to the original cast more. |