I read the novel of the Secret Garden a long time ago, and really enjoyed it, so when I heard that they had made a musical of it, I was definitely intrigued. A friend lent me the CD and I was immediately hooked. I haven�t had a chance to see the show on stage yet, but I think it has some of the most beautiful music to be written in the last few years for Broadway.
Random Thoughts on the CDs:
The Original Broadway Cast: Pretty near perfection, as far as I�m concerned. There isn�t a performance here that I don�t love. I have to make special mention of Robert Westenberg as Neville Craven - his voice makes me melt, even if he doesn�t get to sing nearly as much as he should. :-) When Robert combines with Mandy Patinkin (as Archibald Craven) to sing �Lily�s Eyes� I get shivers whenever I listen to it. Mandy is wonderful, as well. His �Race You To the Top of the Morning� and �Where in the World� get me every time. Rebecca Luker as Lily is lovely, and Daisy Eagan is a fantastic Mary Lennox. All of the music has an almost Irish lilt to it, and the songs are gorgeous, and beautifully performed. I definitely recommend this CD to anyone, whether you�re a musicals fan or not!
The Original Australian Cast: My major complaint? It�s only a highlights recording. Other than that, it�s just about perfect. I never thought I could like a recording of this show as much as the OBC, but I knew as soon as I heard the cast list for this recording that it would be just fine. :-) Two of the finest voices in Australian musical theatre (or world musical theatre, for that matter) play the Craven brothers - the phenomenal Anthony Warlow as Archibald and the fantastic Philip Quast as Neville. Philip only gets to sing one song on this recording (�Lily�s Eyes�) but when he combines with Anthony they bring down the house. Gorgeous. Marina Prior is great as Lily, too. I don�t listen to this recording as much, mostly because it�s only the highlights (nine songs is just not enough!), but it is definitely worth adding to your collection!
The Secret Garden - photos, sound clips, the libretto and more!Rebecca Luker Discography - dedicated to Broadway's Lily, Rebecca LukerMandy Patinkin - for the Archibald of the OBC, Mandy PatinkinThe Philip Quast Continuum - a great page for Australia's Neville, Philip QuastMidnight Dreaming - the best Anthony Warlow page I've found
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