Love this version! I adore Bernadette Peters, and Martin Short is a great singer! Catchy songs that are fun to listen to! A fun (albeit unknown) broadway score!
Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 08/04/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"THE GOODBYE GIRL is a satisfying musical version of the Neil Simon romantic comedy, with a score by David Zippel and Marvin Hamlisch which is as sassy and accomplished as anything else written by the duo. Bernadette Peters (in a Tony-nominated performance) plays the unlucky-in-love dancer Paula, with Martin Short as Elliott, the equally unlucky-in-love actor.
The score gets off to a cracking start with Paula's anthemic "No More"; also charming is Paula's plee to her daughter Lucy (Tammy Minoff) to "Don't Follow in My Footsteps". Elliott's "I Think I Can Play This Part" and "Good News, Bad News" are likewise great character numbers. Paula's 11 o'clock number "What a Guy" is a real showstopper.
THE GOODBYE GIRL received mixed reviews when it opened in 1993, buoyed by the star-power of Peters and Short. Producers wisely closed the show when Peters and Short had completed their contracts. The cast also includes Scott Wise, Carol Woods, Cynthia Onrubia, Susann Fletcher and Linda Talcott."
Great score preserved in a well-produced CD
Mark Andrew Lawrence | Toronto | 02/08/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Though the show only lated 188 performances in the springa nd summer of 1993, this original cast albums preserves two top star performances and great score that does just what a great Broadway score should do: It tells the story and establishes the characters.
Columbia's recording is laid out so that the home listener can easily follow the story. The booklet includes a detailed synopsis and all the lyrics. The recording omits the brief opening song "This is as good as it gets" because the number was just a lead-in to the first scene. Otherwise the full score is here and it's joy from start to finish. Ok, the second act song "Too Good to Be Bad" is unnecessarily shoe-horned in as a showpiece for Carol woods (who makes the most of it) but the rest is pure gold."
Not the best Bernadette, merely wonderful!
P. J. Willson | Williamsburg, VA USA | 08/15/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Okay, The Goodbye Girl was not the best Bernadette Peters vehicle ever, but it is still pretty darn wonderful, and the CD does not disappoint at all. As a matter of fact, the CD is some improvement over the live performance which tended to drag. Bernadette is Bernadette and Martin Short was a fabulous surprise on Broadway and singing here. The songs are grand fun and lift the heart. You won't be sorry you added this to your collection of Original Cast albums."
Marvin's Best Score
R Seaman | Norfolk United Kingdom | 03/01/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The previous review should be ignored. All the songs are great Marvin Hamlisch numbers, especially the instrumental "Jump For Joy". It's a complete thrill!"
Buy this CD!
R Seaman | 08/07/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you are a fan of Bernadette Peters or Martin Short you should definetly get this CD. It is one of my overall favorites. The music in wonderfull. All of the songs are worth listining to."