Falsettos At the East Milford Community Center (Finn & DeRosa's spoken
The Baseball Game
The Bitch and the Madonna (Finn welcomes Mary Testa & Carolee Carmello)
All Fall Down
When The Earth Stopped Turning
Tannis Root (Bill & Mary discuss parenting)
Set Those Sails
I Have Found
Infinite Joy
Stupid Things I Won't Do
Infinite Joy (reprise)
Bows
Recorded live at Joe's Pub in New York in January 2001, this collection is a wonderful treat. William Finn is best known for In Trousers, the award-winning Falsettoland, and the criminally underrated A New Brain. This CD i... more »ncludes excerpts from all those shows along with some rare gems and even some tantalizing bits from the upcoming The Royal Family of Broadway. Performed with Vadim Feichtner at the piano, the versions are sometimes wacky (in "The Baseball Game," Stephen DeRosa sings all the roles as if auditioning for an amateur production of Falsettoland), but they're always beguiling. Guests include Liz Callaway, Carolee Carmello, and Mary Testa, and Finn himself handles a few tunes. While he's not a traditionally good singer (think craggy enthusiasm), the least you can say is that he knows the material inside out. As with all good live recordings, this one makes you wish you had been there. --Elisabeth Vincentelli« less
Recorded live at Joe's Pub in New York in January 2001, this collection is a wonderful treat. William Finn is best known for In Trousers, the award-winning Falsettoland, and the criminally underrated A New Brain. This CD includes excerpts from all those shows along with some rare gems and even some tantalizing bits from the upcoming The Royal Family of Broadway. Performed with Vadim Feichtner at the piano, the versions are sometimes wacky (in "The Baseball Game," Stephen DeRosa sings all the roles as if auditioning for an amateur production of Falsettoland), but they're always beguiling. Guests include Liz Callaway, Carolee Carmello, and Mary Testa, and Finn himself handles a few tunes. While he's not a traditionally good singer (think craggy enthusiasm), the least you can say is that he knows the material inside out. As with all good live recordings, this one makes you wish you had been there. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
"A lovingly-recorded keepsake from a memorable evening of performance. For those of us who consider Finn America's greatest living songwriter (yes, there are some of us), what a treasure to have these songs preserved for posterity.Any one of these gems is worth the purchase price: Lewis Cleale's passionate "Hitchhiking Across America," Wanda Houston's soulful "That's Enough for Me," Norm Lewis' stunning "Anytime," Liz Callaway's sob-in-the-throat "Infinite Joy." Best of all, though, is Carolee Carmello's rendition of the heartbreaking "When the Earth Stopped Turning," perhaps the finest song the man has yet written.The glory of Finn's songwriting is that it continually surprises you with its onslaught of emotions. Just when you think you've reached the peak, he raises the bar again and again, leaving the listener exhausted and breathless.Special mention must be made of music director Vadim Feichtner's wonderful piano and vocal arrangements, which perfectly complement and enhance the songs.If you consider yourself at all interested in contemporary musical theatre, or even just literate, well-crafted music full of fire and passion, this CD is whole-heartedly recommended to you."
Buy this CD now.
Michael | New York, NY USA | 06/29/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The only gripe I have about this CD is that every time I pop it in, it drives me absolutely crazy that I'd missed out on actually being there.As a young actor and a contemporary music theatre enthusiast, this recording is a prime example and a constant reminder of why I'm in this business. Hearing the soaring voice of Carolee Carmello, the rich tones of Norm Lewis and the absolutely hysterical Mary Testa (some of the random dialogue is classic) makes me break out in goose bumps upon every listen.Personal highlights are: Carolee singing, "I Have Found," Liz Callaway's rendition of "Sailing," and everything out of Wanda Houston's mouth. Mr. Finn, while not exactly a pleasing vocalist, breaks up the night (and the audience) with a classic rip on "Republicans" and "Stupid Things I Won't Do."I couldn't think of a better title than "Infinite Joy" for this recording."
Like being at the club
jjo | Chicago, Illinois United States | 09/21/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This album (is that word still usable?) is a recording of a nightclub tribute to the music of William Finn, one of our best current composers of musicals. The songs are excellent and the singers fantastic. You don't get the polished sound of a studio recording but instead the feeling that you are there listening to an all star cast sing some wonderful songs. You also get some of the banter between Finn and the singers as he introduces them. Finn sings a few tunes, and while you wouldn't cast him for a real show, his sense of humor makes his performaces in a few mostly comic tunes a delight as well."
Finn is in
R. Sucgang | Houston, TX United States | 04/09/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"In a sentence: I liked this CD. A lot.
Of course, one does have to be in the know of the NY musical theatre at the time to understand some of the in jokes, and while Bill Finn isn't exactly the best interpreter of his own work, there is such an earnestness and beauty to the music, I wish I was actually there to enjoy it."
A joyful evening!
Todd O'Dowd | Minneapolis, MN | 09/14/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Well, campers. This disk is a wonderful intro into the wacky and highly litterate world of William Finn. My one carp is that he sings (though it works on "Republicans") but so what? This is a fun evening.There are three main pleasures on this disc. The first are songs we've heard but with different singers. This includes Lewis Cleale's rendition of "And They're Off" from A NEW BRAIN and Stephen DeRosa's one-man take on the baseball game scene from FALSETTOS.Pleasure #2 is discovering newer performers and hearing old friends. In the newer category we have Mr. Cleale and Wanda Houston (who gives an elegant rendition of "The Music Plays On"). In terms of old friends we have the lovely Liz Callaway (granted I like her sister more and yes her rendition of Sailing doesn't hold a candle to Norm Lewis's but it's a treat to hear her crystaline mezzo anytime). The third pleasure is the form of lesser known songs such as "Anytime" (sung by the always amazing Mr. Lewis) and "Hitchhiking across America" (another great performance by Mr. Cleale). As good as the assembled are there are two performers who stand out for me. The first is Carolee Carmello who managed to belt the soaring end of "I have Found" whilst being eight months pregnant. May her voice continue to astonish for a long time. The other star of the cast (and normally someone I'm not that big a fan of) is Mary Testa. Her idiosyncrasities (which made her such a poor choice in Forum and 42nd Street) are perfectly suited for Finn's idiosyncratic writing. Her rendition of "All Fall Down" was brilliant and "Set those Sails" was glorious."