Alice Ripley Tom Hewitt Kristen Lee Kelly - The Rocky Horror Show 2000 Broadway Revival Cast (20 tracks) +Album Reviews

LOST IN THE TIME WARP!

Robert Edler | Saint Louis, Missouri USA | 06/05/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Prologue: I am a BMM Rocky Horror fan. That means Before Midnight Madness! I bought and enjoyed either the English Cast or pre-Broadway Cast LP album (I don't remember which since I gave all my LPs to charity when my turntable called it quits.) I rushed to get tickets to see the show when it finally arrived on Broadway. (I got to New York on June 12 to discover the Belasco was already dark. So I either saw EQUUS or THE RITZ instead.) When the movie finally opened my friends and I went to the first show on opening night. It was only playing at one theatre in town; a great old neighborhood theater located near the Washington University campus. We were the only six people in the audience. (The theater has since served as failed drugstore and later a used record store.) Finally, when the movie was released on video I quickly snatched up my copy. In all that time (26 plus years) I have never witnessed one of the audience participation versions of the show/movie. With that said, I'll get on with the review of the new Broadway original cast recording.With one major and one minor exception, the new cast gives an outstanding vocal interpretation of the score. The major exception is Lea DeLaria in the dual role of Eddie/Dr. Scott. She may have the beef, but she's no Meatloaf. I found her vocal style to be extremely annoying on HOT PATOOIE and her Dr. Scott persona carries camp to new amateurish extremes. The minor exception is Tom Hewitt as Frank `N' Furter. He probably gives an outstanding performance on stage, but as recorded his interpretation suffers from the influences of 27 years of Tim Curry's characterization. As I noted at the start, I'm caught in a Rocky Horror Time Warp, and the new recording does not live of to my memories of the original. Director, Christopher Ashley, states in the liner notes that it was impossible to capture "the audience dynamics" of the live performance. Which is correct since in order to do that, he would have had to record the show in a life performance. Besides, the original recording survived without "audience dynamics" - the HAIR recording survived without "audience dynamics" - hundreds of successful original cast recordings survived without "audience dynamics." As the director says in the liner notes, "It is a rock album!" Just not a good one in my opinion"

Cleaned Up For The Disc, But Still Bursting With Fun

Dave | Bethel Park, Pa | 05/16/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is next to impossible to hate "The Rocky Horror Show", especially when it is performed by such an amazing and charismatic ensamble cast as this. The 2000 revival of Richard O'Brien's tale of sexual discovery and moral deconstruction was indeed a breath of fresh air in Times Square, however the actual performance isn't represented on this disc. When sitting in Circle in The Square, you'll hear a much more hardcore rock sound, which has been softened on the disc, most notably on Science Fiction Double Feature, which is still perfectly fine seeing as nothing is lost.Alice Ripley and Jerrod Emick are too enjoyable as the square Brad and Janet. Both have clean and pleasant voices that are vets of a whole slew of musical, which perfectly contrast with the wild and rockin voices of the other players. Though Joan Jett is not on the CD, she still brought a rock'n'roll essence to Columbia that Kristen Lee Kelly doesn't lose on the album. Raúl Esparza is the definition of incredible as Riff-Raff. It's a shame that the recording was released two days after he left the cast (best of luck to him in tick tick... BOOM though). Though Lea DeLaria is often frowned upon, she really kicks as Eddie/Dr. Scott. Both characters are played for the laughs, as they should be. Sebastian LeClause is vocally a great Rocky, but his being shorter than Frank made it a tad awkward, but that affects nothing. Speaking of Frank, has there ever been a greater than Tom Hewitt. He perhaps even bests Tim Curry, if that's possible. His crazy and absolutely perfect voice etch Sweet Transvestite and I'm Going Home, et cetera into your ears ? from where they'll never escape. Of course, the real treat is Daphne Rubin-Vega as Magenta. After her hiatus after RENT and her botched CD deal ... she's back in the habit, and she's perfect. The only draw back is that she has to share Science Fiction Double Feature with Columbia, but it's a small price to pay for her incredible talent.Overall, this is possibly the best Rocky Horror album out there, even besting the Roxy cast, which so many hold near and dear. Buy this and you won't be sorry, and you'll be able to do the Time Warp over and over again."

Echoing the midnight madness of so many years ago

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 07/08/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The revival of "The Rocky Horror Show" on Broadway at Circle in the Square in 2000 was treated with some skepticism. After all, the film version is a cult classic and the epitome of the midnight movie. But this is a revival that is fully aware of what the source material is and who would be coming to see it or, in this case, listen to the cast album. After all, those of us who brought our lighters, squirt guns, newspapers, hot dogs, and (at least in my case) a bell, are twice as old and there is nothing wrong with enjoying the madness of our misspent youths. Watching the movie, especially without the company of a theater full of fanatics and all are assorted props, is rather unfulfilling these days. But listening to this 2000 Broadway Revival Cast album of "The Rocky Horror Show" brings back a sense of the fun.

The production in general and the performers for the most part are not interesting in the art of imitation. The aesthetic here is clearly one of camp, perhaps down to excess, but the rules say you cannot do anything to excess in the realm of "Rocky Horror." From the start with "Opening/Science Fiction Double Feature" it is clearly everybody knows what is going on; the audience is encouraged to spell out "R-O-C-K-Y" just like it was another midnight showing. When "Science Fiction Double Feature" turns into a duet you not only think that it makes sense since it is about a "double" feature, but you also realize that the goal here is to make things sound different (if not fresher) than what we recall from the movie.

So there is more energy throughout, as is appropriate to a stage production (a fact I can attest to because I got to see a local production of this version that was great: who would have thought Frank would work without the fishnet stockings as a platinum blonde drag queen?). Of the cast Alice Ripley as Janet Veiss (Weiss) does the best job. As Dr. Frank N. Furter you will notice that Tom Hewitt tries to sing around Tim Curry's definitive performance trying to come up with something different without straying too far, an approach that proves problematic. Jarrod Emick plays Brad Majors and gets the joy of singing "Once in a While," which was cut from the film but is a prime track from the original Roxy cast album. Dick Cavett pops up as the Narrator, but you never get the sense that he gets the point of the festivities (the joke of his being in the show is over before he opens his mouth). But Lea DeLaria, known for her performance in "On the Town," gets to play both Eddie and Dr. Scott, thereby providing the best representation of the insanity associated with enjoying the movie with your friends. Sebastian LaCause sounds pretty good as Rocky, but the monster often seemed like it was a throw away part in the various casts.

It would seem with all these complains that I would not like this particular cast album, but the success of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" was always because it embraced its faults. These songs are serviceable and it is what you do with them more than the original material that matters. Richard O'Brien's musical always was more fun than the sum of its parts, and it should be pointed out that this production was nominated for Best Revival of a Musical in the 2001 Tony Awards). Granted, my memories of taking unsuspecting neophytes to midnight showings so they could be shocked out of their gourds might be affecting my hearing, or the fact that I am growing noticeably death, but I think this album reminds us of the need to give ourselves over to absolute pleasure."

You'll be time-warping like there's no tomorrow!

cabaret_54 | 07/09/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Richard O'Brien's sexy, gritty, thrilling and provacative revival of the cult classic ROCKY HORROR is fantastically preserved on this CD. While its a little toned down from the live version at Circle in the Square, it's still just as good. This cast is FANTASTIC with a capital F. Daphnie Rubin-Vega makes a triumphant return to the boards after her post-RENT absence. She should have been nominated for a Tony. Alice Ripley and Jerrod Emick are absolutley delecious as Brad and Janet...a million times better than Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick. Kristin Lee Kelly and Raul Esparza are fantastic (I saw Kristin instead of Joan Jett the night I went, and she was perfect) as Columbia and Riff-Raff respectevally. Dick Cavett is perfectly cast as the Narrator, and Lea DeLaria is great as Eddie/Dr. Scott(although, at the end of "Hot Patotie", she was a little sickening to listen too). Hunky Sebastian LeClause has a surprisingly excellent voice as Rocky and "The Sword of Damocles" is perfect. The real star of the CD is the one and only Tom Hewitt. He gives Tim Curry a run for his money as the "sweet transvestite from Transexual-Transylvania". He knows how to play Frank-N-Furter with just the right amount of estrogen/testosterone. Fantastic.Buy this CD and you will NOT be disapointed, I promise you that. The orchestrations are great and the cast is to die for. Finally, ROCKY HORROR is back on Broadway where it belongs with a stellar cast that comes along every once and a while. LETS DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN!!"

Rocky At Less Than Its Best

missmagenta | Illinois | 05/22/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"For more than 3 months I eagerly waited for this to be released, my anticipation fueled by all the wonderful reviews I had read about this cast. Sadly, I have been quite disappointed. There are some parts that are awesome, but on other recordings of RHS the entire album has been awesome. So here's what I liked. I think that Daphne Rubin-Vega is the perfect Usherette/Magenta and I absolutely loved every moment of her performance. Since every great Magenta needs an equally great Riff, Raul Esparza is just as impressive as Vega, and his performance is very reminiscent of Bruce Scott's on the Roxy recording. Esparza sounds totally wired and is wonderful. Jarrod Emick is the quintessential Brad and plays the part with power and emotion, most notably on "Once In A While" which has a fresh and creative new arrangement. This new arrangement can be best described as breathtaking, most notably at the beginning, the airy harmonies are to die for! Kristen Lee Kelly as Columbia proves that Joan Jett was NOT needed on this album, and personally I'd rather listen to Kristen's voice over Joan's any day. Sebastian LaCause has a great voice and sounds perfect for a Rocky, but he sounds too restrained, almost like the producers told him to tone it down. Now the bad news. Tom Hewitt does a fair job as Frank N. Furter, considering how the part is completely owned by Tim Curry and will always be. I thought that Hewitt could have given Frank a more masculine personality rather than playing it as crazed drag queen. The reason Curry owns this role is because he was able to infuse it with a perfect balance of femininity and masculinity, he may have been wearing stockings and heels, but there was no doubt that he was all man. Unfortunately, Hewitt was unable to achieve this balance that is so vital to the role. Lea DeLaria is acceptable as Eddie until the end of "Hot Patootie", then she starts screaming the notes and just becomes almost unbearable to listen to. As Dr. Scott, she is not tolerable at all. She overdoes the accent (which was never intended to be a part of the play in the first place), and it is all too obvious that it is a woman straining to sing a man's role. Alice Ripley is my least favorite Janet out of all the recordings that I have heard. Her voice sounds very out of place in a rock musical. I thinks she ruins an otherwise incredible new arrangement of "Damn It, Janet" and to add to the damage, she is severely overshadowed by Emick. There is only one moment that I actually enjoy her performance and that is her "God bless Lily St. Cyr" line. If she had only sung the rest like that it would have been terrific. Dick Cavett sounds totally bored and unenthusiastic as the Narrator, and really brings down "Time Warp" which is fabulous other than that. A few miscellaneous notes: they should have gone back to the stage version of "I Can Make You A Man", in "Planet, Schmanet" the "Planet, Schmanet, Janet" is far too understated when it should be the central focus of the song, Hewitt doesn't sound nearly angry enough on "PSJ", I loved the wedding bell effect with the background voices on "Damn It, Janet", this is the first recording that I have heard that I do not like how "Wild and Untamed Thing' is performed. Overall, I think this could have been a really great cast album if the presentation of some of the parts was altered. I think every member of the cast had the potential to really shine, too bad this potentail wasn't realized by all. I have heard this recording compared to the 1974 Roxy Album, but this is not even in the same league. The Roxy Album is nearly flawless. The new arrangements are for the most part very good, but some are overshadowed by peformers that leave more to be desired. It is worth checking out just because of the standouts (Vega, Esparza, Emick). One final thing I noticed is that nearly the entire album seems to suffer from bad mixing. There are quite a few times that the lead vocals are drowned out by the background vocals and even the background music, this realy detracts from enjoying the good parts of the album."

Search - Alice Ripley, Tom Hewitt, Kristen Lee Kelly :: The Rocky Horror Show (2000 Broadway Revival Cast)

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