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Wonderful Town (2004 Broadway Revival Cast with Brooke Shields) | 
| Artists: Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, Brooke Shields, Adolph Green, Jennifer Hope Wills
Label: Drg
Category: Music
List Price: $17.98
Buy New: $9.09
You Save: $8.89 (49%)
New (12) Used (9) from $4.80
Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 231098
Format: Cast Recording, Enhanced, Soundtrack
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
UPC: 021471477627
EAN: 0021471477627
ASIN: B0006SSRGA
Release Date: December 7, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | Overture | | • | Christopher Street | | • | Ohio | | • | Conquering New York | | • | One Hundred Easy Ways | | • | What A Waste | | • | A Little Bit in Love | | • | Pass the Football | | • | Conversation Piece | | • | A Quiet Girl | | • | Conga! | | • | My Darlin' Eileen | | • | Swing | | • | Ohio (Reprise) | | • | It's Love | | • | Ballet at the Village Vortex | | • | Wrong Note Rag | | • | Finale | | • | Ohio, It's Love, Quiet Girl | | • | Wrong Note Rag |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Wonderful Town is a terrifically fun musical, but do you really need this recording? The answer will be yes if you fall within one of these two categories: (a) You collect recordings of the show and must own them all or (b) you're a huge fan of Brooke Shields. The actress replaced Donna Murphy in the lead role of the 2003 Broadway revival, and did a creditable job bringing Ruth Sherwood to gawky life during her five-month run. Shields performs over the same instrumental tracks you can hear on the revival's prime recording. (Jennifer Hope Wills replaces Jennifer Westfeldt as Eileen Sherwood; the rest of the cast is unchanged.) From a purely vocal point of view, the switch wasn't an upgrade--Murphy is among Broadway's best stylists after all--though Shields is far from being an embarrassment. She may not have the technique, but her comic gusto is winning. Still, this CD remains for completists only. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 Many "Wrong Notes" in this rag January 6, 2005
N. Schechner
8 out of 14 found this review helpful
Although Brooke Shields recived positive reviews in her run as Ruth in Wonderful Town I was VERY VERY disapointed with this recording, I think it is just verry simpal Brooke Shields is no Donna Murphy. Considering that Brooke Shields isn't one of our better vocalists, it is still a load of crap. Beyond Shields' and Wills' vocals, the rest of the recording remains the same as it was with Murphy and Westfeldt. Several tracks are untouched from the 2004 edition; these include the overture, "Christopher Street," "Pass the Football," "A Quiet Girl," "Ballet at the Village Vortex," almost all of "My Darlin' Eileen," and, but for a spoken line or two, "Conquering New York" and "What a Waste."
BUY THE ONE WITH DONNA MURPHY- A REAL BROADWAY STAR
 Don't buy it! January 5, 2005
Lena (Astoria, NY)
7 out of 13 found this review helpful
This album makes me upset. There was a beautiful wonderful album already released with the brilliant Donna Murphy and then the producers put this out to compete with it? Why would they do that? Get the one with Donna Murphy, you won't regret it.
Still a Wonderful Town January 7, 2005
Music Man (Boston MA)
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
Okay, so Brooke Shields is not a premier vocalist. Let's remember that the part of Ruth Sherwood was initially written for THE non-vocalist of musical theater, Rosalind Russell, and was tailored to her vocal limitations. As I recall from that cast recording, her shortcomings were more than compensated for by the sheer force of her acting chops. While Shields is no Roz Russell, she acquits herself fairly well on this recording and is certainly never less than a complete pro. One internet review accused her of having pitch problems, which may be true, but anyone who's listened to Donna Murphy (or Russell, for that matter) could make the same claim. Shields manages. Unfortunately, her occassional tendency to mimic the vocal mannerisms of Murphy is a bit too obvious and is a distraction. On the other hand, Jennifer Hope Wills makes for a saucy Eileen and is a great addition to the new recording. Of course, new is relative here since everything else on this CD is a holdover from the initial Murphy CD. Still, I have to give this one 4 stars because the score is still magnificent and this is as pristine and dynamic a cast recording as I've ever heard. These songs fairly leap out of the speakers and listening to them is an absolute delight. It may not be the definitive version of the score (that honor belongs to Murphy's) but it's so close to perfection that it shouldn't be ignored because of the supposed limitations of a perfectly fine performer. Listen to Brooke, and you'll still want to CONGA!
Brooke Shields is the new girl in "Town"... March 1, 2005
Byron Kolln (the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a re-jigged edition of the 2003 Broadway revival recording of WONDERFUL TOWN, featuring 2004 replacements Brooke Shields and Jennifer Hope Wills as Ruth and Eileen Sherwood, respectively. In one of those rare occurances where 2 different recordings exist for a single revival, it's great to be able to compare Shields and Wills with their predecessors (Donna Murphy and Jennifer Westfeldt). Brooke Shields gamely brings her own spin to the role of outspoken self-reliant Ruth, and her "100 Easy Ways to Lose a Man" is full of comedy and mirth. Jennifer Hope Wills has a glowing and lilting soprano voice which suits the numbers of Eileen to a tee. The rest of the cast remains the same (only the tracks of Shields and Wills are new, the rest recycled from the 2003 album). Not essential if you were satisfied with the Donna Murphy effort, but one can never have too many recordings of this heavenly score.
 Great music! Great fun! March 30, 2005
NAVLE (Herndon, VA USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I had the pleasure of watching Brooke Shields and Jennifer Hope Willis on Broadway, and I was thrilled to get the album with the cast I saw! Even though I had already purchased the 1999 studio recording of the show, I had to have this one, and I have not regretted it. Both Brooke and Jennifer were great in the show, and so was Gregg Edelman. And yes Brooke can sing, and she was very funny, perfect for the role of Ruth (and she was there!). It would be hard to get in front of Broadway audiences night after night as she did, giving the performance she did, if she could not sing. Her dedication was much appreaciated by lovers of this and all other shows on Broadway. Enjoy the recording!
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