Customer Reviews
Wonderful musical 
2008-08-10
This musical was VERY under appreciated. With every listen, you get more and more out of the words. If you like musicals, you will LOVE this one.
Tasty 
2008-07-24
"The Catered Affair" was not a success on Broadway, but the score deserves to be heard. The cast is excellent.
worth listening to 2008-07-14
I don't see this as ever winning a Tony. The voices are excellent and the story line captures your interest, but I didn't walk away from this humming any of the tunes.
I will recommend that many of my friends listen to this sountrack for the sake of the story line & the production quality, but it will never be one of my top ten
A very small pleasure 
2008-07-06
A very small pleasure, no pretty melodies, no complex story.
The songs allow you to follow the story well. Unfortunately the story is exactly the same as the old Bette Davis movie.
Faith Prince is fine, she has her Bronx accent perfect. Tom Wopat in good voice but his accent is not so satisfying. But Harvey Firestein is terrible! The raspy voice that was such fun in Hairspray is such an annoyance here.
I was disappointed when the show closed before I could get tickets. Now I'm glad I saved the $200.
An Almost Perfect Musical 2008-07-05
I was lucky enough to be New York recently and was priviledged to attend a Saturday Matinee of "A Catered Affair." This is the stuff of legends! Granted the book added a rather trite sub-plot about the uncle, but the music, direction, sets, costumes, orchestrations and stellar performances made for a momentous performance. And the CD beautifully captures the magical, delicate and wholly original score by John Bucchino. I almost chose not to see this show because of Ben Brantley's scathing review in the New York Times. Thank God, my heart took over and told me that this might be another "Light in the Piazza."
But it wasn't a copy of anything. It was completely original. Broadway is willing and wanting and waiting for such lovely pieces. Not since "She Loves Me" has a show been so wrongly criticized and ignored by the Tony nominators, who, for God's knows what reason, embraced the sophomoric and cloying "In the Heights." (I attended a performance of the latter where many audience members left at the intermission.) Another musical that got short-changed was "Young Frankenstein" with a near comic operetta score and stellar performances by all involved.
But I digress. If you're even thinking about going to NYC this summer, go immediately before "A Catered Affair" closes. It's scheduled to close in late July.
DO YOUR PART TO KEEP IT GOING!!
An Affair Not to Remember 2008-06-18
A Catered Affair, the new musical with book by four-time Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein, score by John Bucchino and direction by Tony Award-winner John Doyle, poses the question that inevitably faces every mother and daughter: whose wedding is it anyway? It's 1953, and family ties are strained when a Bronx mother struggles to give her only daughter the elaborate wedding she herself never had and the bride never asked for. Based on the 1956 motion picture of the same name, the production stars Tony Award-winner Faith Prince as Aggie Hurley, the mother-of-the-bride, Tony Award-nominee Tom Wopat as 'Tom Hurley,' the father-of-the-bride, and Fierstein himself as Winston, the uncle-of-the-bride. It's a funny, poignant and oh-so-human tale of love and disaffection, and the tender and melodic score to A Catered Affair -- expertly preserved on this original Broadway cast recording -- explores both our need for love and the true meaning of family.
It is what it is 
2008-06-17
This is the OBC recording of A Catered Affair -- a show that many of us can either take or leave -- still, it is a faithful recording of the production -- from the nuanced and lovely Faith Prince, to the absolutely awful (on stage and on recording) Harvey Fierstein. But it is what it is. I don't expect the show to run very long in NYC, so it's important to preserve the score for future productions. It will make for a good study recording for the many college and community productions sure to follow. It's worth a listen, and a place in your musical theatre library -- but I doubt listening to the score itself is going to pull may people into wanting to see the production itself.
A Lovely Affair 2008-06-12
Another gem that will probably go under-appreciatted, much like The Light In The Piazza, Parade and Floyd Collins. All beautifully written, intelligent and unconventional musicals, that have the audacity to expect the audience to have to think.
And this is absolutely uncoventional. No huge song and dance numbers, no big opening or finale. Basically a chamber musical, small orchestra, the score is almost recititive, it becomes an extension of the characters thoughts or conversation. And it is absolutely lovely. All about the trials amongst an ordinary middle class family, circa 1953, over a daughters impending wedding.
The performances are marvelous. Harvey Fierstein (despite what others have commented) gives a very understated and touching performance as the gay uncle. Faith Prince brings a quiet longing and sadness to the role of Aggie, the mother. And most impressive is Tom Wopat as the father, coping with all the stress and problems of the situation (as well as years of a stale marriage and loss of a son), until finally he explodes in desperation towards the end of the show. It is utterly heart breaking.
Most definetly worth getting if you're interested in thought provoking musical theater.
Sadly, it's already closed, not helped by the poor choice of scene televised on the Tony Awards. The scene and song simply did not work on TV, there were certainly more effective moments that should have been chosen.
Not Your Typical Score 2008-06-11
Given the pedigree of this show, I was anxious to see "A Catered Affair" last month in New York. The cast (led by Faith Prince, Tom Wopat, Harvey Fierstein, etc.) were excellent in this musical - a musical, however, l that felt much more like a interesting play with incidental music - similar to "Caroline or Change".
The score was beautiful, but simply did not have many (any?) songs that remained embedded in the brain afterwards. It plays better as a continuous story. And Mr. Fierstein's voice simply does not play as well here as it did in his Tony-winning role in "Hairspray".
Best Tracks:
Married
Vision
Don't Ever Stop Saying "I Love You"
Addictive 2008-06-10
Since I purchased this CD last week, it has been on repeat constantly. I have not seen the show (getting tickets very soon!), but the score is very layered and sophisticated, yet intentionally humble (to go along with the theme of the show).
John Bucchino is, hands down, among the most talented songwriters in the world. He comes through on this score. At first I was expecting the typical Broadway formula - large opening, a few ballads, a few uptempos, and some large choral pieces thrown in. This CD is different, which is what makes it so special. In its understated in an elegant approach, it is painfully addicting. I am also not somebody who listens to lyrics as much as the music, but this show carries a knock-out punch message that you have to be willing to hear and experience. For those who are, it will take you on a rollercoaster ride. Keep your eyes (and ears) open, and enjoy (if you've heard the CD, you'll know what I mean).
