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| Song and Dance Original Broadway Cast Recording Cover |
Back in 1985, there was a lot of buzz around New York for the new Bernadette Peters show, "Song & Dance." Unfortunately, Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Song & Dance" didn't get much attention in the United States outside of New York. It was already a hit in London, originally starring Marti Webb and eventually Liz Robertson, Lulu, and then Sarah Brightman. This recording preserves only "The Songs" of "Song & Dance," essentially known as "Tell Me On A Sunday," omitting act 2, "Dance," which is set to the instrumental music known as "Variations." The producers felt that New York audiences wouldn't connect with the original story, so Richard Maltby, Jr. was brought in to direct the show, adapt it for American audiences, and add lyrics to new songs and revise existing ones. In this version, the character is named Emma, and it follows her involvement with four men: Chuck, Sheldon, a married man named Paul, and the significant character and star of act 2, Joe. Several tunes from the London production were replaced with new songs, like "Last Man In My Life" was swapped out for the earworm "Unexpected Song," which is possibly the greatest of the new material, highlighting Emma's love for Joe. A song from the London production, "Nothing Like You I've Ever Known," was included for some reason, even though it wasn't in the Broadway show. Thankfully, we get to hear Bernadette Peters' fine rendition of it.
Bernadette Peters' British accent is best described as somewhat natural yet studied during the speaking parts, but her singing in a British accent feels a bit of a stretch, considering Brits rarely sing in their own accent. During the recording sessions, Peters was ill and requested they wait until she was well. Despite this, she is in fine voice, and her performance feels very much like she's on stage singing to an audience throughout. The orchestrations have a somewhat dated mid-1980s vibe, but it works. My main complaint, besides act 2 not being recorded, is that the orchestra sounds metallic and small rather than the lush sound expected from a musical theatre recording. There are also issues with the way the vocals were mixed, and though the recording has supposedly been remastered, there are sections with some distortion on Peters' vocals, mostly during the belting sections.
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| Song & Dance Original Broadway Poster |
Of the three English-language recordings of "Song & Dance" released in the 1980s—the original London cast featuring Marti Webb and the 1984 London Cast recording featuring Sarah Brightman—this one is enjoyable in tandem with the Marti Webb album. Both albums featuring Webb and Brightman include the second act. It's a shame we never got an official recording from either Betty Buckley's run on Broadway or the touring production starring Melissa Manchester, as they would have been lovely additions to the "Song & Dance" discography.
Click the link below to listen to this incredible cast recording.
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