My Favourite Broadway: The Love Songs
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| My Favourite Broadway: The Love Songs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Live album by Various artists | ||||
| Released | 27 February 2001 | |||
| Recorded | 16 October 2000 | |||
| Genre | Show tune, pop | |||
| Label | Hybrid Recordings | |||
| Julie Andrews chronology | ||||
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My Favourite Broadway: The Love Songs is a cast live album recorded during a special Broadway concert at New York's City Center in October 2000. The event brought together several notable Broadway performers, and the album was released on compact disc (CD) by Hybrid Recordings on February 27, 2001.[1] The concert, recorded live under the musical direction of Paul Gemignani, was released on VHS and DVD by Image Entertainment.
The concert featured a variety of musical theater love songs, performed by an all-star lineup, and served as a benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Critics highlighted the album's emotional and standout performances, praised its nostalgic and "magical" moments, but also noted that some tracks felt like pop versions that prioritized the performers over the songs..
The special Broadway concert My Favourite Broadway: The Love Songs, held at New York's City Center in October 2000, was a benefit event for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.[2][3] Julie Andrews served as host for the concert, introducing many of the acts and even performing a brief duet of "The Rain in Spain" with Michael Crawford.[4] The show featured selections from a wide array of musical theater classics, with songs drawn from productions such as My Fair Lady, Funny Lady, The Music Man, West Side Story, Sweet Charity, Guys and Dolls, and Camelot. Featured performers included Bebe Neuwirth ("I'm a Brass Band"), Nathan Lane ("Sue Me"), Heather Headley ("He Touched Me"), Linda Eder ("What Kind of Fool Am I?"), Marin Mazzie ("What Did I Have That I Don’t Have?", "Not a Day Goes By"), Chita Rivera ("How Lucky Can You Get?"), Michael Crawford ("The Music of the Night"), and Peter Gallagher ("Too Late Now").[5][6][7]
Some performers delivered one-time renditions of relatively obscure or underperformed songs from Broadway's past. For instance, Rebecca Luker performed "Too Late Now", a piece less commonly heard. Robert Goulet contributed "If Ever I Would Leave You", and Adam Pascal offered "Seasons of Love".[1][8] Barry Manilow and Tom Wopat also made appearances, adding variety to the tracklist.[8]
The CD was edited under the musical direction of Paul Gemignani. The entire project was recorded live, capturing audience reactions and stage interactions. A portion of the proceeds from CD sales supported AIDS-related charities and services.[8]
In addition to the performances, the event highlighted the legacy of Broadway music and its impact. Julie Andrews's introduction and participation was seen as especially significant given her vocal limitations following past throat surgery.[9]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[9] |
William Ruhlmann of AllMusic highlighted the emotional impact of the performances, noting that the moment when Julie Andrews sings a few bars of "The Rain in Spain" after her throat surgery "will bring a tear to the eye of any fan of musical theater". It concluded that this moment stands as "the highlight of an album that… features some wonderful performances".[10]
Back Stage called the album "a new must-have CD for any musical theatre enthusiast's collection" and stated that listening to the album offers "a similar remembrance of the magic and wonder that classic composers and performers brought to the medium".[8]The Hour wrote that "many of the cuts are strictly pop versions of show tunes that won't recall the contexts in which they were first heard", suggesting that they "seem designed to boost not the songs but their interpreters’ egos". However, the newspapper emphasized that these tracks should be "contrast[ed] with distinctive character-laden numbers by Marin Mazzie, Robert Goulet, Peter Gallagher and Chita Rivera".[11]
DVD release
The album was also released on VHS and DVD by Image Entertainment, with a runtime of 1 hour and 44 minutes, featuring highlights from the event.[12][13] Regarding the DVD, John Kenrick of Musicals101.com wrote that "serious fans will enjoy wallowing in this showtune-fest".[14]