Potomac Stages readers who attended the ArtSpeak!
event a year ago need not be told how magically these two stars blend
together and compliment each other in the delivery of a song. They took a
day out of their careers to perform and handle interviews and audience
questions from children and families at Poe Middle School in Annandale, and
sang a slew of songs that convinced everyone in the hall that they are,
indeed, a special couple. This, their first joint recording, captures a
total of twenty two songs, seven of which they performed at ArtSpeak. It is
a package marked by good taste in the selection of material, in the
presentation, and in the artistry of these two stars who happen to have been
man and wife since before Ragtime or The Full Monty. |
Contents:
A studio recording by husband and wife, Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley,
including two solos by each, seven duets on individual songs as well as
medleys of songs by Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin and Stephen
Sondheim.There is a classy look to the package before
you open it up. The front and back covers are attractive and offer a full
list of the songs on the back which is always helpful so you don't have to
get the booklet out of the jewel case to find the track number of a song you
want to hear. Open it up, however, and you will be disappointed that the
opportunity to provide useful information has been squandered. Four of the
eight pages in the booklet are taken up by four photos that weren't selected
for the front cover. The notes by Terrance McNally, which take up one page,
are interesting as far as they go but there is no information on the source
of the songs in the collection or of any history of the involvement of Mazzie and/or Danieley (or both) in the shows from which they came.
With the careers these two have had thus far,
it might have been expected to have their first joint recording be a sort of
"and then I sang" concert, but they have carefully avoided this. No
selections from Candide or The Full Monty with which Danieley
is associated with or Mazzie's Ragtime or Kiss Me, Kate.
It is interesting to hear Mazzie tackle again the lovely "Happiness" which
she introduced on Broadway in Stephen Sondheim's Passion. This album
is marked by an eclectic collection of material that either highlights one
or another of their special talents or, one suspects, just things they
wanted to share with the public. The title of the album comes from, in
addition to the obvious reference to their position as man and wife who are
performing together here, the title of a lovely song by Stephen Flaherty and
Lynn Ahrens written for an as-yet-unproduced musical The Glorious Ones.
Based on the evidence of this disc, they could have used the title of the
play instead of the song and it would be just as appropriate.
Variety isn't confined to the selection of
material. All the arrangements are by David Loud working in a host of
different styles from solo piano backing to full orchestra depending on the
needs of the piece. Orchestrations are by William David Brohn, Larry Hochman,
Joseph Thalken, Christopher Jahnke, and David Loud, again depending on the
approach that Danieley and Mazzie are taking to each piece.
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