Gentlemen Prefer Blondes New York City Center Encores! Presents

I am extremely grateful to have this new recording of a terrific show. The original with Carol Channing can never be beaten, of course, but how delicious to have the whole, full score, dance and incidental music included! All the performers are terrific, though I was slightly disappointed by the Josephus Gage (the memory of the great George S. Irving being too strong). Megan Hilty is more than adequate, but I'd hoped for a slightly larger than life portrayal. After all, the character of Lorelei is a cartoon. Hilty is a fine singer, but oh, how I missed what Channing brought to "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend." In the intro, when she begins "The French are glad to die from love..." Channing went from a basso growl to a pussycat meow that still tickles me when I hear it. Bravo to Encores for giving us this wonderful old show and doing it so well, and so completely.

This is an excellent new recording of a very much neglected musical. No, Meg Hilty is not Carol Channing--but she is very good and a good singer, so if you haven't heard Channing you'll be very impressed. Rachel York is also great and really is a co-star, although she doesn't get the big billing. The recorded sound is amazing and the recording is very complete. In my opinion, a little too complete--some of the Park Scene ballet music (which I never knew existed) might be great on stage but seems to meander on a recording. We also get the songs complete with all of Leo Robin's racy lyrics. And, as pointed out in the booklet, Hugh Martin's choral arrangements are beautifully performed. You really need the original and this new recording in your collection.

This recording of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" is probably the most complete reading of the score on records. It was a pleasure to finally hear all the music of the show, right down to "Button Up with Esmond's," which produced great delight in me, having heard it for the first time. All performances and character work are spot on and well sung. There is much joy to be had on this recording. Kudos to all concerned. I recommend it highly!

In almost anything she does. Although this was not her Broadway debut, some critics rated her performance higher than predecessors in the role including Marilyn, herself, and Carol Channing. That's not bad company to be in!

As an Encores! subscriber, I'm always delighted when the shows are recoreded. Megan Hilty was a hoot as Lorelei Lee.

Encores! always does a great job in recording shows that have fallen out of fashion or are coming back into the spotlight. Their concerts and recordings have helped people regain interest in Broadway Classics. "Blondes" is no exception. Solid performances and orchestrations make this a great recording.

As good as the original cast album apart from the leading man

encores cast very funny

Good solid show CD.

Very disappointing. Too much music and the songs were very lack lustre.

As someone who's always treasured the Original Broadway Cast recording as one of the most cheerful cast albums in my collection, I'm delighted to have the whole 11 minute 'Sunshine' and all the additional vocal arrangements and dance music not on the OBC album. However, there is a big Lorelei-shaped hole in the middle of this as Ms. Hilty just doesn't have the comedic chops for 'Little Rock' and 'Diamonds'. Perhaps the producers were desperate for a Broadway transfer and felt they needed a tv star to achieve this - what a mistake. I'm delighted to have this CD in my collection, but will be using it to reference a much more complete version of the score - but will always be skipping over what should be CD's premium assets. Simon Jones is [appropriately] delightful in 'It's delightful down in Chile', but others [especially Aaron Lazar] sound too contemporary, not really in sympathy with the 40's style.

"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and "Hello, Dolly" Carol Channing. Sugar and spice, salt and pepper, Rodgers and Hart. And what happens when you take Channing out of the mix? "Hello, Dolly" works with anyone. Even Betty Grable was serviceable. Lana Turner could probably have staggered through it. The show cannot be destroyed. Well done, Mr. Herman. "Blondes", well, that's a different kettle of fish. The movie has taken over as it was so dramatically changed to suit Marilyn Monroe, and she was fabulous - though I preferred Jane Russell as Dorothy. The updated version, "Lorelei", was a major misstep for everyone, but gave a new audience a chance to see Channing as the gold digger, who didn't know she was one, with a heart. So, is there life in the old girl yet?Not really. The show is like an elderly relative whom you love because of what she was, not what she is. It is a bright moment in history, with some clever songs, a few that are beautiful, and some that are total duds.Can a young cast bring them to life? God bless them, they try, but the ghosts of the past do them in time after time. Perhaps if the listener is totally unaware of Channing's Lorelei this recording will soar. For those who remember her, this version struggles, takes off now and then, and then crashes with a thud....and rises again. Game cast. So I like having it in my collection, but I hit the button to skip too much to make it a treasure.Is it worth buying? Depends on your age, I suspect. I'm on the cusp, so I do enjoy it. Younger Broadway fans should become solid fans while older Broadwayites will pass it by, and, for them, nothing will be missed.

Rapide, bien emballer et super contant de mon achat. J'aimais la série Smash, Marilyn Monroe et ce film en particulier. Cette version est tel que je m'attendais.