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But see it for Sondheim!
There are so many better things to do with your time than watch this movie.But how often do you get the opportunity to see Stephen Sondheim act?Rarely, so it's worth it just for that.

Just to see Sondheim acting
"June Moon" is not much of a play. Accually, I can hardly understand why would somebody want it in his archive. It's not among Susan Sarandon's best moment (no fault of her) nor Kassidy has something special to say. It's actually a not bad performance of an easy to forget play. Well, why then do I rate it with 3 stars instead of proper 1? The answer is simple: Stephen Sondheim. The only reason somebody would pay any attention to this play, is just to see Mr. Broadway Musical to act (not bad at all!) and play the piano. I thing that only Sondheim maniacs should care about this dvd.
Country boy seeks success in Tin Pan Alley in 1929.
There's a good reason that this is one of the lesser known entries in the Broadway Theater Archives.It is so dated that even with a stellar cast, including Jack Cassidy, Estelle Parsons, Susan Sarandon, and Stephen Sondheim, it fails to engage the viewer except as a period piece, a curiosity which illustrates what constituted "humor" and "theatrical excitement" in 1929, when it was first produced.Showcasing the frantic drive for a hit by Tin Pan Alley composers and lyricists, this show might have been considered amusing and even creative in 1929, but by 1974, when this production was filmed (and certainly by the present day), styles had changed, and audiences had become more sophisticated.
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"The younger generation comes bearing retribution."
Produced in 1960 by David Susskind, this Broadway Theater Archive production of one of Ibsen's most famous plays focuses on an older man's fear that he will be replaced by the younger generation before he has been able to reconcile his success with his personal sacrifices.Halvard Solness (E. G. Robinson) is a Master Builder who has built much of the small town in which he lives.Arrogant, manipulative, and often paranoid, there is little he will not do to appear in control.
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Editorial Review

Meryl Streep displays the talent that would soon make her a movie star inRead more

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Alice Becomes Streep (or vice versa!)
Composer Elizabeth Swados created something unique in her adaptation of
"I suppose this is a regular day if you're mad."
Produced by Joseph Papp and directed by Emile Ardolino, this Palace Theater/vaudeville version of Alice in Wonderland, filmed in 1981, is so energetic, so beautifully choreographed (by Graciela Daniele), and so full of fun that when I finished watching it, I immediately watched it all over again!Part of the reason comes from the joy of watching Meryl Streep as a music hall star, playing seven-year-old Alice, acting as a comedienne, and singing her heart out.With a strong soprano voice and perfect timing, Streep as a singer is a real surprise for those more accustomed to seeing her in Sophie's Choice or The French Lieutenant's Woman, but she is, not surprisingly, as gifted a vaudeville star as she is a serious dramatic actress.
The best of the best - Papp, Swados, Streep, pure GENIUS!
I saw this and taped it on VHS when it first came out as a Peacock Presentation on television. I was delighted at the opportunity to replace my old VSH tape with a new DVD and the "remastered" DVD is crisp and clean, with sharp sound and great color.
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Editorial Review

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Please Forgive Me--I've Got To Recommend This, Even With Hoff
I'm suspecting that there are two types of people who are approaching this DVD, a filmed version of the stage production of "Jekyll & Hyde".One, someone familiar with the show--perhaps saw it and liked it or has the soundtrack--and wants to check out this variation.Or two, someone discovering it anew.It tempts me to write two reviews because while I love "Jekyll & Hyde", it's slightly unfortunate that this is the production most people will get a chance to judge.
HASSELHOFF TRIUMPHS IN JEKYLL AND HYDE
I purchased the DVD because I had not originally seen this production.As his first Broadway appearance (and hopefully NOT his last), David Hasselhoff's performance is memorable.Although his voice seems slightly weak in the beginning, his acting more than compensates for any perceived vocal deficiency.This is not a production for the faint-hearted.Mr. Hasselhoff's Edward Hyde is, indeed, a sadistic creature who commits violent murders.The duet between Jekyll and Hyde is a daring idea, and Mr. Hasselhoff's rendition is brilliant and flawless -- a unique moment in theatre history not likely to be repeated or surpassed!The supporting cast is quite good, especially the four co-stars.The DVD bonus prologue provides a rare oppportunity for Mr. Hasselhoff to share interesting behind-the scenes commentary about his role.This Jekyll and Hyde is a welcome addition to anyone's video collection.Vive La Hoff!!

Mixed emotions, yet somehow riviting performance... I was entertained.!
First of all I must say that I caught part of the mucical on a PBS channel a few years ago.I was interested in its production and follwed up by buying the DVD.
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Great performance! Don't overlook it.
I can't commend this highly enough.I saw it on the local Public Television station here in Chicago when it was first broadcast in the early 1970s, and it made a tremendous impact on me.This play, and the very similar "Awake and Sing," are depression era dramas written by Clifford Odets and originally produced for the stage in the mid 1930s, when they were the cutting edge of contemporary theatre and dealt with contemporary issues.These new DVDs contain television productions done with top-notch casts in the early 1970s.I found them unforgettable, and am delighted to be able to savor them again after 30-plus years.They're just as good as I remember.Read more

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Mr. Cobb absolutely riveting.

A Masterful Work and Presentation by Cobb
An insightful play about the realities of life. Cobb gives a standup performance in this classic play equal to none. Actors of his caliber are few and far between. Simply the best performance of this play to date. Lee becomes Willy in a somewhat scary portrayal. It is hard to tell the difference between Lee and Willy. Highly Recommend this version to serious theatre affcianados.

VINTAGE THEATRE TELEVISION
Startling and ambitious vintage network TV production from 1966 is a heart-breaking and unrelentlessly tragic drama with Lee J. Cobb in such a supoerb performance, you want to reach out and console the troubled sympathetic character. So downbeat as to be almost dismal, the play succeeds in it's grip on the realities of grief and doom and the undying hope of a better tomorrow.The rest of the cast is equally superb and I loved the fake realism of the CBS cameras taping a obviously theatrical set. ... Read more

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Editorial Review

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Disappointing purchase
I thought I was purchasing the movie version of the musical and was very disappointed to see that it was a recording of the live musical.The movie version (only available on VHS) with Kevin Kline if far superior.Unfortunately I didn't realize this until after I had opened the DVD.

The very model of a modern major Gilbert and Sullivan show, and with Patricia Routledge
What this filmed record of an expert and amusing production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance lacks in a crystal clear DVD transfer it more than makes up for in complicated, good-natured silliness, wonderful performances and a spirited interpretation of the comic opera. Of course, you'll need to like Gilbert and Sullivan, or at least give them a chance.
Without Angela Lansbury but fresh and vibrant
For those who have seen the movie version with Angela Lansbury, you may be a tad disappointed--not that Patricia Routledge's performance is in any way lacking.Kevin Kline as the Pirate King dominates the stage.Linda Ronstadt seems a little timid on hitting those remarkable high notes.However, Linda and Rex Smith as a romance item is even more effective than in the movie version.There is a freshness and vitality to this stage version that is electric.Still, one has to wonder why there has not been a DVD of the movie version after all these years. ... Read more

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Leaves you wanting more
This is a very short documentary- barely 60 minutes.The quality of the tape is terrible and there are no subtitles, thus it is hard to understand the creators of the show sometimes due to their French accents.I know this was released on the Region 2 UK edition of the 10th anniversary concert as an extra recently, but I don't know if they improved its quality or just transferred it onto a DVD.I wish they would restore this and release it as a DVD!
Want more songs
I always wonder why they never filmed Les Miserables on stage completely. The concert version and this video only show little bits of it. I don't know what Cameron Makintosh is thinking, but he better make his mind up of if he wants to make a movie musical of Les Miserables or what. It needs to somehow be filmed completely without having just the singing. [Just as the Concert version did.] I would be very happy if they just send a crew of camera men down to the London production of Les Mis [To late to film it on Broadway =( ] and film every little bit of the show. I don't care if they have the original cast or anything. Just the show. They keep telling us more is going to happen with this piece but really all we get is just a lazy concert and a VHS of little bits of the show. I loved what they already had on this tape [Such as Master of the House and One day more] but 3 or 4 songs out of a list of 44 dosn't cut it. You say for yourself, would you rather see the whole show or just little bits of it?
A promotional tool only
Sorry to all the people who liked this video, but the entire thing struck me as a big promotional tool for the Complete Symphonic Recording. The majority of the songs on this video are lifted directly from it, even in studio scenes.Read more

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"What a sport, what a dancer, what a girl!"
Dorothy Parker's 1929 short story, transformed into a stage play under the direction of Kirk Browning in 1980, loses much of its impact in the transformation.Though the script, written by Ellen M. Violett, stays close to the action of the story, the sense of time and place--the Roaring Twenties in New York--is lost in this production. Parker wrote this story with mordant humor and malicious wit, presenting a free-spirited model who married, suddenly discovered that she loved being a housewife, lost her husband when she lost her excitement, and descended into alcohol, drugs, and eventually a suicide attempt (paralleling, in some ways, her own life).Parker's sense of irony and her implied criticism of women who allow themselves to be victims create a bleak short story, to some extent a morality tale, but Parker never stoops to sentimentality.
Better than Cats!
I laughed, I cried, it was better than Cats, I'd see it again and again.Read more

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Walter Matthau's Towering Performance
Walter Matthau is brilliant as the physically and spiritually impoverished Moe Axelrod in this 1972 television production of Clifford Odets' Depression-era drama AWAKE AND SING!Matthau is the most famous "name" in the production, yet he blends beautifully into a top-notch ensemble cast that includes Ruth Storey as matriarch Bessie Berger, who has pretensions of culture and wealth; Leo Fuchs as Grandfather Jacob, who looks to both the Bible and the words of Karl Marx for inspiration during hard economic times; and Robert Lipton as his grandson, Ralph Berger, who will be the one to break the spell - that is, the preoccupation with money - that has mesmerized this financially reduced family.Under the direction of Norman Lloyd and Robert Hopkins, Odets' dialogue crackles and snaps; and small touches, from the actors' speech inflections to the menorah that adorns the dining room of the Bergers' modest tenement home, suggest the family's Jewish ethnic identity.One could not imagine a more perfect production of this play.An interesting footnote:Felicia Farr, who portrays Hennie Berger, was married to the late actor Jack Lemmon - so as Axelrod in AWAKE AND SING! Walter Matthau was romancing the wife of his best friend!

Awake and Sing
This play was great.I feel that the playwrite caught the essense of the story & it's one of the best I've seen of Walter Matthau in the Broadway theater archive series.I am becomeing a real fan of broadway theater archive series as well.

Great performance!Don�t overlook it.
I can't commend this highly enough.I saw it on the local Public Television station here in Chicago when it was first broadcast in the early 1970s, and it made a tremendous impact on me.This play, and the very similar "Paradise Lost," are depression era dramas written by Clifford Odets and originally produced for the stage in the mid 1930s, when they were the cutting edge of contemporary theatre and dealt with contemporary issues.These new DVDs contain television productions done with top-notch casts in the early 1970s.I found them unforgettable, and am delighted to be able to savor them again after 30-plus years.They're just as good as I remember.Read more

Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Movie    3. Performing Arts - Theater    4. TV Shows   

Editorial Review

Brilliant performances from an amazing cast highlight this piece of modern theater history. James Earl Jones stars as Lear in this digitally remastered recording of a live performance in the park. (If you've ever wished you could see one of Joseph Papp's legendary New York Shakespeare Festival productions, this is your chance.) The crowd reactions add a layer to the play by helping to bring the excellent production to life. The direction is vibrant, keeping both a reverence for Shakespeare's work and the importance of entertaining a crowd in mind. The astonishing supporting cast includes Rosalind Cash, Paul Sorvino, Rene Auberjonois, and Raul Julia, and a remarkable performance by Douglass Watson as Kent. Read more

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OF ALL THE KING LEAR'S THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST RECORDED
and that includes Ran.
The Best I've Seen
"Lear" is not an easy play to watch by any standard, or in any medium.Anyone who has ever wished that he or she had more money or property to leave to his or her children would do well to watch this one.Poor families get along better, believe me.
Superb
This Movie gave me an actual reason to like shakespears writing and plays.There was superb acting by all the actor and actresses and mainly Mr. James Earl Jones.Just watching his anger and how it progressed through the play just gave a new meaning to acting, the way he used his facial expressions and when his saliva came pouring out of his mouth just showed how hard he worked to perfect his perfromance. As for the Director he could not have got a better cast. This is why i gave this mvie FOUR STARS ... Read more

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Fans of the original musical romp Read more

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A Wonderful DVD
This is a great series. I wish Rue McClanahan had been in this one more. Vicky Lawrence is a great addition to the cast and it was hilarious when "Mama" showed up!

never seen it
Havent seen it big fan of rue mClanahan though. You all know her from golden girls and other things. great actress. It must be good because shes in it right? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Comedies    2. Comedy Video    3. Feature Film-comedy    4. Movie    5. TV Shows   

Editorial Review

Stephen Sondheim's landmark 1984 musical Read more

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Unfortunately no subtitles is included
the lack of subtitles even in english did not allow me to fully appreciate this dvd edition.The video quality, whilst is clear on CRT display, turns out to be somewhat grainy on lcd bigger display. These exceptions made, "Sunday" remains an interesting and pleasant musical, with beautiful acting and singing.Sondheim makes the rest.

Like being at a Broadway Play
Sunday in the Park with George was a lovely experience.Never seeing a 'live' performance on a Broadway stage, gave me an idea on how it would be.Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters were at their very best, but I really didn't expect anything less.It was a lovely production...very inventive.One person's insight into the artist who gave us some lovely works of art.

Sunday in the Park with George
Saw this production as an HBO Special Presentation and fell in love with the music. The show with Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters is believeable their voices are well matched and blend well in the duet scenes. Then who knew that Data from STNG could sing? Brent Spiner does a good job of a non "Data" role. The music however has me humming for days after I see it each time I see it! ... Read more

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Editorial Review

Anton Chekhov's Read more

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Clarion Call of Love
"The Seagull", heavy on symbolism and thwarted love in Bohemian rural Russia...why should we care? Because the play shows so clearly so many ways that human beings fail themselves and others. . . so many ways love is leaned on, and then expires...from abuse, misuse, overuse. . . and not understanding the true nature of loving.
Read the play
"The Seagull" is a modern masterpiece, but the video doesn't do it justice. Imagine unhappy people, at times profoundly so, overdosed on Prozac, and you have this production.