The first review
of the International Studio Cast Recording --
With orchestra and voices and emotions swelling and soaring and roaring, the recording presents a powerful case for the merits of this highly dramatic score. The full-out production and performances are sometimes riveting, here and there relentless, occasionally ravishing, usually rousing and always richly delivered…For those who like their musical theatre grand of scale with high drama played with high and mighty voices and bold choices: your cup runneth over. For those who are less enamored of amorous doings, personal and political angst and unpleasant peasant uprisings, you might find that A Tale of Two Cities has much to break your barriers. I, for one, when all was said and sung, pretty much surrendered.”
- Rob Lester of SoundAdvice at TalkinBroadway.com
Read the full review here
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Reviews from the Broadway Production
A
Broadway must see! Everything is here to stir the soul—young love,
purity, vengeance, villainy, valor—all played out against that historic
revolution. This “Tale” with its array of song, spectacle and heartbreak,
should join the panoply of long-running Broadway musicals.
- Irene Backalenick, The Connecticut Post
September 2008
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It's got a rousing score, the company is first-rate and the
story's noble sacrifice, beautifully realized by Jill Santoriello, doesn't
leave a dry eye in the house.
- HuffingtonPost.com
September 2008
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It's daunting enough reading the works of Charles Dickens—at
least for most readers—let alone taking one of his classic stories and
retrofitting it for another medium. It's well known that Dickens was paid by
the word and that he preferred, by and large, to get as big a paycheck for his
work as he could manage. To distill such a book as A Tale Of Two Cities into a
155-minute musical without disintegrating the meat of the story is tantamount
to suicide. This is the first place that an adaptation can go inexorably and
horribly wrong under the best of circumstances, and yet it's where Jill
Santoriello—the librettist, composer, and writer behind A Tale Of Two Cities:
The Musical—went unquestionably right.
Good
fiction, like magic, makes it difficult for the audience to see the
mechanics of the trick. Charles Dickens was a master magician whose
greatest feat was the grand illusion created in the pages of “A Tale Of Two
Cities”, and Jill Santoriello's musical has not only recreated that
sleight-of-hand, it is guilty of a far less obvious magic: to take a classic
novel, long buried under scholarship and praise, and recall it to life.
- NYC.COM
October 2008
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It
was the best of times at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. A tremendous, magnificent
grand new musical. A lush production. “A Tale of Two Cities” has earned a
special place in the history of the theater.
The
music is excellent. Directed and choreographer with brio and warmth by Warren
Carlyle. The cast of 40 is one of the best ensembles I’ve seen on stage.
- Rosalind Friedman, WMNR-FM
September 2008
Rousing and engaging! Designed to be a crowd pleaser,
there is no denying “A Tale of Two Cities” succeeds.
- Roma Torre, NY1
September 2008
The rousing pop opera, inventively designed by Tony Walton, makes a handsome showcase for some of the most gifted voices on Broadway. A compelling love story told against the backdrop of the gritty French Revolution. The creators and the cast have tapped into the universal appeal of the well read Dickens’ story that has sold over 200 million copies around the world. A heart wrenching story told through stirring songs.
- Gordin and Christiano, TheatreLife.com
September 2008
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“A Tale of Two Cities”, a Broadway musical that will open
this Thursday night, captures the heart of the story and the audience with an
exceptionally strong performance by James Barbour as Sydney Carton, drunken
lawyer turned romantic hero. Barbour's terrific voice is no surprise, but
that's only the beginning. He makes the character's unlikely moral u-turn
credible and handles a handful of critical comedic lines with perfect timing
and tone - self-loathingly straight, with a dash of boozy irony.
- As Good As News (Blog)
September 2008
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It’s
epic, electrifying musical theatre at its grandest.
As
Sydney Carton, a very much hung over, cynical charmer of a guy – Mr. Barbour
instills his character with a strength, vulnerability and honesty which makes
Mr. Barbour a prime candidate for one of the best leading men on the Broadway
musical stage today. His magnificent voice. His throw away wit. His mangy,
messy, manly looks. All add up to this thrilling and compelling performance -
worthy of the cheers that greet him at plays end.
- Oscar E. Moore, TalkEntertainment.com
September 2008
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I
loved it. I want to go again! ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ is one of the best
musicals on Broadway. Quite moving.
- Life Upon the Sacred Stage, Retta Blaney
September 2008
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Reviews from the Sold-Out Run at Sarasota's Asolo Repertory Theatre
A TALE OF TWO CITIES has taken its first step toward
Broadway. You can catch this epic musical drama at the Asolo Theatre if you’re
willing to beg, steal and borrow. The smash hit is already completely sold out.
I’d never read the novel but found myself wrapped up in the redemptive story of
Sydney Carton and the heartbreaking love triangle between Carton, Lucie Manette
and Charles Darnay. This Broadway-bound musical is on the right path, thanks
especially to a handful of stirring Jill Santoriello songs, Michael Donald
Edwards’ brisk staging, Tony Walton?s ingenious scenic design and a strong
company led by James Barbour, pouring his soul into a towering performance as
Carton. He could get himself a Tony Award if he plays his cards right.
- PAUL WONTOREK, Broadway.com
October 2007
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I wrote a post once about musical theatre composers who are
not household names, but should be. After being swept into Jill Santoriello’s
pre-Broadway production of A Tale Two Cities Tuesday night, I am certain she
will skip inclusion in that post, and head directly to household name.
- Eric, Man In Chair Blog
November 2007
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'A
TALE OF TWO CITIES’ has much to recommend it. Brisk direction. Fluid musical
staging. Impressive design. Elegant costumes. Revealing lyrics. A vibrant and
rousing first-act finale. Natalie Toro’s powerhouse performance. Nick Wyman is
comically dastardly as ‘Barsad.’ Katherine McGrath oozes humanity and sarcasm
as the wry nanny, ‘Miss Pross.’ Alex Santoriello is lovingly compassionate as
the long-imprisoned, Dr. Alexandre Manette.’ The stage is beautiful as it
transforms with graceful elegance from bloody Paris streets to London
courtrooms and palaces. There is a story here that certainly can touch
audiences.
- JAY HANDELMAN, Variety
October 2007
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Some of the best musicals are the ones that make you forget
that you are sitting in a theater. The kind of shows that make the audience
feel as if they are a bystander within the plot. Such is the case for Jill
Santoriello's enchanting new epic, A TALE OF TWO CITIES. This is an enthralling
theater piece. Not one detail has been overlooked. There are too many touching
moments, brilliant scenes and wonderful music to mention. Collectively, Derek
Keeling, Jessica Rush and James Barbour's performances are well done for this
epic. Natalie Toro is remarkable. While there is an urgent seriousness to the
musical, there is plenty of comic relief - from the catchy one-liners of
Lucie's escort Miss Pross, delightfully portrayed by Katherine McGrath, to Mr.
John Barsad's weaseling antics, memorably played by Nick Wyman, to the humorous
grave diggers who dub themselves "resurrectionists." From the
talented cast of Broadway veterans, to the choreography, direction, costumes
and spectacular scenery and lighting designs, this bound-for-Broadway "A
TALE OF TWO CITIES" is more than impressive. It shines and stirs.
- JANUARY HOLMES, Bradenton Herald
October 2007
A TALE OF TWO CITIES is simply the best of times. It is
wonderfully satisfying -- visually, musically, histrionically and narratively.
It is also mightily pleasing. Tony Walton's grand sets are spectacularly
eloquent. David Zinn's scores of costumes are marvelously conceived. Richard
Pilbrow's expressionistic lighting creates a whole world of indignant fantasy.
Michael Donald Edwards' direction is excellent. The cast is exceptionally
talented. Best of all is James Barbour. Jessica Rush has a marvelous
instrument. Natalie Toro stuns us with her vocal quality. The songs have that
epic quality that multimillion-dollar blockbusters require. They build to their
ovations with real confidence. Santoriello's book is near perfect. I’ve seldom
seen better work at the Asolo Theatre or anywhere else. Should you see ?A TALE
OF TWO CITIES? Absolutely ! It is a stunner.
- MARK E. LIEB, Creative Loafing, Sarasota
October 2007
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'A TALE OF TWO CITIES' is a great experience. The new
musical has a terrific cast, splendidly high production values and the pleasure
of seeing a beloved classic come to life onstage. James Barbour is a powerfully
charismatic presence. The staging is sumptuous. The scenic design is superb.
The lighting is vivid. The costumes are lush. Author, Jill Santoriello, has
done a skillful job.
- JOHN FLEMING, St. Petersburg Times
October 2007
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The challenges of adapting a classic novel for the musical
theatre are enormous. A TALE OF TWO CITIES meets those challenges with
considerable skill and artistry
- KAY KIPLING, Sarasota Magazine
October 2007
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Does A TALE OF TWO CITIES live up to all of its hype? In a
word, yes. You have your classy story, a top-notch cast, and seamless direction
all tied up in a beautifully mounted production designed by the legendary Tony
Walton. It is a show that deserves a wider audience. In a demanding operatic
style that sets almost all of the dialogue to music, Ms. Santoriello's
achievement is considerable. Carton's plaintive "If Dreams Came True"
and the finale, "I Can't Recall" have hit potential. The Asolo
Repertory Theatre's opening night audience was wowed. The show is mostly
sold out. But any fan of thundering final curtains should try to grab a ticket.
- KAREN MAMONE, Pelican Press
October 2007
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It was the best of times for the Sarasota theatre-goers who
witnessed the birth of A TALE OF TWO CITIES. We were rewarded with an
extremely well-crafted product that deserves a chance on the famed Avenue.
Everyone in the cast contributed to the success of the piece. Each had an importance
to the entire story. James Barbour's rich baritone goes easily from somber
themes to delightful points of self-deprecation. Natalie Toro's powerful voice
extracts all the venom from Jill Santoriello's impressive score. The staging is
magnificent. This is great, powerful theatre. See it now!
- CAROL and GLENN SWOPE, Long Boat Key News
October 2007
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- JAY HANDELMAN, The Sarasota Herald-Tribune
October 2007
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A TALE OF TWO CITIES is a triumph. It is the best thing the
Asolo Repertory Theatre has ever done. It is better than anything on Broadway.
The show is sold out. So beg, borrow or steal a ticket. It?s that good.
- MARJORIE NORTH, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
October 2007
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"A Tale of Two Cities" was a theatrical
experience. "Tale" contained the emotional power of "Les
Miserables," the mystique of "Phantom of the Opera" and the
charisma of "Cats," without borrowing from any of these. This was an
American creation. This writer is predicting success for its run on Broadway
and elsewhere.
- SANDY COPPERMAN, Sun-Herald.com
November 2007