Rating: 
Summary: I'm no good at titles
Review: I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this. The story of this show is downright bizarre, and could be told in half the time they use to tell it! Without Michael Ball and Maria Friedman, "Passion" has nothing going for it!
Rating: 
Summary: A stunning musical
Review: I first found out about Passion as an avid Donna Murphy fan and i was once again not dissapointed by her performance or by the show itself. This is the most moving musical i have ever seen. Stephen Sondheim has once again struck gold with this beautiful and heart wrenching love story. Donna Murphy deserved the 1994 Tony that she won for this performance and the way this was filmed her acting really shines. Her facial experesions and the emmotion that she taps into is phenomenal, and it is such a difference from other roles she has taken on (ex: Ruth Sherwood in Wonderful Town or Anji in Star Trek Insurrection) and this is a true testement to her acting ability. I recomend this to any musical lover or anyone who loves a great and moving love story.
Rating:
Summary: A stunning musical
Review: I first found out about Passion as an avid Donna Murphy fan and i was once again not dissapointed by her performance or by the show itself. This is the most moving musical i have ever seen. Stephen Sondheim has once again struck gold with this beautiful and heart wrenching love story. Donna Murphy deserved the 1994 Tony that she won for this performance and the way this was filmed her acting really shines. Her facial experesions and the emmotion that she taps into is phenomenal, and it is such a difference from other roles she has taken on (ex: Ruth Sherwood in Wonderful Town or Anji in Star Trek Insurrection) and this is a true testement to her acting ability. I recomend this to any musical lover or anyone who loves a great and moving love story.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous
Review: I have been a huge fan of Sondheim since I watched the video of Into the Woods, and I was not disappointed by PASSIONS. Yes, it's a little bit harder to deal with than others, but dramatically and musical it's a gorgeous piece of dramatic musical. Donna Murphy is absolutely stunning as Fosca, pulling off the obsessive and unattractive woman with a great believability, so much that it's quite easy to see Gorgio's distaste of the woman. Jere Shea's Gorgio is adeptly played, as a basically sweet man whose patience is tested by the demonstrative Fosca. Marin Mazzie is also wonderful as Clara, not an easy task for a woman who spends most of the show singing letters. If it's not my favorite, it's only because I do happen to like comedy.
At any rate, I think the filming of this show is fantastic. It captures the show excellently for those who haven't gotten to see it live. There aren't any widescreen shots, which makes it feel slightly constricting. (Although they mention in the commentary that that is one of the things they regretted about the film.) I can see why this show didn't do so well on Broadway, it seems like it would be far more effective on a smaller, more intimate stage, maybe even one that wasn't in the traditional procsenium formation.
I'd also get the DVD just for the audio commentary, one of the best that I've seen. With Lapine, Weitzman, Sondheim, Shea, Murphy and Mazzie all putting their two cents, it makes for commentary almost more interesting than the play itself. From stories about disatrous audiences, information about the book and the movie, and some of the difficulties of production (blocking around a table, stashing a microphone on a nude Mazzie, and the infamous Fosca mole), the ongoing commentary is high entertaining as well as informative.
I wouldn't recommend this for everyone, and in fact I wouldn't recommend this for all musical theater buffs. A fan of Sondheim yes, but I think that a person with appreciation for straight dramatic plays will also find this a completely worthwhile film.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous
Review: I have been a huge fan of Sondheim since I watched the video of Into the Woods, and I was not disappointed by PASSIONS. Yes, it's a little bit harder to deal with than others, but dramatically and musical it's a gorgeous piece of dramatic musical. Donna Murphy is absolutely stunning as Fosca, pulling off the obsessive and unattractive woman with a great believability, so much that it's quite easy to see Gorgio's distaste of the woman. Jere Shea's Gorgio is adeptly played, as a basically sweet man whose patience is tested by the demonstrative Fosca. Marin Mazzie is also wonderful as Clara, not an easy task for a woman who spends most of the show singing letters. If it's not my favorite, it's only because I do happen to like comedy.
At any rate, I think the filming of this show is fantastic. It captures the show excellently for those who haven't gotten to see it live. There aren't any widescreen shots, which makes it feel slightly constricting. (Although they mention in the commentary that that is one of the things they regretted about the film.) I can see why this show didn't do so well on Broadway, it seems like it would be far more effective on a smaller, more intimate stage, maybe even one that wasn't in the traditional procsenium formation.
I'd also get the DVD just for the audio commentary, one of the best that I've seen. With Lapine, Weitzman, Sondheim, Shea, Murphy and Mazzie all putting their two cents, it makes for commentary almost more interesting than the play itself. From stories about disatrous audiences, information about the book and the movie, and some of the difficulties of production (blocking around a table, stashing a microphone on a nude Mazzie, and the infamous Fosca mole), the ongoing commentary is high entertaining as well as informative.
I wouldn't recommend this for everyone, and in fact I wouldn't recommend this for all musical theater buffs. A fan of Sondheim yes, but I think that a person with appreciation for straight dramatic plays will also find this a completely worthwhile film.
Rating:
Summary: Donna Murphy and Cast, SHINE!
Review: I have been an avid fan of Broadway my whole life, have sampled nearly every Broadway musical out there, and I have never seen such a compelling, intriguing story as "Passion." Sodheim's brilliant score and the performances of the three principles (Marrin Mazzie, Jere Shea, and the incomparable Donna Murphy)is a stage/screen wonder. Most notablely, there is Donna Murphy who has recreated her Tony Award-Winning performance as Fosca, the unattractive and ailing woman who's passion for her Giorgio is the only thing that keeps her alive. Murphy's powerful, unparalled performance is rare indeed, and anyone can clearly see why the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Muscial (1994) went to her. Her performance is only overshadowed by her initial appearance. Any fan of Donna Murphy's knows that she is a devastatingly beautiful woman, and to make her appear unattractive, as Fosca Ricci had to be, must have been a difficult task. However, the character of Fosca, as Murphy plays her, is so deep and complex that you forget you are watching a fictional character as one is totally engrossed in the plot. That is, of course, true acting at it's best! Shea and Mazzie are strong, however, there is no denying the true star of this musical: Donna Murphy. There is no doubt that "Passion" will bring any viewer to tears each and every time they watch it.
Rating: 
Summary: Better and glorious on stage
Review: I have had the CD to "Passion" for a while now. I had only listened to it once. Out of all the Sondheim cast recordings that I have (I have 12) this one just didn't appeal to me as much as "Follies" or "Company." But yesterday I bought the video and though the music is definetly in my opinion hard to listen to on CD comes to life when it is put together with visions of beauty and grace. "Passion" does deserve to be joined in the ranks of the other great Sondheim shows. And I was a fool to bench it without giving it a chance. Performances are extraordinary and staging is incredible. Now if only "Follies" was available on video also.
Rating:
Summary: Beatiful show, but not Sondheim's best
Review: I just watched this, and it is a beautiful but heartbreaking story. The production matches its gorgeous storytelling style, and the acting/singing is supurb. I wouldn't call this one of Sondheim's best, but I do like it and enjoy it. If you can get a copy, it is well worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Easier to follow than the cast album
Review: I liked this musical very much! I remember watching the Tony Awards the year that the original production won the Award for Best Musical over "Beauty and the Beast"--the more likely contender for the top prize; and I thought it was a mistake until I had seen the original cast program. I had only heard the cast album of "Beauty" and once I saw "Passion" I saw "Beauty" as an overblown, juvenile production for the kiddies and I don't see how it could have been nominated. I think that Jere Shea is very good-looking gentleman with a good voice as Georgio, Marin Mazzie is a beauty of an actress as Clara and then there is Donna Murphy in her Tony Award-winning performance as Fosca, the unattractive yet passionate older woman reaching out desperately for Georgio's love. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves Sondheim--the Broadway genius who wrote the score.
Rating:
Summary: Easier to follow than the cast album
Review: I liked this musical very much! I remember watching the Tony Awards the year that the original production won the Award for Best Musical over "Beauty and the Beast"--the more likely contender for the top prize; and I thought it was a mistake until I had seen the original cast program. I had only heard the cast album of "Beauty" and once I saw "Passion" I saw "Beauty" as an overblown, juvenile production for the kiddies and I don't see how it could have been nominated. I think that Jere Shea is very good-looking gentleman with a good voice as Georgio, Marin Mazzie is a beauty of an actress as Clara and then there is Donna Murphy in her Tony Award-winning performance as Fosca, the unattractive yet passionate older woman reaching out desperately for Georgio's love. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves Sondheim--the Broadway genius who wrote the score.
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