Rating: 
Summary: Now you can sing along with Buffy!
Review: Any Buffy fans out there as disappointed as I was when the show ended has to have this script book for one the best Buffy episodes ever. Anyone who likes singing and dancing and demons together will love this. The entire scipt of the episode "Once More with Feeling" along with the music and lyrics of all the songs. Insider info from Joss starts the book along with pictures from the making of the episode. You know you want to sing along with Buffy and the gang and now you can!
Rating:
Summary: Would have been 10 stars with the episode DVD
Review: Buffy was plintive, Spike coulda been a had-core rocker but his singing just reflcts what being with Buffy's made him, Tara and Giles nearly made me cry, Anya was... Anya, Xander was ... more so than usual, and Willow - with this episode you KNEW what was coming for the rest of the season. This little book just proves that Joss Whedon is a god.
Rating:
Summary: The shooting script and sheet music for "Buffy: The Musical"
Review: First, a comment on a reviewer below who noted that the script in this book differed markedly from the episode as it appeared: this is a copy of the shooting script, i.e., the script they actually made the show from. Shooting scripts almost never coincide completely with an episode as it actually appears. Some small bits have to be cut out to make the episode fit the time slot, some slight additions are made, on-the-spot rewritings take place, and so forth. If one gets any of the Buffy script collections, it will be obvious that none of them match up with the finished product. "Once More, With Feeling" is, of course, one of the most famous episodes in the history of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, ranking with "Hush" from Season Four and "The Body" from Season Five as one of the finest episodes in the series. The pretext for the episode is simple: Xander accidentally summons a demon named Sweet (brilliantly portrayed by veteran hoofer Hinton Battle, who long ago I saw as The Scarecrow in THE WIZ on Broadway) down to Sunnydale, a demon who causes all the residents of the town to express their innermost feelings through song and dance. The danger, apart from the fireworks caused by brute honesty, is that their dancing will get complete control of them and cause them literally to burn. Thus, the plot has strong elements taken from Hans Christian Andersen's "The Red Shoes." By putting on an amulet that is tied to the original spell, Dawn is mistakenly assumed by Sweet to be the one who cast the spell, and he attempts to claim her for his hellish queen (leading to the funny line that Dawn sings "I'm only fifteen/So this queen thing's illegal"). Buffy finally confronts Sweet, and everything works out, except for the fact that everyone has revealed far more about themselves than they had intended, so much so that the final number, "Where Do We Go From Here," isn't merely rhetorical. There is a wealth of spectacular things about this episode. Though there are few trained singers in the cast, all who are relied upon to sing much (ironically, the finest actor in the cast, Alyson Hannigan, seems to possess the weakest voice) do so quite well. Sarah Michelle Gellar does a surprisingly decent job in her songs, James Marsters slashes through his lyrical attack on Buffy for taking his love so lightly, and Nicholas Brendon and Emma Caulfield manage a great take off on an old style musical duet (one could imagine Judy Garland and Gene Kelly doing the same number). But the top awards for the episode, apart from the splendid Hinton Battle, go to Anthony Stewart Head for his excellent vocal work (he has actually recorded some solo albums, and has sung on work by his brother Murray Head, who originated the role of Judas in JESUS CHRIST, SUPERSTAR and had a big hit in 1984 with his single "One Night in Bangkok"); to Emma Caulfield for her phenomenal hard rock attack on those evil entities known as "bunnies"; and Amber Benson for her superb singing of "Under Your Spell," which she reprises with Head as a duet. Some of the cast members do a bit of dancing, but I was quite impressed with Michelle Trachtenberg, who obviously has had prior dance training, and possesses a dancer's long, lithe body. The episode also features arguably the highest production values of any single show. It was filmed in widescreen, to maximize the amount of action visible at any moment, and the number of boom shots is amazing. Some shots are exquisite, such as when, from what could almost be a shot from a Disney big production number, Buffy dusts a vampire from one angle, we then get a shot of the back of the soon-to-disintegrate vampire, and then a brilliant close up of Buffy's face as simultaneously the vampire turns to dust and Buffy wails the last note of the song. I give the book five stars, but I am being a tiny bit generous. I am delighted to have the shooting script of the episode, and the sheet music for the songs is great, but I was a little disappointed at the middle section of the book, which features material on the show itself. This is a section that had great potential, and I don't think they actualized it. They could have featured interviews with all the major characters on what it was like to sing on the show, they could have interviewed Hinton Battle on his appearance (easily one of the great guest spots in the history of the show), and have talked at great length about how the show was put together. Some of this is done in a minor way, but I think they could have put a great deal more work into this section. Still, this is an essential addition to the library of any serious Buffy fan.
Rating:
Summary: The shooting script and sheet music for "Buffy: The Musical"
Review: First, a comment on a reviewer below who noted that the script in this book differed markedly from the episode as it appeared: this is a copy of the shooting script, i.e., the script they actually made the show from. Shooting scripts almost never coincide completely with an episode as it actually appears. Some small bits have to be cut out to make the episode fit the time slot, some slight additions are made, on-the-spot rewritings take place, and so forth. If one gets any of the Buffy script collections, it will be obvious that none of them match up with the finished product. "Once More, With Feeling" is, of course, one of the most famous episodes in the history of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, ranking with "Hush" from Season Four and "The Body" from Season Five as one of the finest episodes in the series. The pretext for the episode is simple: Xander accidentally summons a demon named Sweet (brilliantly portrayed by veteran hoofer Hinton Battle, who long ago I saw as The Scarecrow in THE WIZ on Broadway) down to Sunnydale, a demon who causes all the residents of the town to express their innermost feelings through song and dance. The danger, apart from the fireworks caused by brute honesty, is that their dancing will get complete control of them and cause them literally to burn. Thus, the plot has strong elements taken from Hans Christian Andersen's "The Red Shoes." By putting on an amulet that is tied to the original spell, Dawn is mistakenly assumed by Sweet to be the one who cast the spell, and he attempts to claim her for his hellish queen (leading to the funny line that Dawn sings "I'm only fifteen/So this queen thing's illegal"). Buffy finally confronts Sweet, and everything works out, except for the fact that everyone has revealed far more about themselves than they had intended, so much so that the final number, "Where Do We Go From Here," isn't merely rhetorical. There is a wealth of spectacular things about this episode. Though there are few trained singers in the cast, all who are relied upon to sing much (ironically, the finest actor in the cast, Alyson Hannigan, seems to possess the weakest voice) do so quite well. Sarah Michelle Gellar does a surprisingly decent job in her songs, James Marsters slashes through his lyrical attack on Buffy for taking his love so lightly, and Nicholas Brendon and Emma Caulfield manage a great take off on an old style musical duet (one could imagine Judy Garland and Gene Kelly doing the same number). But the top awards for the episode, apart from the splendid Hinton Battle, go to Anthony Stewart Head for his excellent vocal work (he has actually recorded some solo albums, and has sung on work by his brother Murray Head, who originated the role of Judas in JESUS CHRIST, SUPERSTAR and had a big hit in 1984 with his single "One Night in Bangkok"); to Emma Caulfield for her phenomenal hard rock attack on those evil entities known as "bunnies"; and Amber Benson for her superb singing of "Under Your Spell," which she reprises with Head as a duet. Some of the cast members do a bit of dancing, but I was quite impressed with Michelle Trachtenberg, who obviously has had prior dance training, and possesses a dancer's long, lithe body. The episode also features arguably the highest production values of any single show. It was filmed in widescreen, to maximize the amount of action visible at any moment, and the number of boom shots is amazing. Some shots are exquisite, such as when, from what could almost be a shot from a Disney big production number, Buffy dusts a vampire from one angle, we then get a shot of the back of the soon-to-disintegrate vampire, and then a brilliant close up of Buffy's face as simultaneously the vampire turns to dust and Buffy wails the last note of the song. I give the book five stars, but I am being a tiny bit generous. I am delighted to have the shooting script of the episode, and the sheet music for the songs is great, but I was a little disappointed at the middle section of the book, which features material on the show itself. This is a section that had great potential, and I don't think they actualized it. They could have featured interviews with all the major characters on what it was like to sing on the show, they could have interviewed Hinton Battle on his appearance (easily one of the great guest spots in the history of the show), and have talked at great length about how the show was put together. Some of this is done in a minor way, but I think they could have put a great deal more work into this section. Still, this is an essential addition to the library of any serious Buffy fan.
Rating:
Summary: Hours of entertainment!
Review: From Joss Whedon's introduction:
"They said it couldn't be done.
They said it was too much, too expensive and difficult. That it would never come together -- that I'd be laughed at. So, sadly, I put aside my plan to build a giant robot that eats hemorroids, and wrote some dinky musical instead." (I'm so hoping this is not some kind of "from beneath you, it devours" season finale spoiler...) Anyway, the medical profession's loss is our gain. This "dinky musical" has body-snatched more of the past year of my life than I care to admit (though I guess I just did), and with the release of the scriptbook and sheet music, it threatens to do more of the same. Aside from the usual interviews, color photos, behind-the-scenes tidbits, and of course the script, the real highlight here is the sheet music, which is to this book as the songs were to the musical (in case that happens to be on your next S.A.T.). The songs, well, what can I say about the songs? Except that I would eat Joss Whedon's hemorroids if I thought it would give me the ability to write songs like that. Actually, the songs are kinda lame except for the words and music, but once you add those, they're pretty darn good. Unlike most musicals, where the songs are just there to annoy you, these barely irritated me at all. And they've been captured here in some kind of ancient pictorial language called "music notation," including vocal lines, piano parts and chord names. Sadly, there are a few omissions. The instrumental Intro and End Credits. And what about the Mustard? And Marti Noxon's Underwearless Parking Ticket? (Be still, my heart.) And Dawn's Lament, and the What You Feel reprise? Left as exercises for the reader. Grr. Argh. Still, it hardly matters -- the big bad bulk of it is here, and it should keep you bursting into song, if not flames, for hours. I don't know if these are the original piano scores, but the transcriptions seem pretty good. Good enough to make you want to invite folks over to the house for a do-it-yourself Buffy musical? I know I plan to. -- Earl Vickers, curator, MuseumOfConceptualArt
Rating:
Summary: Memorize Buffy's lines!!!!
Review: I bought this book 5 or 6 months ago along with the cd. I love this book because I can read (or perform!) it, then start the next song. It has great color photos like the one of Buffy ontop of Spike, or Buffy dodging the knife Giles threw. It has a "Where do we go from here?" thing that tell you what happened after that (with photos)! So Please get it if you love buffy.
Rating:
Summary: Best book in long while
Review: I don't read BtVS books/scripts often, but this one caught my eye ( I *heart* the show!) I have now bought the CD and Sheet music. The Walk through the fire scene is touching and brought tears to my eyes. and I'll never tell is hiliarous!
Rating:
Summary: Explain to me again why this wasn't even Emmy NOMINATED
Review: I have three different CD versions and the "for your consideration" Emmy video tape, so of course I am going to add "the original shooting script from the acclaimed musical episode" of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." We all thought that once Joss Whedon was nominated for his script of "Hush" the Emmy people had recognized what great work he had been doing in relative obscurity over there on the WB. We figured "The Body" would obviously get a nomination, but that did not happen. Then we though "once More, With Feeling" was a no brainer, but, ironically, it turns out we were right and the people who do Emmy nominations do, in point of fact, have no brains. This edition of "Once More, With Feeling" proves once again that the "official" volumes associated with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" are top drawer. What we have here is much more than the script, but let us start with that, because this is a Joss Whedon script, and if you have ever read one of these efforts you know that he tosses around editorial comments with gleeful abandon. For example, the script begins with the TEASER, which immediately explains how there is NO TEASER, but sketches what he would like to see if they have the time. Even if you have the entire script memorized, you will still have fun reading Joss' stage directions. This is essentially the shooting script, which is just a way of saying that you are not going to find lots of stuff that ended up on the cutting room floor, especially since the episode ran eight minutes over anyhow. Once you finish the script, you happily discover you are not even halfway through the book yet. There is a list of "Musical Terminology from the Script" that helpfully explains not only the basics such as melodies and verse, but also the pop culture references to Carmen Miranda's coconuts, Seventy-six (bloody) trombones and "Koombaya." Then we have "I've Got a Theory," where Joss not only explains about the genesis of this musical episode, but also offers insight on the role of music in the series (there is an especially interesting section that talks about "The Body"). Marti Noxon offers insights on the production problems and other behind the scenes personnel provide additional details, including the literary idea of nonstop dancing (i.e., "The Red Shoes"). "Something to sing about" provides a musical look at the episode, explaining the rational behind the various types of music. Of course, we already know that the strength of the songs were that they were so wonderfully character drive. "Where Do We Go From Here?" covers the rest of the season in answer to the musical question that closes the episode. Obviously, by this point we have more than gotten our money's worth from this volume but now we get to the color photographs taken mostly from the episode and then you get sheet music for all of the major songs (i.e., not for the bit pieces "Parking Ticket" and "They Got the Mustard Out"). That is certainly a lot for your money and a lot more than just the script and/or the sheet music. When you have a rare individual like Joss Whedon, who puts together a first rate-television show that keeps finding ways of establishing high water marks, and who also takes care of the show's fans in terms of products like this, then supporting him and his efforts through out patronage is both a privilege and a pleasure.
Rating: 
Summary: good but not the best
Review: I must say I was rather excited to get this book at the time which was around a week ago I was doing a "Once More With Feeling" play for my school so instead of typing up a script I just bought this one I remember my initial dissapointment when I first got it because It was pretty small but on the bright side we do get an excellent intro from Joss Whedon(total genius) and some cool pictures( Sarah Michelle Gellar is a goddess) so all in all it was worth the price but it was a little dissapointing.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Addition to Any Collection!
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I found the behind-the-scenes and other trivia to be amusing (that's Joss and the gang for ya) and informative. It was my favorite part of the book. While I don't play any instruments anymore, I found the sheet music exciting and I'm currently working on learning it. The full original script was an added bonus for me, I enjoyed reading it. I also found the references to musical terms both helpful and interesting. As I noted in the title, it's a wonderful addition! If you enjoy reading behind-the-scenes type stuff, you will love the insights! I recommend this book for Buffy and non-Buffy musical fans!
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