Product Description

On a September evening last fall, at New York's venerable Carnegie Hall, a star-studded audience was treated to a concert of Broadway showstoppers performed by the greatest divas of the American theatre. Under the baton of musical director Paul Gemignani, the American Theatre Orchestra accompanied Liza Minnelli, Audra McDonald, Linda Eder, Nell Carter, Andrea McArdle, Jennifer Holliday, Lea Delaria and a host of other Broadway luminaries in what was certainly the event of the fall season. Featuring selections from Chicago, A Chorus Line, Showboat, Guys and Dolls, Ain't Misbehavin', Dreamgirls, Company, Gypsy, Man of La Mancha, On the Town and others, this evening of song and celebrity will live forever, preserved on home video for any time you feel like bringing up the curtain! Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 soundtracks. 100 minutes.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31738 in DVD
• Released on: 1999-12-14
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Compilation, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 99 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
A live concert at Carnegie Hall filmed in September 1998, My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies gathers a glittering lineup of Broadway's best, past and present. Some marquee names such as Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, and Betty Buckley are conspicuously missing, and Julie Andrews hosts but does not sing, but it still has Liza and stars aplenty from the '90s (Bebe Neuwirth, Faith Prince) as well as the '70s and '80s (Elaine Stritch, Jennifer Holliday, Nell Carter). The older stars sing songs from landmark original roles, while the '90s stars tend to sing either songs they've performed in revivals or songs from older shows--curiously, modern headliners such as Audra McDonald and Linda Eder sing older material rather than the contemporary shows (Ragtime, Jekyll & Hyde, respectively, among others) with which they are strongly associated.

A number of these performances might be slightly inferior to those on the original recordings, but there are a number of gems, and the star power of the whole lineup is undeniable. In addition, even though only a few numbers provide action to watch, video is a valuable format for this concert because it gives faces to stars who most viewers outside of New York might recognize only by name or still photographs, and also allows fans to catch up with yesterday's stars. (Those who were dazzled by Andrea McArdle's cameo in the 1999 TV remake of her original star-making vehicle, Annie, will love her sweet, understated performance here.) Furthermore, the 99-minute video program provides more footage than the PBS telecast (85 minutes) or the CD release (61 minutes). This is highly recommended for Broadway fans. --David Horiuchi

Additional Features
The video and DVD include the following songs omitted from the PBS telecast: Tony Roberts and Robert Morse's "The Beauty That Drives a Man Mad," Debra Monk's "Everybody's Girl," Dee Hoty's "Could I Leave You?" and Dorothy Loudon's heartfelt "Fifty Percent."

Customer Reviews

Should be entitled "Some Leading Ladies..."
I have to begin by stating that I really enjoy this DVD, and watch it far more than I thought I would. Jennifer Holliday literally brings down the house with her classic rendition of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from "Dreamgirls"; Linda Eder shines on "Man of La Mancha" and contrary to other opinions Elaine Strich gives the definitive "Ladies Who Lunch" from "Company." The best performance came from an unexpected quarter (at least to me) Dorothy Loudon's "Fifty-Percent" from "Ballroom." She is heartbreaking, and moves me to tears every time. The downside is there are no real Broadway Divas...where is Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, Betty Buckley, or (even if she is more West End than Broadway) Elaine Paige? And as much as I love Liza Minnelli, she steamrolls through "Some People" from Gypsy to detrimental effect. To end on a positive note, if you love Broadway and the women who entertain us, this is definately worth your while.

Leading Ladies: Lavish, Lovely and Lilting
This is an incredible special. The singing, gowns, and staging is simply incredible. Each performer walks onstage and sings her signature song.

Some lesser known, yet highly talented performers are featured here - Marrin Mazzie, who delivers a sweet performance of "Bewitched, Bothered..." and Dee Hoty is revengeful with "Could I Leave You?" from FOLLIES.

Karen Ziemba is a wonderful dancer/singer and gets things rolling at the beginning with the talented Bebe Neuwirth in a dance from CHICAGO. But I prefer Ziemba's charming "I Wanna Be A Rockette" near the end of the show.

My absolute favorites are Audra McDonald and Andrea McArdle. McDonald is such an incredible performer who deserves a Broadway show! Her version of "Down With Love" is full of such energy and talent that I almost forgot Streisand's version! McDonald sings it with hilarious "My Man", "He Touched Me" and "Music That Makes Me Dance" lyrics. She is really incredible. And Andrea McArdle cleverly reigns herself in and sings a touching, quiet version of "Tomorrow" from ANNIE. She has such a great voice -- her cameo in the ANNIE TV movie was a surprise, and she sounded great!

My one qualm with the show is Liza Minnelli's performance. Watch this one -- I could swear they've done some post-performance dubbing on her vocals. The whole "Some People" song seems dubbed.

I wish Betty Buckley, Bernadette Peters or Chita Rivera had appeared. But the quality of the performances makes this show a hit! I really enjoyed it. The DVD features chapters for each song. Thanks, Ladies!

Brought Tears to My Eyes
These women have proven once again that they belong among Broadway's elite. Living in Kansas, I have never had the priviledge of seeing great Broadway performances. I have been resigned to collecting soundtracks of top-notch shows. This DVD provided me with the opportunity to see these performers. Julie Andrews looked exquisite and hosted graciously, despite her inability to sing. Some notable numbers: Bebe Neuwirth and Karen Ziemba; Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag (Chicago), Linda Eder absolutely rocked the audience with her performance of Man of La Mancha, Liza Minnelli had the crowd on their feet, Anna Kendricks and the (too-thin) Kit-Kat girls from Cabaret sweetly perform Life Upon the Wicked Stage and Kendricks is adorable. Karen Ziemba danced with The Rockettes in I Wanna Be A Rockette. And the Amazing Audra McDonald left even the most critical man I know absolutely speechless with her performance of Down With Love.
But far and beyond, and if for no other reason, the one you buy this DVD for, is the Andrew Lloyd Webber Love Trio. Audra McDonald, Marin Mazzie and Judy Kuhn perform 3 different songs from 3 different Webber musicals and come together in one of the most heart-stopping performances I have ever heard. If you are a fan of Broadway, this purchase is well worth it.