And now we move on to Act 2! Or, well, the first 10 songs of act 2. I have to warn you: Though I've listened to/watched act 1 more times than I can count, as well as On Dit Dans La Rue, C'est Le Jour, and Le Duel, I have a very bad habit of stopping after La Mort De Mercutio. (After all, my two favorite characters in the show are dead!) So, the reviews might not be as detailed after that point. That doesn't mean they won't be reliable, just not as thorough as the ones before them. Anyway, here we go!
1. Le Pouvoir - And we start off immediately with a completely new song. This song is a solo for Escalus, and it really does grow on you after a couple of listens. The melody isn't all too impressive - it seems like they took the main melodies of Et Voilà Qu'elle Aime, Mort De Mercutio, and C'est Le Jour and threw them in a blender, then slightly tweaked what came out. But the instruments are fantastic - the ways the chord progressions were arranged made up for the mediocre melody, and again there's a perfect balance of electric and symphonic instruments. (If you like militaristic drums as much as I do, this song is a gold mine of them.) And Stéphane Métro - while the way he uses his voice here (very growly) is not necessarily "pleasant", it really suits the character, so it's nice.
I think the main problem I had with this song is that I have absolutely no fucking idea what its purpose is. What is he so angry about? No one's died yet... See, I suppose this is one time where I wish I could understand French. Overall, very good. I have no idea why this song is here, but it's good so I don't care.
2. On Dit Dans La Rue - One of my favorite songs from the musical. And with John, Cyril, and Damien singing together again, you'd think I would love it. Except...the arrangement was pretty disappointing. The Montagues' voices during the chorus are incredibly weak, and their part is just about what makes the song for me. And the instruments just don't pop out at you like they do in so many other versions. Overall, the individual singers are great, but the arrangement really made this song a let down for me.
3. C'est Le Jour - Another favorite. Let me say that I know every version is going to be slightly disappointing when I'm used to the awesomeness of Ez A Kéz Utoler. However, this is probably the best non-Hungarian arrangement I've heard. Tom Ross really has improved, and this song really shows it. Overall, great!
4. La Folie - I jumped with joy clapping my hands when I first realized that this song had come back. Literally. So, it's not like the original - it's much shorter, only a small part is actually sung (most of the lyrics are spoken), and it's a Mercutio solo without Romeo and Benvolio. But guess what? It's STILL AWESOME. Again I have to praise John's skills at being endearingly annoying that can come through from his voice alone. Overall, simply amazing, and incredibly catchy.
5. Le Duel - Heeere we go. This song is, without a doubt, the song I have listened to most from this show. I've listened dozens of times to every version I could find, and it is not exaggeration at all to say that I've heard it at least 150 times. So I knew I was going to be especially critical of any arrangement. And I was right. Let me state that this is not a bad arrangement, per se, but like On Dit Dans La Rue, it's a let down. A song this strong needs a powerful arrangement, and this version just turned out weak.
First no-no: In the chorus, the choir was pushed to the background, and John and Tom's voices pushed to the front. No! It weakens the strength and emotion of the song.
Second no-no: Also in the chorus, I could not hear any of the beautiful harmonies.
Third no-no: Oh gosh, this is hard to say. I mentioned that I'm not a big fan of Tom's Tybalt before, and this song just strengthens that. His voice simply does not work with this music, and he doesn't sound really emotional at all. Annoyed, yes, but I don't hear any of that deep hate that should really be expressed. And he sounds very nasal. Sorry Tom, but...no.
Overall, such an amazing song, it just needs an equally great arrangement to do it justice, and this one fell short. (I should emphasize that if you actually watch live videos of this cast, it's much better. It's breathtaking live.)
6. Mort De Mercutio - I'm not going to lie: I cried the first time I heard this song. Just wept. If done right, this song is a gorgeous tearjerker. And I teared up again listening to this version. This is the best, most emotional version I've heard of it. (Yup, right on the heels of my least-favorite arrangement is my favorite.)
John really shines in this, again. Perhaps because you can hear that Mercutio is trying to sound like the carefree person he'd always shown to others, but can't quite do it. And the choir comes in lightly behind Damien near the end - it really is heartbreaking. Overall, wonderful, and tugs at your heartstrings like no other version I've heard.
7. Quel Est Le Prix - I haven't heard a particularly "bad" arrangement of this song, and this one doesn't change that. Great, but there's nothing really special about this version compared to any others. Although, you can hear the drums a little more. Overall, great but not remarkable.
8. Duo Du Désespoir - I had forgotten how nice this song could be. Frédéric Charter doesn't have an amazing voice, but it gets the job done. Here is where Ida Gordon really shines, oddly enough. Overall, very good!
9. Le Chant De L'alouette - This is one of those songs I don't normally listen to, because, to be honest, I think it's pretty tedious. So I don't have much to say about it, other than that Damien and Joy are great as usual. Overall, meh.
10. Demain - This song I have listened to a lot, and this is probably my favorite non-Hungarian arrangement. The instruments, singers, and arrangement are great. My only complaint is that Joy doesn't sound too emotional, either with her singing or her "No!" But I understand that this is a recording and not a show, so acting wasn't really the point. Overall, wonderful!
And I'll be posting part 3, with the second half of act 2, soon.
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