Susan Stroman's Contact stirred up a hornets' nest of controversy by winning the 2000 Tony Award for Best Musical. The fact that the music for the dance play was entirely prerecorded, and mostly from classic sources didn't sit well with either traditionalists or union musicians. So what exactly do you get on the CD, Contact: Music from the Broadway Show? The first segment of the three-section show takes place in the French countryside and is represented by a Stephane Grappelli recording of "My Heart Stood Still." The second part is a romantic fantasy accompanied by Leonard Bernstein recordings of Grieg, Tchaikovsky, and Bizet. The most famous segment portrays modern New Yorkers and the music they swing dance to: classic pop (Dion, the Beach Boys), neo-swing bands (Squirrel Nut Zippers, Royal Crown Revue), and of course the show's defining number, Robert Palmer's "Simply Irresistible."

It's extremely odd to listen to a CD representing four Tony-winning achievements and not be able to enjoy three of them: Stroman's choreography, and Karen Ziemba and Boyd Gaines's dancing/acting (not to mention Deborah Yates's striking Girl in the Yellow Dress). Fortunately for Gaines, he actually appears on this CD, as his new, suave rendition of "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" replaces the show's usual Dean Martin recording. Comparable to the CD of music used in Peter Shaffer's Amadeus, Contact: Music from the Broadway Show is without question a useful souvenir of an innovative, invigorating theater experience (only a few numbers are missing from the 56-minute CD), but as a listening experience, it's a real mixed bag. --David Horiuchi

Customer Rating:
Summary: As dealers would say, "Just a sweet taste..."
Comment: Another reviewer stated the ultimate truth: It's not as good as being there.

Though that's true, that's also the reason my wife and I bought this CD. Every time I listen to it, I feel transported back to our seats in San Francisco where my mind was BLOWN by the intense, passionate performances that took place right in front of us. I've always enjoyed dancing and music, and while we were dating my wife kept telling me that I needed to see "contact".

Her exact words were: "...trust me, you just really need to see it."

So, I'll give you a suggestion as well as a review: See the live performance, and if you feel moved, buy this CD. You'll thank yourself again and again.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Saw this on TV a few years ago
Comment: I found that the dances were mesmerizing and the music invigorating. While I enjoy listening to the sound track, I keep hoping for a copy of the TV show video. I welcome any suggestions on how to acquire the video.
Thanks.
KHill

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Diverse and original: A sure bet
Comment: If you thought you had listened to everything about Broadway tunes, wait and listen to this one: it will leave you breathless! It's such a unique, original and wonderful musical difficult to match with any other one. Variation is the word here: the music goes from classical themes (the "Did you move?" themes)to modern tunes in a most attractive manner. This is one of those CD's that you may play over and over again, and never get tired of it. I would highly recommend it to all music lovers, since the musical range is so wide that it will thrill all audiences.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: how can I get a video of this incredible show.
Comment: Never have I seen a show as wonderful as this. I'd do almost anything for a video of it? Any possiblility?

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Best Show EVER
Comment: Contact is the best musical that I have ever seen. This is defiantly one of the reasons why I bought the CD. The reason why the musical is great is because everything ties in beautifully with the music. If you have seen the play, I defiantly recommend buying the CD, after seeing it how could you not? After I saw the play I loved it, but thought that 30 buck or whatever they were selling it for in the lobby after the show was way too much. So I waited and bought it at a media store. It was one of the best investments I've made concerning music. All my memories of the play flooded back. If however you have not seen the play, the music is still superb. My best friend has never seen the play but I let her listen to my CD and her favorite song ever is now Farandole (#4). So even w/o the background of the play, the music is still very powerful. The other uniquely great thing about this play is the fact that it has so many different styles and types of music. That alone makes it a great addition to anyone's collection. It will open you up to different styles of music which you might not have been able to appreciate before. It's a mind blowing play and a mind blowing CD with eclectic, imaginative, and powerful music.

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