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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent New Version of an Old Favourite!, 27 April 2003
I bought this CD after seeing Denise Van Outen in the new West End production of "Tell Me On A Sunday". The whole musical has been completely revised and updated, which can be a bit disconcerting at first, if you are expecting the original lyrics. (For example, "I'm Very You, You're Very Me" was orginally about one of the heroine's boyfriends, but the new version refers to her married lover's daughter!) But, after a few plays, the new versions do grow on you. There are five new songs, which are all excellent - especially "Speed Dating" (very funny) and the closing number, "Somewhere, Someplace, Sometime", which is both hopeful and poignant at the same time. And the embarrassingly-named "Sheldon Bloom" is now called "Tyler King". For the first time, we hear the voices of other people - on the heroine's answerphone and on her "haven in the sky", the plane to New York. However, this only happens a couple of times, to enhance the story - it's still a one-woman show! Denise Van Outen is perfect as the heroine who moves from London to the States. Her singing voice is very clear and strong, and she moves effortlessly from comedy to anger and the pain of rejection. Her accent matches the character, who is now from Ilford, rather than Muswell Hill (and I don't think I've heard the word "bonk" used in a West End musical before!). I think that the heroine (I wish she had a name!) is portrayed rather more sympathetically than in previous versions. Rather than the calculating marriage-wrecker played by Sarah Brightman ("I won't look crushed when you say your wife is pretty... Pass the acid!"), she seems a much nicer person who is duped into having an affair by a man who promises to leave his wife and then - well, you can guess what happens! She even plans to be a "second mother" to her lover's 12-year-old daughter and looks forward to her "Ready Made Life". My only criticism of "Tell Me On A Sunday" is that it's a bit shorter than most other musicals, now that it's been separated from the "Dance" part of "Song and Dance". Perhaps I'm being a bit unfair, as a longer show would be a strain for one person to carry, but that's why I've given it 4 stars instead of 5. Having said that, I really do recommend this CD, if only for the sheer passion and energy of Denise's performance - and her comic timing is excellent. If you're a "saddo" like me, who's already got the soundtracks of the two previous versions, you do need this one to complete the collection. It's very different and I promise you won't just be buying another copy of the same songs.
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~ Marti Webb
~ Michael Reed
~ Original London Cast
~ Various Artists
~ Original Broadway Cast Recording
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