Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh

A GREAT line-up of actors and actresses. however with one or two bad picks, in my opinion. And they butcher some of the songs, though they had to to fit all these things into just three hours. A very, VERY good video nonetheless. :o)

In the words of Cameron Mackintosh they put together the greatest oray of talent possible. Some of my favourites would include David Campbell(Martin Guerre and Miss Saigon). I thought he did a wonderful job and is a really great singer. I also enjoyed Jonathan Pryce no words can describe him. Micheal Ball, Lea Salonga, Philip Quast, Ruthie Henshall, and many more. All these people made it a wonderful show. With all their singing talents put together made it enjoyable to watch. It also made it interesting to watch from a semi short stage perspective. It was overall a wonderful piece to watch and I continue to watch it to enjoy the music of the musicals and voices of the participating actors. Oh yeah one of the best was Adam Searles. EponineFantine

Hey Mr. Producer is spectacular! It's also addictive. . .I got it from my library, and have watched it at least seven or eight times so far! It really grows on you.

The best performances of the evening are Johnathan Pryce. . . so versatile, and totally slimy in The American Dream. . . Michael Ball. . . my man, always good! In top form in this. . . Lea Salonga. . .what can I say? She just lights up the stage. . . Philip Quast. . . the best Javert. EVER. . . Bernadette Peters . . . looking rather tired, but still riveting. . . and most of all, Dame Judi Dench. Her performance of Send in the Clowns is amazing. I felt like crying after she sang it. She REALLY looks like she felt what she was singing. I never tire of watching her sing it. There are so many other great performances in this video, that I know I'm leaving out several that I'll regret later. Everyone does a great job.

My favorite musical numbers were, Is You Is, Or Is You Ain't?, Unexpected Song, the medley from Miss Saigon (that Lea Salonga, wow), You Could Drive a Person Crazy, You Gotta Picka Pocket or Two, the two songs from Martin Guerre, Losing My Mind (my Mikey, SO good), Send in the Clowns, and Memory (Elain Paige, fabulous!) The best part of the musical though, was the Les Miserables medley. Absolutely wonderful. Though, all of the performance was great (my least favorite part was the long My Fair Lady segment.) Other honorable mention is Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim's duet. . . a really funny treat!

All musical fans must see this video. Five stars.

June 1998 at The Lyceum Theatre, London. Somehow, over 200 actors and dancers and singers all crammed into this theatre for an evening of unforgettable entertainment. (In fact, 2 performances were given – 7 and 8 June, the second one being the Royal gala charity that was filmed.) Over nearly three hours we are guided through highlights of 26 shows produced by one man over 30 years or so. Cameron Mackintosh. Many of the original casts reprise their roles, and many more stars are on hand to add to the glitter. There are some fairly rare appearances, too. Millicent Martin, David Kernan and Julie Mackenzie do a bit from 'Side by Side by Sondheim' and Tom Lehrer sings a song of his that was used in 'TomFoolery.' Dame Judi Dench sings an unforgettable 'Send in the Clowns' and Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim do a duet (!) And …. one could go on all night! The list of shows and cast would do justice to a dictionary of musical theatre. It is a splendid tribute to the indefatigable talent of 'Mr. Producer' Mackintosh. I think there are two items cut from the DVD. The opening medley number of Act 2 and one of the Tom Lehrer numbers. But no matter, this is without doubt a stunning achievement by all concerned.

'The best bits' will clearly depend on your own likes and dislikes. For me, the Sondheim numbers were the highlight. The man's a genius. It should be mentioned that nearly all the numbers are fully staged and costumed. (The logistics of this are mind-numbing!) They are not just a gaggle of stars in evening dress. The big 'production numbers' are spectacular – especially 'Cats' and the final piece from 'Les Miserables'. If you have any love or interest at all in musical theatre, this DVD is a 'must'. There is no on-screen info about the numbers coming up or the artists performing them. I feel this is something that could easily have been remedied. However, a listing can be found in the archive section of Albermarle of London website. (www.albermarle-london.com)

I put the DVD into the machine yesterday morning without any idea what it was going to be like. Two hours later (three, actually, cause I kept repeating it) I walked out the room swaying from side to side, laughing cause I was think of the jokes there, and wholeheartedly impressed. It was the greatest show I had ever seen.

This is just one of those things that you JUST CAN'T MISS (that's why I'm forcing my other friends to watch it). Every single performer, from the host Julie Andrews to the singers to the dancers to the sound effect guys was absolutely fantastic. The show was just...absolutely fantastic. Bernadette Peters, Jonathan Pryce, Lea Salonga, Colm Wilkinson and Andrew Lloyd Webber (regarding to his little performance)are one of my many favorites. Greatest concert ever. Just...go and watch it. It' pays off. Seriously.