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

Following on the heels of the audio collection of Sir Cameron Mackintosh's 'greatest hits', with the same name and released in the 1980s, this video is a great record of a selection from some of the greatest musical productions from the late 1960s to now from a veritable who's who of West End and Broadway musical stars.

Highlights? Numerous - I'll stick to just a dozen (in the order they appear in the film):

1 I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face - Jonathan Pryce with Liz Robertson; done before Jonathan played Higgins opposite Martine McCutcheon (or at least when she bothered to turn up)

2 Suddenly Seymour - Ellen Greene & Teddy Kempner; no one was a better or more fragile Audrey than this

3 Unexpected Song - Bernadette Peters; Emma's song of love from 'Song and Dance'; a real belter

4 I Love A Lassie - Jimmy Logan as Harry Lauder; sweetly Scots and a nice change of pace

5 Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby? - Five Guys Named Moe Cast; a thrilling version of the Louis Jordan classic

6 How Many Tears? - Maria Friedman; sadly the only decent song in the revamped 'Martin Guerre'

7 Phantom of the Opera segment - Colm Wilkinson, Lisa Vroman, and Michael Ball; interesting to compare with Antonio Banderas as the Phantom in the ALW tribute video

8 Broadway Baby - Julia McKenzie and about everyone else who appeared in a Mackintosh production

9 Send In The Clowns - Judi Dench; truly touching, just as she did it in the National production

10 Losing My Mind - Michael Ball; a girl's song from Follies reinvented beautifully

11 Being Alive - Bernadette Peters; what a voice that lady has!

12 Les Miz segment; although truncated, always nice to see Colm Wilkinson, Philip Quast, Michael Ball, etc., reprising their roles in this fantastic production

Highly recommended. Any chance of a DVD release in the UK?

I love Leah Salonga, the original Miss Saigon, a truly amazing talent from the Philippines. She is brilliant, spectacular, fabulous and the best singer I have seen in the West End of London.The original cast of Les Miserables was also brilliant.

I totally agree with Stepahie K, Liz Robertson didn't quite make the standard as Eliza that Julie Andrews set, and Bernadette Peters wasn't as good as she normally is, she sounded really tired. Although some of the singers looked tired and were not as brilliant as seen on stage years ago, they still performed quite well.

The video is a culmination of all the best musicals in the West End of London and the brilliance of Sir Cameron Mackintosh. A must for everyone to buy and keep forever.

"Hey, Mr. Producer" is the most wonderful thing out there right now for fans of Broadway and the West End who can't quite make it to the theatre. What a roster: Julie Andrews, Bernadette Peters, Michael Ball, Dame Judi Dench, Ruthie Henshall, Lea Salonga, Jonathon Pryce... it goes on and on!

The best parts, though, include: The reunion of Dames Millicent Martin and Julia McKenzie, and David Kernan for "Side by Side by Sondheim" (their performances are especially engaging in this title song, "You Can Drive a Person Crazy", and "You Gotta Have a Gimmick"); Ellen Green's brilliant performance in the forever-hers role of Audrey in "Little Shop of Horrors" singing "Somewhere that's Green"; The Les Miserables section in which the finishing "One Day More" song is a breathtaking effect on the film--I can just imagine how moving this was live!; Julie Andrews' entrance in the "My Fair Lady" montage---" I washed my face and hands before I came, i did."; and the sequence of "Miss Saigon", one of the most brilliant musicals ever written and perfectly recreated here with Lea Salonga returning to her lead role. This Cameron Mackintosh fest is a joy to treasure for years to come--i love watching my copy--i could watch it every day! And it's perfect to finish off with Stephen Sondheim's marking piece "Old Friends"---"But us, old friends, what's to discuss, old friends..... Who's Like us? DAMN FEW!!!!"

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.

I brought this show last Christmas and have since watched it a number of times. My particular favourite part is the "Cats" section near the end, and I have spent the past few months trying to identify those members of the cast that were also in the "Cats" video. I now know who at least four or five of them are :-) I also liked some other parts of the video as well, such as "Oliver", but the "Cats" section was my favourite.