Here's a review some might enjoy reading...
Sorry I'm late in posting it but I ran into it -- ouch!! -- just a few minutes ago!
BIRTHDAY WISHES TO THE BOYS AND GIRL of the day!
Walt Disney: 75 Years of Music
Sun Aug 22, 3:14 PM ET
Joel Hirschhorn, STAFF
Hollywood Bowl; 17, 376 seats; $106 top
The Los Angeles Philharmonic Assn. presents "The Great American Concert with Fireworks," with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra conducted by John Mauceri. Reviewed Aug. 20, 2004.
Special guest appearances: Jodi Benson, Mary Costa, Judy Kuhn, Paige O'Hara, Lisa Vroman, Stuart Ambrose, Alan Menken, Dick Van Dyke and California State U. Fullerton University Singers with John Alexander, director.
Nostalgic, childlike enthusiasm for Disney music was clearly conveyed in conductor John Mauceri's opening remarks at the Hollywood Bowl tribute to Disney's 75-year musical legacy. Mauceri's beaming expressions lit up two large screens, and this personal emotion gave flavor and drive to a Disney Classics Overture that contained bustling renditions of "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo," "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" and "You Can Fly." But remainder of the program took flight only fitfully as a series of selections either soared or sagged until the solidly thrilling "Lion King" climax.
Rimsky-Korsakov's "Bumble Boogie" from 1948's "Melody Time" featured Jack Fina's rousing arrangement and skillful four hand pianistic contributions by Mitchell Hanlon and David Loeb. Stuart Ambrose teamed with Lisa Vroman on "Someday My Prince Will Come," confirming the charisma he displayed in Disneyland's popular "Snow White." The concert first faltered with an over-extended "Bambi," spotlighting retired opera star Mary Costa. Costa's narration against the Frank Churchill/Edward Plumb underscore was efficient, but her segment -- which sorely needed clips -- felt as though a children's recording had been uneasily pushed into the proceedings. Additional clips in general would have created a more vivid connection to the tunes.
Mauceri's excellent arrangement of the "Sleeping Beauty" suite did full justice to Tchaikovsky's themes. Less exciting was James Horner's exuberant "Rocketeer," a piece that lost power in comparatively mild orchestration and never rocketed to requisite heights.
As if on a pogo stick, the concert lifted up again with Dick Van Dyke. The ultimate pro danced delightfully and duetted with Vroman on a medley of "Mary Poppins" songs. He kicked up his heels during Richard and Robert Sherman's "Supercalifragilisticexpialodocious" and "It's a Jolly Holiday With Mary," and the Van Dyke-Vroman pair offered winning examples of showbiz savvy and style.
Eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken accompanied himself vocally on piano with selections from "The Little Mermaid," "Aladdin," "Beauty and the Beast" and other hit films. Menken, an underrated master of melody, deserves increased name recognition, but his vocals were unsteady, and he raced through songs without giving them nuanced treatment. He was better and more relaxed on ballads such as "Go the Distance" from "Hercules."
One of the evening's best moments came when Menken introduced Jodi Benson, and Benson brought out the fervent passion in "Part of Your World" from "The Little Mermaid." Paige O'Hara put over "Beauty and the Beast," despite pitch lapses, and Judy Kuhn delivered a strong and intense "Colors of the Wind."
Hans Zimmer's "Lion King" theme, majestically played and sung by the Cal State Fullerton University Singers, furnished a worthy musical accompaniment to the Bowl's fireworks, splashes of exploding color that concluded appropriately on a lion's face. Elton John and Tim Rice's "The Circle of Life" placed the stirring seal on a show that served up memorable music without supplying a totally satisfying sense of Disney's vast musical history.
