Dessa Rose (2005 Off-Broadway Cast)
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CD Details
Edition: Music CDFormat: Soundtrack
CD Release Date: 2005-12-13
Music Label: Jay Records
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- Act One: We Are Descended - Company
- Act One: Comin' Down The Quarters - Kaine
- Act One: Ol' Banjar - Kaine
- Act One: Scene - 'Oh, Slavery Didn't Do Away...' - Rose
- Act One: Something Of My Own - Rose
- Act One: Scene - 'Watch Your Step, Mr. Nehemiah...' - Nehemiah
- Act One: Ink - Nehemiah
- Act One: Scene - 'Hey Hey...Hey Hey...' - Rose
- Act One: Scene - 'You Had No Call To Break That' - Steele
- Act One: Scene - 'Why You Kill Him?...' - Rose
- Act One: The Gold Band - Field Hands, Old Ruth, Rose, Harker, Mrs. Steele, Wilson, Nehemiah, Nathan, Coffle
- Act One: Scene - 'See Them Stars...' - Nathan
- Act One: Little Star - Harker
- Act One: Scene - 'Hey, Pretty Girl...' - Wilson
- Act One: The Gold Band (Conclusion) - Ensemble
- Act One: Ladies - Ruth's Mother
- Act One: Bertie's Waltz - Ruth
- Act One: At The Glen - Ruth
- Act One: Scene - 'Good Afternoon, Odessa...' - Nehemiah
- Act One: Scene - 'Observations On The Famed Devil Woman...' - Nehemiah
- Act One: Capture The Girl - Nehemiah
- Act One: Scene - 'Janet? Philip?...' - Ruth
- Act One: Scene - 'The People On Her Place...' - Ruth
- Act One: Scene - 'Miss, We Was Only' - Nathan
- Act One: Fly Away - Susannah
- Act One: Scene - 'That's The First Time...' - Nehemiah
- Act One: Scene - 'I'm Sorry, Master...' - Nehemiah
- Act One: Fly Away (Conclusion)/How Long Will It Be? - Nathan
- Act One: Dessa Rose Escapes - Nehemiah
- Act One: Terrible - Nehemiah, Gemina, Tina, Joy, Joseph, Eric, Dessa Rose, Nathan, Harker, Philip, Old Ruth
- Act One: Scene - 'Mmm...Hmm...' - Ruth
- Act One: Scene - 'Obstinate Little Fool...' - Ruth
- Act One: Their Eyes Are Clear, Blue Like Sky - Rose
- Act One: Scene - 'This Baby Don't Need No Name' - Ruth
- Act One: Twelve Children - Dessa Rose
- Act Two: Noah's Done - Nathan
- Act Two: Scene - 'Through Talking To Nathan...' - Nathan
- Act Two: Scene - 'Why Y'all Call Her Devil Woman?...' - Nathan
- Act Two: Scene - 'It Was Then I Knew...' - Old Ruth
- Act Two: Fly Away (Reprise) - Harker
- Act Two: Scene - 'Ah, Look Here!...' - Nathan, Dessa Rose, Ada, Ruth, Janet, Annabel, Philip, Harker
- Act Two: The Scheme - Harker
- Act Two: Scene - 'Nathan Thinks We Might Could...' - Harker
- Act Two: Scene - 'Why Miz Ruth...' - Nathan
- Act Two: In The Bend Of My Arm - Nathan
- Act Two: Scene - 'Miz... Nathan!' Nathan...' - Nathan
- Act Two: Better If I Died - Nathan
- Act Two: Ten Petticoats - Ruth's Mother
- Act Two: Scene - 'We Organized To Go...' - Harker
- Act Two: Just Over The Line - Dessa Rose, Ruth, Nathan, Old ruth, Old Dessa, Auctioneer #1, Janet, Ada, Annabel, Harker, Philip, Auctioneer #2, Young Black Woman, Nehemiah, Susannah
- Act Two: Scene - 'Now Things Was Going...' - Ruth
- Act Two: A Pleasure - Ruth
- Act Two: Scene - 'That Mr. Oscar Is...' - Ruth
- Act Two: Scene - 'Not If Your Tongue Gets Loose...' - Ruth
- Act Two: Scene - 'I Understood...' - Old Dessa
- Act Two: White Milk And Red Blood - Old Ruth
- Act Two: Scene - 'They Tell You About...' - Old Dessa
- Act Two: Scene - 'Anna, I Swear You Are As Slow As Molasses...' - Ruth
- Act Two: Scene - 'It Was Just Like Her...' - Nehemiah
- Act Two: Final Sequence - Scene - 'Master, Master...' - Nehemiah
- Act Two: Final Sequence - Scene - 'S'caped...' - Ruth
- Act Two: Final Sequence - Scene - 'I Don't Want Your Money, Child...' - Dessa Rose
- Act Two: Final Sequence - Scene - 'Sheriff, This Gal Ain't Got...' - Nehemiah
- Act Two: Final Sequence - Scene - 'Sheriff, I Got...' - Nehemiah
- Act Two: Final Sequence - Scene - 'No, No! Look Here...' - Ruth
- Act Two: Final Sequence - Scene - 'Mistress, I...' - Ruth
- Act Two: Final Sequence - Epilogue - We Are Descended - Company
- Act Two: Final Sequence - Just Over The Line - Instrumental (Exit Music) - Orchestra
Music reviews of Dessa Rose (2005 Off-Broadway Cast)
Music Review: Their best since "Ragtime"
Rating: 4 Stars
There's so much to like about this recording of "Dessa Rose" that I almost hate to admit there are flaws. Musical dramas are really hard to do well, and I love that composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens have kept at it. Their masterpiece "Ragtime" set a standard for epic musical storytelling, and after the comparably slight "Seussical" and "A Man of No Importance," it's nice to see them deliver another ambitious musical drama. This is also easily their best score since "Ragtime."
Like that show, "Dessa Rose" is a period piece infused with a major dose of serious American history-- the story here concerns an escaped slave (the title character, played by LaChanze) whose path crosses with Ruth, a sympathetic young white woman (Rachel York). Abandoned by her husband, Ruth houses Dessa and other former slaves on her southern plantation and eventually engages in a scheme to help them flee to the West. The story is narrated by Dessa and Ruth as old women (also played by LaChanze and York), emphasizing the oral tradition of storytelling and the importance of learning from the past.
In telling this story, Flaherty and Ahrens have come up with a whole slew of solid musical numbers, from the soulful opener "We are Descended," through powerful solos "At the Glen" and "Twelve Children," exciting action passages "The Gold Band" and "Terrible," and the beautiful love song "In the Bend of my Arm." These are but a few of the numbers that make up what is musically one of the strongest scores of the decade.
This two-disc recording is also unique in that it addition to the music, it actually contains the entire show, dialogue and all. This makes for an admirably deluxe cast recording-- I wish more shows were so well preserved. The completeness does have a bit of a drawback, however: it reveals some problems with "Dessa Rose" as a musical.
The major flaw is that the "storytelling" structure is just too awkward. The writers used a narration device a lot more effectively in "Once on this Island." Here, the constant moving back and forth between the old and young Dessa and Ruth just seems to undermine the power inherent in the material. Not having seen the show, I can't imagine that this worked well on stage (it doesn't help that LaChanze and York are called upon to use corny "old lady" voices). Also, we get too much commentary from the old women, telling us exactly how to feel about what's going on and providing too much exposition. This creates a lack of subtlety that grows especially problematic when the women's relationship develops in Act II in ways that are not quite as nuanced as they could be.
Even with some flaws, though, "Dessa Rose" is an engaging story full of humanity and the cast on this recording is really strong across the board. If I do wish the show had some of the dramatic complexity of, say, the undervalued "Caroline, or Change," there is a lot to appreciate in this show-- and the music alone makes it worthy of a high recommendation.
More Dessa Rose (2005 Off-Broadway Cast) free music reviews:
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Description of Dessa Rose (2005 Off-Broadway Cast)
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