Library Journal Review

This reviewer has never understood the appeal of musical theater. Maybe that is after seeing too many small-town shows that were heavy on the corny and sentimental. Even so, this collection of Broadway's biggest names at the top of their game, performing highlights from musical numbers staged for the Tony Awards from 1970 to 1994, is not only painless but even entertaining. Among the highlights: the late Gregory Hines's truly impressive dancing from Jelly's Last Jam and Kathi Moss's funny/sexy, tambourine-banging performance in Nine. The only production that drags is a longer-than-average slice of the play Coco with Katharine Hepburn (not generally known as a musical performer), but its interest as a historical rarity compensates. Since stage productions only exist during a night's performance, theater fans have been generally underserved by the DVD boom, and this disc wouldn't be a bad place for a public library collection to start.--Karen Joan Kohoutek, Fargo P.L., ND (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.