[missdiva]

Which is better- the OBCR or the film soundtrack?

[Would You Light My Candle]

OBCR, the Maria is so much better.

[CJK_86]

The Anita(s) in the movie version is so much better than ol' Chita, I think. I'd prefer the movie version, though, Tony in the OBC is awesome.

[Courfeyrac]

[Norma Desmond]

The energy and style are much more palpable on the OBC. Carol Lawrence, Larry Kert and Chita Rivera still define the roles of Tony, Maria and Anita.

And I prefer the girls version of "America".

[Monteen]

OBCR all the way!! Only thing I like better musically from the movie is the placements of "Cool" and "Krupke" The are flipped and I think it makes more sense in the movie.

[RainbowJude]

Which is better - the OBCR or the film soundtrack?

My favourite is the OBCR - in fact, it's my favourite overall recording of West Side Story. I think that the Original Broadway Cast - as an ensemble, but particularly Carol Lawrence, Larry Kert and Chita Rivera - interprets the roles far better than any of the other recordings and I really enjoy the way that the score is played by the orchestra.

The film soundtrack is fine in that it's a record of the film, but I do find the performances lacking in something. There's a kind of generic blandness, particulary in the vocals for Tony. I feel like the vocal could be for any romantic lead in any musical - there's nothing particularly "Tony" about it. I also have big ethical issues with dubbing performers, so that is also a factor in my opinion of this recording.

The complete studio recording from JAY/TER has only one good thing - Caroline O'Connor as Anita. However, her performance is so energised and commited that she seems over the top in comparison with her comatose colleagues.

The operatic recording conducted by Bernstein is miscast. The cast sounds far too old, and the delivery is too "sung" and not acted enough. There's no spirit or passion, which are the two things that can really ignite a good production of the show.

Later days
David