Original Cast Recording Review: Sundown

By Amy Somensky Feb 11, 2005, 1:55 GMT

It begins with Holliday deciding to put down his gun before his luck runs out. Ready to head east, he meets his old cronies, the Earps, who are keen to start their business again. He misses his stagecoach and ends up in the middle of a fight between Wyatt Earp and the Clantons. Doc still refuses to join the Earp’s fight against the Clantons. Doc then meets a woman, Kate Fisher, who further delays his departure. After a brush with death, Doc, robs the Clantons of their money. The Clantons now vow revenge against Doc. The stage is set for the fight at the OK Corral. Kate tries to convince Doc to put down his gun. Unable to convince him she leaves town and Doc forever.

Doc Holliday decides to put down his gun

Having not actually seen the musical, I believe a cast recording loses some of its affect, not having the lighting, scenery, and costumes associated with each song. Even saying that, the cast recording of Sundown is a very pleasant experience and becomes more so with each subsequent listen. I am in no way a fan of country music, but I recognize well-written and well-produced songs, which these songs are. The songs that are very country in nature I think I would appreciate more in the setting of a performance, but they most certainly keep with the theme of the show.

Kate Fisher and Doc Holliday

What the score does offer is a wonderful mix of a country feeling, beautiful ballads, soaring melodies, clever lyrics, a true western atmosphere, and haunting orchestral pieces. My tastes tend to draw me toward the less country and more pop oriented songs like the infectious “Arizona Morning,” the haunting title song, “Sundown,” and the soaring ballads “Bridges,” and “Another Time.” There are a few wonderful orchestral pieces as well. I appreciated the special effects used in “Prelude to a Gunfight.” You could see the beating hearts of the men and the tumbleweeds as they blew by.

The recording features some wonderful performances, especially that of Steve Blanchard as Doc Holliday and Judy McLane and Kate Fisher. McLane excels on “Bridges” as she recounts her past relationships. The tone in her voice is beautiful. Their performances alone are worth picking this recording up.

I would be very interested to see another mounting of this musical. The score is very strong and has all the elements a good musical needs, which include a compelling story and a mix of good songs.

For more information on Sundown or the cast recording visit our database here. The recording can be bought online through Amazon.com here.