Richard Rodgers: An Enchanted Evening

The centenary of composer Richard Rodgers' birth in 1902 was the occasion for this celebratory concert, filmed at London's Royal Drury Lane Theatre, of songs whose melodies were paired to lyrics by Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein and, toward the close of his career, Rodgers himself. The program has a broad chronological span, beginning with “Manhattan,” a tune he wrote for The Garrick Gaieties in 1925, to “An Old Man” from 1970's Two by Two. It's also notable for containing relative rarities from lesser-known shows such as Me and Juliet, as well as songs written for the 1943 revision of A Connecticut Yankee and the movie version of The Sound of Music. But while the content is certainly adventurous, the performances usually don't rise much beyond mere competence from the mostly unknown participants--with the exception of X-Files star Gillian Anderson, who merely introduces the proceedings, and Judi Dench, who offers an embarrassing takeoff on “Sixteen Going on Seventeen.” Presented in solid Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, this is not a necessary purchase for anyone but musical theatre fanatics. Aud: P. (F. Swietek)