Boy George, Raul Esparza, Euan Morton - Taboo (2003 Original Broadway Cast)

If you were in New York when Taboo was in previews, you would have thought that all the show's drama took place backstage instead of on it--reports of clashes between producer Rosie O'Donnell, director Mark Renshaw and various members of the cast (including author-actor Boy George) appeared almost daily. But guess what: The show turned out to be a lot better than its reputation, and based on its two cast albums, the Broadway version even improved on the London one. The book was spruced up by playwright Charles Busch and Boy George tweaked his score, adding for instance the opening number "Freaks/Ode to Attention Seekers." This welcome recording confirms that Taboo is an underestimated show. Pop and theatrical at the same time, it even delivers show-stopping power ballads (Liz McCartney's "Talk Amongst Yourselves," Cary Shields's "I See Through You") that could have a second life on cabaret stage or even American Idol. --Elisabeth Vincentelli Amazon.com

Great Score

TABOO may not have taken Broadway by storm....but the music is POP at its best. Raul Esparza continues to shine. All the tracks are great. Treat yourself to a good time. September 14, 2007

Sadly Maligned Broadway Flop Yields a Fine Show Album Well Worth Saving

In hindsight, it seems ironic that the infamous Rosie O'Donnell-produced 2003 Broadway flop has left behind such an infectious cast recording full of heart and humor. Anyone who has seen Dori Berinstein's recent 2007 documentary, "Showbusiness: The Road to Broadway" knows the myriad of struggles faced in mounting this elaborate production. My understanding is that the chief problem was Charles Busch's viewpoint-challenged book, which is of little relevance when it comes to the recording itself. What is left here is a stellar cast whose characters inhabit the London club underworld, the most noteworthy being Boy George whose meteoric rise was eventually followed by a career free-fall. However, his more significant role here is as the show's composer and lyricist, and this is where he truly triumphs.

The disc opens strongly with the one-two punch of the extravagant cabaret number, "Freak/Ode to Attention Seekers" led by Raúl Esparza's dazzling vocal turn, and Euan Morton's poignant crooning of "Stranger in This World", which nicely sums up the Boy's emotional solitude at the outset. As Boy George, Morton offers a plaintive singing voice spotlighted on the gently rolling "Pretty Lies", the rhythmic pop of "Guttersnipe", and the edgier sarcasm of "The Fame Game". It seems inevitable that a few familiar Culture Club hits are included, and Morton approximates the Boy's sound reasonably well on "Church of the Poison Mind/Karma Chameleon" and of course, "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?". The wildly talented Esparza plays the campy, cross-dressing Philip Sallon, the show's narrator, with aplomb, and the show's shining moment is his with the heartbreaking Act II ballad, "Petrified".

Under his real name (George O'Dowd), Boy George himself has three diverse tracks playing flamboyant performance artist Leigh Bowery - the comic romp, "I'll Have You All"; the eighties-dance fire-up, "Everything Taboo"; and the Teutonic dirge, "Ich Bin Kunst". As cross-dressing pop singer Marilyn, Jeffrey Carlson growls his way through "Genocide Peroxide", while Cary Shields rocks out on "I See Through You". Sarah Uriarte Berry shines on the funky "Safe in the City" and the especially beautiful "Il Adore". As Big Sue, Liz McCarthy has a belter's voice which she shows off on "Talk Amongst Yourselves" and the catchy "Sexual Confusion" in which she duets snappily with Esparza. The cast comes out in full force on the fitting conclusion, the gospel-tinged "Come On In from the Outside". If the multitude of characters came across as rather perplexing onstage, it seems to work much better within the context of a recording. July 20, 2007

I never saw the show on Broadway, but...

I never saw the show on broadway, but the music is awesome, I wish I had! It ran for such a short time, I never had the chance to see it. The only day I was in NYC during it's run the show was dark :-(. But, Euan Morton, Cary Shields, how can you go wrong? February 18, 2006

Great Pop CD !

Despite this being a theatrical score, "Taboo" doubles as a terrific pop cd, filled with many great melodies & messages. Best tracks include:

Stranger In This World
Everything Taboo [great dance song!]
Talk Amongst Yourselves
Out Of Fashion [the voices blend beautifully together]
Il Adore [gut-wrenching song]

It's really too bad the show didn't hang around a bit longer ... maybe it was just ill-timed. I also wish the U.S. version had contained "Touched By The Hand Of Cool", but it was dropped for some reason.

Thanks Rosie for introducing this music to us! June 18, 2005

Amazing show, amazing music!

Taboo has a great score and a great cast to perform it. I saw the show once, not knowing what to expect, but by the first number "Freak/Ode To Attention Seekers" I fell in love with it, and the rest was just as good. The songs are great and the cast is very talented. Someone who would be put off by the visuals of the show should still give the music a try (I got some friends in school to listen who I know would never have seen the show, and they liked the music).
I was disappointed that Boy George's score did not win a Tony, nor did the two actors nominated for their roles, Euan Morton and Raul Esparza, who were fantastic. Sadly, it is too late to see the show anymore, but the music still lives on. This album is a great addition to a CD collection and I reccommend buying it if you have not already done so! January 8, 2005

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