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44 of 44 found the following review helpful:
 A perfect transfer...Jun 11, 2003
By Wayne Rossi
I've commented, on my review of the magnificent Original Broadway Cast Recording, that Passion has a beautiful score. It's my favorite of Sondheim's works, which is really saying something. So, I was very quick to get the DVD transfer of the original production as soon as it was out.From end to end, Passion is of a single piece. The scene transitions and the dropping in and out of song are incredibly smooth, and Lapine's book is more refined and generally more enjoyable than his work on Sunday in the Park... or Into the Woods. The performances are marvellous, particularly Donna Murphy as Fosca, who comes off even more spectacularly here than in the cast recording. Jere Shea and Marin Mazzie more than hold their own, but Murphy is undoubtedly the star. Her character is so compelling that the story really makes sense. But the great thing about the filmed version of Passion is how appropriate it was. It is exquisitely filmed - moreso than Sunday or Woods - and the direction lets you get close to these amazing characters. The costumes are gorgeous from end to end, and the physical acting was often fairly subtle on the stage. That means that it all came off the better on film. And the way the musical was produced was absolutely appropriate for film. It feels like you're seeing a really interesting filmic version sometimes rather than a staged production. That's the real triumph of this DVD: it feels like the show was meant for it. If you even remotely like Sondheim or serious works of musical theatre, you owe it to yourself to buy this DVD as soon as possible.
26 of 27 found the following review helpful:
 Easier to follow than the cast albumNov 07, 2000
By PJ
"arataman_79"
I liked this musical very much! I remember watching the Tony Awards the year that the original production won the Award for Best Musical over "Beauty and the Beast"--the more likely contender for the top prize; and I thought it was a mistake until I had seen the original cast program. I had only heard the cast album of "Beauty" and once I saw "Passion" I saw "Beauty" as an overblown, juvenile production for the kiddies and I don't see how it could have been nominated. I think that Jere Shea is very good-looking gentleman with a good voice as Georgio, Marin Mazzie is a beauty of an actress as Clara and then there is Donna Murphy in her Tony Award-winning performance as Fosca, the unattractive yet passionate older woman reaching out desperately for Georgio's love. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves Sondheim--the Broadway genius who wrote the score.
15 of 15 found the following review helpful:
Back at Last (and not a minute to soon)Jan 17, 2005
By Helluva Godtime
For a long time, both the original Broadway cast recording and the taped version of Sondheim's chamber opera masterpiece, "Passion", were out of print. I wore out my VHS copy sometime in the late 1990s. I have an original print of the CD. I've heard stories that copies of the CD went on eBay for upwards of $100. Now, within the span of a year, the CD was rereleased, and the film was transferred onto a fantastic DVD, which all Sondheimite's should own.
"Passion" tells a devestating story: Giorgio (Jere Shea), an Italian soldier in the mid 1800s, is transferred from Milan to a small provincial town, leaving behind his married lover, Clara (Marin Mazzie). When he reaches the town, he meets Fosca (the absolutely unbelievable Donna Murphy, in the best musical theatre performance of the latter half of the 20th century), the sickly and ugly cousin of his superior (Gregg Edelmann). She falls instantly in love with him, but he wants only to be friends. His heart belongs to Clara, who will never leave her husband. What follows is one of the most beautiful scores in recent memory, and Sondheim's most accomplished score to date.
Mr. Shea is terrific as Giorgio, and Ms. Mazzie knocks it out of the ballpark as Clara. In smaller roles, Mr. Edelmann, Tom Aldredge, and Linda Balgord also shine.
On October 20, 2004, at the Ambassador Theatre in NYC, "Passion" was reproduced for one night only. Ms. Murphy and Ms. Mazzie reprised their roles, and the excellent Michael Cerveris, who starred in the Kennedy Center production in 2002, played Giorgio. It was magical. Let's start lobbying today for a recording of this performance!
15 of 16 found the following review helpful:
SpectacularNov 20, 1999
Passion is truly the most gorgeous musical I have ever before seen. From the moment I received the cast recording I listened to it relentlessly, deeply engaged in the story of Giorgio, Fosca and Clara. The music is wonderful and this particular cast is superb (although I feel the London cast with Maria Friedman and Michael Ball is a bit better). I enjoyed Passion on video much more than Sunday in the Park with George or Into the Woods, although I did enjoy both of those videos very much as well. Buy Passion now because there's no denying that it's not the "hottest" musical around and will therefore probably not be available for very much longer. You won't regret the purchase. It's magnificent. Sondheim has done it yet again.
14 of 15 found the following review helpful:
It's All About Donna Murphy!May 10, 2004
By dramadude 186
Yes, you should get this DVD because it preserves the Tony-winning original production of Stephen Sondheim's "Passion." Yes, the show is excellent and probably works better on video, where the lack of opportunities to applaud aren't so jarring. Yes, the seamless transition from song to speech and back again proves surprisingly effective and engrossing. All of these are compelling reasons to buy this DVD. But the biggest and best reason for buying this DVD can be summed up in two words: Donna Murphy. Oh my God, her Fosca is unbelievable!!! Her Tony-winning performance is unforgetable and will stick with you for weeks (maybe even months) after you first see it. I have never been so moved by a character in a musical before. She had me near tears, and I hardly ever cry while watching a show. I cannot begin to put into words the kind of depth Murphy brings to the tortured soul of Fosca, the longing for acceptance, the rudeness, and yet the unbridled love that Murphy layers into her performance. She steals ever scene she's in, and if the show had her on stage constantly for its almost two hours you wouldn't hear me complain. In fact, the notes of the insert have book writer James Lapine reminded everyone that the show is actually about Gregio, not Fosca, showing just how much attention Murphy must have gotten. I didn't really follow theatre back in 1994 when the show opened, but I imagine Murphy was the talk of the season and she deserved every compliment paid her and more. Her Fosca is a master class in acting, not just for musical theatre but for all theatre, and I can only sit in awe of her. Absolutely stunning.
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