Randy Newman's Faust
| Randy Newman's Faust | ||||
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| Studio album by Randy Newman | ||||
| Released | September 19, 1995 March 29, 2005 (expanded edition reissue) |
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| Genre | Musical, rock opera | |||
| Label |
Reprise/Warner Bros. Records 45672 Rhino/Atlantic Records (expanded edition reissue) 73785 |
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| Producer | Peter Asher | |||
| Randy Newman chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Chicago Tribune |  |
| Robert Christgau | A |
| Entertainment Weekly | A |
| Rolling Stone | |
Randy Newman's Faust is a 1995 musical by American musician and songwriter Randy Newman, who based the work on the classic story of Faust, borrowing elements from the version by Goethe, as well as Milton's Paradise Lost, but updating the story to the modern day, and infusing it with humorous cynicism. In this retelling, God and the Devil fight for the soul of Henry Faust, a student at the University of Notre Dame. The musical was performed at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego in September 1995, and the Goodman Theatre in Chicago in Sept 1996, as well as released as a CD as a concept album. In July 2014, a stripped-down, modernized "concert" version was staged for Encores! at New York City Center.
"Life Has Been Good to Me" was performed by French Stewart as Harry Solomon on "A Nightmare on Dick Street," an episode of NBC's 3rd Rock from the Sun.
Randy Newman's Faust first had a limited run at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego in September 1995, which coincided with the release of a concept album version, featuring a different cast and arrangements than the stage version. The stage production, directed by Michael Greif was praised for its score, but criticized for its script and characters.
The script was rewritten by David Mamet for the second production, in Chicago's Goodman Theatre. This production, featuring the same principal cast, suffered similar criticisms that its script was still not the equal of its score. It ran from September 30 to November 2, 1996.
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