Multimedia Review

The Stephen Sondheim Collection (Into the Woods / Sunday in the Park with George / Follies in Concert / Passion / Sweeney Todd in Concert / Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall). 6-DVD boxed set includes audio commentary, interviews, and documentary footage. 2003. Image Entertainment (Picture Format: 16:9; Sound Dolby Digital 5.0; Region 1).

Sweeney Todd—The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Terry Hughes, director. 2004. Warner Home Video 6750 (140 minutes; Picture Format 16.9; Sound 5.1; Region 1).

Oklahoma! Trevor Nunn, director. 2003. Image Entertainment (180 minutes; Picture Format 1.78:1; Sound 2.0 and 5.1; Region 1).

Kiss Me, Kate. 2003. Michael Blakemore, director. Image Entertainment (147 minutes; Picture Format 1.78:1; Sound 2.0 and 5.1; Region 1).

Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical. Don Roy King, director. 2004. GoodTimes Home Video 0581303 (134 minutes; Picture Format 1.78:1; Sound 2.0 and 5.1; Region 1).

Broadway's Lost Treasures. 2003. Acorn Media Publishing AMP6706 (110 minutes; Picture Format 16:9; Sound 2.0; Region 1).

The DVD industry has recently discovered a new niche: Broadway musicals. Over the last decade, DVD releases of filmed-for-television versions of musicals have multiplied rapidly. The marketing campaign for these products is best summarized by the perky description on the DVD packaging of the recent revival of Oklahoma!: "The excitement . . . can now be experienced again and again on DVD!" Of course the experience of seeing a live musical can never be entirely captured on film, but the recent boom in the availability of musicals on DVD is nevertheless a great asset to both scholars and students of musical theater. The quality of these discs varies considerably, as do the contents themselves: some capture the original productions with impressive clarity; others are less reliable and sometimes confusing. But each of these recent releases, depending on one's scholarly or pedagogical needs, may prove useful. For someone who teaches musical theater, as a dedicated course or as a small part of a larger survey, and hopes to relay the feeling of the live musical experience, showing students a fair copy of the real thing is generally miles better than playing an audio recording or showing a Hollywood interpretation.