"Director: David Horn"

• Josh Groban in Concert (DVD & bonus CD) | DVD | (29/11/2003) from £26.98   |  Saving you £-6.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Josh Groban in Concert has all the ingredients to be a middle-of-the-road hit: a young, good-looking performer with a golden voice; songs in Italian and Spanish for the crossover crowd (think Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman) and pop and movie songs for the mainstream crowd; guest stars galore (David Foster, John Williams, Angie Stone, Andrea Corr, Lili Haydn); a large orchestra; and striking but not obtrusive visual effects. The centrepiece of this DVD/CD combo is the 80-minute concert DVD, filmed in Pasadena, California, in October 2002 and featuring numerous songs from Groban's debut CD, including "You're Still You", which catapulted him into stardom when he sang it on Ally McBeal. There are also two new songs--the ballad "Broken Vow" accompanied by Foster, and "For Always", with the orchestra conducted by John Williams, who wrote the song for the Steven Spielberg film A.I. The 37-minute CD offers seven songs performed in the concert (including the two not on the previous CD, "Broken Vow" and "For Always"), plus "O Holy Night". The DVD has excellent picture and sound (PCM stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, and DTS), interviews, and backstage footage and the combination with the CD is an excellent value. Groban's fans, of course, will consider it a treasure at any price. --David Horiuchi

• South Pacific - In Concert From Carnegie Hall | DVD | (25/09/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Aired as part of PBS's Great Performances series this one-night performance stars country-music star/actress Reba McEntire as Nellie Forbush. McEntire does an excellent job of filling the role originally played by Mary Martin in the 1949 Rogers & Hammerstein musical. Filmed on June 9 2005 this theatrical production also features standout actors including Alec Baldwin and Brian Stokes Mitchell.

• My Favourite Broadway - Love Songs | DVD | (23/04/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  My Favourite Broadway--The Love Songs, the follow-up to 1998's My Favourite Broadway--The Leading Ladies, allows the gentlemen in, but that's not always an advantage. Sure, Michael Crawford developed a great following as the Phantom and Nathan Lane is a comedian nonpareil, but Tom Wopat, Brent Spiner, Peter Gallagher, Adam Pascal, and Ron Raines, while all fine performers with good career histories, simply can't match the marquee power of the original's Liza Minnelli, Audra McDonald, Jennifer Holliday, Nell Carter, and many others. And even when old-timers appear, Robert Goulet seems closer to Las Vegas than Lancelot, and Barry Manilow (mostly making his name as a composer these days) looks pretty awkward. That said, this is still an enjoyable live show from New York's City Centre. Among the ladies returning, Rebecca Luker and Marin Mazzie shine in songs from the revivals they star in, and super diva Linda Eder raises the roof with a three-song medley. And there are other additions to the roster, one legend, Chita Rivera (reprising her "English Teacher" from Bye Bye Birdie), and one up-and-comer, Heather Headley (sharing her "Elaborate Lives" duet with Aida co-star Pascal). But the first 100 minutes is all prologue, anyway. The real star is the host, Julie Andrews, who also hosted the original show and conspicuously did not sing in it, following her infamous, lawsuit-laden vocal-chord surgery that effectively ended her music career. Throughout the evening she teases the audience, reciting lyrics and making references to My Fair Lady. So when Crawford begins the finale "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" and Andrews enters, the audience holds its breath: Will she or won't she? It's an electric moment, and perfect theatre. --David Horiuchi, Amazon.com