The Prince of Egypt: The Musical Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

The Prince of Egypt: The Musical Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Justin Dekker May 2, 2024

'The Prince of Egypt: The Musical' makes it's Blu-ray debut courtesy of Universal. Capturing a late-run stage performance of what originated as a well-regarded animated feature, it tells the tale of Moses freeing his people from the Egyptians, culminating with the miraculous parting of the Red Sea. No special features are included with this release, nor is a DVD or Digital Code.

Sources of inspiration for West End or Broadway shows come from everywhere; literature (West Side Story), beloved intellectual properties (Beetlejuice), classic films (Tootsie, Pretty Woman), mythology (Hadestown), and world-changing events (Come From Away), to mention a few. It's uncommon, though, for an animated feature to make the leap to the stage becoming a musical. Disney has mastered that particular reinvention of their properties, turning a number of beloved animated films like The Lion King and Aladdin into successful if not iconic stage shows. Even Ratatouille made the transition from beloved film, to running joke, to crowdfunded musical during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though its origins were unique and nontraditional, it boasted a cast including Wayne Brady, Queen frontman Adam Lambert, and Broadway legend André De Shields, and was a very entertaining production. Outside of Disney properties, few animated works have found claiming a new life on stage an easy task. Cultural phenomenons Shrek and SpongeBob SquarePants did so, with the former being a relatively faithful retooling of the original animated film, while the latter is a largely new and original tale, and both were bursting with manic energy. Anastasia, with is haunting earworm "Once Upon a December", debuted on the stage in 2017, and mustered over 800 performances. So it is this small fraternity of non-Disney animated properties that The Prince of Egypt (1998) joined when the musical incarnation opened at the Dominion Theater in London's West End on February 25, 2020.

Those unfamiliar with the original animated feature (you may read about it here) are not necessarily at a disadvantage to those who have given the animated film multiple viewings since it's theatrical run and various home video releases. While this musical adaptation is essentially the same story at it's heart, that of Exodus where Moses grows from infancy to adulthood and frees the Hebrew slaves from the Egyptians, it is rather different from that original feature film. The first indication this isn't a direct translation from screen to stage is the runtime which has ballooned from the original's 99 minutes to the musical's two hours and 24 minutes (or, 144 minutes). Various plot elements have been changed or added, as have characters. Musically it's not the same production, either. While five songs penned by Stephen Schwartz from the 1998 film are performed here ("When You Believe," "Deliver Us," "All I Ever Wanted," "Through Heaven’s Eyes," and "The Plagues"), he wrote many new numbers for the 2020 musical. The new songs excellently capture the tone of the action on the stage and progresses the story in adequate fashion, but it's highly likely that, newcomer or not, it will be one (or more) of those original five songs that will linger long after the disc is ejected. Of the new material, "Footprints on the Sand", which, as with Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias" and many other works, deals with a man (here, Moses), grappling with what his impact on the world is and what his enduring legacy will be. The song is a highlight of the show's first act, sung by Moses (Luke Brady) when he is little more than the carefree second son of the Pharoh who has yet to find his purpose. When the song is revisited at the end of Act Two, it takes on a dramatically new meaning now that Moses has fulfilled a portion of his destiny by parting the Red Sea and leading his people out of slavery.

The four leads (Luke Brady (Moses), Liam Tamne (Ramses), Alexia Khadime (Miriam, Moses' biological sister), and Christine Allado (Tzipporah, Moses' wife), are excellent. Each has a wonderfully trained voice and an engaging presence. Khadime's Miriam functions as Moses' conscience in the first act, delineating the horrors of slavery and encouraging him to take action for the betterment of their people. Allado's Tzipporah is magnetic in her introduction, performing "Dance to the Day" with energy and conviction, while her dancing suggests rebellion with virtually every move. Initially, she is the cause of jealousy between Moses and his adoptive brother Ramses, but, quickly enough, she serves as the impetus for Moses to embark upon the path to his destiny. She never falters or wavers in her convictions whether she is free or not. Moses undergoes the most significant character development, as his arc sees him transform from a spoiled and entitled elite, to a principal-driven outcast, and finally, to a leader who wrestles with the magnitude of the things he has done and has yet to do. Brady is able to tap into and convey an authentic emotional core for each of these phases of his character arc with ease, skillfully bringing the audience along with him on his sometimes tortured (and torturous) journey. The character of Ramses is the one that presents the greatest difficulty.

The issue with Ramses has nothing to do with the actor's skill or performance, Tamne is fantastic. It's the writing that lets his character down. Once Pharoh Seti (Joe Dixon) passes, Ramses should be the villain, but the script is reticent to cast him in this light, preferring to retain the bond of brotherhood and friendship that the musical establishes early on. He's often called upon to be foppish, romantic, uncertain, and even nostalgic, but never to truly act as a threat to what Moses is trying to accomplish. Though freeing the slaves would upend everything for Egypt, Ramses is never tasked with acting decisively to prohibit Moses from achieving his goal. Even when he is allowed to be shown to be at odds with Moses, he's never mean, vindictive, or evil, he's just trying to do what he thinks is right. This leaves High Priest Hotep (Adam Pearce) to be the principal antagonist. The script does what it can to document that he believes he is the true power of Egypt and that the Pharoh is merely a tool he uses to mold the world to his liking. Problematically, he is often undercut by both Seti and Ramses, receives too little stage time, has no bite behind his bark, and does not properly emerge as villainous until the final confrontation between the parted waters of the Red Sea. But by this point, Moses' victory is all but assured, leaving The Prince of Egypt: The Musical on some rather unfortunate common ground with the musical adaption of Anastasia; a rather limp tale lacking the requisite clash to generate the needed tension for a gripping story.

The stage show is brought to life by a very talented cast with an ensemble that is utilized with great creativity. Members of the ensemble seamlessly compliment the set to function as waves on the water, shifting desert sands, hieroglyphics, and most entertainingly, the chariots raced by Ramses and Moses during Act One's "Faster". Moving set pieces for scene transitions, providing dancers at celebrations, and a host of other roles, they are omnipresent; invisible when they need to be, and eye-catching when they can be. The sets are an effective mix of simple practical elements (a throne, pillars, stone blocks, etc.) coupled with the non-stop use of often animated projections. The end result instantly places the viewer precisely where the action demands they be, whether it's the brother's secret room, the throne room, a crowded market, or the desert. The scene transitions are handled quickly, allowing the lengthy show to move along as quickly as it can. Choreography was handled by Sean Cheeseman, who uses every opportunity to showcase his dancer's impressive flexibility, athleticism, and grace. As mentioned above, the music was composed by Stephen Schwartz, who also composed the music for Godspell, Pippin, and the sensational Wicked. A strong score, it's popularity is likely predominantly hindered by the fact the show has not been staged anywhere but London, keeping it off the radar of some theater lovers. As there isn't a booklet or any inner print to provide typical program information, here is a listing of the musical numbers:

Act One

• Deliver Us (Ensemble)

• Faster (Luke Brady, Liam Tamne, Adam Pearce, Ensemble)

• One Weak Link (Joe Dixon, Ensemble)

• Footprints on the Sand (Luke Brady, Ensemble)

• Seti's Return (Ensemble)

• Dance to the Day (Christine Allado, Ensemble)

• All I Ever Wanted (Alexia Khadime, Luke Brady, Joe Dixon, Debbie Kurup, Ensemble)

• Make It Right (Liam Tamne, Luke Brady, Ensemble)

• Moses In the Desert (Luke Brady, Ensemble)

• Through Heaven's Eyes (Clive Rowe, Ensemble)

• Faster (Reprise) (Liam Tamne, Luke Brady, Ensemble)

• Never in A Million Years (Christine Allado, Luke Brady, Ensemble)

• Act One Finale (Principal Cast and Ensemble)

Act Two

• Return to Egypt (Christine Allado, Adam Pearce, Ensemble)

• Always on Your Side (Liam Tamne, Luke Brady, Ensemble)

• Simcha (Luke Brady, Alexia Khadime, Christine Allado, Ensemble)

• Deliver Us (Reprise) (Ensemble)

• The Plagues (Principal Cast and Ensemble)

• For the Rest of My Life (Luke Brady, Ensemble)

• Heartless (Tanisha Spring, Ensemble)

• When You Believe (Alexia Khadime, Christine Allado, Luke Brady, Ensemble)

• Never in A Million Years (Reprise)(Luke Brady, Christine Allado, Ensemble)

• Act Two Finale (Principal Cast and Ensemble)

The Prince of Egypt: The Musical Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Filmed multiple times both with and without an audience to craft the final product that is released here, The Prince of Egypt: The Musical looks fantastic on Blu-ray. The multi-faceted approach allows for a wonderful mix of wide shots and close-ups from numerous angles, making the production intimate and intense in some instances, and massive and epic in others. Detail levels are consistently very high on set pieces like the massive stone blocks and the Pharoh's throne, and on costumes like Seti's battle armor and Tzipporah's costume as she appears and dances on stage for the first time. Close-ups deliver excellent facial and make-up particulars and document every fly-away hair on a very active and physical cast. Limitations of the constantly utilized projection screen can sometimes be observed and should not be mistaken for a limitation of the transfer but rather of the projection technology itself. Colors are nicely saturated and skin tones are very healthy and pleasing. When the lighting plan allows, primaries like Hotep's blue robe and reds like Tzipporah's costume pop energetically from the show's desert setting. Black levels are deep and inky with the edges of the stage fading into near-total darkness, but never completely disappearing. It's a beautiful transfer.

The Prince of Egypt: The Musical Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Prince of Egypt: The Musical has received an excellent English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. It's instantly and almost constantly immersive placing the viewer in the best seat in the theatre. Surrounds are used to great advantage, at times crafting a bit of an echo to create a sense of space, other times allowing specific instrumentation to burst forth as in "Footprints on the Sand", and always enveloping the viewer in applause at the end of each musical number. Even as the music swells, the track is excellently balanced and the vocal track is perfectly prioritized, making it a superior experience to some actual in-person live productions I've attended. The bass presence is hefty, adding depth to each song and the climactic scene as Moses parts the Red Sea and confronts the Egyptian army. Audience reactions, such as laughter generated by the occasionally humorous script, again creates a sense of "being there" but never overwhelms dialogue and nary a word is missed. The orchestral performance is rendered with incredible fidelity and precision, and is best appreciated during dance breaks. It's a terrific sonic experience.

The Prince of Egypt: The Musical Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, there aren't any special features included here. A commentary track featuring the stars or rehearsal footage would have been most welcome. The Prince of Egypt: The Musical does not have a main menu and will automatically start playing as soon as the disc is inserted.

The Prince of Egypt: The Musical Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Prince of Egypt: The Musical is a wonderful viewing experience due in large part to the fantastic performances from Luke Brady, Liam Tamne, Alexia Khadime, and Christine Allado. They are a highlight of a creatively staged and visually captivating show. While there may not be a significant and substantive villainous presence in the script, in the end, the ultimate success or failure of any musical lies with the voices of the leads, and the four main characters never disappoint in their own musical numbers or when singing with others. Harmonies in duets are musically precise with complimentary voices blending well, and larger production numbers bristle with energy. Graced with an excellent video transfer and a stand-out audio track, The Prince of Egypt: The Musical comes Highly Recommended.