Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Once More With Feeling (2002)

While the idea of infusing a weekly TV series with a Broadway-musical ethos isn't exactly a new one, it became something of a turn-of the-century television mini-trend. But few have reached as far--or succeeded--like this 2001 episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Penned by series creator-producer Josh Whedon and performed by Sarah Michelle Gellar and cast, it's a loving, loopy musical pastiche that takes pot shots at everything from Andrew Lloyd Webber to indie-rock. Paralleling the show's lovable pop culture tweaking, the musical styles here (the episode's musical conceit is a curse visited upon Buffy's hometown of Sunnydale) range from a patent footlight chorus of demons being interrupted by Gellar's hard-rocking stake thrusts on "Going Through the Motions" to Spike the Vampire's goth-metal complaint "Rest in Peace", with everything from parking tickets and mustard stain removal to climactic duels with the supernatural getting the Broadway send-up. Also includes strong orchestral score-suites from three other episodes, as well as Whedon and wife Kai Cole's demo for "Something to Sing About". --Jerry McCulley

Tracklist

01 Buffy Cast - Overture ~ Going Through The Motions
02 Buffy Cast - I've Got A Theory ~ Bunnies ~ If We're Together
03 Buffy Cast - The Mustard
04 Amber Benson - Under Your Spell
05 Emma Caulfield, Nicholas Brendon - I'll Never Tell
06 Buffy Cast - The Parking Ticket
07 James Marsters - Rest In Peace
08 Michelle Trachtenberg - Dawn's Lament
09 Christophe Beck - Dawn's Ballet
10 Hinton Battle, Michelle Trachtenberg - What You Feel
11 Anthony Stewart Head - Standing
12 Amber Benson, Anthony Stewart Head - Under Your Spell ~ Standing (Reprise)
13 Buffy Cast - Walk Through The Fire
14 Sarah Michelle Gellar, James Marsters - Something To Sing About
15 Hinton Battle - What You Feel (Reprise)
16 Buffy Cast - Where Do We Go From Here
17 Buffy Cast - Coda
18 Joss Whedon - End Credits (Broom Dance ~ Grr Arrgh)
19 Nerf Herder - Main Title
20 Christophe Beck - Suite From “Restless”- Willow's Nightmare ~ First Rage ~ Chain Of Ancients
21 Christophe Beck - Suite From “Hush”- Silent Night ~ First Kiss ~ Enter The Gentlemen ~ Schism
22 Christophe Beck - Sacrifice (From “The Gift”)
23 Kai Cole, Joss Whedon - Something To Sing About (Demo)