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Recorded live at Joe's Pub in New York in January 2001, this collection is a wonderful treat. William Finn is best known...
(01/25/07) Recorded live at Joe's Pub in New York in January 2001, this collection is a wonderful treat. William Finn is best known for In Trousers, the award-winning Falsettoland, and the criminally underrated A New Brain. This CD includes excerpts from all those shows along with some rare gems and even some tantalizing bits from the upcoming The Royal Family of Broadway. Performed with Vadim Feichtner at the piano, the versions are sometimes wacky (in "The Baseball Game," Stephen DeRosa sings all the roles as if auditioning for an amateur production of Falsettoland), but they're always beguiling. Guests include Liz Callaway, Carolee Carmello, and Mary Testa, and Finn himself handles a few tunes. While he's not a traditionally good singer (think craggy enthusiasm), the least you can say is that he knows the material inside out. As with all good live recordings, this one makes you wish you had been there. --Elisabeth VincentelliSee less
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Despite racking up Tony nominations and/or box-office success with Nine, Grand Hotel, and Titanic, Maury Yeston...
(01/25/07) Despite racking up Tony nominations and/or box-office success with Nine, Grand Hotel, and Titanic, Maury Yeston remains a relatively unknown Broadway auteur. And yet, what a fabulous songwriter he is. Listen to "Home," for instance: This excerpt from Phantom (the other adaptation of Phantom of the Opera) has great melodic hooks, along with natural sweep and unrestrained emotion. Like every song on this CD, it also has such dramatic drive that it easily stands on its own outside of its regular narrative frame. This collection of new recordings provides an excellent overview of Yeston's talent, juxtaposing numbers from his three best-known scores (though there's only one from Titanic) with rarities and a generous selection from his 1991 song cycle December Songs. Christine Ebersole, Liz Callaway, and Betty Buckley turn in expectedly strong performances, but watch also for Laura Benanti (the star of the 2003 revival of Nine), Christine Andreas, and Foster Sutton, who completely make the...See less
William Finn's career in the musical theater is pretty remarkable considering that he doesn't write traditional show...
(01/25/07) William Finn's career in the musical theater is pretty remarkable considering that he doesn't write traditional show tunes--much less traditional shows. But Finn has a gift for catchy melodies and his emotionally engaging work has a way of intimately connecting with audiences (during the initial run of Elegies, hardened New Yorkers could be seen trying to hide their tears). Though no storyline links these songs, they are united by the underlining idea of loss; in turn funny, tender, witty, biting and quietly devastating, they form a unified tapestry. Musically, Finn can turn out perky little numbers and powerful ballads--"Anytime (I Am There)" could conceivably be a hit if some contemporary pop diva did it. Led by Betty Buckley and Carolee Carmello, the cast is completely in sync with the material. Some of the narrative-heavy pieces recall Michel Legrand's sung-through work (and there are Legrand-like flourishes on "Monica & Mark"), but in the end Finn is very much his own man:...See less
Josh Young's self-titled debut album features some of the most beautiful melodies from Broadway, cabaret and adult...
(01/25/07) Josh Young's self-titled debut album features some of the most beautiful melodies from Broadway, cabaret and adult contemporary music. The album is produced, orchestrated and features songs by Brian Lowdermilk, who is the recipient of prestigious awards including The Richard Rodgers Award, Alan Menken Award and The Jonathan Larson Memorial Fellowship. The album also contains contemporary pop songs as well as lesser-known tunes by some of Broadways best composers including Stephen Sondheim, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, Leonard Bernstein, Fred Ebb and John Kander, Craig Carnelia and Jason Robert Brown. Young is currently touring the world as Tony in the international tour of West Side Story after coming off the national Broadway tour of Les Miserables, in which he he played Marius. Kate Shindle (Cabaret, Jekyll & Hyde), Felicia Finley (Aida and The Life on Broadway, Evita regionally) and Sara Chase (Lowdermilk's The Unauthorized Biography of Samantha Brown, Easter Rising...See less
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The cast album of the hit off-Broadway musical version of everyone's favorite 80s cult sci-fi flick!
(01/25/07) The cast album of the hit off-Broadway musical version of everyone's favorite 80s cult sci-fi flick!See less
Zanna, Don't! takes place in a topsy-turvy world in which homosexuality is the norm and the minority heterosexuals must...
(01/25/07) Zanna, Don't! takes place in a topsy-turvy world in which homosexuality is the norm and the minority heterosexuals must battle anti-straight prejudice. Set in a high school, the plot revolves around a teen fairy matchmaker (Zanna) and the hell that breaks loose when a boy and a girl dare fall in love with each other. Thankfully forgoing preachiness, creator Tim Acito manages to deliver a message of tolerance through a whole bunch of poppy, catchy songs, hearty dollops of humor (there's cheering--for a chess match), and, of course, a dab of magic (shades of the 1980 Olivia Newton-John vehicle Xanadu). While the show can be a little too nice at times, it's hard not to be won over by its impish exuberance. Fittingly, in the fall of 2003, Jai Rodriguez, who played the title role, transferred from the show's Off-Broadway run to TV, gaining fame as the "culture vulture" on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. --Elisabeth VincentelliSee less
Bounce is a pretty accurate title for this Sondheim show, which receives a cast album after having been seemingly...
(01/25/07) Bounce is a pretty accurate title for this Sondheim show, which receives a cast album after having been seemingly everywhere but Broadway. In a way this is fitting for a musical that's been on Sondheim's mind since 1952, when he first read about the adventures of the two Mizner brothers in The New Yorker. Based on this Fall 2003 Kennedy Center production, figuring out why Bounce doesn't quite click is tricky. Is it the heard-it-before quality of the material? The title track is disappointingly by-the-numbers Sondheim, for instance. Or is it the uneven cast? Howard McGillin lacks the outsize personality needed to infuse life into scheming Wilson Mizner (a part played by Nathan Lane in a 1999 Off-Broadway "workshop" of the show, then titled Wise Guys). But then Michelle Pawk does wonderfully in the sultry ballad "What's Your Rush?" before eclipsing McGillin in their duet, "The Best Thing That Ever Has Happened." Got it! Bounce may not work as a show, but a few of its songs are bound to...See less
Pacific Overtures opened on Broadway in 1976. It didn't do that well, but neither did it completely flop--quite a feat...
(01/25/07) Pacific Overtures opened on Broadway in 1976. It didn't do that well, but neither did it completely flop--quite a feat considering it's one of Stephen Sondheim's hardest-to-penetrate musicals. Set in the mid-19th century, the show describes the arrival of Americans in Japan and their influence on that country. Sondheim said he wanted to keep the lyrics simple, so they're haiku-like, with few rhymes. Meanwhile, the music gets increasingly Westernized as the show progresses, to underscore the progressive Westernization of Japan. This revival was performed in Japanese at the 2002 Lincoln Center Festival, before being adapted for an English-speaking Broadway opening with an Asian-American cast. The small orchestra does justice to the score, although one may wish for echoes of the original production's fuller arrangements. Toward the end of the CD, two consecutive tracks neatly show up Sondheim's versatility. The comic "Please Hello" features American, British, Dutch, Russian, and French...See less
Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green's 1953 collaboration in Wonderful Town doesn't lack for recordings,...
(01/25/07) Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green's 1953 collaboration in Wonderful Town doesn't lack for recordings, including two good studio casts from 1998 and 1999. Yet the uncommonly funny show hadn't received a proper Broadway revival until this 2003 production. As Ruth Sherwood, a role created by Rosalind Russell, Donna Murphy gives a glorious five-star star performance, and nowhere is it more obvious than on "Conga!" and "Swing," the latter a delirious spoof of 1950s Greenwich Village hipsterisms. As Eileen Sherwood, Jennifer Westfeldt doesn't have the crystalline pipes of Audra McDonald (from the 1999 album) but she gives a warm performance that comes across well on CD. The rest of the cast is studded with pros who take obvious delight in the show, and music director Rob Fisher polishes Bernstein's score to a gleam. Truly, Broadway doesn't get much better than this. --Elisabeth VincentelliSee less
Minimalist accompaniement can be lovely, especially when it allows a performer to shine, but it can also be a detriment....
(01/25/07) Minimalist accompaniement can be lovely, especially when it allows a performer to shine, but it can also be a detriment. And in the case of this recording of 1947's Finian¹s Rainbow, it's hard not to pine for a full, luscious orchestra instead of a pair of pianists (no matter how good they are). Oh well. At least we are lucky to get the lyrics, a superb cast and the most complete recording of Yip Harburg and Burton Lane's score to date. The plot is convoluted and long on whimsy (yes, there is a leprechaun and a pot o' gold) but lefty Harburg's book and lyrics also bemoan "the folly of racism," as he put it in a note about the show. The cast rises to the occasion. Ever-lovely Melissa Errico has such a crystalline soprano (complete with Irish brogue) that her renditions of "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?" and "Look to the Rainbow" raise goosebumps. Overall, the cast does great by the surprisingly imaginative score--"The Begat" is appropriately rollicking for instance. This CD is,...See less
This 2003 cast recording is an update of a song cycle by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Don Black. First produced in...
(01/25/07) This 2003 cast recording is an update of a song cycle by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Don Black. First produced in London in 1982 as half of an evening titled Song and Dance, Tell Me on a Sunday is pretty much a one-woman show and a vehicle for a versatile singer with strong acting skills (Bernadette Peters won a Tony for it in 1985). This time, Denise Van Outen, a Chicago alum, takes on the role of the young British woman who goes to New York in order to get over a broken heart. Overall, this is one of Sir Lloyd Webber's most rocking scores, even if too often the results sound like the work of someone desperately trying to sound au courant. "Haven in the Sky," for instance, is a quasi-dance track with a trip-hop beat. When the heroine goes to L.A., the tone turns to folk-rock ("Capped Teeth and Caesar Salad"), but the composer is defeated by Black's clunky lyrics. Kudos to Van Outen for infusing perky charm into even the tritest moments. --Elisabeth VincentelliSee less
In November 2000, legendary director Hal Prince hosted 3hree, an evening of three one-act musicals, at his namesake...
(01/25/07) In November 2000, legendary director Hal Prince hosted 3hree, an evening of three one-act musicals, at his namesake theater in Philadelphia. It says a lot about Prince's clout that a cast album was released a few months later; it says even more about his unflagging taste that the pieces are so good. Laurence O'Keefe and Neil Dunbar Benjamin's "The Mice" is a darkly comic romp about a couple and its mice problems, while Robert Lindsey Nassif's "The Flight of the Lawnchair Man" is whimsical but never cloying. "Lavender Girl" is set in 1927, thus allowing John Bucchino (whose songs have been championed by Patti LuPone) to let loose with a great Charleston ("We've Got Time"). He also shines with the passionate ballads that are quickly becoming his calling card (though "Real Enough to Change My Mind" admittedly teeters on the brink of Disney territory). Overall, the CD is remarkably strong and will be a great pick for those who crave new musical-theater voices but cringe at Michael John...See less
The original 1978 Broadway cast recording of Stephen Schwartz's Working has long been awaited on CD, and this...
(01/25/07) The original 1978 Broadway cast recording of Stephen Schwartz's Working has long been awaited on CD, and this great-sounding 2001 release proves it was worth the wait. Surely one of the more unlikely sources for a musical was Studs Terkel's 1972 book that compiled interviews of American working people discussing their jobs and what they liked and disliked about them. Schwartz transformed these interviews into a series of songs written by himself, Craig Carnelia, Mary Rodgers and Susan Birkenhead, Micki Grant, and pop singer James Taylor, and accordingly the variety of songs is as great as the variety of the workers featured. There's the lyric beauty of "The Mason," the rueful "Just a Housewife," the retiree's wry "Joe," the waitress's lilting "It's an Art," Taylor's pop-country "Brother Trucker," and the powerful emotion of "Fathers and Sons," realized by a compelling cast that features David Patrick Kelly, Joe Mantegna, Bob Gunton, and Lynne Thigpen, among others. Six bonus tracks...See less
Based on the 2000 film about a young British boy who tries to escape a future as coalminer by training in ballet, Billy...
(01/25/07) Based on the 2000 film about a young British boy who tries to escape a future as coalminer by training in ballet, Billy Elliot--The Musical feels like an exemplary screen-to-stage adaptation, making the best use of composer Elton John's melodic resourcefulness. Fans of John's regular output need to be warned that this album is show tunes all the way and that they'd be hard-pressed to recognize the songs as usual fare by the author of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Your Song." Still, they really should give the CD a chance. Fans of musical theater, on the other hand, will need no prodding. They are likely to be enchanted by this recording, which shows that John has thoroughly absorbed the genre's classic strain. The show is very catchy, with well-structured, dramatic songs and some genuine tearjerkers ("The Letter"). Sir Elton even proves he's listened to great "jazz hands" classics (some by Kander and Ebb, perhaps) on "Shine," which even requests some "ol' razzle dazzle." Teaming up...See less
Jule Styne in Hollywood gathers 20 different vocalists to perform 21 songs that Styne wrote for the movies before he...
(01/25/07) Jule Styne in Hollywood gathers 20 different vocalists to perform 21 songs that Styne wrote for the movies before he moved on to Broadway fame. That means no Gypsy or Bells Are Ringing here, but there are many familiar standards such as "Saturday Night Is the Loneliest Night of the Week," "I Don't Want to Walk Without You," "Three Coins in the Fountain," and "Time After Time" (you'll notice a Frank Sinatra theme, as Ol' Blue Eyes loved Styne's work with Sammy Cahn, who wrote the majority of the lyrics represented). And the unfamiliar fare sounds great when sung by some of Broadway's best and brightest, including Light in the Piazza costars Kelli O'Hara and Victoria Clark, Audra McDonald, Sutton Foster, Rebecca Luker, Brent Barrett, and married duo Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley. (Veteran Leslie Uggams's heavy vibrato among these golden voices takes some adjusting to.) Also noteworthy is the presence of Sara Zahn, whose outstanding 2001 album Songs of Carolyn Leigh proved she's...See less
Is it premature for composer-lyricist Jason Robert Brown, after only three recorded shows, to be the subject of a...
(01/25/07) Is it premature for composer-lyricist Jason Robert Brown, after only three recorded shows, to be the subject of a songs-of collection? Not at all when you consider that a strong singer, some new material, and a fresh look at old material make Lauren Kennedy's solo debut a significant addition to Brown's catalog. Kennedy created the role of Catherine in The Last 5 Years (a conflict prevented her from continuing it in New York), so three of those songs are included here, plus three from Songs for a New World, and one from Parade. New arrangements and even some new lyrics make everything sound as fresh as the four never-before-recorded songs (two written for this album). Kennedy is a joy to listen to, singing with beauty, power, and heart, and Brown leads the band from the piano (as one would expect), and even holds up the vocal end of the stirring duet "I'd Give It All for You." Notes by singer and songwriter and full lyrics make Songs by Jason Robert Brown a first-rate package all...See less
Kismet, George Forrest and Robert Wright's "musical Arabian night" based on the themes of 19th-century Russian composer...
(01/25/07) Kismet, George Forrest and Robert Wright's "musical Arabian night" based on the themes of 19th-century Russian composer Alexander Borodin, has received a number of recordings, including this 1964 studio effort. Playing both the poet and the Caliph is Gordon MacRae, best known for the Oklahoma! and Carousel movies and who was recording a number of operettas for Capitol at the time, this one included. Dorothy Kirsten performs the role of the young Marsinah, while the Roger Wagner Chorale serves as the chorus and providing some other solo voices. One of the drawbacks of using so few voices is reducing the complex and moving quartet "And This Is My Beloved" to a duet. If you grew up with this 40-minute recording, it's probably still all that you remember it to be. But if you're new to Kismet, you'd be better served by the original Broadway cast or the flawed but sometimes spectacular 1991 studio recording with Samuel Ramey and Julia Migenes. --David HoriuchiSee less
A new one-act musical featuring the award winning performance of Shonn Wiley, David Epstein and Tim Byrnes. A...
(01/25/07) A new one-act musical featuring the award winning performance of Shonn Wiley, David Epstein and Tim Byrnes. A nameless novelist arrives in New York intent on getting his first book published. As he recounts his daily misadventures in a series of letters to his girl back home, we see through his eyes the colorful eccentric, vibrant and wildly bizarre characters that make up his new life, and the tragic events that make up his old one. With music and lyrics by Timothy Huang, The View From Here "...plays like a fresh variation on 'Wonderful Town' propelled by stunning music and a tremendously appealing solo performance by Shonn Wiley. Timothy Huang's score boasts masterful plot- and character-driven songs and comedic set pieces... Some have a contemporary throb, but others have a haunting melodic quality that seems torn from the annals of the Great American Songbook, populated by such folks as George Gershwin and Harold Arlen..." - Ron Cohen, BackstageSee less
The big question about this soundtrack is: how's she doing? No, not Beyoncé, silly--how's Jennifer Hudson doing? And...
(01/25/07) The big question about this soundtrack is: how's she doing? No, not Beyoncé, silly--how's Jennifer Hudson doing? And more specifically, how's she doing by "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"? To this reviewer's ears, she doesn't top the original Effie, Jennifer Holliday--or even Lillias White, from the 2001 Dreamgirls in Concert. On the other hand, Hudson isn't afraid to pullout all the stops, whipping herself up into a total diva frenzy as the song gets caught up in an unstoppable crescendo. As for Beyoncé, she adapts superbly to the 1960s- and 1970s-tinged material, though "Listen"--a ballad that also appears on her own B'day album--lacks the spirit that infuses the classic tunes on this album. For make no mistake: this is hard-hitting, high-octane music, infused with an urgency and passion that makes most contemporary R&B albums sound timid. When Hudson and Beyoncé duke it out on "It's All Over," or when the "One Night Only" ballad gets reinvented as the dance-floor burner "One...See less
A bright splash of holiday cheer, Irving Berlin's White Christmas is a stage version of the classic 1954 Bing Crosby...
(01/25/07) A bright splash of holiday cheer, Irving Berlin's White Christmas is a stage version of the classic 1954 Bing Crosby film. The plot is basically the same: two GIs (Brian D'Arcy James and Jeffry Denman in the Bing and Danny Kaye roles) become a song-and-dance team after World War II, run into a couple of dames (Anastasia Barzee and Meredith Patterson in the Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen roles), then head up to Vermont with the girls to put on a show in a barn to save the inn run by their former commanding officer. The familiar songs are borrowed from the show ("Sisters," "Snow," "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep," the title tune), augmented by other Berlin hits ("I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm," "I Love a Piano," "Let Yourself Go") and snappily orchestrated in period style by Larry Blank. The four principals are the ones who debuted the show in San Francisco in 2004, plus Karen Morrow as Martha Watson. Irving Berlin's White Christmas is already becoming a favorite for...See less
Brian dArcy James, Jason Danieley, Kelli OHara, Jessica Molaskey, Victoria Clark, and Jeff McCarthy star in the world...
(01/25/07) Brian dArcy James, Jason Danieley, Kelli OHara, Jessica Molaskey, Victoria Clark, and Jeff McCarthy star in the world premiere recording of Ricky Ian Gordon and Tina Landaus Dream True, conducted by Ted Sperling. Inspired by George du Mauriers 1891 novel Peter Ibbetson, Dream True was originally produced by the Vineyard Theatre in June of 1998, then in an extended run in the spring of 1999. It was subsequently performed in concert in March of 2004 at CooperArts, a contemporary music series produced by Howard Stokar; this recording with its striking cast of Broadway stars and orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick is drawn from that performance.See less
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