I have always loved Finian’s Rainbow.   I was thrilled when they decided to revive it on Broadway in 2009 following its success as part of the New York City Center “Encores.”   I assumed that I would have time to get to New York to see it, but alas, it closed early.  Fortunate for those of us caught in this situation, they did make a cast album.  The only sad part about the recording is that it makes me feel even worse that I did not get to see the production.

Finian’s Rainbow is a great chorus show.  From the opening chorus,  “This Time of the Year” to the finale of the first act, “Great Come and Get It Day” the chorus plays a very powerful role.  But beyond these two big numbers, they also play a supporting role in “If this Isn’t Love” and “Necessity,”  and “When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich.”  Rob Berman has rearranged many of the choral parts by added flourishes, making them brighter and bringing some of the harmonies up to date.  Berman, who is also the music supervisor, gives the entire vocal score a very “chamberish” sound.  The original orchestrations have also been modified and they too have a very “chamberish”  sound.  Of special note is the work of the wind section throughout.  I think the best example of this chamber sound  is found int he song and dance parts of  “If This Isn’t Love.”

If the chorus is great, then Kate Baldwin as Sharon and Cheyenne Jackson as Woody have to be classified as spectacular.  It is sometimes difficult to make standards sound new again, but they do it.  They both have glorious voices and their vocal technique allows the tempos to sometimes be slowed just a bit to take advantage of their ability to phrase.  “How Are Things in Glocca Mora,”  and “Look To the Rainbow,” let Baldwin display her beautiful lyric soprano voice.  In “When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich” she is able to add to that by displaying her  ability to articulate the tricky wording.  Cheyenne Jackson has a wonderfully lyric voice.  He is able to create the emphasis in the lyrics without having to dramatically up the volume.  His range is vast and his falsett0  (the show was first done in 1947 the use of falsetto was not then in vogue)  is lyricallybeautiful.  When they sing  the big duet, “Old Devil Moon,”  their voices blend and complement each other…..making their performance the new standard for how this duet should sound.

Terri White as Dotti  brings new life to “Necessity,”  the male quartet does great justice to “The Begat,”  and Christopher Fitzgerald is perfectly “impish” as the leprechaun Og.

Finally, though the story may have aged a bit, the integration of  gospel, country and Broadway in the music of Burton Lane, and the wit, puns,  playfulness, as well as the bite of the lyrics of Yip Harburg is certainly reaffirmed in this cast recording.

If this is a show that you know,  you can’t help but fall in love this recording and if this be your first experience with Finian’s Rainbow,  you are in for a treat.

Categories: Revival Cast Recordings
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It is hard to believe that The Sound of Music is 50 years old.  It is even harder to believe that when the show opened in 1959 seats sold for $5.  The first release of the original cast recording took place within weeks of the opening of the show on vinyl.   Since then it has been released and updated quite a few times (The first cd release of the album was in 1986).  Now for the 50th anniversary we get the original master restored using 20 bit technology.  What sounded great 50 years ago sounds fantastic now.

There has always been a dispute about whether the Broadway performance by Mary Martin, or the film performance by Julie Andrew, is  better.  To me, this dispute has always been a non-starter.  The only way that you could really compare the two is if they had each performed the role in both venues.  It is likely that there will never be another full scale movie of The Sound of Music so there can be no comparison.  However,  there have already been many revivals of The Sound of Music, the most recent in 1998,  and though I really like Rebecca Luker, her performance does not touch that of Mary Martin.  This new 50th Anniversary release only reminds us again how spectacular the voice, clarity and diction of Mary Martin really is.  The rest of the cast included: Theodore Bikel portrys Captain von Trapp with Patricia Neway as the Mother Abess, Marian Marlowe as Elsa Schraeder and Kurt Kasznar as Max Detweiler.

The notes that come with this album, and the pictures that are contained, are an added bonus, as are the three additional bonus tracks which are included in this release. The first bonus comes from the tv special  “Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett at Carnegie Hall.”  This show was done three years before Andrews would make the film.  It is a wonderful spoof of the family……now 20 children strong (19 brothers and Burnett) and their mother (Andrews).  The second track comes from the 2005 production in Austria, the first mounted production in that country.  It is a performance in German of “Edelweiss,” the last song that Oscar Hammerstein wrote before his death.  The third bonus track is from the 1995 production of the show in Stockholm.  They did not record the album as the show was performed, but rather, cast members performed songs fromt he show.  This track features Tommy Korberg singing “Climb Every Mountain.”

Even if you have previous recordings of the original cast album, this one is special enough, in sound and bonus, to add to your library.

Categories: Original Broadway Cast Recordings
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As the Producing Director of the newly formed Lincoln Center Musical Theater (1964), Richard Rodgers decided to produce as his first production,  The King and I.  Rodgers definitely had a soft spot for operatic voices in the lead roles of his musicals, and for this production, he chose Rise Stevens.  Stevens had been one of the reigning mezzos of the Metropolitan Opera and during the previous two decades she seemed to own the role of Carmen.  For his king, Rodgers cast Darren McGavin who was primarily known as a TV and film actor. Frank Porretta and Lee Venora are Lun Tha and Tuptim and the role of Lady Thiang is performed by Patricia Neway

First, let me say that this is a beautiful recording.   Though recorded over forty years ago, this remastering shows no effects of age.  The orchestra, conducted by Franz Allers, is marvelous and adds great support to these very operatic performances.  From the opening chords of the overture, it is clear that you are in for a treat.  The orchestra sound is lush and dramatic and this kind of full orchestra is often what we miss in many of the revivals of recent vintage.  Allers makes the orchestra almost sing, and the colors that he brings out in the score are certainly the best of any recording I know.

I was first attracted to the album because I have always been a fan of Rise Stevens.  There are few recordings available of Ms. Stevens and when I saw this, I grabbed it.  I was certainly not disappointed.  Stevens is not my favorite Mrs. Anna, I am partial to the studio cast recording made by Julie Andrews, but she brings a richness that grows on you with each hearing.  Not a vowel nor a consonant is lost and, with Stevens’ great breath control, the lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein II are allowed to really shine. “Hello Young Lovers” is rich and lush, “Getting to Know You” and “Whistle A Happy Tune” are lilting and “Shall I Tell You What I Think of You” is pointed and dramatic and Mrs. Anna’s rage is quite evident.

Darren McGavin is not the King of Yul Brynner, but with the exception of parts of  “A Puzzlement,” he gives a credible performance.  There can be no doubt, however, that this musical really belongs to Mrs. Anna.  This cast and this recording were certainly an indication that Richard Rodgers wanted to return Mrs. Anna to the leading role.

“My Lord and Master”, “We Kiss in the Shadow”, “Something Wonderful” and “I Have Dreamed” are quite operatic pieces and here, Porretta, Venora and Neway do them real justice.

It is also interesting to note that “The Little House of Uncle Thomas” was not on the original recording and appeared on record for the first time on this recording.

It is hard to keep buying recordings of The King and I, but this is one that deserves to be on your shelf.

Categories: Revival Cast Recordings
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Shrek the Movie has had a long and successful run.  That run helps make Shrek the Musical a success, but it also acts as a limiting factor on the score,  the musical itself and this cast recording.  This show will make those who know Shrek the Movie happy because it so closely follows the movie story line.  As a result the film has dictated song placement.   Thus the music and lyrics by Jeannine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire, move the story line, but are not very creative.  There are some fairly good songs in the show,  but there is nothing that I believe will be lasting.  That being said, those that loved the film and thus the musical will find this cast recording a good story telling record.

Sutton Foster, who seems to move from one Broadway hit to another (Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Drowsy Chaperone, Young Frankenstein) and is outstanding in each one, is terrific here and she has the very best songs of the show in Morning Person and I Think I Got You Beat.  You understand each and every word she sings and there is great life and excitement in her voice.  While I like Brian D’Arcy James, the part demands that he sound like Shrek the Ogre and this takes away from the usual quality that we expect from his singing.  Daniel Breaker is not Eddie Murphy, the movie voice of the donkey,  and suffers by any comparison, although I believe this to be the show’s toughest role.  Christopher Seiber is a very good Farquaad and his Ballad of Farquaad is a lot of fun.

I think this cast recording will be quite fun for children who love the movie and have seen the show, but overall I find the score and this cast recording disappointing.

Categories: Original Broadway Cast Recordings
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When Hair first appeared in 1968 it was seen as a social statement and not fully viewed as a Broadway musical filled with great musical numbers.  It made political statements, racial statements, and religious statements.  It addressed the use of re recreational drugs, especially marijuana, in talked about inter-racial sex and it presented the entire cast on stage, completely nude.  The trauma of  1968, including the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Dr Martin Luther King, the war in Vietnam, the Hippy Movement and the Chicago Democratic Convention only added to the mystic that became Hair.

This time around Hair is a musical period piece,  the social statements have little meaning except to those who were around in the sixties, but the music has been reborn as a gift to a new generation.  The dichotomy between then and now is both an advantage and disadvantage to this cast recording. You can feel the pathos of the performers in the original cast recording that you do not hear in this recording, but there is a musicality in this recording that does not exist in the original.    I only wish that the producers of this recording had chosen to really emphasize the great songs and left a few of the quick interludes off the album, although some dialogue and musical riffs that were not in the original album really add to this recording.  The performances by Gavin Creel, Sasha Allen, Will Swenson and Cassie Levy are wonderful and after listening to the album, even if you have yet to see the revival production, it is hard to walk around without hearing the songs in your head or humming or singing the tunes.  Hair is a period piece, but “Aquarius,” ” I Got Life,”  “Hair,”  “Easy to be Hard,”  “Where Do I Go,”,  “Good Morning Starshine,” and “Let The Sunshine In” still contain powerful visuals and messages.

Buy the album.

Categories: Broadway Revival Cast Recordings
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It has been 50 years since the original West Side Story first reached Broadway.  Now we have a new West Side Story, presently at the Palace Theater in New York, and a new cast recording that Sony released on June 2, 2009.

First let me say that the new recording is wonderful.  The 30 piece orchestra is playing the original orchestrations, but they sound different.  Certainly the technical improvements over the past fifty years have something to do with that, but more importantly the comfort with and understanding of the harmonics and rhythms of the Leonard Bernstein score are better understood today and the rhythmic accents are really emphasized by musical director Patrick Vaccoriello making the orchestratons sound brand new.   This is clear from the beginning, especially in “Something’s Coming.”

Even though there have been great discussions in news articles and on TV about the use of Spanish in dialogue and songs by the Puerto Ricans, when you first hear the use of Spanish by the Sharks, in “The Prologue,” you might be caught off guard. This does not last long, for you  soon you realize you are hearing the language of today’s streets and it becomes very powerful and is a special delight in “I Feel Pretty.”

The cast, which includes: Matt Cavenaugh as Tony, Josefina Scaglione as Maria, Karen Olivo as Anita and Cody Green as Riff  sound less operatic  and perform dialogue and the Stephen Sondheim lyrics with more distinct accents than the stars of the original.  This makes them sound much more like the characters that they play.  However, make no mistake, this cast can sing.  Their range, control of dynamics,  breath control, phrasing,  diction, and in the case of Cavenaugh his ability to sing in falsetto, make this group dynamite.

Cavenaugh and Scaglione have real vocal chemistry in each of the four major duets they sing: “Maria,” “Tonight,” “One Hand One Heart,” and “Somewhere.”  They sound like the young lovers and blend, in English and Spanish, beautifully.

However, the show and the recording reach their performance height when Scaglione and Olivo sing “Un Hombre Asi, I Have a Love.”  It is chilling and if you get goosebumps just listening to it, imagine what happens in the theater.

This show is as relevant today as it was fifty years ago and  unlike many other revivals, not only is the story relevant,  so is the score.  West Side Story has been reborn and this new Sony disk is as exciting as what is taking place at the Palace Theater each night.  If this disk does not win the Grammy I will be stunned.  This is a new castrecording classic; you have to buy it.

Categories: Broadway Revival Cast Recordings, Uncategorized
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Martin Guerre had a three year life beginning in 1996, when it opened in London, and ending in 1999 when it opened in New York.  During those three years, the team that brought us Les Miserables and Miss Saigon felt good about what they had brought to London.  The audiences loved the show and the house was filled.  When the show was being readied for New York, something happened.  Whether they thought the subject matter would not play well in New York because of the religious nature of the story or whether they thought it just was not glitzy enough for New York, they changed the show and ruined it.  Songs were removed and replaced with inferior pieces.  The orchestration, perhaps because of the need to use fewer instruments than was the case in London, is no where near as satisfying as that found on the London CD.  The story seems to get twisted and lose its way.  To me it is just a disaster.

It is fortunate that the London Cast Recording was made.  The London recording features a score that is dynamic and beautiful.  Like Les Miz, Martin Guerre uses motifs that run through many of the numbers and is heard often in the orchestra parts and used to make the story clearer.  The duet Here Comes The Morning between Arnnaud (Iain Glen) and Martin (Matt Rawle) is the most dynamic male duet that I have heard since Lily’s Eyes in The Secret Garden.  This follows the title number Martin Guerre (Matt Rawle) that features a dynamic Martin and an equally dynamic orchestra.  Arnaud and Bertrande (Juliette Caton) get two wonderful duets in Tell Me To Go and Someone.  In addition, there are some chorus numbers that give context to the religious theme of the story and some comic numbers smilair to those found in Les Miz.

I am sure that many having seen Martin Guerre in New York or hear the New York cast recording have never bothered to listen to this London version, but you should.  The entire story is found in the progression of songs in this version and the original songs, libretto and score are far superior to the terrible version that was introduced into New York.

If you are a Les Miz or Miss Saigon fan, I urge you to buy this London cast recording……you won’t regret it.

Categories: Original London Cast Recordings
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Company is one of my all time favorite shows.  I have seen it performed many times and I never tire of seeing it.  However, trying to pick the best cast recording from the recordings available is another matter.  There are three American recordings.  The 1970 original cast recording featured Dean Jones as  Bobby and Elaine Stritch in the role of JoAnn.  The 1995 revival cast recording featured Boyd Gaines as Bobby and the 2006 production, which was unlike either of the other two, featured Raul Esparza as Bobby.    Larry Kert (West Side Story) replaced Dean Jones early in the original run, but all we have of him as Bobby is a bonus track on the rereleased 1970 cast recording.    There are London  cast recordings, but I find them untenable so I have decided not to include them here.

So, what to recommend?  I recommend you buy all three Broadway cast recordings  and then, for your own listening pleasure,  make your own Company Perfect Cast Recording(CPCR).  While no one recording is totally superior to the others, there is something from each to be added to you CPCR.

Below are my choices for each number to help you create your own CPCR.

The Opening – Company (The 1995 revival cast recording) – There are a lot of reasons to choose this version.  It has more life than either of the other two, the tempo is crisper, the harmonies are very clear and the sound of the recording is just superior.

The Little Things We Do Together (The Original 1970 Recording) – I really like the tempo here better than in any of the others.  The rhythm seems more punctuated as well.  But, the main reason for my choice is Elaine Stritch.  Some people own certain parts.  Elaine Stritch owns JoAnn and no one has ever touched her performance.

Sorry Grateful (The 2006 revival cast recording) – The 1970 and 1995 versions are both very good, but the 2006 recording is the most insightful and has greater interplay between voice and instrumentation which creates a much better effect.

You Could Drive A Person Crazy (The 1995 revival cast recording) – All three performances are very good.  I really like the people on the original recording, but the 1995 recording is clearer and crisper.  The sync of the voices is such that every word is understood.  The instrumentation in the 2006 recording makes it unsatisfying.

Have I Got A Girl For You (The 1995 revival cast recording) – Hands down, the 1995 recording is the winner here.  The rhythmic punctuations help drive the excitement of the piece.  It is great from beginning to end.

Someone is Waiting (The 1995 revival cast recording) – The voice of Boyd Gaines makes the difference here.  Dean Jones cannot compare and Raul Esparza’s version is vocally nice, but we hear his slurred  “s” sounds and that is bothersome.  Additionally,  instrumentally it is to bare.

Another 100 People (The 1995 revival cast recording) – This is a dynamite number.  The enunciation, diction, pitch and orchestration of the 1995 recording are far better that what you find in the 1970 recording.

Getting Married Today (The 1995 revival cast recording) – What I really like the most about this version is the enunciation and diction.  You understand every word.  Nothing of the text is lost and that makes this version spectacular.

Marry Me A Little (The 2006 revival cast recording) – I do not like that recording very much, but Raul Esparza is wonderful here.  He croons.  This song was cut from the original and appears for the first time in the 1995 recording.

Side By Side / What Would We Do Without You (The 1995 revival cast recording) – This performance is really fun.  It reminds me of a number that could have been seen in Follies. It just sounds more Sondheim like than either of the others ones.  You cannot get through this version without wanting to get up and dance.

Poor Baby (The Original 1970 Recording) – This is the real hen party version.  The women are clear, crisp and snippy.  Neither of the other versions comes close here.

Barcelona (The 1995 Cast Recording) – Boyd Gaines just has exceptional vocal power and vocal control and he shows it here.   His phrasing and breath contol are great and his vocal acting is terrific.

The Ladies Who Lunch (The Original 1970 Recording) – I have said it before, but it deserves repeating.  This part and this song belong to Elaine Stritch.  No one can touch her.

Being Alive (The 1995 Cast Recording) Boyd Gaines has the strongest voice of the three Bobby performers and it is in this number that this becomes the most obvious.  Bobby gains more and more insight with each phrase and Gaines uses his vocal ability to grow the sound through the piece.  It is a wonderful performance.

So there you have it……..The Company Perfect Cast Recording.  You may ask……..So what if I can only afford to buy one of these albums…….which one?   I suggest buying the 1995 revival recording and then buying each of the other numbers as singles…..then put it all together.  It will cost you bit more than buying just one recording, but then you will have The Company Perfect Cast Recording.

Categories: Broadway Revival Cast Recordings, Original Broadway Cast Recordings
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The King and I originally opened in March of 1951 and starred British musical comedy star Gertrude Lawrence as Mrs. Anna, the teacher who comes to Siam (now Thailand) to live in the palace of the King and teach his children. The show was written for Lawrence whose name was the only one on the marquee.  In the 1940’s  Richard Watts of the New York Herald Tribune had described Lawrence as  “the greatest feminine performer in the American theatre.  The King and I was a triumph for her and she won the Tony for her performance.   However, Lawrence was ill with liver cancer (undiagnosed) when the show opened and, though  she gradually did fewer and fewer performances.  As her performances decreased, she insisted that Yul Brynner, who was playing The King, be added to the marquee.   Lawrence died in September of 1952 and only after her death was her illness actually confirmed.    Yul Brynner’s role in the show gained more importance as Lawrence’s performances became less frequent.  H had also won the Tony for his portrayal as  The King.   By the time Brynner closed the show on Broadway, his was the only name on the marquee and for the next thirty years with Brynner as the King, that would be the starring role.

By 1985, Brynner was at the end of performing as the King and there was discussion of returning the emphasis of the musical to Mrs. Anna.  All discussions led to one choice, Julie Andrews.  Julie Andrews had always wanted to play Mrs. Anna, but she actually never got to play the role on stage.   However, in 1992 Phillips Records decided to make a studio recording of The King and I with Julie Andrews as Mrs. Anna.  She was joined by an outstanding supporting cast which included:  Ben Kingsley as the King, Lea Salonga as Tuptim, Peabo Bryson as Lun Tha, Marilyn Horne as Lady Thiang with Martin Sheen and Roger Moore adding speaking roles.

This is a wonderful recording.  Andrews was at the apex of her vocal powers and from her first notes of “Whistle A Happy Tune,” you are captured by Mrs. Anna.  In “Hello, Young Lovers,” Andrews seems to be speaking to every listener of the CD.  Her enunciation is wonderful and helps create a sense of longing that is amplified even more by her breath control and phrasing.   “Getting to Know You” was a center piece of the score and her performance here makes sure that you understand this and clearly lays out that Mrs. Anna is the real star of this show.  It is difficult not to move with the music and even more difficult not to sing along.  Throughout the recording which includes some dialogue, Andrews as Mrs. Anna is the cohesive element that ties everything together.

Supporting Andrews, Ben Kingsley, not know for musical roles, is terrific as The King.  His singing is adequate, but more more dramatic than musical adds real umph to the role of The King. On the other hand Lea Salonga, who was wowing New York audiences in Miss Saigon at the time of this recording, creates a great picture of a young Tuptim, alone in Bangkok and in love with Lun Tha.  Her tone,  pitch and phrasing are extraordinary and no recording by anyone who has ever done this show matches her performance here.  Peabo Bryson as Lun Tha joins Salonga in “We Kiss In the Shadow” and “I Have Dreamed” and they are a perfectly matched vocal pair.  Opera Diva Marilyn Horne, who has always been a fine crossover performer, renders “Something Wonderful” with great power and maturity, something demanded by the role.  The entire cast is supported by The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra conducted by John Mauceri.

This is more that just a cast recording, it is a dramatic presentation of the score.  It is one of my favorite studio cast recordings of all time.  I never get tired of listening to it.  If you have never heard it, buy it.  I guarantee you are in for a great treat.

Categories: Studio Cast Recordings
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Take Australian Peter Allen’s rags to riches life, add his biographical music, sprinkle in his relationship with Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli, and then ice the cake by adding Hugh Jackman, and you get The Boy from OZ.

The show was originally presented in Sydney without Jackman as the star.  Though he had been asked to be the show’s star, he was unable to accept because of conflicting screen commitments due to his growing movie popularity.  However, upon seeing the show in Sydney, he realized that he really wanted to play the Peter Allen role and he agreed to bring the show to Broadway.

The show was spectacular.  Jackman lit up the stage.  He changed himself from the Wolverine to a flamboyant, bi-coastal Peter Allen.  His singing ability surprised few, but his dancing ability and the ease with which he recreated Peter Allen style repartee wlith the audience astounded many.  His performance won him the 2004 Tony Award.

Isabel Keating as Judy Garland  startled people.  When she first appears on stage and then speaks, it is as if Judy Garland has come back to life.  And when Keating sings,  it gave you chills.  Stephanie J. Block was also terrific as Liza Minelli.

All of this is recreated on the original cast recording produced in 2003.  The recording and mixing by Frank Filipetti is excellent.  It is one of those cast recordings that does great justice to a great Broadway evening.  There are many short videos from the show on You Tube, but none of them recreate the sound of the show as does this recording.

It is hard to imagine anyone coming along in the near future who can recreate what this cast did on stage and on CD.  This is a must for any musical collection.

Categories: Original Broadway Cast Recordings
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