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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