By Steven Suskin
10 Dec 2006
Reissues
The pace of reissues continued, although the once overflowing archives show evidence of thinning out. This is due in great part to the ambitious Broadway Collector Series from DRG, which not only brings us new-to-CD items but recirculates out-of-print titles. Old-time collectors already have many of these shows, but the Broadway musical cannot hope to develop serious new fans if they can't hear scores like Loesser's Greenwillow, Rodgers' No Strings, Kander's A Family Affair and numerous forgotten titles (Flahooley, Oh Captain!, Plain and Fancy and more).
This year's most notable first-time-on-CD titles have long been on the most-requested list. The 1967 Music Theater of Lincoln Center production of South Pacific [Masterworks Broadway 82876-88393] was quickly withdrawn from the turntable, understandably so, as the original Mary Martin-Ezio Pinza has been a steady seller for the folks at Columbia/Sony. This revival — produced by Rodgers himself — is well-performed, and infinitely more audible than the 1949 LP. Florence Henderson and Giorgio Tozzi sing the leads; not Martin and Pinza, of course, but no apologies necessary. Of lesser importance, but with a high enjoyment quota, is Baker Street [Decca Broadway B0005971]. This was Alex Cohen's 1965 Sherlock Holmes musical, directed by Hal Prince, featuring more extravaganza than material. Even so, there are some enjoyable songs — especially when Inga Swenson is singing them — by Marian Grudeff and Raymond Jessel (with uncredited additions by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick).
Worthy out-of-print CDs that have reappeared this year include Golden Boy [DRG 19079], the 1964 Sammy Davis vehicle with a group of stunning songs by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams; and the bubbly 1963 revival of Rodgers & Hart's The Boys from Syracuse [DRG 19085], with a fine singing cast featuring Karen Morrow and Ellen Hanley. Speaking of fine performers, Jay has remastered and reissued their two-disc, complete version of Cabaret [Jay CDJAY2 1311], an album which I did not sufficiently appreciate on its first release. This one has a lot to offer, including Judi Dench, Maria Freidman, Jonathan Pryce, Gregg Edelman and even Fred Ebb.
Harold Arlen is just about the best of the best, as far as I'm concerned. DRG dug into the old Capitol catalogue and brought us Harold Arlen and His Songs [DRG 19078], some of the very finest American songs of the 1930s and 1940s performed by one of the most distinctive singers of the day. Let's give it a five-star recommendation. DRG is generous enough to combine it with the relatively brief original cast album of Arlen's 1946 musical St. Louis Woman, which only enhances the value of this release. Reader response to a different Arlen reissue alerted me to a new jazz album of songs by the master, Barbara Fasano: Written in the Stars [Human Child Records HCR-825]. This CD will be reviewed in our next column, but Arlen fans can safely go ahead and order it in time for the holidays.
And Let's Not Forget
Two top theatre singers gave us notable albums this year. Audra McDonald continued her veritable parade of top-notch CDs with Build a Bridge [Nonesuch 79862], drawn from Guettel, Gordon and a handful of non-theatre composers. Relative newcomer (to our shores, anyway) Maria Friedman also obliged with Now and Then [Sony Classical 82876-81427]. The British Friedman made her local debut last season with the ill-fated Woman in White. She belongs up near the head of the class of Sondheim interpreters, as this CD attests. And she belongs back on Broadway soon, please.
(Steven Suskin is author of "Second Act Trouble," "A Must See! Brilliant Broadway Artwork," "Show Tunes" and the "Opening Night on Broadway." Prior ON THE RECORD columns can be accessed in the Features section on Playbill.com's front page. He can be reached by E-mail at Ssuskin@aol.com.)
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