Holiday time is here yet again, so we present this year's list of recommended Broadway-related CDs.
*
NEW MUSICALS
The highlights of the new Broadway cast albums of 2008, at least for traditionalists, came in sparkling new recordings of sparkling new revivals of sparkling old musicals. "Sparkling" might be overused, perhaps, but it does seem to fit the items in question. We refer, of course, to South Pacific [Masterworks Broadway 88697-30457] and Gypsy [Time Life M19659].
The new Gypsy can't outclass the original 1959 cast album, with Ethel Merman, which is an historical document that still packs a wallop. Even so, Patti LuPone gives us a valid new take on the role, and Laura Benanti (as the title character) seems to surpass those who have come before her. Add in several bonus tracks of cut material — including the extended "Small World"/"Mama's Talking Soft" duet and "Smile, Girls," an unnecessary but artful song with which Merman briefly opened the second act—and we have a "Gypsy" not to be overlooked.
As for South Pacific, Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza make that original album indispensable. But the Lincoln Center production, starring Kelli O'Hara and Paulo Szot, has carefully reproduced the show; and music director Ted Sperling and his orchestra have even more carefully reproduced the score. No, we don't get Mary, Ezio, Juanita Hall and Bill Tabbert in the first flush of 1949; but we really do hear the music in all its glory. And O'Hara and Szot, for their part, seem to generate considerably more heat than their predecessors. This is some enchanted evening, captured on CD.
Advertisement
As for original musicals, three of last spring's offerings brought very different sounds to Broadway and garnered their own distinct fan bases along the way. In the Heights [Ghostlight 8-4428] took the Best Musical Tony Award and continues to flourish, headed by songwriter/star Lin-Manuel Miranda. Passing Strange [Ghostlight] featured its own songwriter/star, who goes under the name Stew and who brought something decidedly different to West 44th. And then there's A Catered Affair [PS Classics PS-864], which also had an author/star in the person of Harvey Fierstein. The show received a harsh reception, though, and a shortened run. If John Bucchino's score and some fine performances were not enough to counteract the bad luck of the enterprise, the cast album is not to be overlooked.
The most exciting new musical of the year — or let us say the most arresting, intriguing, and unusual — came from the pen of a 31-year-old fellow from Milwaukee, Joshua Schmidt. Adding Machine [PS Classics PS-865] is the name. It might take some getting used to, but this piece — which received a first-rate Off-Broadway production — is altogether remarkable. Listeners who hate things like Floyd Collins might wish to steer clear, and they don't sing all that many pretty melodies; but Mr. Schmidt's score, well interpreted by featured performers Joel Hatch, Amy Warren, and Cyrilla Baer, make Adding Machine stand out. Fans of adventurous musicals also might want to take note of the Donmar Warehouse production of Rob Ashford's staging of Parade [First Night CASTCD 99], a reduced and altered —and enhanced — version of Jason Robert Brown's Tony Award-winning 1998 musical. Continued...
