By Steven Suskin
14 Jun 2009

Hidden away in the midst of February was perhaps the season's most hapless musical affair, THE STORY OF MY LIFE [PS Classics PS-981]. Like the aforementioned [title of show], this two-man affair seemed awfully slight in the Broadway spotlight despite the concerted efforts of Malcolm Gets and Will Chase. The CD indicates that the material is somewhat better than it appeared to be on the stage of the Booth; possibly good enough for stock and amateur groups looking for a contemporary two-man musical, although far too insubstantial and clunky to be plunked down across the street from Billy Elliot.

Revivals of Pal Joey and Guys and Dolls took severe liberties with the shows in question; if neither makes it to CD, that's okay by me. Two significantly more accomplished revivals brightened the spring. The new WEST SIDE STORY [Masterworks Broadway 88697-52391] preceded itself with claims of being an improved and enhanced West Side Story, although this proved not to be precisely the case. The big changes seemed to consist of having the Puerto Rican characters sing some of their songs in English and some in Spanish; having the pivotal "A Boy Like That" sung in a language not spoken by the majority of the audience was an interesting choice. (And no, in this day and age it can no longer be said that most potential theatregoers knew what was going on thanks to familiarity with the movie; the ones seated next to me certainly didn't.) Musically there were a couple of alterations in the second act that I wager would have been summarily swatted aside by the composer as if they were the buzzings of a pesky mosquito. But the composer wasn't around. The revival has proved to be a sizable box office success, West Side Story being West Side Story; the CD is a fair representation of the revival, and seems likely to do well.

Let it be added that the producers of the cast album of West Side Story have seen fit to release different versions through different distributors. If you buy the CD in the traditional and presumably preferred manner, you will get what is presumably the "official" 16 tracks. Buy it from Barnes & Noble and you will get several additional tracks. Download it from iTunes and you will have the option to purchase several other additional tracks. If you download from iTunes, you can't get the Barnes & Noble tracks; if you buy it at Barnes & Noble, you can't get the iTunes tracks. If you just buy the CD in the old-fashioned manner, slapping down full list price on the barrel, you don't get any of these additional tracks (which include English-language versions of the Spanish songs which were written as English songs in the first place). Which is the "real," preferred release? Which is the version that the producers of this revival, and the producers of this cast album, proudly consider the finest rendition of their production? Which is the version that the proud investors, and the proud cast members, would cite as representative? Your call; in any event, I shall keep the original 1957 cast recording on my record shelf, on my iPod, and on my mind.

The other revival, HAIR [Ghostlight], fared equally well and took the much contested Tony Award as well. (At this writing, the cast recording is available for downloading, with the CD expected by month's end.) Gavin Creel and Will Swenson lead the cast of Diane Paulus' crowd-pleasing production, featuring — get this — a larger band than the 1968 and 1977 Broadway editions. Let the sun shine in, why don't you?

Hidden among a season filled with conventional musicals, family-fare musicals and revivals, Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey's NEXT TO NORMAL [Ghostlight 8-4433] stands out as the most arresting of the crop. This piece also underwent an unconventional gestation; starting at an Off-Broadway nonprofit (the Second Stage), the show was substantially revamped at an out-of-town nonprofit (Washington, DC's Arena Stage), and finally headed to Broadway's Booth following the hasty demise of The Story of My Life. The one significant loss along the way was that of Mr. d'Arcy James, who brought a sense of compassion to his role that was not evident in the final version. (By the time the show was remounted in Arlington, he was already trolling the swamps in his green fat suit.) Mr. Kitt seemed to be a talented but lost-in-the-forest newcomer when he arrived in 2006 with his maiden effort, High Fidelity. The two-disc cast album of Next to Normal demonstrates that he is a theatre writer, all right, with a Best Score Tony Award to show for it. The headline attraction of the venture, though, was the riveting performance which handily earned Alice Ripley a Tony Award of her own.

Ten musical cast albums signifies a good year for cast album collectors. And this parade doesn't include what might well be the most eagerly awaited show and CD of the year, the Off-Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim's Road Show, which should be in our hands by month's end.

(Steven Suskin is author of "The Sound of Broadway Music: A Book of Orchestrators and Orchestrations" (Oxford) as well as "Second Act Trouble," "Show Tunes" and the "Opening Night on Broadway" books. He can be reached at Ssuskin@aol.com)