Hairspray had held steady on the chart for 45 consecutive weeks, but finally dropped off the list last week. The Marc Shaiman-Scott Wittman score climbs back on in the No. 10 spot.
In what has become all too familiar, Decca Broadway's recording of the hit musical Wicked, Rhino's release of 2006's Tony Award-winning Best Musical Jersey Boys and Mamma Mia! (also on Decca Broadway) lay claim to the top three positions on the chart.
Walt Disney Records' recording of The Lion King and the new Masterworks Broadway release of A Chorus Line maintain their spots from last week to round out the top five.
Broadway newcomers Grey Gardens and Mary Poppins are represented on the chart by their CD counterparts: PS Classics' original cast recording (featuring the Off-Broadway cast of Grey) and Walt Disney's original cast recording (of the London cast).
Along with Wicked and Mamma Mia!, the cast recordings of Monty Python's Spamalot and Avenue Q have remained on Billboard's Top Cast Album Chart for the full 46 weeks since the chart's inception. The release of Stephen Schwartz's Wicked has topped the chart for 41 of the 46 weeks the chart has been published. The recording has dominated the spot, only being toppled before by the Columbia Records two-disc "Harry" release (comprised of the recording of Broadway's The Pajama Game revival and selections of Connick, Jr.'s 2001 show Thou Shalt Not) and The Color Purple for one week each. Rhino's release of Jersey Boys, following its big Tony win, also took hold of the top slot for four weeks.
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A new addition to Billboard's listings, the Top Cast Albums chart debuted in Billboard on Jan. 12, 2006. Stephen Schwartz' Wicked — which opened on Broadway in October 2003 (album released Dec. 16, 2003) — appeared at the top of the first chart. The chart measures sales of albums from stage musicals. Broadway recordings mostly fill the 15-slot table, but cast albums from other locales are also eligible. The addition of the chart to Billboard's 112 charts generates exposure for the genre which does not often chart on the Billboard 200.
Billboard can be found on the web at www.billboard.com. Full charts are available by subscription at www.billboard.biz.
