Death Takes a Holiday Cast Album Will Get October Release; Track Listing Announced | Playbill

Related Articles
News Death Takes a Holiday Cast Album Will Get October Release; Track Listing Announced PS Classics, the label devoted show music and American popular song, announced a release date and a track listing for its original Off-Broadway cast recording of Death Takes a Holiday.

//assets.playbill.com/editorial/8f5905494ceed66199da5ff1745aaf66-deathholidaycd.jpg
Cover art for the Death Takes a Holiday cast album.

The disc, produced by PS Classics co-founder Tommy Krasker, will be in stores Oct. 11. The label is currently accepting pre-orders at its website, psclassics.com.

The musical by two-time Tony Award-winning composer-lyricist Maury Yeston (Nine and Titanic) and multiple Tony-winning librettist Thomas Meehan (Annie, Hairspray, The Producers) and Peter Stone (1776) continues its world-premiere run through Sept. 4 at Roundabout Theatre Company's the Laura Pels Theatre.

The track listing for Death Takes a Holiday is as follows:

1. In the Middle of Your Life / Nothing Happened
2. How Will I Know?
3. Centuries
4. Why Do All Men?
5. Death Is in the House
6. Alive!
7. Life's a Joy
8. Who Is This Man?
9. Life's a Joy (reprise)
10. Shimmy Like They Do in Paree
11. Roberto's Eyes
12. Alone Here With You
13. Something's Happened
14. Losing Roberto
15. What Do You Do
16. More and More
17. Finally to Know
18. I Thought That I Could Live
19. December Time
20. Pavane
21. Finale: Grazia and Sirki

Death Takes a Holiday draws on Albert Casella's Italian play about the Grim Reaper taking human form to see what all the fuss is about this thing called life. He ends up falling in love with a beautiful woman at an Italian villa that is filled with world-weary characters. Kevin Stites is the musical supervisor/musical director. Orchestrations are by Tony Award winner Larry Hochman (The Book of Mormon). Tony Award winner Doug Hughes (Doubt, Roundabout's Broadway production of Mrs. Warren's Profession) directs.

As previously reported, Kevin Earley, who succeeded British star Julian Ovenden in the role of Death/Prince Sirki, owing to Ovenden's vocal illness, will be heard on the album, along with Linda Balgord (Contessa Danielli), Matt Cavenaugh (Eric Fenton), Mara Davi (Alice), Joy Hermalyn (Cora), Jay Jaski (Lorenzo), Simon Jones (Dr. Dario Albione), Rebecca Luker (Duchess Lamberti), Patricia Noonan (Sophia), Jill Paice (Grazia), Michael Siberry (Duke Lamberti), Alexandra Socha (Daisy Fenton), Don Stephenson (Fidele) and Max Von Essen (Corrado Montelli).

Krasker, who produced the original Broadway cast album of Yeston's Titanic and the 2003 Broadway cast album of Nine: The Musical (as well as "The Maury Yeston Songbook"), told Playbill.com that the Death Takes a Holiday the recording proces was "pure pleasure," adding that "amidst all the hard work, it was like a big reunion — I've known Maury since 1977, and done many albums with Rebecca and Michael and Matt, not to mention Kevin Stites and Larry Hochman. And the two leads, Kevin and Jill, with whom I was working for the first time, were extraordinary. They have a heck of a lot to sing; they didn't hold back.

"We were especially fortunate that Kevin [Earley] had been doing the show for three weeks by the time we did the recording. Not only did he bring his wonderful voice and presence to the studio, but he and Jill had their onstage relationship down cold."

Read Playbill.com's feature about the history and crafting of Death Takes a Holiday.

 *

Founded in 2000 by Tommy Krasker & Philip Chaffin, and a six-time Grammy nominee (for its cast albums of Assassins, Nine: The Musical, Grey Gardens, Company, A Little Night Music and Sondheim on Sondheim), PS Classics celebrates the heritage of Broadway and American popular song through its award-winning cast recordings; solo albums by such stars as Maureen McGovern, Victoria Clark, Jessica Molaskey and Christine Andreas; and recordings drawn from rare sound archives, including "Sondheim Sings." Recent releases include the studio cast album of the long-lost Vernon Duke/Ogden Nash 1946 musical Sweet Bye and Bye. Upcoming releases include the original Off-Broadway cast recording of A Minister's Wife, and the new Broadway cast recording of Follies. Visit the label's website, www.psclassics.com.

 
RELATED:
Today’s Most Popular News:
 X

Blocking belongs
on the stage,
not on websites.

Our website is made possible by
displaying online advertisements to our visitors.

Please consider supporting us by
whitelisting playbill.com with your ad blocker.
Thank you!