No official announcement of a label or release date has been made, but Playbill.com has learned cast members were told April 10 that a recording date in late April or early May is expected.

In addition to being a cherished disc for fans of the Celtic-flavored show and followers of the popular Les Misérables and Miss Saigon songwriters, a recording would be a solid marketing tool for the new 16th-century set epic musical about Irish chieftain Grace O'Malley.

The production opened April 5 at the Hilton Theatre following previews there and a fall 2006 tryout in Chicago.

The musical's book, score and direction were radically revamped since Chicago, and Richard Maltby Jr. and Graciela Daniele joined the creative team.

The songs are by composer Schönberg and lyricists Boublil, Maltby and John Dempsey. The sung-though musical harkens to the age of lavish, lush poperetta musicals of the 1980s and '90s (Les Miz, Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats), when pop-tinged soaring ballads, boisterous ensemble numbers and recitative were all the rage. Frank Galati directed The Pirate Queen.

A couple blocks away, Les Miz (which won a Best Score Tony, among others) was revived in fall 2006 and continues its run at the Broadhurst Theatre, competing with The Pirate Queen for Broadway theatregoers' attention. (Phantom, from the same era, continues its original run at the Majestic.)

The Pirate Queen has orchestrations, vocal arrangements, musical supervision and musical direction by Julian Kelly.

The principal cast includes Stephanie J. Block (in the title role), Hadley Fraser, Linda Balgord (as Queen Elizabeth I), Marcus Chait, Jeff McCarthy and William Youmans.

The list of musical numbers in the opening-night Playbill follows. It's not yet clear if the cast album would be a "highlights" disc or a two-disc record of the full score.

ACT ONE
"The Pirate Queen"
"Woman"
"The Storm"
"My Grace"
"Here on this Night"
"The First Battle"
"The Waking of the Queen"
"Rah-Rah, Tip-Top"
"The Choice is Mine"
"The Bride's Song"
"Boys'll Be Boys"
"The Wedding"
"I'll Be There"
"Boys'll Be Boys" (reprise)
"Trouble at Rockfleet"
"A Day Beyond Belclare"
"Go Serve Your Queen"
"Dubhdara's Farewell"
"Sail to the Stars"

ACT TWO
Entr'Acte
"It's a Boy"
"Enemy at Port Side"
"I Dismiss You"
"If I Said I Loved You"
"The Role of the Queen"
"The Christening"
"Let a Father Stand By His Son"
"Surrender"
"She Who Has All"
"Lament"
"The Sea of Life"
"Terra Marique Potens"
"Woman to Woman"
"Behind the Screen"
"Grace's Exit"
Finale

For more information, visit www.thepiratequeen.com.