The cast of last season's Prodigal — the Australian musical that premiered at The York Theatre Company in Feb. 2002 — will head into the recording studio in October.

JAY Records, the independent label run by John Yap, will record the musical by Mathew Frank (music) and Dean Bryant (book and lyrics) on Oct. 7 and 8. Author Bryant confirmed the news to Playbill On-Line. The original Off Broadway cast, including Kerry Butler (Hairspray, Bat Boy), Alison Fraser (Romance, Romance; Secret Garden; March of the Falsettos), Joshua Park (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer), Christian Borle (Jesus Christ Superstar, Footloose, Amour) and David Hess (Annie Get Your Gun), will all take part in the recording. There is no official release date at this time.

Prodigal, set in Australia, focuses on gay, 18-year-old Luke (Park) and his journey of self-discovery. He flees his small hometown of Eden for the thrilling unknowns of Sydney, where he meets a yearning actress (Butler) and a charming hedonist (Borle) who lures him to a life of clubs, parties, sex and drugs. At home, where Luke was to join the family fishing business, the parents (Fraser and Hess) worry and then struggle to deal with a returning son who is so different.

The musical, under the title Prodigal Son, premiered to critical acclaim at Chapel Off Chapel as part of the Midsumma Festival in January 2000 in Australia, with Bryant as Luke. Songs include "Picture Postcard Place," "Happy Families," "Run With the Tide," "Brand New Eyes," "When I Was a Kid," "My Boy," "Out of Myself," "Set Me Free,"" Epiphany," "Love Them and Leave Them Alone," "Where Does it Get You?," "Maddy's Piece" and "Lullaby."

—By Andrew Gans and Kenneth Jones