Reuniting the creators of the acclaimed Off-Broadway musical Striking 12 — Tony Award-winning librettist Rachel Sheinkin (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) and GrooveLily's Brendan Milburn and Valerie Vigoda — Sleeping Beauty Wakes received its world premiere in Los Angeles on March 31, 2007, in a co-production between Deaf West Theatre and Center Theatre Group.
Deaf West described the original production as follows: "After her centuries long snooze, Beauty wakes to finds herself far from her fairy tale kingdom in a contemporary sleep-disorder center, where all the princes seem to have disappeared. A delightful twist on Grimms' classic fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty Wakes takes us on a wild theatrical journey entwined in these two parallel worlds, as Beauty discovers the real costs of flirting with danger, the joy of living and the meaning of true love."
The production received the 2007 Theatre LA Ovation Award for Best Musical, and Milburn won for Best Musical Direction.
The Deaf West production featured a company of both deaf and hearing actors, including Milburn and Vigoda, who sang, acted, signed and played instruments onstage. The new studio recording — in the tradition of the group's popular Striking 12 album — features Milburn and Vigoda, along with third GrooveLily band member Gene Lewin, playing and singing all the roles.
PS Classics is looking to have the CD in stores on April 21, but will be offering an exclusive pre-release at its website and at iTunes on March 31. PS Classics co-founder Philip Chaffin told Playbill.com, "The collaboration between Rachel Sheinkin and GrooveLily is really magical, and we're thrilled to unveil their latest work. Fans of Striking 12 won't be disappointed — it's as inventive and funny and hypnotic as anything GrooveLily's done, and Rachel's wit is everywhere apparent. As with Striking 12, Val and Brendan had conceived the piece not only as a theatrical venture, but as a GrooveLily performance piece, and it's a delight to hear them take on all the roles, all the while accompanying themselves. It's quite a tour-de-force."
The track list is as follows:
1. Can You Cure Me?
2. Lullaby/Dream With Me
3. Only a King
4. It's a Girl
5. Uninvited
6. I Think You Understand
7. Out of Harm's Way
8. Trouble
9. Drifting
10. Bring It On
11. The Wheel Goes 'Round
12. Everything Changes But You
13. Eyes Wide Open
14. Still Small Hours
15. You Make Me Feel Awake
16. I Dare Say I'm in Love
17. The Wheel Goes 'Round (reprise)
18. I Think You Understand
(reprise)/The Wheel Goes ’Round (chorale/finale)
Founded in 2000 by Tommy Krasker & Philip Chaffin, PS Classics, a four-time Grammy nominee (for its cast recordings of Nine: The Musical, Assassins, Grey Gardens and Company), has celebrated the heritage of Broadway and American popular song through its critically acclaimed cast recordings (including the current Off-Broadway hits The Marvelous Wonderettes and Dear Edwina); solo albums by such artists as Maureen McGovern, Victoria Clark and Jessica Molaskey; and recordings drawn from rare sound archives, including "Sondheim Sings" and "Howard Sings Ashman." PS Classics is distributed exclusively by Image Entertainment. Visit www.psclassics.com.
