Broadway juggernaut Wicked is perched atop the list with the 2006 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Jersey Boys and Decca Broadway's Mamma Mia! at No. 2 and 3, respectively.
Angel's The Color Purple cast album reclaims the No. 4 and Walt Disney Records' recording of the Phil Collins musical Tarzan holds steady, rounding out the top five.
Remaining on the chart since its inception (along with Wicked and Mamma Mia!) are the recordings of Monty Python's Spamalot, Hairspray and Avenue Q.
The Decca Broadway release of Stephen Schwartz's Wicked has topped the chart for 31 of the 36 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, took hold of the top slot for four weeks.
PS Classics' release of the Broadway-bound Grey Gardens — which debuted last week at No. 4 — slides down two spots. This past season's hits The Drowsy Chaperone (Ghostlight Records) and The Wedding Singer (Masterworks Broadway) also placed alongside DreamWorks' Rent and Rent highlights albums. *
A recent 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.
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