What cast recordings are you currently listening to?

[anita]

MJ OBC.

[FairyGodmother]

The Secret Garden, Original Broadway Cast Recording.

I can't decide how I feel about it. I like the music, but some of the accents are deeply dodgy, and Mandy Patinkin's vibrato is constantly on the edge of tipping over into annoying.

Also, having only read the book, I have no idea who Neville is!

[BVM]

Not Sunset Boulevard as it hasn't been released yet.

When, may I ask!?

[david]

Hadestown OBC

[juicy_but_terribly_drab]

I've been listening to the 1989 recording of Candide which I absolutely love but I noticed that during the choral section of Make Our Garden Grow you can hear someone cough! Does anyone else have any favourite mistakes left on cast recordings?

[Peter]

Today’s highlight has been Into the Woods OLC - I’d forgotten how much I love this one! Great cast and really crisp recording of the orchestra.

[david]

42 balloons studio cast recording

[danb]

The ‘Raise Your Glass/Shut Up & Dance’ mash up from ‘Moulin Rouge’ and selections from ‘2 Strangers Carry a Cake Across NewYork’.

[thedrowsychaperone]

The Drowsy Chaperone, 42 Balloons, and the Baker's Wife OLC have been on rotation for the last week - I sincerely hope the potential London revival of Baker's Wife brings a new recording along with it, it's a terrific score with a very questionable cast recording!

[alece10]

Has anyone listened to the cast recording of Sondheims Here We Are which came out this week?
I love Sondheim but I'm afraid I didn't really get this one. Lots of influence from his past work and several times I thought "oh that sounds like this or that musical".
But I don't think there was a single "song" in it. Maybe it will grow on me and it might be better to see it on stage so its in context.

[juicy_but_terribly_drab]

I've been listening to it and love it. I think there are some moments that you could almost call songs - Waiter's Song, It Is What It Is, The Soldier's Dream, The Road 4 (Part 2), Bishop's Song, and Shine - but pretty much every piece of music is interjected with dialogue. Still there are lots of great musical moments and because, as with all his shows, Sondheim uses motif extensively so themes and melodies crop up again and again throughout, I find that I come away humming lots of little bits despite the lack of any traditionally structured songs. The orchestrations are also brilliant - some of Tunick's best - and all the performances are spot-on. Really hoping it makes its way here in the not too distant future.

[AddisonMizner]

I listened to HERE WE ARE this morning.

It is true that it is not Sondheim’s best. It does sound very similar to some of his other work (such as MERRILY, PASSION, SUNDAY and SWEENEY TODD). However, it is an eclectic score, encompassing many different styles in keeping with the films the show is based on and it is very fun. There are also some real standout numbers in this, such as the ones mentioned above. Sondheim at less than his best is still ten times better than most of the original musicals that make it to the stage these days. It also has its own original voice.

I will be listening again tomorrow to consolidate my thoughts. I really hope this is staged ASAP in the UK!

[capybara]

I too have been listening to Here We Are and while I’ve been able to appreciate Sondheim’s touch, I am in the camp of struggling to connect with the material so far. However, that may change with further listens although I suspect I will need to see it performed on stage to truly ‘get it’. It is true though that it is lacking in genuine setpiece numbers, despite sounding so tonally similar to some of his other works, particularly Merrily.

I’ve also been listening to Pippin, Operation Mincemeat, Jesus Christ Superstar and 42 Balloons, I suppose as a result of seeing them over the past month or so.

However, curiously, I have found myself drawn to the Matilda original cast recording in recent weeks and, even though I’ve seen it twice, I feel I’m only now truly appreciating how well scored that show is. Even the opening number Miracle is so layered and beautifully crafted.

[Someone in a tree]

I really want to listen to Note book, Lempicka and The Connector but im still loving Here we are the many recordings of My fair lady.

Its a very nice predicament to be in!

[AddisonMizner]

Over the last few weeks, I have been listening to SUFFS (loved it), and THE WIZ (didn't love it as much - I'm not a fan of some of the new arrangements).

I've been listening to THE CONNECTOR this weekend. I love the score - very JRB! 'Cassandra' and 'The Western Wall' are particularly good, and have been on repeat outside of the full cast recording. BRIDGES is still Jason's best score for me, but THE CONNECTOR will still be getting more air-time from me tomorrow. Here's hoping this is also staged over here in the not-so-distant future (I'm still waiting for HONEYMOON IN VEGAS too).

I've also listened to some of the pre-release tracks from THE GREAT GATSBY cast recording that is out next week. I understand that this didn't get very good reviews, but the songs released so far are really rather lovely and the orchestrations are great and full. Based off of this, I don't understand why it didn't get some Tony nominations.

[alece10]

In the past few days I have listened to Gutenberg The Musical, didn't think much of it. Probably something you really need to see live.
42 Balloons, which was OK and Then Now and Next which I rather enjoyed.

[thedrowsychaperone]

I second THE CONNECTOR - been listening to it religiously since it released on Friday

[matttom0901]

Currently listening to the six songs released so far for The Great Gatsby musical. Love it!

Did this really get poor reviews?

[justfran]

Jun 25, 2024 6:02:21 GMT matttom0901 said:

Currently listening to the six songs released so far for The Great Gatsby musical. Love it!

Did this really get poor reviews?

Does anyone know if this will be available in the UK? (CD release rather than streaming?)

I’m currently listening and singing along to the 1993 Starlight Express recording.

[confessor]

Jun 25, 2024 9:32:45 GMT justfran said:

Jun 25, 2024 6:02:21 GMT matttom0901 said:

Currently listening to the six songs released so far for The Great Gatsby musical. Love it!

Did this really get poor reviews?

Does anyone know if this will be available in the UK? (CD release rather than streaming?)

I’m currently listening and singing along to the 1993 Starlight Express recording.

eBay may be your only hope for the CD.

There has been a glut of Broadway cast recordings either recently released or upcoming and hardly any of them are currently available from the usual places.  I've struggled to find How to Dance in Ohio, Stereophonic, The Outsiders, The Notebook, Lempicka and The Wiz.  Possibly a cynical move by Amazon UK to push more people to download/streaming?!

[alece10]

Schwartz Songs out now. Only in track so far but loving it.
Jamie Muscato singing Corner of the Sky deom Pippin is phenomenal.

[blamerobots]

I sat down after building a desk for 8 hours a few days ago and listened to the Blood Brothers OLC, with Barbara Dickson.

The album to me almost comes from another universe for someone used to the late 80's, metallic instrumentation of the revival; it's acoustic, natural, breathing and alive. It feels like a warm blanket, sitting in front of a fire in the winter.

I can't properly describe the emotions this album makes me feel. It's a mix of utter loneliness and isolation yet it is hopeful, something echoed by the cover... the image of Mrs Johnstone, so small against the dark, foreboding painted countryside backdrop. It feels dreamy, otherworldly, yet still rooted so close to home like the material.

I think Blood Brothers is desperately in need for reinvention and I hope a future re-revival (if it ever happens!) returns to the music hall/small-scale theatre heart of the show with that small house band. Something more like a lash-up, a pint in a pub, close to the story than a distant, large-scale spectacle.

[viserys]

Jun 25, 2024 6:02:21 GMT matttom0901 said:

Currently listening to the six songs released so far for The Great Gatsby musical. Love it!

Did this really get poor reviews?

I've been listening to the full cast recording almost on a loop today.  Absolutely love it - THIS is what MT music should be for me - a mix of classic Broadway tunes promising big show numbers and overwrought power ballads (even though my usual bugbear is out in full force - the lyrics are terrible at times).

After all the negativity around the Paper Mill production it seemed to be a sure-fire flop on Broadway, hurried in only to be faster than the anticipated ART Gatsby from Boston. But now I'm grateful that the producers believed in this show and the fact that it's selling very well proves they were right.  

It seems to be another disconnect between critics and general audience as was the case with other musicals that were initially not well-received but turned out to be critic-proof (Les Miserables anyone?). 

I'm more surprised that it was also negatively received by many American musical lovers. There really does seem to be a rift between the older generation who likes this kind of music and the new generation who's all into the modern pop scores which I find mostly unbearably bland. Luckily the older generation still buys the majority of tickets  


PS: I think most of the new cast recordings have only been digitally released so far. I'm sure that once they actually appear in CD form, the usual outlets will carry them on this side of the Atlantic.

[matttom0901]

Jun 28, 2024 18:48:10 GMT viserys said:

Jun 25, 2024 6:02:21 GMT matttom0901 said:

Currently listening to the six songs released so far for The Great Gatsby musical. Love it!

Did this really get poor reviews?

I've been listening to the full cast recording almost on a loop today.  Absolutely love it - THIS is what MT music should be for me - a mix of classic Broadway tunes promising big show numbers and overwrought power ballads (even though my usual bugbear is out in full force - the lyrics are terrible at times).

After all the negativity around the Paper Mill production it seemed to be a sure-fire flop on Broadway, hurried in only to be faster than the anticipated ART Gatsby from Boston. But now I'm grateful that the producers believed in this show and the fact that it's selling very well proves they were right.  

It seems to be another disconnect between critics and general audience as was the case with other musicals that were initially not well-received but turned out to be critic-proof (Les Miserables anyone?). 

I'm more surprised that it was also negatively received by many American musical lovers. There really does seem to be a rift between the older generation who likes this kind of music and the new generation who's all into the modern pop scores which I find mostly unbearably bland. Luckily the older generation still buys the majority of tickets  


PS: I think most of the new cast recordings have only been digitally released so far. I'm sure that once they actually appear in CD form, the usual outlets will carry them on this side of the Atlantic.

I wasn't aware that they had released the entire recording, until I read your post. Now I can't stop listening to it!

[frankubelik]

Enjoying that too! Try LEMPICKA..........it's really growing on me.