Cast Albums Blog
REVIEW: Jack the Ripper - Original London Cast Album
If you ever wondered what Sweeney Todd might have sounded like in the hands of Lionel Bart, you should give Jack The Ripper a spin. The long-lost cast recording -- recorded in 1975, but unreleased for 40 years -- has finally been given its due by Stage Door Records, and if it's not exactly an undiscovered gem, it certainly has much to recommend it. Composer Ron Pember names Bart as a primary influence in the liner notes of this release, but that's evident from the first note of the jaunty opening number, "Saturday Night." Pember and his co-lyricist/co-bookwriter Denis De Marne chose the music hall as a setting for exploring the infamous murderer, and the festive nature of the setting trumps the dark nature of the story, making for a tuneful if perplexing collection of songs. The lack of a plot summary in the liner notes doesn't help.
REVIEW: The Memory Show (Original Off-Broadway Cast)
A two-person musical about dementia? It might be a strange choice of material, but such is the content of The Memory Show which played off-Broadway in 2013 in a production by the Transport Group. Written by up-and-coming writers (Zach Redler-Music; Sara Cooper-Book and Lyrics), The Memory Show focuses on a Jewish Mother and Daughter (they aren’t given names) as the former (Catherine Cox) begins to enter a downward spiral of dementia while her estranged daughter (Leslie Kritzer) moves in to take care of her. Flashing between past and present and drawing on the painful episodes, especially those involving husband/father Ira, that informed their family life together, this show and score are anything but happy.
REVIEW: Tamar of the River - Original Cast Recording
Frequently, “new musical theatre” conjures up images of a pop/rock-influenced score, or a pastiche show emulating the music of an earlier, perhaps more prosperous time on Broadway. Adventurous and risk-taking scores are more rare. Tamar of the River is one of those unique scores that successfully goes beyond the boundaries of Times Square -- and beyond the boundaries of Western cultures -- for its influences. Marisa Michelson and Joshua H. Cohen have written a beautiful score that pulls from a wealth of different traditions. The 2014 world premiere recording gives us the opportunity to experience this short-lived off-Broadway show. It is challenging yet accessible; unified and whole, but with clear elements. The final effort shows off a fresh approach to musical theatre, inspiring to listeners even after several listens.
REVIEW: Christine Pedi's GOOD TO MAMA
Any musical theater lover out there worth his or her salt is sure to know multi-talented singer/actress/comedian Christine Pedi from her many years in the Forbidden Broadway franchise where she hilariously impersonated such legends from Elaine Stritch to Liza Minnelli. Her wonderfully over-the-top caricatures made her a true MVP in Forbidden Broadway’s many incarnations, but for some of us, the question remained: just who was the real Christine Pedi behind all those voices?
REVIEW: The Fortress of Solitude - Original Cast Recording
I've had The Fortress of Solitude cast album on my phone for a week and I can't stop listening to it. Michael Friedman has given us one of those scores that offers new delights on each visit, brought to life through fantastic performances by Adam Chanler-Berat, Kyle Beltran, Kevin Mambo, André De Shields, Rebecca Naomi Jones, and the rest of the cast.