What is your favorite cast recording?- Page 3

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 4:13pm

Ragtime
Caroline or Change
Gypsy 2003 Revival
Into the Woods

[Hanna from Hamburg]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 4:31pm

Gypsy with Merman -- I would actually like to take elements of the different recordings and combine them into a "super-Gypsy," but this show is amazing. The overture is one of the best ever written. The entire book of songs is unforgettable. Whether or not you are a Merman fan, she has put such a stamp on one of the best written female lead roles in a musical, that it's impossible to imagine hearing the songs any other way. The lyrics are just a glimpse of what's to come from Stephen Sondheim.

City of Angels -- great mixture of jazz and broadway. Once again, amazing lyrics and performances from the entire cast. The sound of the entire piece (even if you didn't see the show) captures the film noir feel.

Kiss of the Spiderwoman -- I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this cast recording SO MUCH that I was initially disappointed when I actually saw the show. Most of my disappointment was due to the fact that the score was able to evoke such vivid images of what should be taking place on stage that the actual show didn't SEEM to live up to my mental images. However, on 2nd viewing, I realized how amazing the show was. I feel it's one of Kander and Ebb's best scores.

West Side Story -- Leonard Bernstein at his best (also with incredible lyrics by Stephen Sondheim). The "Tonight Quintet" is an amazing composition by itself, but the entire score lives up to what is put out there with that one number. Song after song in this score is unforgettable.

I could go on, but ultimately I love BROADWAY. Virtually every recording that's listed in this thread is something that I have enjoyed, but I feel these 4 really stand out as special to me.

[almostxfamous]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 4:43pm

I have a few.

RENT - It's just so amazing. It gets my emotions every time, and I never get tired of it.

Altar Boyz - These songs, after listening to it a billion times, they are still so funny. They all have such amazing vocals, too, and the CD can stand by itself.

Wicked - It's just great vocals. Idina owns.

[bill mobley]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 4:53pm

Concerning Funny Girl. I just can't believe that there was ever a time when Barbara was actually on stage in a broadway show. I'm sure a playbill from that time is probably worth a lot of money.

Favorite Cast Recording-My Fair Lady. 2nd choice-Company

[Broadwaygirl22]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 7:09pm

I love Tick, Tick Boom. I've listened to pieces of it and it's great! I have a question about a song on the soundtrack though. My friend sang a song from it today at my theatre camp(he was amazing by the way) and it was about someone talking about Michael playing the piano and random stories and such. Does anyone know what it's called? It's a really long song.

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 7:12pm

I was a huge AIDA fan for a while i would listen to that everyday. it was my first theatre obsession lol.

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 9:13pm

I'd probably have to go with RENT for a number of reasons. One, it was my first cast recording that I owned (yeah, I wasn't really that into broadway shows until sort of recently) and it was also the first cast recording that really touched me emotionally. I know, sounds so cheesy and cliche but its true. I was so obsessed with RENT for a while and I related to both the story and characters on alot of different levels and its just one of those shows that I know I'll never outgrow or get tired of, no matter how old I get or what happens in my life. I've got alot of good memories relating to it. And two, I just really loved the cast's voices. RENT opened my eyes to the wonders that are Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp. :-P I definitly owe it that, at least.

[emo_geek]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 9:18pm

Brooklyn. It was the first cast recording I got in New York. It was right after the show...I sat in my seat and was just so amazed....then I RAN to the lady selling them.

[AJ1985]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 10:44pm

My first cast album was Songs from Ragtime which I won on a radio contest along with tickets to see the show. It is still one of my favorites.

Since seeing it on tv last week I have been listening non-stop to The Light in the Piazza.

Oh and count me among those who are sick of having Wicked being forced on us as some sort of oustanding theatre event. Its a fun show to see once or twice but the CD isn't very well produced. I like Avenue Q because listen to it with closed eyes and you can almost see the show. The Wicked songs don't do that. So I was glad when Q beat Wicked at the Tonys. Its a better show.

[Mr. Peanut Man]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 12:44am

Rent, The Last Five Years, Avenue Q, Hairspray and The Light in the Piazza

Each of these recordings spent at least 6 months each in my CD player.

I can listen to Wicked when I'm in the mood for some mindless show tunes.

[rosekwbp]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 12:53am

Bernadette Peters Gypsy revival because it always manages to make me happy. Into The Woods too because I love the tricky lyrics.

Posted: 6/19/06 at 1:00am

i would say FUNNY GIRL because it is the first record i remember hearing in my life....my mom would play it over & over again & she, my sister & i would act it all out...when our mom was sad, we knew that we could get her back on her feet again by singing "WHO TAUGHT HER EVERYTHING?" or a super hammy version of "I'M THE GREATEST STAR!".

i think it taught me about how powerful humor can be, & that, even though i would never be "pretty", i could still be somebody special.
i think the album cover design had a huge influence on me & my art as well.

i still get totally hyper excited when i hear the overture...& oh the atmospheric horns on "CORNET MAN"!!!

[COOOOLkid]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 1:12am

When I first saw the first post on this thread, I was expecting another hate posts regarding Wicked... So much have changed in a year!

[soapguy17]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 1:16am

AIDA and Funny Girl are at the top of my list as well.

[worrell4077]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 1:17pm

I would probably have to say that my favorite cast recording at the moment is Jersey Boys cause the songs are just so infectious and catchy and they are hard(well at least for me) to get out of my head. That and I enjoy listening to John Lloyd Young, Daniel Reichard, Christian Hoff, and J.Robert Spencer sing and talk.

Others would be The Drowsy Chaperone, Sweeney Todd(current revival), The Producers, SpamAlot, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
________________________________________________________________
"Howdy-do, I'm Colonel Kurtz. Fat And Bald Like Old Fred Mertz. Now Watch Me Do A Hula Dance, To Shake The Eggrolls From My Pants."
-Apocalyspe Wow from The Critic.

[altoid06]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 4:40pm

RENT -- Every single person has a song that they can relate to. Plus, it's fun to sing along with Idina in my car. :)

Last 5 Years -- It's an amazing recording. It never gets old and I can listen to it and notice new things each time.

Altar Boyz -- This one is just fun. Everytime I listen to it I get a huge smile on my face. :)

Other notables -- Aida, DRS, TTB, Piazza, and Wicked. Ok. I'll admit it, I like pretty much all show tunes! :)

[jerseyboyslover]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 6:25pm

My favories in order

1. Jersey Boys
2. Wicked
3. High school musical (movie cast recording)
4. Grease (movie)
5. Phantom of the Opera

[PARISinNYC]

Posted: 6/20/06 at 3:59am

Cabaret. Any recording. But my Wedding Singer and Reefer Madness CDs already have scratches on them. Those three are my favorites by far.

[mirandajrs]

Posted: 6/20/06 at 5:11am

1) Hello, Dolly! 1964 Or 1994 Revival
2) Sweeney Todd 1979 Or 2005 Revival
3) Any Gypsy recording

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 6/20/06 at 7:39am

MY FAIR LADY - Original London Cast - because it's perfection, and it's the production I saw.

MAME - Original Broadway Cast - exciting and perfect renditions of each and every song. Also, it's the production I saw.

RGATIME - same as above.

There are too many favorites, really.

[rosem7391]

Posted: 6/20/06 at 7:49am

Les Miz NEVER gets old.
I listen to it all the time...and it's been YEARS since I first listened to it. And one never gets tired of seeing the show either. :]

I love Avenue Q. The cast recording is SO catchy and fun...it's "yay".

Godspell 2000 (off broadway). I'm not a "JESUSOMG" person, but I love it. The cast is fabulous.

Ohhhhh I admit, I do listen to RENT, Wicked and POTO a lot..

[wyou17]

Posted: 6/20/06 at 8:43am

It's a mix of all-time favorite and currently played very often favorites, in order:

1.Into the Woods (OBC) My all-time favorite, need to have all the time. The PBS broadcast is the reason I became so interested in theater, and I couldn't love Bernadette Peters and Joanna Gleason more in this. My iPod currently has the OBC, OLC, 2002 Revival, and PBS DVD audio. In all honesty, this slot is really for the OBC and a few extra tracks pulled together from the other recordings

2.City of Angels (OBC) This is one of the two recordings that was in our family car growing up. Listened to it constantly, and was probably one of the few 7 year old boys out there able to sing Oolie's What You Don't Know About Woman and You Can Always Count On Me by heart...

3.The Secret Garden (OBC) The other cast recording in the car. Like this even more now. Great cast, beautiful music, funny accents. Love it.

4.Sunday in the Park With George (OBC) Have loved Bernadette's Witch since I was 6 or 7, but I didn't get ahold of the Sunday video until years later. Beautiful. First and second acts. Funny and touching.

5.Company (OBC) I don't understand how anyone couldn't love Elaine Stritch. Beth Howland's Getting Married Today and Pamela Myers' Another Hundred People get a lot of play.

6.The Last 5 Years - Maybe it's a college thing (everyone in my college's theater department loves it) but this gets played often. Sherie Rene Scott's songs get playedmore often on iPod playlists, but the entire recording is great and fun to sing along with.

7.Sweeney Todd - Great show, but I realize now I can't pick justone recording of it. Like Into the Woods, I need various tracks from the OBC, NY Philharmonic, Revival, and Concert DVD audio. And Harolyn Blackwell's Green Finch and Linnet Bird from Sondheim: A Celebration At Carnegie Hall...

8.The Light in the Piazza - Listened to this pretty much constantly since the Live From Lincoln Center broadcast on Thursday. Gorgeous. Love Victoria Clark. Love Dividing Day and Fable...now if I can just get around to putting some Aaron Lazar from the PBS broadcast on the iPod...

9.A Chorus Line (OBC) Funny and touching (a theme with a lot of my favorite cast recordings) I adore At the Ballet. And I am not ashamed to admit that the iPod also has Let Me Dance For You and Surprise, Surprise added to that playlist...

10.Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Once More With Feeling (Soundtrack) Guilty pleasure? Perhaps. Reluctant to put this on this board? A little. Listen to this more often than a lot of other more "legit" cast recordings? Absolutely. Sure, it's not the best written or best sung, and it cannot really be appreciated by anyone who doesn't meet the previsou 100+ episodes of Buffy watched prereq. But for those of us who had been watching all along, this was just perfect. So fun, so easy to sing along to, so endearing. Just make sure you get a hold of Anya's song (I'll Be) Mrs. from the next season to add to the playlist. For completist's sake.
Updated On: 6/20/06 at 08:43 AM

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 6/20/06 at 10:31am

SWEET CHARITY (2005 New Broadway Cast Recording)- The music is so upbeat, so classic and yet different, and the cast does a fantastic job!

Close runner-ups: THE COLOR PURPLE, THE LAST 5 YEARS, THE PAJAMA GAME (New Broadway Cast)

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 6/20/06 at 10:58am

Concerning Funny Girl. I just can't believe that there was ever a time when Barbara was actually on stage in a broadway show.

I saw her in FUNNY GIRL, and believe me, it really wasn't that unforgettable. Yes, when she opened her mouth to sing, you woke up, but otherwise, it was a fairly dull affair. Had I known she would become this (inexplicable to me) major star, I would have paid better attention.
Updated On: 6/20/06 at 10:58 AM

[iHeartMyGeek]

Posted: 6/20/06 at 11:59am

BwayGirl, the song from Tick...Tick...BOOM! is called "Why". It's a very very heartfelt and beautiful song.