15 Essential Cast Albums
15 Essential Cast Albums
bwaymargie
Understudy Joined: 2/20/04
#015 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 4:24pm
I know this has probably been done before, but as the holiday season comes around, I need some suggestions for good albums to put on my list....
list 15 essential cast albums, contemporary or classic, revival or original! have fun!
xoxo
Updated On: 12/6/04 at 04:24 PM
#1re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 4:28pm
Cabaret
Avenue Q
Godspell
Into the Woods
Sweeney Todd
The Secret Garden
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Les Miserable
Rent
Little Shop of Horrors
A Chorus Line
Assassins
Wicked *dodges tomatoes*
Jesus Christ Superstar
Chicago
#2re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 4:29pm
1. Showboat
2. Phantom of the Opera
3. West Side Story
4. Hair
5. Taboo
6. Sweet Charity
7. Wicked
8. Avenue Q
9. Miss Saigon
10. Scarlet Pimpernel
11. Tommy
12. Jesus Christ Superstar
13. Les Miserables
14. RENT
15. Evita
Chrysanthemum62001
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/14/04
#3re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 4:34pm
Here's a little more than fifteen but you probably already have some of them.
Cabaret
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Assassins
Sunday in the Park with George
A Little Night Music
Taboo (OBC)
Tick Tick Boom
Rent
A Chorus Line
Avenue Q
Company
Dreamgirls
Guys and Dolls
Gypsy
Jekyll and Hyde
Jesus Christ Superstar
Pippin
Ragtime
Wicked
Side Show
The Rocky Horror Show
Urinetown
"What a mystery this world. One day you love them and the next day you want to kill them a thousand times over." The Masked Bandit in THE FALL
Jwaa
Broadway Star Joined: 11/28/04
#4re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 4:35pm
Wicked
Jekyll and Hyde(concept album)
Hairspray
The Wild Party(Lippa)
RENT
Godspell
Parade
Marie Christine
A New Brain
Witches of Eastwick
Scarlet Pimpernel
Miss Saigon
Into the woods
Zanna Don't
#5re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 4:36pm
Sweeney Todd
The Secret Garden
Tick, Tick...Boom!
1776
Man of La Mancha
Sunset Boulevard
Assassins
Les Miserables
Parade
Showboat
Carousel
Urinetown
Dreamgirls
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
Company
BSoBW2: I punched Sondheim in the face after I saw Wicked and said, "Why couldn't you write like that!?"
Updated On: 12/6/04 at 04:36 PM
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#6re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 4:37pm
Oklahoma
Anything Goes
Showboat
Babes in Arms
My Fair Lady
West Side Story
Guys & Dolls
Oliver
Into The Woods
A Chorus Line
Evita
Dreamgirls
Ain't Misbehavin'
Big River
Ragtime
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
AuBrie
Swing Joined: 11/23/04
#7re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 4:39pm
1. Les mis
2. Ragtime
3. rent
4. West Side story
5. Miss Saigon
6. Jekyll and Hyde
7. Wicked
8. The Wild Party
9. Jesus Christ Superstar
10. Aspects of Love
11. Aida
12 Cabaret
13. Into the woods(or anything Sondhiem)
14. LA Boheme
15. The Secret Garden
#8re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 4:44pm
CapnHook's Top 15 Listened To CDs (in no order):
1) SEUSSICAL
2) PETER PAN
3) JANE EYRE
4) AVENUE Q
5) WICKED
6) URINETOWN
7) THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE 
RAGTIME
9) LITTLE SHOP OR HORRORS
10) BAT BOY
11) AIDA
12) HAIRSPRAY
13) THE PRODUCERS
14) MOULIN ROUGE
15) SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle
--Aristotle
timote316
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/20/04
#9re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 4:51pm
All mine have been said, except one, a fun one.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
millie_dillmount
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/22/04
#10re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 4:54pm
In no order:
1- Les Miserables
2- Phantom of the Opera
3- Thoroughly Modern Millie
4- Gypsy (w/ Bernadette Peters)
5- The Producers
6- Chicago (revival)
7- Cabaret (revival)
8- Urinetown
9- 42nd Street
10- Oklahoma!
11- Fiddler on the Roof
12- Little Shop of Horrors
13- Hairspray
14- Wicked
15- Beauty and the Beast
"We like to snark around here. Sometimes we actually talk about theater...but we try not to let that get in our way." - dramamama611
#11re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 4:57pm
1- Taboo
2- Aida
3- RENT
4- Jesus Christ Superstar
5- Pippin
6- Godspell
7- Avenue Q
8- Rocky Horror Show
9- Evita
10- Zanna, Don't!
11- Tick Tick BOOM
12- A Chorus Line
13- Chicago
14- Hair
15- Man of la Mancha (revival)
I have my books and my poetry to protect me...
#12re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 5:15pm
This thread is great. I was gonna add my full list, but I realized no one's really gonna comment on it (sorta same as the rest of you) so I'll add my own lil' comments...
Woot to those who have Gypsy, Les Miz, and Sweeney on their lists!
??? to those who have Zanna, Taboo, and Millie on their essential lists. Any specific reasons? I'm not being malitious, I'm just wonderin'. Later y'all.
Variations on a Theme blog: http://panekattack.blogspot.com/
#13re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 5:18pm
most of mine have been said.
add on
Fiddler (2004 Alfred Molina)
Manhattan Theatre Club's Wild Party (off-broadway)
If you are a dancer Bombay Dreams is just a good thing to have for warm-ups and production numbers.
#14re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 5:37pm
wicked
camp
hairspray
rent
avenue q
godspell
honk
beauty and the beast
little shop of horrors
jekyll and hyde
ragtime
grease
chitty chitty bang bang
caroline or change
chicago
"If I have something to say, the whole world (BroadwayWorld) should hear it." - Thenardier
#15re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 5:38pm
Carousel
South Pacific
Kiss Me, Kate
Guys and Dolls
The King and I
My Fair Lady
West Side Story
Gypsy
Oliver!
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Hello Dolly!
Anyone Can Whistle
Company
Follies
A Little Night Music
Pacific Overtures
Sweeney Todd
Merrily We Roll Along
Sunday in the Park With George
La Cage Aux Folles
Dreamgirls
Nine
Into the Woods
Passion
Assassins (either version)
Rent
Parade
The Last 5 Years
Avenue Q
I know it's more than 15, but these are all some of my favourite scores!
#16re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 6:02pm
Not necessarily my favorites, but most definitely essential.
In no particular order:
Showboat
Anything Goes
Porgy and Bess
West Side Story
The Music Man
Oklahoma
Hello Dolly
Gypsy
Fiddler on the Roof
My Fair Lady
Hair
Evita
Les Miserables
City of Angels
Urinetown
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
#17re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 6:35pm
Avenue Q
Gypsy (2003 revival)
Hairspray
Into the Woods (original)
La Boheme
The Music Man
My Fair Lady
The Phantom of the Opera
The Producers
Rent
Sunday in the Park with George
Sweet Charity
Thoroughly Modern Millie
West Side Story
Wicked
#18re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 6:36pm
1. Guys and Dolls
2. Sweeny Todd
3. Les Mis
4. Phantom of the Opera
5. You're A Good Man Charlie Brown
6. RENT
7. Evita
8. Tick, Tick, Boom!
9. The Wild Party (Lippa)
10. The Last Five Years
11. Avenue Q
12. The Music Man
13. Once Upon A Mattress
14. Wicked
15. Aida
No particular order.
"The tick BOOM tick BOOM is so loud I can't hear the rain on the grass. I can't hear the wind. I'm about to scream. But I realize I'm not alone."
bdwybelle
Broadway Star Joined: 11/2/04
#19re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 6:38pm
The Producers
Avenue Q
Wonderful Town
Passion
The King And I
Aida
Assassins
Kiss Me Kate
Hairspray
Company
Birds of Paradise
Follies
Into The Woods
okay so I'm one short, and maybe these aren't the best, but I like them.
#20re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 6:38pm
Oh! thankyou Mister Matt
you mentioned a few I forgot...
I seemed to have done a little too much Sondheim loving (understandable) in my list and I forgot some of my other favourites, those written by Cy Coleman, Kander and Ebb, George Gershwin, Bock and Harnick and Cole Porter.
bdwybelle
Broadway Star Joined: 11/2/04
#21re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 6:41pmI want to add Chicago and Le Miz to my list.
#22re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 6:51pm
If you are talking truly essential, I don't see how any list of the top 15 could be without SWEENEY.
It just doesn't work.
"One no longer loves one's insight enough once one communicates it."
The opposite of creation isn't war, it's stagnation.
The opposite of creation isn't war, it's stagnation.
jczelyph
Broadway Star Joined: 10/21/04
#23re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 7:29pm
Aida
Rent
Fame
Evita
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Tick, Tick...BOOM!
Grease
Little Shop Of Horrors
Les Miserables
Wicked
Children Of Eden
Blood Brothers
Side Show
Rocky Horror Show
Avenue Q
I am expecting to be lynched for not including any Sondheim (not that I don't like him, just that he's not in my Essential 15, although I haven't heard Sweeney yet so maybe that'll change soon...) and the fact that most, if not all, of my choices are part of a similar genre of musical theatre. I can't help that, I just like them...they're essential to me.
"Jane, I've been dealt a blow - I've been dealt a blow, Jane."
Updated On: 12/6/04 at 07:29 PM
misterchoi
Stand-by Joined: 9/5/04
#24re: 15 Essential Cast Albums
Posted: 12/6/04 at 7:40pm
Sweeny Todd
Merrily We Roll Along
The Falsettos trilogy
Les Miserables(historically)
The Cradle Will Rock
Ragtime
Caroline, or Change
Cabaret
Company
Sunday in the Park with George
RENT
Fiddler on the Roof
Gypsy
West Side Story
Oliver!
"Yesterday is done. See the pretty countryside. Merrily we roll along, roll along- catching at dreams."- Merrily we roll along
"The living was the prize, the ending's not the story."- Elegies, a song cycle
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