Guide to Musical Theatre Recordings' Top Ten Recordings

[laura is broadway]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 4:11pm

This morning I was taking a re-look at "The Theater Mania Guide to Musical Theater Recordings". It includes lists of ten all time favorite musical recordings from theatre luminaries ranging from Carol Channing, Fred Ebb, Kristin Chenoweth, Jerry Mitchell, Jason Robert Brown, Stephen Flaherty, and others.

Both West Side Story and Gypsy seemed to be the most popular among the list, which I must agree with. I decided to come up with a list of my own :

1. Sunday in the Park With George
2. Gypsy
3. Sweeney Todd
4. Les Miserables
5. Cabaret
6. A Little Night Music
7. Company
8. Assassins
9. West Side Story
10. Hair

I'm curious what everyone else's lists are made up of, and if the popular favorite on BWW are similar to those in the book. And if you've read the book, what is your opinion is on the choices made?

[Weez]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 4:29pm

Um... if that's recordings rather than musicals, you're going to need to be a little more specific. There's multiple recordings available of all those shows. :3

Last time I thought about it, I came up with this top ten list of favourite cast recordings. This is just what I favour, I do have a slightly unhealthy tendency to favour anything produced by Nonesuch, and I'm still not bored of actor-musicians. I don't think it'll have changed that much (judging by its position in my notebook, I think this list dates from around January).

1. Floyd Collins (original off-Broadway cast)
2. Company (Broadway revival cast)
3. Sweeney Todd (Broadway revival cast)
4. Les Miserables (Complete Symphonic recording)
5. Assassins (original off-Broadway cast)
6. The Last Five Years (original off-Broadway cast)
7. The Light in the Piazza (original Broadway cast)
8. Sunday in the Park with George (London revival cast)
9. Rent (original Broadway cast)
10. South Pacific (London revival cast)

Yeah, that definitely needs updating. I'd probably swap the positions of 'Sunday' and 'Les Mis', and 'In the Heights' has the potential to sneak into the top ten if I don't get bored of it in the next few months.

[Amalia Balash]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 4:33pm

Order subject to change at a whim and Original Broadway Cast Recording unless indicated:

1. Sunday in the Park With George
2. She Loves Me
3. Company
4. Les Miserables (Original London Cast Recording)
5. Gypsy
6. Merrily We Roll Along
7. Blood Brothers (Original London Cast Recording)
8. Porgy and Bess (Houston Opera Recording)
9. SeeSaw
10.Sweeney Todd

Honorable mention as a recording to the CD of The Mystery of Edwin Drood just because I like having all of the options for the Detective and the Confessions.

Dishonorable mention to the recording of the original Broadway cast of Follies for being a chopped up mess instead of capturing a great show.
Updated On: 9/1/08 at 04:33 PM

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 4:33pm

Updated On: 5/2/09 at 04:33 PM

[Weez]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 4:41pm

Oh Fromage, quel domage! Where is your sense of fun? I mean, people's lists of favourites do change, and the OP did try to inject a little more discussion in (that I unfortunately cannot take up through not being familiar with the book in question).

Besides: repetition of this, or should we invite the drama llama in again?

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 4:46pm

Updated On: 5/2/09 at 04:46 PM

[Weez]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 4:52pm

My sweet, that was chilled. But you're right, you did present the existing threads in a much less aggressive fashion than the people who pounce on threads merely to bellow "USE THE SEARCH!!111!!1111!!11!!". :)

[laura is broadway]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 5:06pm

I'm aware similar threads exist, but i was also wanting the list to be in relation to the book, and to prompt discussion about the book.

And Weez, I thought about listing the specific recordings, but I'm pleased with (pretty much) all recordings of the shows I listed- So I guess I was (and same with the people in the book) rating more on the score itself than the recording.

[thejcm]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 5:39pm

My top 10 recordings definitely have to be:

1. Gypsy with Ethel Merman
2. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Off-Bway)
3. Little Shop of Horrors (Original Off-Bway)
4. Company (Original Bway Cast)
5. Dreamgirls (Original Cast Special Edition)
6. Hair (Actors Fund Recording, not an exact representation of the show but the arrangements of the songs, the performances, and the quality make it so much more enjoyable for me than the original)
7. The Last 5 Years (Original Off-Bway)
8. Taboo (Original Bway)
9. Chicago (London Revival Cast)
10. Cabaret (Studio 54 Cast)

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 9/1/08 at 6:11pm

Beauty and the Beast (OBC)
ACL (OBC)
Company (1995 revival)
Guys and Dolls (1992 revival)
Kiss Me, Kate (1999 revival)
Gypsy (Ethel, Bernie, or Patti)
Piazza (OBC)
My Fair Lady (OBC)
Oklahoma (revival with Christine Andreas)
Ragtime (OBC)

[laura is broadway]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 1:11pm

Has no one read the book?

[Amalia Balash]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 3:10pm

I haven't read the book, but I'd like to. It's only available in the Kindle version on Amazon so I'm checking out the used booksellers at the site.

Were there any big surprises in the book's list(s)?

[soubrette]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 6:13pm

This is eerie because I have an ever-morphing list I have kept folded in my Theatre Mania Guide to Musical Theatre Recordings book and was just updating it last night. I can't get enough of that book! So glad you asked...

LITTLE ME (OBC) ... Virginia Martin & Nancy Andrews blow me away
PACIFIC OVERTURES (OBC) ... A Bowler Hat, anyone?
I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE (OBC) ... Marilyn Cooper, my favorite alto
THE WIZ (OBC) ... because I still get chills listening to Be A Lion
THE MOST HAPPY FELLA (OBC) ... Susan Johnson, nuf sed
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (OBC)... with a shout out to Diane Langton's OLC recording of The Miller's Son
SHE LOVES ME (OBC) ... though I'd flip if the PBS version with Diane Langton as Ilona would be released
FOLLIES (OBC) ... phrases of that score run through my head with alarming frequency
MACK AND MABEL (OBC) ... Time Heals Everything blaring from my teenage room, much to my father's chagrin
THE GRASS HARP (OBC) ... mixes Truman Capote with Barbara Cook and Karen Morrow and makes something delicious

[MrSweetNAwful]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 7:38pm

I haven't read the book yet, but I hope to.
What guidelines are the TOP TEN judged by?
How well they're produced, how well the represent the show, how well/sucessfull the show was, how the show changed broadway etc. etc.?


In any case here's what I think my top ten would be, in no real specific order:
1. Company (Original Broadway Cast)
2. West Side Story (Original Broadway Cast)
3. See What I Wanna See (Original off-Broadway Cast)
4. A Chorus Line (Original Broadway Cast)
5. Hair (The Actor's Fund recording is more accessable but I'd have to go with the Original Broadway and off-Broadway Cast Recordings just for the authenticity)
6. Les Miserables (Original Broadway Cast)
7. Cabaret (Original 1998 Broadway Revival Cast)
8. The Light in the Piazza (Original Broadway Cast)
9. RENT (Original Broadway Cast)
10. Sunday in the Park with George (Original Broadway Cast)

[stupidbeans]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 9:03pm

1. Spring Awakening
2. Wicked
3. Gypsy (LuPone)
4. Legally Blonde
5. Company (2007)
6. The Producers
7. Sweeney Todd (2005)
8. Lion King
9. Les Miz OBC
10. Aida


ETA:

Worst recordings would have to be rent and hairspray, the cast didn't sound like they did live, huge let downs

Updated On: 9/3/08 at 09:03 PM

[blondebaby589]

Posted: 9/4/08 at 12:51pm

1. Thoroughly Modern Millie (OBC)
2. Once on this Island (OBC)
3. Godspell (2000 Off-Bway)
4. Chicago (1996? Revival)
5. Oklahoma! (1998 Revival)
6. Gypsy (1998 Revival)
7. Hair (OBC)
8. Jersey Boys (OBC)
9. Cats (OBC)
10. State Fair (OBC)

[myshikobit]

Posted: 9/4/08 at 1:08pm

1) Company (OBC)
2) Merrily We Roll Along (1992 Concert)
3) Anyone Can Whistle (OBC)
4) Rent (Film Soundtrack)
5) Mack and Mabel (OBC)
6) Little Night Music (OBC)
7) Evita (OBC)
Gypsy (OBC)
9) Carrie (OBC)
10) Chicago (OBC)

+(Honorable Mention) Hair (OBC)