"
*sigh* A friend of mine hates Showboat. Hates Company. Hates The Sound of Music. But loves Wicked. That's fine. She may be a friend, but she is NOT a theatre fan.
Now I am not being pompous. There are many people who enjoy seeing shows but are not out-and-out theatre fans. They see the big hits but have little real interest in exploring the genre and understanding its history or seeing how SHOW BOAT relates to SWEENEY TODD.
Unfortunately, those looking for entertainment and spectacle are usually not able to understand or appreciate the complexities of PARADE or PASSION or PIAZZA. This gets troubling because they go back to see PHANTOM and WICKED over and over rather than take a a chance on shows they don't know or don't think they would like.
This is actually the heart of the "discussion" between Michael John LaChiusa and Marc Shaiman.
Cast albums are NOT "soundtracks."
Live theatre does not use a "soundtrack." If it did, it wouldn't be live theatre!
I host a weekly one-hour radio program featuring cast album selections as well as songs by cabaret, jazz and theatre artists. The program, FRONT ROW CENTRE is heard Sundays 9 to 10 am and also Saturdays from 8 to 9 am (eastern times) on www.proudfm.com