How many "non musical" cast albums did Columbia do?

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/11/11 at 3:22am

I know in the 60s Columbia Records briefly (it seems) went through a period of recording complete original cast performances of plays, under Columbia's cast album producer Godard Lieberson. I own the wonderful one for Virginia Wolf (which they've tried to reissue on CD but apparently si tied into many rights uissues) and have heard ones were done for Luv and The Subject was Roses. Were more done?

[After Eight]

Posted: 11/11/11 at 5:31am

The Richard Burton Hamlet was on Columbia.

Ivanov, with John Gielgud and Vivien Leigh was on RCA.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/11/11 at 6:16am

Oh wow--I'll have to see if I can track down either. I imagine the practice never caught on and that's why it was dropped.

[egghumor]

Posted: 11/11/11 at 8:25am

Also from Columbia:
Sidney Michael's DYLAN (about Dylan Thomas) with Alec Guinness and Kate Reid

SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY

A THURBER CARNIVAL

A&M recorded:
BOYS IN THE BAND
AIN'T SUPPOSED TO DIE A NATURAL DEATH (with jazz interludes)

Blue Thumb:
LENNY

The excellent recording of MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM is available on CD

[egghumor]

Posted: 11/11/11 at 8:26am

double post Updated On: 11/11/11 at 08:26 AM

[3bluenight]

Posted: 11/11/11 at 9:57am

also blair brown, michael cumpsty and phil bosco in copenhagen

Posted: 11/11/11 at 10:29am

Man, someone needs to find that Boys in the Band and drop selected lines into a throbbing dance mix.
Updated On: 11/11/11 at 10:29 AM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 11/11/11 at 10:59am

Though not "original casts", in the early 70s, there was a series of recordings of Eugene O'Neill plays including Long Day's Journey Into Night, Moon for the Misbegotten, Iceman Cometh and Mourning Becomes Electra among some others, I believe. The Caedmon label did a lot of "spoken word" recordings of drama, literature and poetry. Only a few of their plays were released on CD including:

The Crucible
Death of a Salesman
Glass Menagerie
Importance of Being Earnest
Long Day's Journey Into Night
Pygmalion
Raisin in the Sun
Streetcar Named Desire
Under Milkwood

And the works of Shakespeare


Caedmon CD Catalog

Updated On: 11/12/11 at 10:59 AM

[twinbelters]

Posted: 11/11/11 at 11:31am

Didn't many plays receive recordings from LA Theaterworks?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/11/11 at 11:34am

They still record quite a few plays every year. I love them for that!

[Jon]

Posted: 11/11/11 at 11:58am

L.A.Theatreworks productions are done as readings before a live audience. They are broadcast on NPR and available on CD.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 11/11/11 at 4:22pm

Egghumor, just a point of order and I hope it doesn't seem snarky.

AIN'T SUPPOSED TO DIE A NATURAL DEATH is a musical. It was was nominated for tonys for best musical, book, score, direction of a musical and featured actress in a musical.

[egghumor]

Posted: 11/11/11 at 5:17pm

Henrik, your post is not at all "snarky." I thought about that as I was posting but decided to include anyway because AIN'T SUPPOSED TO DIE... is not a musical in the traditional sense. No actor/character sings or dances (well, one gyrates). The group of actors deliver monologues with underscoring, and so it sounds and feels more like a play to me, and I think to most listeners.
Updated On: 11/11/11 at 05:17 PM

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 11/11/11 at 5:51pm

Thanks, egghumor. I'm not that familiar with the show and while I knew it was nontraditional didn't realize it was so non-musical in form.

[egghumor]

Posted: 11/11/11 at 6:12pm

It's too bad that the AIN"T SUPPOSED TO DIE A NATURAL DEATH cast recording has become so obscure as it has lots of strong writing and performances. Melvin Van Peebles other show at the time, DON'T PLAY US CHEAP is a more traditional musical -- but for my money, not nearly as interesting as the other, angrier monologue-driven show.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/11/11 at 6:32pm

I have the LA Theaterworks recording of Working. I didn't realize that there were others. Is there a list somewhere?

[Jon]

Posted: 11/11/11 at 7:15pm

Their website is latw.org
Updated On: 11/11/11 at 07:15 PM

[bk]

Posted: 11/12/11 at 12:35am

Besides Copenhagen, I also recorded Chris Durang's Beyond Therapy, with a rather wonderful cast including David Hyde Pierce, Catherine O'Hara, Richard Kind, etc. And Mr. Durang himself.

[3bluenight]

Posted: 11/12/11 at 12:57am

@bk - you recorded copenhagen? thanks for such a wonderful album. i recommend it often.

[bk]

Posted: 11/12/11 at 1:56am

I did. When I was a teen I loved the Columbia plays and so I decided to bring it back to disc and Copenhagen seemed like the absolute best thing to record - great actors, play, and small. I'd also offered to record Albee's The Play About The Baby, but he's a little nuts and it didn't happen. Then we did Beyond Therapy, and then most know what happened to me and the label I'd created back then - not pretty - but one of us came out okay :) It's a shame we couldn't have continued to do those - I think they're important.

[3bluenight]

Posted: 11/12/11 at 2:32am

i agree the recordings are important. as much as i appreciate and in some cases are thrilled by the l.a. theaterworks recordings, there's just something original new york casts.
i had often wondered why other plays from that time hadn't been recorded as well. if only we'd had cast recordings of the original Glass Menagerie, or the entertainer, or a whole host of others

[After Eight]

Posted: 11/12/11 at 5:07am

Columbia issued a recording of Brendan Behan's wonderful play, The Hostage, with Julie Harris.

The Wikipedia artilcle, Spoken word album, gives additional titles.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/13/11 at 5:34pm

Man I'd love to track down that Boys in the Band one.

Tandy and Brando did perform scenes from Streetcar (slightly cleaned up) for the radio. Here's the youtube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmpjP-ZKDvg

[gregnewyorkcity]

Posted: 2/27/12 at 10:38am

Once upon a time, I had a whole lot of these great box sets. Then I got rid of the turntable. Then I got another turntable, so I search for them.

Sorry if I'm repeating people, but these LPs come to mind:
Waiting for Godot w/Lahr
The Zoo Story (Wm. Daniels)
All of the American Film Theatre films (esp. for The Homecoming and A Delicate Balance)
The Real Thing with close and irons and baranski and cynthia nixon
Glass Menagerie (Tandy)
Belle of Amherst (Harris)
there's a one LP, i think, radio clips thing of Tandy and Brando in Streetcar
somebody i'm sure did Long Day's Journey
The Caretaker (think it was off the s/track)
Marat/Sade (both stage and film, i think)
Death of a Salesman with Cobb and Dunnock
assorted big named Ibsens, and Chekhovs, and of course tons of Shakespeare (including Taming with Liz and Dick, all of Zefferelli's Romeo & J)
Miller's All Fall Down with Faye Dunaway etc.
Becket (film)
Othello (olivier/film - 4 lps i think)
Streetcar (Harris/Farentino)
Hamlet (Burton/Bwy)
Don Juan in Hell (Laughton)
Great White Hope (Jones, Alelxander)
View from a bridge (Duvall, Hoffmann)
Subject Was Roses (Sheen)
Lenny
Macbird

Many of these are on ebay right now -- but shop carefully. FOr example, the Zefferelli R&J prices are all over the place.

The Boys in the Band isn't that difficult to find - I've got two sets. I really want The Homecoming and A Delicate Balance, and Godot back. I was very happy to get Virginia Woolf (both stage and screen) back on the shelves.

I'd say my personal favorites were/are Virginia Woolf, Zoo Story, Boys in the Band, Homecoming (Vivien Merchant!), A Delicate Balance (even though the film wasn't well received). Certainly The Real Thing, which sparks with energy.

[gregnewyorkcity]

Posted: 2/27/12 at 10:42am

Of course as i type that there are no Boys in the Band on ebay. I'm so lucky to be able to record shop here in NYC (like a $25 boxed Garland Star is Born on ebay, cost me $1.00 (that's one dollar) here. You have to dig and dig and dig, but great things never on CD are out there.