Andrea McArdle opened ANNIE in London for the first three months, and they waited until her departure to record the Original London Cast recording with her alternate/replacement: Anne Marie Gwatkin.
It is possible that the London cast will still be recorded either with Idina or whoever replaces her, but sadly, because of recording costs, it seems that it's becoming increasingly rare to get a London and a Broadway cast recording.
Most of the last big American exports: MILLIE, THE PRODUCERS, RENT, THE LION KING, RAGTIME, etc. didn't get London cast recordings.
Ditto most of the British imports on Broadway: MAMMA MIA, WOMAN IN WHITE, OKLAHOMA, etc.
I think most producers bank on the fact that unsavvy theatre audiences won't really care if the cast on the recording is the same as the cast they saw in the theatre.
They'll probably wait at least to gauge how big a hit WICKED actually is in London. Having some other bankable names in the cast as Glinda, Morrible, etc would certainly help the incentive for a second recording.
Updated On: 4/23/06 at 11:48 AM