Revival Cast Recordings Worth Buying. — Page 2

I completely agree. The OBC of Company will never ever be beaten.

P.S. frontrowcentre- if they do another edition of that Musical Theater Cast Album Theatremania book, you are more qualified to work on it than anyone!

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The 1983 revival of "On Your Toes" is my absolute favorite musical. When John Maucheri and Rodger Stevens decided to do a revival of a Rodgers and Hart musical for ANTA and The Kennedy Theater in Washington, On Your Toes was a forgotten musical. "Pal Joey" had been revived in the 50's to great acclaim, so they tried OYT, which flopped big time (60-some-odd perf.)and the show was largely ignorred after that. Maucheri discovered that the original orchestrations were still in existance and even better, the original orchestrator, Hans Spialek was still in existance too! He was somewhere between 80 and death but still able to help sort out the mess of band parts and supervise putting it back together EXACTLY as it had sounded in 1936. And what a revelation! We are so used to hearing recordings from that period that were made with one or two microphones and sound tinny and brass-heavy. In real life, the show sounds better than practically anything on Broadway today (although I suspect the upped the tempo a smidge and maybe beefed up the percussion but the main arrangements are vintage '36).

The resulting recording is amazing and the version of "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue" is, IMHO, the greatest ever recorded (and that's saying something because that puppy has been plkayed with by everyone). Laura Teeter is wonderful on the record playing the Ray Bolger role.

Spialek was able to attend the opening night and died shortly after but the recording allows listeners, as Ted Chapin from The R&H Library says, to hear exactly what a vintage 30's musical sounded like. And today's orchestrators should be green with envy.

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Agreed on the BRIGADOON recording w/ Rebecca Luker as Fiona. That is a fantastic recording of a vastly underrated score. Also liked the WONDERFUL TOWN studio CD w/ Audra McDonald as Eileen, although I'm not a huge fan of Kim Criswell.

Other favorite revival CD's include the 1994 B'way revival of DAMN YANKEES, the 1993 Royal Nat'l Theatre and 1994 Lincoln Center revivals of CAROUSEL, and the Lincoln Center revival of ANYTHING GOES w/ Patti LuPone and the 1989 London revival starring Elaine Paige.

I just picked up the CD of the 2001 Royal Nat'l Theatre Production of SOUTH PACIFIC, and I'm still trying to make up my mind about it. Why were the songs shifted? For example, why do the seabees' songs come before A COCKEYED OPTIMIST? I'm really confused about that.

Updated On: 5/12/06 at 11:05 PM

Do not skimp yourself!

Purchase both Sweeney Todd albums (OBC and Revival).
They are both remarkable and starkly different productions.

Other recommendations:
Assassins (Revival)
Crazy For You (Revival)
Oklahoma (London 2003 Revival)

I really like Oliver! London Revival in 1994. The boy who plays Artful Dodger is just sooo amazing!

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I find the revival cast recordings of Wonderful Town and the The King and I with Donna Murphy superb. Donna Murphy makes a wonderful Ruth and provide sa completely different interpretation of the role from Rosalind Russell's. Also, her Anna is quite unique.
The Nine revival is not necessarily superior to the original cast (except for Mary Stuart Masterson whose singing is preferrable to Akers'). Yet, the performances I believe are very different from one recording to the other. I often listen to both versions of "A Call From The Vatican" and I can't choose which one I prefer, Anita Morris sounds definite, yet Jane Krakowksi finds a wa to make it her own. The London concert recording with Jonathan Pryce is worthy of buying just for Elaine Paige's unique rendition of "Unusual Way."
Another revival (concert) album worthy of buying is Anyone Can Whistle, with a brilliant performance by Bernadette Peters, and it includes the cut song "There Won't Be Trumpets."

Thanks for reminding me about the SHOWBOAT revival, inlovewithjerryherman! If you're talking about the production at the Gershwin w/ Rebecca Luker and Elaine Stritch, then I recommend that CD as well. Mark Jacoby and Lonette McKee were very good in that production as well as the amazing Michel Bell's OL' MAN RIVER and Gretha Boston's fantastic portrayal of Queenie.

And I saw the recent GREAT PERFORMANCES broadcast of SOUTH PACIFIC, and I think I like the singing there more so than on the Lauren Kennedy recording (even though that 2001 CD has more songs on it like MY GIRL BACK HOME, which was in the movie version).

Updated On: 5/12/06 at 01:28 PM

Once Upon a Mattress with SJP
H2$
and Gypsy with Tyne Daly

I would say get Little Shop too for the extra songs and the more lively orchestrations, even though I love Kerry Butler, I must say that she cannot hold a candle to Ellen Greene

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Sweet Charity
Assassins
Wonderful Town

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