The Story of My Life Cast Recording

[raulmark]

Posted: 3/5/09 at 4:59pm

has anyone posted this yet? If so, excuse me
...but i thought I'd share the link....https://www.playbill.com/news/article/126971.html

[theatre2]

Posted: 3/5/09 at 5:09pm

if they can do a cast cd of this flop they can do one for cry baby and good virations. good grief.

[raulmark]

Posted: 3/5/09 at 5:16pm

I think it should be budgeted when planning a show to have a Cast Recording.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/5/09 at 5:18pm

I'm SO happy for this you have no idea!

[DeNada]

Posted: 3/5/09 at 6:57pm

theatre2, the producers closed STORY OF MY LIFE as quickly as they did specifically so they might have some cash to record the album (not sure how that works; cast recordings are usually financed separately from a show, and if they had any cash left over it should have gone straight back to the investors in the production surely? Anyway, that's what they've insinuated.). CRY BABY and GOOD VIBRATIONS ran for longer (even if only by a couple of months) and thus wouldn't have had the cash left over. HIGH FIDELITY closed just as quickly and that's partly why it got a recording (although I remember that was more out of Tom Kitt's desire to get the show on CD than anything else).

Furthermore, STORY OF MY LIFE is likely to have a much better life in the regions than CRY BABY and GOOD VIBRATIONS will. It's a male two hander musical with no choreography and next to no set; it'll program well in studio theatres all over the place if they get the CD out and publicised assuming the score's any good (obviously I don't know the show!).

(plus I have a suspicion that there's already been foreign interest in the show. Who's the Korean co-producer on the Broadway run?)

[TheCharleston]

Posted: 3/5/09 at 7:09pm

"I think it should be budgeted when planning a show to have a Cast Recording."

I'm sorry but I just find that to be a terrible idea.

[raulmark]

Posted: 3/5/09 at 8:04pm

terrible, really? that's the word you would us? Terrible?
and you say that without an explanation?
No, I am sorry, I don't think that is a terrible idea at all. I would think if I created a musical on Broadway and had it produced, that I would want a Cast Recording of it no matter its life on stage.
I'm always reading on threads how this and that person wishes a certain Cast Recording was made....for instance.."Cry baby"
Many people here hoped for The Story of my life to have a recording and now they are getting one.
That's not "terrible"

[lakezurich]

Posted: 3/5/09 at 8:15pm

I am so glad this is happening.

[Brick]

Posted: 3/5/09 at 8:16pm

Cast Recordings can add life to a property in regional and amateur productions, even when thhe premiere for New York productions were failures (i.e. LAST FIVE YEARS).

[lstbutifulgrl2]

Posted: 3/5/09 at 9:04pm

yay, i've been waiting for some official word on this!!!!

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 3/5/09 at 10:31pm

I can't wait to hear this score again! I suppose we have Chase Mishkin to thank for this?

[Actor 7]

Posted: 3/5/09 at 10:58pm

A very beautiful score on just about every level. A new composer, Neil Bartram and a new book writer, Brian Hill, will finally have their new one-act musical with equally beautiful orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick, permanently recorded. This will no doubt lead to many regional productions in this country and abroad. Well deserved. The Story Of My Life begins a new journey. I look forward to the June 2nd release of this original Broadway cast recording. A joy for certain! A new bud on the vine!

[jennamajig]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 10:51am

While I do not know much about this show at all, I will admit I am just excited to know Malcolm Gets will be on it. I love his voice and it is the reason that A New Brain gets played often on my ipod.

[once a month]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 2:16pm

Good news indeed, it will live on!

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 2:26pm

I'm just so glad it's official. I know people had posted on here that there would be a cast recording and while I believed them, it's so much nicer to have a confirmation. I for one can't wait to hear songs like "Angels in the Snow" and "The Butterfly" again. While I am very glad I got to see this show during the limited run, it makes me so much happier that it will live on through this recording.

[TheCharleston]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 2:34pm

"terrible, really? that's the word you would us? Terrible? " - RaulMark.


The idea of cast recordings, even for flops that are open for one day (GLORY DAYS), isn't "terrible"

I was referring to your idea that Management should include a cast recording in the initial production budget.

Economically, this makes no sense. Also.. Cast Recordings are made up of many various investors that are not involved in the production mounting. It gets complicated with ownership and the shares of financial intake.

It's easy enough to say "oh, let's put aside ____ dollars so we can hopefully strike a deal to manufacture a Cast Recording somewhere in the future!" but this is FAR from reality. It's just not how it works and I think it's a terrible idea to even suggest.

[Elke]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 2:40pm

I'm thrilled that they'll be releasing a cast recording. Is it June 2 already?

[WOSQ]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 2:41pm

The idea of a cast recording as part of a show's budget has been gaining ground in recent seasons. The logic being that a recording of the score is a piece of PR and advertising. Having ready tracks to play for events might help extend a show's reach during the Broadway run and possible tours.

If a new musical is going to be budgeted at 10-12-14 million dollars, what is another few hundred grand in the press budget?

The hard part would be getting songs on the air.

It also would be good for helping garner interest in the subsidiary rights for a show like regionals, stock and community theatres, but that wouldn't be the original producing entity's focus.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 2:54pm

I am glad they are able to make a recording, but I don't understand why regional or local theatres would be clamoring to produce a show that wasn't well received, well-reviewed or even that well written.

[JRybka]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 3:00pm

You would be surprised how some theaters love taking what might have been a flop and making it into something.
I know the Signature in Arlington, VA can take stuff that might now be a flop and turn it into something amazing.

Witches of Eastwick

Also a show like CHESS was a huge hit in Sacramento's Music Circus.

[TheCharleston]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 3:07pm

"I know the Signature in Arlington, VA can take stuff that might now be a flop and turn it into something amazing."

They also know how to take terrible shows and make them into flops... see: GLORY DAYS

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 3/6/09 at 5:10pm

I am glad they are able to make a recording, but I don't understand why regional or local theatres would be clamoring to produce a show that wasn't well received, well-reviewed or even that well written.

Several years ago a new musical opened off Broadway. It got mixed reviews and despite a small cult following never became a box office bonanza. A cast album was done (mainly because one of the stars was married to an album producer) and the songs gained some notoriety outside of the Broadway community. Now this 2-character show is very popular at regional, college and community theatres. The show was called THE LAST FIVE YEARS.


Another example: 2 new musicals opened on Broadway in November 1981. The first was Sondheim & Furth's MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG. The second was a musical about Jackie Robinson called THE FIRST. MERRILLY got 6 pans and one rave review. It closed after 16 performances. A cast album was made and through that recording the score got to be known and admired. It led to college and community stagings and ultimately a revised version was presented. THE FIRST ran 52 performances and got mixed reviews, but still more negative than positive. It had its supporters but no cast album was made and today it is seldom if ever staged.

My point: A show doesn't have to be smash hit with great reviews to deserve getting preserved on vinyl. (Or whatever they make CD's of now.)

Updated On: 3/7/09 at 05:10 PM

[Luvinbroadway]

Posted: 3/7/09 at 12:12am

It does have some great songs that will be cabaret standards...

[musicaltheater1]

Posted: 3/13/09 at 9:00pm

June 2nd it is....from psclassics.com.


Cast Album

Updated On: 3/13/09 at 09:00 PM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 3/13/09 at 9:03pm

I'll def. be picking it up, but man, it's going to have one ugly CD cover. I hate their logo. It's so cheese.