Time Out NY's Best 21st Century Broadway Cast Recordings

[Kad]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 2:42pm

No revivals or Off-Broadway recordings were considered. 

 

Best Cast Recordings of the 21st Century

Updated On: 9/27/16 at 02:42 PM

[thirtythirtyninety]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 2:52pm

Good list.  I would've found a place for American Idiot and especially Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, but otherwise...

Glad Avenue Q placed so high.

 

[LesWickedly]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 3:00pm

^ Great Comet's recording was for the off-broadway production, so it wasn't considered.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 3:06pm

American Idiot is definitely a bit of an oversight. Especially since they found room for Jersey Boys and Beautiful.

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 3:10pm

Thrilled that both The Wild Party and Caroline, or Change are on the list - and in top spots, no less!

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 3:36pm

Gentleman's Guide? Really? This feels like they're ranking shows they liked, rather than the albums.

[Cupid Boy2]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 3:45pm

Spring Awakening's recording has always sounded rather tinny to me. I love the score, but on the quality of the album alone, I don't agree with its ranking. 

[barcelona20]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 3:46pm

Fun Home is not better than Passing Strange or Bridges of Madison County. Give me a break. Drowsy should be higher.  I'd argue that Jukebox musicals shouldn't even be on the list.  Wicked should be lower.

[luvcaroline]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 4:20pm

That's almost exactly the way I'd rank them except I would flip Passing Strange and Spring Awakening. 

[thirtythirtyninety]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 4:30pm

good point about Great Comet, I forgot the off-Broadway caveat

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 4:33pm

barcelona20 said: "Fun Home is not better than Passing Strange or Bridges of Madison County. Give me a break. Drowsy should be higher.  I'd argue that Jukebox musicals shouldn't even be on the list.  Wicked should be lower."

 

Especially considering the Fun Home album was only sort of re-recorded for Broadway.

Updated On: 9/26/16 at 04:33 PM

[HogansHero]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 4:41pm

is Timeout so lacking in valuable information to report that they have to resort to a list as banal as this one? Seriously, is there even a shred of information that anyone with even a passing familiarity with Broadway would gain from this? And I make this observation without any reference to my reaction to what they chose or omitted.

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 4:42pm

I pretty much agree with this list.  I also agree however that Jukebox musicals should not have been included.

As much as I love the Bridges and Passing Strange albums, Fun Home is better.  The album is really well put together and is an excellent representation of the show.  It is easy to follow and shows off Tesori's beautiful score and Kron's wonderful book.  I do think that Bridges should probably be in the top ten however. 

[VotePeron]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 6:29pm

Surprise no one mentioned Matilda not being included, which immediately voids this entire list for me. 

[Emmaloucbway]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 6:46pm

I'm glad some lesser-known musicals like Women on the Verge and The Wild Party made the list. 
I would've placed Aida in there somewhere, though. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 7:13pm

I am mystified that some people are glad (or sad) that some show is(or is not) on this list. All it is is the opinions of 2 human beings about what they like. Nothing objective about it. No prizes for winning. Why do we care? It's just the click bait they are trained to employ in the desperate hope it'll keep them afloat a bit longer.

Updated On: 9/26/16 at 07:13 PM

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 7:32pm

^Jeez Hogan.  We're just discussing a list.  We know that it doesn't mean anything, but it's interesting to see what people have to say about this topic.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 8:02pm

icecreambenjamin said: "^Jeez Hogan.  We're just discussing a list.  We know that it doesn't mean anything, but it's interesting to see what people have to say about this topic."

i understand that. like I said it just mystifies me. Perhaps no more than I am mystified that some people like certain shows.

[hork]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 8:03pm

They lost me at Xanadu.

[BroadwayMan5]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 8:17pm

Aida should definitely be on there. Whatever you think of the show, it's a great cast recording

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 8:49pm

Hard to find any issues with a list that includes *Caroline, or Change* and *Hamilton* in the top two. I'd have put *Beautiful* much higher, I think it's one of the most impeccably produced cast recordings I've ever listened to.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 8:55pm

I agree that Aida should be in there. Great score and a fine representation of Disney on Broadway and one of their riskier endeavors.

[hork]

Posted: 9/26/16 at 11:21pm

Aida should not be on there, because it is not one of these guys' 25 favorites. Also, it kind of sucks.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 9/27/16 at 9:26am

hork said: "They lost me at Xanadu."

 

 

Same.

[Kad]

Posted: 9/27/16 at 11:40am

HogansHero said: "I am mystified that some people are glad (or sad) that some show is(or is not) on this list. All it is is the opinions of 2 human beings about what they like. Nothing objective about it. No prizes for winning. Why do we care? It's just the click bait they are trained to employ in the desperate hope it'll keep them afloat a bit longer."

 

Part of it click-bait, sure- that's how internet media has progressed. But rankings lists have been around for decades and are all just as objective and arbitrary as this one. For people unfamiliar with the things being ranked, it's a good introduction to the topic and the essentials. For people who are familiar, it can be a nice reminder of things you've forgotten and a way to inspire giving something another look or looking at things from another perspective. Reading opinions is never a bad thing.