York production of CHARLIE BROWN will receive a cast album

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 5/31/16 at 10:41am

This exciting new production is based on a concert that was presented at Feinstein's/54 Below by Van Dean of Broadway Records and Jennifer Ashley Tepper, and combines the simplicity of the original 1967 Off-Broadway version with additions from the 1999 Broadway revival, with the added bonus of starring young Broadway vets, aged 9-14: Joshua Colley (Elf, the Musical), Gregory Diaz (School of Rock), Aidan Gemme (Finding Neverland), Mavis Simpson-Ernst (Evita), Jeremy T. Villas (Kinky Boots), Graydon Peter Yosowitz (The Odyssey) and Tony honoree and Grammy nominee Milly Shapiro (Matilda). 

The hit musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brownwith book, music and lyrics by Clark Gesner and additional material by Andrew Lippa and Michael Mayer is directed by York’s Associate Artistic DirectorMichael Unger, with music direction by Eric Svejcarand choreography by Jennifer Paulson-Lee. 

Release date: September 16, 2016

http://www.broadwayrecords.com/cds/youre-a-good-man-charlie-brown-2016-off-broadway-cast-recording

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 5/31/16 at 11:29am

Cute art! Has anyone seen this yet?

[JBroadway]

Posted: 5/31/16 at 11:34am

I'm seeing it tomorrow

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 5/31/16 at 12:33pm

Didn't they record the concert at 54 Below? I thought they announced that a while back. Is that recording being shelved in favor of a studio recording or are they just releasing the concert recording as the Off-Broadway cast album since most (or all?) of the cast is the same? I'm confused.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/30/16 at 12:05pm

This is the second release date that has come and gone without an actual release. First it was September 16th and then September 30th and now it looks like it's been changed again to November 4th.

[gypsy101]

Posted: 9/30/16 at 12:13pm

strange! also a little odd they went through the trouble of recording at 54 Below and won't be releasing that album

[Here_I_Go_Again]

Posted: 9/30/16 at 2:44pm

It's was a very underwhelming production. 

[Kad]

Posted: 9/30/16 at 3:58pm

It is one of the very, very few shows I left at intermission. It was like being dragged to see a friend's kid in their middle school show. Misdirected and the kids simply were not able to carry it- with the exception of Milly Shapiro.

[thirtythirtyninety]

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

It's hard to imagine this recording appealing to anyone other than the kids and their families.  

It was a very unimpressive production, and they didn't really handle the music well.

 

[Kad]

Posted: 9/30/16 at 4:22pm

The score is more demanding than people realize, and kids simply don't have the range to sing it effectively.

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 9/30/16 at 4:27pm

I'm intrigued enough to give this recording a listen, but I highly doubt that it will be particularly impressive.  The production was extremely underwhelming due to the dreadful direction.  I don't think that the kids would've been a problem if the director had guided them properly.  

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/30/16 at 4:42pm

I also can't imagine that anyone would end up preferring to listen to this album over the Broadway cast with Kristin Chenoweth or the original cast album before that, but I'll likely still give it a listen once they finally release it. If nothing else it may be a more useful reference recording for youth and school theatre companies than the other two.

[gypsy101]

Posted: 9/30/16 at 8:18pm

i actually saw a local high school's production last year because my best friend's younger sister was in it and it was dreadful. my boyfriend coincidentally had stomach issues so got to miss most of the show,  luckily. sure, the characters are children but that doesn't mean it's a musical for children.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/4/16 at 11:51am

The release date has been pushed back again to November 18th but there is a track list on Amazon know and it includes a bonus track from the 54 Below concert.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 11/4/16 at 12:00pm

Great point, Cats, about it being a potential reference for school and amateur groups. That may well be the justification for doing this. Otherwise seems like a poor financial decision. 

[Kad]

Posted: 11/4/16 at 12:04pm

Do schools and amateur groups really need a reference point for You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown?

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 11/4/16 at 12:13pm

I think the drama teacher would be more likely to buy a CD that Tams-Witmark says uses a younger cast. 

 

(I went to a public with school with a tiny drama program and we all listened to CDs before rehearsing. Even frequently rehearsed TO CDs. Maybe it's not so janky everywhere.)

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/4/16 at 12:33pm

It also looks like this album will include the "Red Barron" and perhaps the prologue as it is performed in the show. Both of those are missing from the Broadway cast album. Those tracks together with the younger cast might very well be more helpful for youth theatre companies but I still can't imagine the average listener choosing this album over the original or Broadway cast albums.

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 11/4/16 at 1:43pm

What made the direction bad? How is it supposed to be done?

[Kad]

Posted: 11/4/16 at 2:08pm

The staging was confused and busy and it seemed like the director had a bad sense of the style of the show. The point of the Peanuts, at least originally, was that it was kids dealing with life in matter-of-fact and, well, adult ways... but not necessarily being precocious. That was lost here. A lot of the humor simply evaporated and fell flat as the kids were directed to PUSH and PUSH for comedy. Frankly, much of the time it felt like the kids were saying lines because they were told to say them that way.

The show also doesn't really have a plot- it's vignettes, sometimes very brief to the point of being almost like Laugh In (or a comic strip): just a setup and a punchline. As such, there needed to be a brisk pace, and that just wasn't there.

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 11/4/16 at 7:30pm

The Hallmark live action TV production from the 70s was everything this show should be. It was very funny, and effortlessly so. If you are pushing for the laughs, it just doesn't work.

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 11/7/16 at 8:31am

Whoa, a live-action TV production of a beloved musical? Hallmark predicted the future!

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 11/7/16 at 1:03pm

Ado Annie D'Ysquith said: "Whoa, a live-action TV production of a beloved musical? Hallmark predicted the future!"

 

No prediction there, just building off of tradition. Live musicals had been done for years before that.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 11/7/16 at 4:30pm

AEA AGMA SM said: "No prediction there, just building off of tradition. Live musicals had been done for years before that."

 

The irony being that these earlier live broadcasts seem to have been done with more technical proficiency than the current NBC projects.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/7/16 at 6:27pm

Wasn't most television live in the early days? Let's go back to that format.