Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Jan 30: Solo Albums

Mary Martin Sings, Richard Rodgers Plays , Mary Martin - I Could Write a Book (RCA)
The Alan Jay Lerner Album , Brent Barrett - She Wasn't You [From On a Clear Day You Can See Forever] (Fynsworth Alley)
Broadway Passion , Ron Raines - The Impossible Dream (That's Entertainment)
The Lady with the Torch , Patti LuPone - Guess I'll Hang My Tears out to Dry (Ghostlight)
Warm Spring Night , Philip Chaffin - That's All (PS Classics)
Here's to the Ladies , Christine Andreas - The Music That Makes Me Dance (Image)
Fifteen Seconds of Grace , Victoria Clark - Before the Parade Passes By [From Hello Dolly!] (P.S. Classics)
Broadway My Way , Linda Eder - Don't Rain on My Parade [From Funny Girl] (Atlantic)
On and off Broadway: The Story Goes On , Liz Callaway - Sleepy Man (Robber Bridegroom) (Varese)
How Glory Goes , Audra McDonald - A Sleepin' Bee (Elektra/Asylum)
A Deeper Shade of Red , Andréa Burns - What More Do I Need? [From Saturday Night] (P.S. Classics)
Here and Now , Lauren Kennedy - Unanswered Question (P.S. Classics)
No One Is Alone , Barbara Cook - Long Before I Knew You I Fall In Love Too Easily (DRG)
Let Yourself Go , Kristin Chenoweth - The Girl in 14g (Sony)

Monday, January 21, 2008

Jan 23: Jason Robert Brown

Hear My Song - Company, Songs for a New World (RCA)
King of the World - Ty Taylor, Songs for a New World (RCA)
All the Wasted Time [Parade] - Brent Carver/Carolee Carmello, Broadway in Love (RCA)
Letting You Go - Lauren Kennedy, Songs of Jason Robert Brown (PS Classics)
The Next Ten Minutes - Norbert Leo Butz/Sherie René Scott, The Last Five Years (Image)
Goodbye Until Tomorrow/I Could Never Rescue You - Norbert Leo Butz/Sherie René Scott, The Last Five Years (Image)
What It Means - Thirteen Demo
Mr. Hopalong Heartbreak - Jenn Colella, Urban Cowboy demo
Wearing Someone Else's Clothes - Jason Robert Brown, Wearing Someone Else's Clothes (Sh-K-Boom)
Stars and the Moon - Audra McDonald, Way Back to Paradise (Elektra/Asylum)

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Jan 16: For King and Mandela, Songs of Freedom

Lynching Blues-Cast, Bring in Da Noise Bring In Da Funk (RCA Victor Broadway)
Colorful-Sammy Davis Jr, Golden Boy (DRG)
I Know Where I've Been-Mary Bond Davis/Shayna Steele, Hairspray [Original Cast] (Sony Classical)
Don't Forget 127th Street-Sammy Davis Jr, Johnny Brown, Cast, Golden Boy (DRG)
Welcome To Atlanta-Dorothy, Matthew (Kenny Andrews), Abe, Nathaniel (Daniel Washington), Ensemble, King (London)
March At Edmund Pettus Bridge-Ensemble, King (London)
I Have A Dream-Simon Estes, King (London)
African Homeland-Renee Elise Goldberry, LaChanze, Cast, The Color Purple [Original Broadway Cast] (Angel)
One by One-Cast, The Lion King [Original Broadway Cast] (Disney)
Stand and Fight-Mbongeni Ngema, Sarafina! [Original Cast Recording] (RCA)
Nelson Mandela and Water Dance (Omm Ohh Ho la la (Reprise)-GumBoots, Gum Boots (RCA)
Freedom Is Coming Tomorrow-Traditional, Sarafina! The Sound of Freedom [Original Soundtrack] (Qwest/Wea)
No More-Sammy Davis Jr, Golden Boy (DRG)
Make Them Hear You-Brian Stokes Mitchell, Ragtime [Original Cast Recording - RCA] (BMG)
Run and Tell That!-Corey Reynolds/Danelle Eugenia Wilson, Hairspray [Original Cast] (Sony Classical)

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Civic's 2007-08 Season includes Oklahoma, Forum

The exciting thing about the Spokane Civic Theatre season is the number of musicals it's producing: 4 upstairs, 1 downstairs. I think this might be a record for Civic.

The opener will be Oklahoma, the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical that pushed the book musical in a new direction, and still is considered one of the top, if not THE top, musicals in history. Run dates are Sep 26-Oct 26.

At Christmastime comes the musical version of A Christmas Carol, the version by Alan Menken and Lynn Ahrens. Menken says in interviews that this is some of his favorite work. After being presented at Madison Square Garden 10 years in a row, Kelsey Grammar starred in a TV movie version of it. Civic run dates are Nov 21-Dec 20.

Someone in the Spokane theater community has lobbied Civic a long time to produce No No Nanette, and it's finally happening Feb 20-Mar 15 '08. It's a darling show, one that's about to get new life from Walter Bobbie (director of the Chicago revival on Broadway) in a special one-week production in New York. By the time Civic does it, the show will be 84 years old - so will the songs Tea For Two and I Want To Be Happy. Kudos to Civic for pulling this one off the shelf.

"Sondheim doesn't sell" is the phrase I hear often, meaning Stephen Sondheim's work is too cerebral to make for popular entertainment. Frankly, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" SHOULD sell - it's a farce that sneaks in some satirical comments on social class. This was Stephen Sondheim's first Broadway musical writing both lyrics and music. Civic's main stage run happens May 15-June 14 '09.

Downstairs in the Firth Chew Studio, they'll tackle Godspell from March 20-April 19. This little show from Stephen Schwartz has gotten the film and Broadway treatment, but it's wonderful in a little black-box stage like the Studio. Since the show is a musical version of the Gospel of Matthew, it's appropriate that this is taking place during Lent (the Christian season leading up to Easter). I'm a little surprised that the run dates include April 19, which is the Eastern/Greek Orthodox date of Easter itself. (Catholic and Protestant churches celebrate one week earlier, on April 12).

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Jan 9: Stage to Screen

The film version of Sweeney Todd is still one of the top 10 movies at the box office this week. Tim Burton's take is a bit too 'blood spraying everywhere like Monty Python'-esque for my taste, but it's great to see more stage musicals getting the film treatment. So this week, a glimpse into the world of the stage-to-screen jump, past and present. As for the future, I'm excited for the Mamma Mia film this summer.

On the Town - New York New York , Gene Kelly/Frank Sinatra (Warner Home Video)
The Music Man - The Sadder but Wiser Girl, Robert Preston (Warner Bros.)
The King and I - Shall I Tell You What I Think of You, Marni Nixon/Deborah Kerr (Angel Records)
West Side Story - I Feel Pretty, Jo Anne Miya/Marni Nixon/Suzie Kaye/Yvonne Othon (Sony Classical/Legacy )
My Fair Lady - Wouldn't It Be Loverly, Marni Nixon (Sony)
The Sound of Music - Maria, Marni Nixon/Nuns (BMG/RCA)
Oliver! - Food Glorious Food, Boys (RCA)
Cabaret - Maybe This Time, Liza Minnelli (Hip-O Records)
Fiddler on the Roof - Sunrise Sunset, Topol/Ensemble (RCA)
Grease - Summer Nights, John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John (Polygram International)
Little Shop of Horrors - Skid Row (Downtown), Rick Moranis/Ellen Greene (Geffen)
Chicago - All That Jazz, Catherine Zeta-Jones (Sony)
Hairspray - Good Morning Baltimore, Nikki Blonsky (Sony Classical)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Not While I'm Around, Edward Sanders/Helena Bonham Carter (Nonesuch)

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Jan 2: Winter/Spring Preview

Gypsy - You Gotta Have A Gimmick, Debbie Shapiro, Susann Fletcher, Faith Prince (RCA)
Man of La Mancha - Dulcinea, Richard Kiley, Cast (MCA)
Into the Woods - Hello Little Girl, Danielle Ferland/Robert Westenberg (RCA)
Annie - Easy Street, Alan Cumming/Kathy Bates/Kristin Chenoweth (Sony)
The Last Five Years - Moving Too Fast, Norbert Leo Butz; A Part of That, Sherie René Scott (Image)
Forever Plaid - Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, Jason Graae, Stan Chandler, David Engel, Guy Stroman (RCA Victor)
Mamma Mia! - Money, Money, Money; Jenny Galloway/Louise Plowright/Siobhán McCarthy (Polydor)
High School Musical - Start of Something New, Cast (Disney )
Great American Trailer Park Musical - This Side of the Tracks, Cast; Flushed Down the Pipes (SH-K Boom)
Company (Revival) - Being Alive, Raul Esparza, Cast (Angel)