Original Cast, 1997 (RCA) (3 / 5) Songs for a New World documents composer-lyricist Jason Robert Brown’s superb musicianship and his knack for connecting with younger audiences who appreciate contemporary musical theater styles. Even though Brown’s occasional tendency toward self-indulgence in his work is apparent here, this recording of his inaugural revue makes it clear why he burst onto the New York theater scene in such a big way. As a creator of story songs, he’s a master, and some of his most brilliant work is heard on this album. Highlights include “Stars and the Moon” and the searingly funny Brecht/Weill parody “Surabaya Santa,” both expertly sung by Jessica Molaskey; ”I’m Not Afraid of Anything,” movingly delivered by Andrea Burns; and the modern love duet “I’d Give It All for You,” impressively performed by Burns and Brooks Ashmanskas. Ty Taylor, the fourth performer heard here, is somewhat lacking in spark. The singers, the band (led by Brown), and the orchestrations (by Brown and Doug Besterman) generally keep the songs sharp, but some of them have a similar, inflated sound that grows wearisome in large doses — notably, “The New World,” ”American Flag, 1775,” and “Hear My Song” (in which Brown sings). So, worthy as this recording is, it’s most enjoyable when sampled a little at a time. — Matthew Murray

Original Off-Broadway Cast Members, 1992 (DRG) (2 / 5) A tongue-in-cheek pastiche of 1940s pop culture, Song of Singapore had a substantial Off-Broadway run at a nightclub venue. It was whipped up by a quartet of composer-performers: Erik Frandsen, Michael Garin, Robert Hipkens, and Paula Lockheart, who wrote the songs and collaborated on the book with Allan Katz. Set in a Singapore gin mill, the plot deals with a jewel heist, a murder, an amnesiac female flier who’s also a lounge singer, and a band called the Malayan Melody Makers. It includes elements of works by W. Somerset Maugham, Raymond Chandler, and numerous black-and-white movies. The songs work nicely within the context of the daffy libretto and benefit from first-rate execution by a five-person combo; further instrumentation is provided by the versatile cast. With tropical drinks flowing and table-seated spectators surrounded by dramatic action, Song of Singapore was a great night out, but no one’s idea of a landmark in musical theater. Still, the swinging score received Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle citations and was preserved via this recording, which features the torchy Jacquey Maltby and three of the show’s songwriters. (The fourth, Lockheart, served as the production’s “jazzaturg.”) Donna Murphy, who was in the original cast, is not heard here. Director A. J. Antoon died during the show’s run, so Song of Singapore is fondly remembered by theater folk as his swan song. — Charles Wright

Original Broadway Cast Members, 1944 (Decca) (4 / 5) “Hurry, Countess! The boys’ names are in the cakes! They’re starting the drawing!” So runs a typical line of dialogue in this peerlessly fruity operetta that’s supposedly based on the life of composer Edvard Grieg. Song of Norway was a smash hit and an auspicious Broadway debut for musical adapters and lyricists Robert Wright and George Forrest. The fanciful plot — Grieg loves Nina but is intercepted by a temperamental diva, escapes her clutches and writes the A Minor Concerto — hasn’t an original moment in it. The original production featured super singers, and this cast album, with its generous song-scenes and purple dialogue, certainly is an earful. Lawrence Brooks and Helena Bliss are appealing in the leads, even if, after yodeling the hit ballad “Strange Music,” Brooks has to rhapsodize: “Oh, Darling, to think we’ve just found each other!” And tenor Robert Shafer, as their poet comrade Nordraak, is spectacular. The role of the vexing diva Louisa Giovanni, played on Broadway by Irra Petina, is sung here by Decca’s house soprano, Kitty Carlisle. Although she doesn’t possess a magnificent voice, Carlisle dives head-first into the ridiculous text, and her classic vocal performance is something to treasure. — Marc Miller

Jones Beach Marine Theatre Cast, 1959 (Columbia/Masterworks Broadway-Arkivmusic) (3 / 5) Brenda Lewis is a trouper of a Louisa here, savoring her character’s temperament and attacking her high notes with mastery. Unfortunately, this cast album of a successful Song of Norway summer production — “One of the largest and costliest musicals ever presented on the living stage,” the liner notes crow — stints on the ripe operetta dialogue, so we’re left with a fairly straightforward presentation of material that shouldn’t have its silliness masked. The recording also omits some of the show’s most charming musical moments (“Midsummer Eve,” “At Christmastime”) to make room for the entire Piano Concerto in A Minor. Still, as conducted by Lehman Engel and backed by a chorus of 200, it’s a pretty grand performance. John Reardon is a rich-voiced Grieg, Helena Scott a pretty but brain-dead Nina. Sig Arno, a veteran of the original Broadway cast, still purrs ably through “Bon Vivant.” And, as Nordraak, William Olvis has a vibrato that could drill through cement. — M.M.

Studio Cast, 1961 (Angel/no CD) (3 / 5) Norman Newell had a nice run producing British stage musical cast recordings as well as many pop hits, and he also ventured occasionally into studio cast albums. This Norway is lushly recorded in early-’60s stereo. Michael Collins leads an orchestra much larger than any pit orchestra, but Collins does allow the tempi to drag fearfully in the waltzes. John Lawrenson is a sturdy Grieg, Norma Hughes a charming Nina, and if Thomas Round’s Nordraak doesn’t achieve the ringing high notes of Robert Shafer in the original, he declaims the silly Wright/Forrest lyrics with conviction. As Louisa, the strong-voiced Victoria Elliott, deprived of all the purple dialogue that Kitty Carlisle relishes on the original recording, makes less of an impression. A couple of songs are excluded, and one misses Sig Arno chewing his consonants through “Bon Vivant.” The album ends with a much fuller version of the Piano Concerto in A Minor than is heard on the Broadway cast album; Alberto Semprini, here billed simply as “Semprini,” is the soloist. This LP is not easy to find and probably not worth searching for, but if you do happen to see it in a bin at a used record store, you might want to snap it up.  — M.M.

Film Soundtrack, 1970 (ABC/no CD) (2 / 5) The cinematic success of The Sound of Music inspired a parade of family-friendly movie musicals, but none followed the climb-ev’ry-mountain template as closely as this one. It features hillsides, streams,  and Florence Henderson standing in for Julie Andrews. While the film itself is an atrocity, the soundtrack, surprisingly, is not. Grieg is Grieg, after all, and his music is played here by the London Symphony. The film retains just a few songs from the stage version; Wright and Forrest raided the Grieg catalog further and set others of his melodies to florid but not unintelligent lyrics. Toralv Maurstad as Grieg has very little voice, so most of the male vocals are assigned to Frank Porretta, a fine singer who nevertheless strains as the notes sail high above the staff. Fortunately, Harry Secombe steps in for three tracks, his ringing tenor as thrilling as ever. Henderson is her usual competent, unexciting self, though unexpectedly affecting in “The Little House” and “Wrong to Dream.” Roland Shaw is the very busy musical supervisor. — M.M.

Studio Cast, 1990 (JAY, 2CDs) (3 / 5) Spreading Song of Norway over two CDs has its advantages: more Grieg (with a smattering of Verdi in a Traviata excerpt), more imperishable dialogue, and more complete song scenes. The Act I finale, for instance, builds and builds before fading into a satisfying pianissimo. But John Owen Edwards’ conducting is slightly stolid, and the overall performance style is more dutiful than inspired. As compared with the cast of the 1944 recording, the singers heard here don’t have the sort of natural artificiality that’s required. Diana Montague comes close as Louisa, her killer soprano hitting the right notes of haughtiness. But Donald Maxwell’s chirpy Grieg sounds like a first reading; David Rendall’s Nordraak is resonant but flat-out boring; and the usually reliable Valerie Masterson is a so-so Nina, shrill in her upper register. Concert pianist Yit Kin Seow plunges avidly into the concerto, and Wright and Forrest contribute an informative if self-serving essay to the accompanying booklet. — M.M.

Original London Cast, 1979 (Pye/DRG) (3 / 5) The centerpiece of this show, a revue of songs written by a fictional Irish-Jewish composer named Moony Shapiro, is a seven-minute medley of “vocal gems” supposedly drawn from Shapiro’s one, long-ago Broadway hit. It’s silly, but it works, and much the same can be said for the rest of Songbook. With music by Monty Norman and lyrics by Julian More, these songs are affectionate, clever pastiche. The result is genial fun, expertly performed. Particularly good are the Gershwin spoof “East River Rhapsody,” the Spike Jones-ish “Nazi Party Pooper,” the terrific ballad “Messages,” and everything sung by Diane Langton. (Note: Under the title The Moony Shapiro Songbook, this show had a one-performance Broadway run in 1981, in a production that featured Judy Kaye, Jeff Goldblum, Tim Jerome, and Gary Beach.) — Seth Christenfeld

Original London Cast, 1982 (Really Useful Records, 2CDs) (2 / 5) This two-disc album was recorded live during the show’s opening-night performance, and it has a definite theatrical snap to it. Song & Dance is a unique show comprised of two very different parts — a one-woman song cycle and a ballet — that are only tangentially related. The first act, subtitled “Tell Me on a Sunday” after the best song in the score, concerns Emma, an English girl who goes to New York seeking a career as a hat designer. During her one-hour musical monologue, Marti Webb as Emma makes wry observations about life and men in Manhattan — sometimes expressed through letters written home to her mum, sometimes directly addressed to her unseen boyfriends. With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Don Black, the Song score has two fine ballads in “Tell Me on a Sunday” and “The Last Man in My Life.” Also affecting is the angry, sarcastic “Take That Look Off Your Face.” Some of the other music sounds like filler, but the lyrics are generally fine, delivered by Webb with conviction. The second half of Song & Dance is subtitled “Variations.” However entertaining the dance may have been onstage, hearing this music on a recording is not quite the same experience as listening to ballet music by Tchaikovsky or Prokofiev. “Unexpected Song” is the most memorable melody in the ballet score, and “Variation 8” is also nice. — Michael Portantiere

Original Broadway Cast, 1985 (RCA) (3 / 5) This album preserves only the songs of Song & Dance. The musical monologue was revised for Broadway by Richard Maltby, Jr., who directed the show and adapted and added lyrics. In this version, we hear about Emma’s involvement with four different men, most significantly  a guy named Joe. In a major addition to the score, Emma sings the beautiful “Unexpected Song,” to a melody originally written for the ballet section of the score, upon falling in love with Joe. The music is so lovely, and the lyrics so well crafted, that this track is the definite highlight of the album. “Nothing Like You I’ve Ever Known” from the London version is also included here, even though it wasn’t in the Broadway show. Bernadette Peters’ British accent as Emma sometimes sounds natural, sometimes studied, but the star is in fine voice, and her performance is sympathetic throughout. On the minus side, the orchestrations sound cheesy, perhaps because they are so poorly recorded and mixed. There’s also some audio distortion of Peters’ voice in “English Girls.” — M.P.

Ethel Merman and Original Cast Members, c. 1944 (AEI) (3 / 5) Perhaps the definitive wartime musical, Something for the Boys was a hit for Cole Porter and Ethel Merman. It offers an enjoyable score, but not a major one. (Forget the book, the plot of which climaxes when the Merman character, Blossom Hart, discovers that her dental work can intercept Axis radio messages.) You keep hearing echoes of earlier, better Porter in some of the songs: “He’s a Right Guy,” for instance, bears more than a passing resemblance to “I Get a Kick Out of You.” “By the Mississinewah” isn’t clever enough to overcome its jarring political incorrectness; it might have been funny to watch Merman and Paula Laurence schlep through a faux-squaw routine, but the song itself doesn’t cut it. Although the notes don’t say so, these tracks were drawn from two radio broadcasts: Merman sings “I’m in Love With a Soldier Boy,” which had been sung by Betty Garrett onstage, and Laurence has been replaced in Chiquita Hart’s numbers by Betty Bruce, who was also in the original cast. But the recording does give us Merman in her star-spangled prime, plus the excellent Bill Johnson as her romantic interest. — Richard Barrios

San Francisco Cast, 1997 (Music Box) (2 / 5) Even a second-rate work by a master such as Cole Porter is worth knowing, and Something for the Boys hasn’t been entirely neglected in later years. Several small-scale revivals have been staged. San Francisco’s intrepid 42nd St. Moon company’s production prompted this complete recording, with piano accompaniment. This show was never intended to be a piece for the ages; it’s theatrical junk food that’s pretty tasty and not wholly without nutrition. But it does require a pair of star voices, and here the San Franciscans come up somewhat short: Meg Mackay and Joseph Lustig are engaging, but the score needs more. At least the “Mississinewah” number, as performed by Mackay and LesleyHamilton, has some o fthe bawdy sheen that must have caused folks to cheer back in 1943. — R.B.

Studio Cast, 2018 (PS Classics) (2 / 5) With this note-complete recording, Something for the Boys receives a treatment denied to a number of other Cole Porter shows, the superior Jubilee in particular. No doubt about it, Porter’s rowdy wartime score has been treated with loving care by everyone at PS Classics, and they even threw in a marching band! It has to be reported, however, that the show might have benefited from a little less love and a little more dirt. The entire performance is correct and entertaining, most certainly — but a quick listen to some of those original cast recordings will show what’s needed and what’s missing. This is nowhere more apparent than with Elizabeth Stanley, a clear-voiced non-belter cast in the Merman role. While her dialogue is a little closer to the mark, it all sounds more gracious than boisterous, which isn’t the right approach. (Stanley as Blossom Hart is reminiscent of Ann Sothern taking over for Merman as Panama Hattie.) Danny Burstein is sturdy as always, the rest of the cast is completely competent, and there are indeed moments when the 1944 swing-and-brass come through. Still, like Ms. Stanley, it’s all too smooth, even dainty, for this kind of material. — R.B.

Original London Cast, 1992 (First Night) No stars; not recommended. Twenty years after the musical Sugar played on Broadway, this revised, retitled version showed up in London. Judging from the cast album, Tommy Steele, who directed and starred in the show, made some peculiar decisions — not the least of which was playing the wrong part. Instead of taking the role of Daphne (Robert Morse on Broadway, Jack Lemmon in the classic 1959 film Some Like It Hot), he opted for the romantic Tony Roberts/Tony Curtis part. Unfortunately, this character has the dullest material in the musical. Yet Steele is all over the recording, while Daphne and Sugar (the Marilyn Monroe character) have very few songs. The Jule Styne-Bob Merrill score has been treated cavalierly; for instance, the opening number is now Scott Joplin’s (uncredited) “Maple Leaf Rag.” Several songs have been cut, some have been combined with others, lyrics have been rewritten throughout, and there are odd interpolations. “I’m Naive,” a fine song from a Styne-Merrill TV musical, has been inappropriately handed to Sugar. Worse, the amusing “November Song” from Sugar has been replaced by “Dirty Old Men,” with music and lyrics by Merrill, originally written for Breakfast at Tiffany’s. There’s also an uncredited title song. — David Wolf

Studio Cast, 1980 (Original Cast Records) (3 / 5) Joseph Stein adapted his backstage comedy Enter Laughing, based on a novel by Carl Reiner, into a musical that had a dismal two-week run in 1976 but was recorded four years later with many of the original company members. Middle-aged Robert Morse is miscast in the central role of David Kolowitz, an 18-year-old Bronx boy who dreams of Broadway stardom. The show focuses heavily on the kid’s fantasy life, especially his dreams of fame and sex; “I’m Undressing Girls With My Eyes,” he confesses at one point. The best numbers include “You,” a duet made up entirely of lines from 1930s pop songs (“There’s a small hotel / Where you can do-do that voodoo you do so well”); “Bolero on Rye,” an imagined romantic encounter at a deli; and “Men,” a showstopper in which Loni Ackerman, as David’s girlfriend, torchily recalls her former flames. George S. Irving, playing the seedy actor who mentors David, delivers the score’s most notorious number, “The Butler’s Song.” A fantasy sequence of David as a Hollywood stud, it begins with the lines “He’s screwing Dolores Del Rio / That’s why he cannot speak to you,” and continues with “At 5:30 he humps Alice Faye / Then Jean Harlow at seven / Mae West at eleven / And, somewhere between them, Fay Wray.” As David’s mom, Kaye Ballard belts out “If You Want to Break Your Mother’s Heart.” Stan Daniels’ tunes are catchy, if a bit derivative, and his lyrics are full of good humor about Jewish families and adolescent angst. — David Barbour

Original San Francisco Cast, 1976 (DRG) (2 / 5) If you admire You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown as much as I do, you too may have trouble warming to its sequel, Snoopy!!! While the former captures Charles Schulz’s comic-strip characters well in all of their endearing idiosyncracies and obsessions, the problem with Snoopy!!! (aside from those exclamation points) is that its songs are generic. The most appealing number, “Poor Sweet Baby,” inspired by an actual Peanuts punch line, sounds like a pop song; “Don’t Be Anything Less Than Everything You Can Be” and “Just One Person” could have come from any children’s musical; and Snoopy’s 11-o’clock number, “The Big Bow Wow,” is empty showbiz. It doesn’t help that the bland Peppermint Patty is emphasized here as a substitute for the more dynamic character of Lucy. Lyricist Hal Hackady does connect with the comic strip successfully in “Clouds,” where the kids talk about the shapes they see in the sky — one sees the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, one sees the Fall of Rome, but Charlie Brown is forced to admit that what he sees is “a horsey and a ducky.” Larry Grossman’s music is melodic and filled with humor, and the fine cast includes Don Potter, James Gleason, Pamela Myers, Jimmy Dodge, Carla Manning, Roxann Pyle, and Alfred Mazza. — David Wolf

Original London Cast, 1983 (Polydor/JAY) (3 / 5) Five songs not heard on the San Francisco recording are welcome additions here, and this version of Snoopy (those silly exclamation points having been removed for the London production) relates more specifically to the characters. “Snoopy’s Song” and “Mother’s Day” especially lift the Grossman-Hackady score, and although “Hurry Up, Face,” “Dime a Dozen,” and “When Do the Good Things Start?” aren’t as well targeted, they are so tuneful that we can forget about dramaturgy and simply enjoy the listening experience. Other improvements: Stuart Pedlar’s musical direction; a small instrumental combo, versus only two pianos on the first album; a fine overture; and, singing with far more spirit than their American counterparts, a terrific British cast consisting of Terry Kempner (Snoopy), Robert Locke (Charlie Brown), Nicky Croydon (Peppermint Patty), Susie Blake (Sally Brown), Mark Hadfield (Linus), Zoe Bright (Lucy), and Anthony Best (Woodstock). — D.W.

Original Broadway Cast, 1995 (Atlantic) (2 / 5) Did Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller write every great 1950s-’60s tune? That’s the feeling you get when listening to Smokey Joe’s Cafe, a greatest-hits revue of their songs that opened on Broadway in 1995 and ran for five years. “Spanish Harlem,” “Kansas City,” “I Who Have Nothing,” “Love Potion # 9,” ”I’m a Woman,” even novelty numbers like “Yakety Yak” and “Charlie Brown” are here, delivered by top-notch Broadway singer-dancers and backed by a Louis St. Louis-led band. Directed by Jerry Zaks, the production had a neon-hued party atmosphere that matched the pulsing, vintage-rock energy of the songs. On the recording, Ken Ard, Adrian Bailey, Victor Trent Cook (a tenor with a huge range), and Frederick B. Owens make a doo-wop group par excellence. Among the soloists, Pattie Darcy Jones has an appealing, slightly hoarse sound; B. ]. Crosby’s gospel growl is dynamite; and Brenda Braxton sizzles in everything she does. So why isn’t this album more fun? Probably because these are theatrical performers putting over the songs, not singers who live and die by their sound the way real rock ‘n’ roll shouters and thumpers do when they deliver a “Hound Dog” that will send you crawling to the pound. — Robert Sandla

Original Broadway Cast, 1965 (Capitol/DRG) No stars; not recommended. With a book by Peter Stone, this musical is an adaptation of Elmer Rice’s Dream Girl. The show’s leading role was bestowed on a non-singing Broadway star, Julie Harris; she plays Georgina
Allerton, the kooky owner of “The Litterbug” antiques shop, located in a Manhattan brownstone that stands in the way of a new skyscraper. Peter Marshall is the architect who romances her, and Charles Nelson Reilly is Harris’s assistant, who tries to sell her out. The songs, by composer James Van Heusen and lyricist Sammy Cahn, are worse than routine; the lyrics strain for cleverness, and Fred Werner’s metallic orchestrations overemphasize the clunky melodies. Among the oddities are “More Than One Way,” Marshall’s tribute to building ever-bigger skyscrapers; “Just the Crust,” the first of Reilly’s labored comedy numbers; “The Gaiety,” about rude delicatessen waiters; and “Haute Couture,” one of two weird songs sung by Rex Everhart as a construction foreman with his crew as they comment on unisex fashion trends: “You never know just who you may seduce / You think it’s Helen, but it might be Bruce!” Harris, croaking her way through her numbers, is no musical theater dreamgirl. — David Barbour

Studio Cast, 1990 (New World Records, 2CDs) (3 / 5) Conductor John McGlinn is the one to thank for this recording of Sitting Pretty, a 1924 flop created by that legendary trio responsible for so many intimate, gentle musical comedies: composer Jerome Kern, librettist Guy Bolton, and lyricist P. G. Wodehouse. The plot, about orphaned twins mixing with the Long Island set, is a trifle; and the score, though easy to take, is overstuffed with what Lehman Engel would call “I want” songs, in which the characters wish that they were on a desert island, in a Congo paradise (several numbers in the show would give the P.C. police pause), or back in Sing-Sing. Wodehouse’s lyrics largely lack his usual curveballs: “A year from today, when I come back to you / The sun will be shining, the sky will be blue” must have sounded lame even in 1924. But there are some choice musical moments, courtesy of Kern, as when “The Enchanted Train” (a tribute to the Long Island Railroad) launches into a full-throttle orchestration, when “Shufflin’ Sam” quotes audaciously from the New World Symphony, and when “There Isn’t One Girl” takes some wild melodic leaps. The cast, led by Paige O’Hara and Judy Blazer, knows its stuff — O’Hara even delivers the lyrics in a slightly stilted fashion, as a 1920s vocalist might have done — and Roberta Peters drops in for a touching solo. The generous dialogue samplings reveal an uninteresting story, and the delivery is too cutesy by half. Still, this is an excellent recording, with bonus tracks. (An instrumental titled “All the World Is Dancing Mad” is irresistible). — Marc Miller

Original Broadway Cast, 1944 (Decca/Stage Door) No stars; not recommended. What’s more surprising: That this “salute to American folk and pop music” was produced on Broadway by The Theatre Guild, or that it managed a 13-week run? With no dramatic content at all, Sing Out, Sweet Land! was a sort of pageant celebrating country and folk music, an Elie Siegmaster compilation of songs that he had collected while traveling the country. Their authorship mostly unknown, the songs include well-known pieces like “Frankie and Johnnie,” “Big Rock Candy Mountain,” “Casey Jones,” and “The Blue-Tail Fly” (“Jimmy crack corn and I don’t care”), as well as others previously heard only in the Kentucky hills or sung by chain gangs — work songs, spirituals, and blues numbers. The show had a book and direction by Walter Kerr, who went on to a career as one of Broadway’s most respected drama critics. Alfred Drake and Burl Ives starred, and Bibi Osterwald, Juanita Hall, and Jack McCauley filled out the cast. But this recording is likely to be of little interest to musical theater enthusiasts, whose first response upon hearing “Jimmy crack corn” may be “I don’t care!” — David Wolf

Film Soundtrack, 1952 (MGM/Rhino-Turner) (5 / 5) For many, Singin’ in the Rain remains the greatest movie musical of all time. The mere image of Gene Kelly splashing around in those Hollywood puddles would be enough for some; for many others, the greatness of the film is that it’s one of the rare musicals, on stage or screen, that has a script (by Betty Comden and Adolph Green) equal in quality to its musical moments. If it isn’t possible to sock across the dialogue on a soundtrack album, two CD releases do a great job with the music. As part of its series of releases of MGM musical soundtrack recordings, Rhino-Turner did an excellent job with Singin’ in the Rain. A one-disc version gives us all of the songs plus a few extras; a two-disc set adds still more, including the original recordings of many of the wonderful old songs by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown  that make up most of the film’s score. All of the movie tracks sound great, and it’s interesting to hear the underscoring without dialogue and sound effects. Another treat is listening in on material that didn’t make it to the final cut of the film: Debbie Reynolds’ rendition of “You Are My Lucky Star,” a “Dear Mr. Gable”-style apostrophe to a poster of Gene Kelly as Don Lockwood; Reynolds’ original attempt at “Would You?”, a song that was dubbed in the final film; and the original fashion-show narration for “Beautiful Girl.” — Richard Barrios

Original London Cast, 1984 (First Night) (1 / 5) The greatness of Singin’ in the Rain — the movie, that is — was never more apparent than when it was adapted to the stage. First in London, then in the United States, people worked hard to do so: Both stage versions recreated most of the movie’s best-remembered moments in a script retooled by Comden and Green themselves, with some more songs and a lot of synthetic sparkle added. But it all fizzled out, because taking a movie musical about how movie musicals were invented and adapting it for the stage robs the story of its intimacy and what theorists call self-reflexivity. Plus, with those indelible movie performances firmly in all of our heads, who would be fool enough to try to copy Gene Kelly or Donald O’Connor? Tommy Steele sure would, at least in London. His energetic performance had a big smile pasted on everything, but little going on below the surface; although Steele is a better singer than Gene Kelly, his charm is synthetic. The rest of the cast works valiantly, but this recording stands as a splashy testimonial to the artistic bankruptcy of musical comedy in the 1980s. — R.B.

Studio Cast, 1996 (JAY) (1 / 5) Following the London staging of Singin’ in the Rain and the flop Broadway incarnation, there was an American tour and a few regional stagings. This recording is based on productions in Houston (Theatre Under the Stars) and New Jersey (Paper Mill Playhouse). It has a bit more heart and soul than the Tommy Steele thing, in part because it’s more successful at capturing the spirit of the original. Once again, however, the sound of the wonderful movie soundtrack simply could not be duplicated — not even under the baton of this recording’s talented and hard-working conductor, Craig Barna. The cast is-nearly faceless: Just listen to Michael Gruber delivering the “Dignity, always dignity” speech in the first scene, devoid of the charm, irony, and ego that Kelly brought to it. Finally, as in the Steele version, this effort washes out in trying to duplicate a 1950s version of a 1920s score. — R.B.

London Cast, 2012  (First Night) (2 / 5) Given the ever-growing parade of movie musicals to the stage, it was a foregone conclusion that what is possibly the best one of them all would make it back onto the boards, and then back again. A 2011 revival at the Chichester Festival was sufficiently well received to move to the West End, where it ran for well over a year and then toured. This recording is hardly one for the ages, but it is several cuts above the two previous stage cast albums. The three stars — Adam Cooper, Daniel Crossley, and Scarlett Stratten — sing engagingly, most of the performance is reasonably spirited, and very little sounds overbearing or glaringly incorrect. But it does need to be noted that, at least for some listeners, the recording has one unintended fascination: the singers’ on-again/off- again accents. They gamely try to sound as American as possible, but the British intonations always manage to slip through, giving some of the line readings a faint quality of daintiness. This is hardly a new phenomenon, of course, but seldom is it as conspicuous as in this redo of a bona fide U.S. classic. In any case, and like it or not, stage retreads of Hollywood musicals do not seem at this point to be merely a passing phenomenon. This one at least has its heart in more of a right place than some of the others. — R.B.

Original London Cast, 1928 (Columbia/HMV/Pearl) (3 / 5) Composer Jerome Kern and librettist-lyricist Oscar Hammerstein’s groundbreaking musical Show Boat premiered in New York in 1927, before the concept of original Broadway cast albums had been established. This album includes selections from the Show Boat score with members of the original London cast, plus other material. Performed here by what is billed as “The Mississippi Chorus” are tab versions of “Cotton Blossom,” “Queenie’s Ballyhoo,” “In Dahomey,” and “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man,” all in their original choral arrangements. In “Make Believe,” Edith Day is a charming Magnolia, and Howett Worster a very fine Ravenal in all three of his duets with Day. In London, Paul Robeson finally got to play the role of Joe, which was written for him but not played by him during the original Broadway run. Unfortunately, the “Ol’ Man River” chosen for inclusion here is Robeson’s surprisingly casual 1928 studio recording with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. (Also represented on this disc is the Joe of the original Broadway production, Jules Bledsoe, who offers a suitably tough and angry “Ol’ Man River.”) Marie Burke’s “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” and “Bill” are good, if unexceptional. Day’s “Dance Away the Night,” written for this production, is bright and bouncy. The Pearl CD also includes selections performed by the London casts of Kern’s Sunny and Rodgers and Hart’s Lido Lady.  — Jeffrey Dunn

Original Broadway and Studio Casts, 1932 (Columbia-CBS/ASV-Living Era/Naxos) (2 / 5) Some worthy performances are collected here. Helen Morgan, who famously created the role of Julie in the original Broadway production of Show Boat and played it again in the 1932 revival, as well as in the 1936 film version, sings “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” and “Bill.” Paul Robeson, who was Joe in the ’32 revival, delivers a stirring “Ol’ Man River.” James Melton is overly florid in solo versions of “Make Believe” and “You Are Love,” but Countess Olga Albani displays a nice soprano in “Why Do I Love You?” (with Frank Munn). An overture and finale are also included, with eight selections conducted by Victor Young. — J.D.

Broadway Cast, 1946 (Columbia/Sony) (2 / 5) For this revival, Oscar Hammerstein stripped away many of the comedy aspects of Show Boat and focused on the drama. Robert Russell Bennett revised his 1927 orchestrations to give them a more 1940s Broadway sound. The new overture is well conducted by Edwin McArthur, but “Cotton Blossom” is rushed and sounds strangely old-fashioned on this recording. While Jan Clayton is an earnest Magnolia, Charles Fredericks lacks character as Ravenal. The orchestral lead-in to “Ol’ Man River” is almost laughable; Kenneth Spencer restores some dignity to the song with his earthy approach but, unfortunately, the second verse is omitted. Carol Bruce began the tradition of Julies who are less soprano and more husky-voiced, making impressively throaty sounds in both “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” and “Bill.” Colette Lyons is a conventional soubrette as Ellie, squeakily cute in a very brisk version of “Life Upon the Wicked Stage” that includes some of “I Might Fall Back on You” as dance music. Jan Clayton’s “Nobody Else but Me,” reputedly the last song Kern ever wrote, brings this 10-track recording to a lively finish. — J.D.

The Ultimate Show Boat, 1928-1947 (various labels/Pearl, 2CDs) (2 / 5) This attempt to be the “ultimate” recording is a 1999 compilation that includes the cast album of the 1946 Broadway revival, the eight-song album of 1932, and a Show Boat orchestral “Scenario.” It also offers nine (!) versions of “Ol’ Man River”: four by Paul Robeson and one each by Jules Bledsoe, Kenneth Spencer, Todd Duncan, Al Jolson (bizarre), and Bing Crosby (baffling). Helen Morgan’s two recordings from 1928 are here, and so is Tess Gardella’s “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man.” Further inclusions: vintage recordings of two non-Kern songs usually heard in the Act II Trocadero scene, “After the Ball” and “Goodbye My Lady Love,” with the latter sung by its writer, Joseph E. Howard; and “I Still Suits Me” in a solo version by Robeson, plus another version that pairs him with Elisabeth Welch. Finally, there’s some material featuring Allan Jones, Irene Dunn, and Charles Winninger, three of the stars of the 1936 Show Boat film.  — J.D.

Film Soundtrack, 1951 (MGMlRhino-Turner) (2 / 5) Because so much background scoring is included here, this CD almost sounds like a Show Boat suite for voices and orchestra, conducted and played very slowly. Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson are in top form, and the MGM Orchestra makes magnificent sounds as conducted by Adolph Deutsch.  It’s fun to hear Marge and Gower Champion sing “I Might Fall Back on You” and “Life Upon the Wicked Stage,” even if one can’t see them dance on the soundtrack album. There is a powerful if somewhat turgid “Ol’ Man River” by William Warfield, and a lovely “Make Believe” reprise by Keel. Annette Warren sings Julie’s songs for Ava Gardner, as in the film, but the bonus tracks of the Rhino CD give us Gardner herself singing “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” and “Bill” very well, indeed. — J.D.

Studio Cast, 1956 (RCA/Flare) No stars; not recommended. One of the greatest of all musical theater scores goes down in defeat here. An early “crossover” recording, this entry features Metropolitan Opera stars Robert Merrill, Patrice Munsel, and Rise Stevens. Their singing is disappointingly colorless, as are Janet Pavek and Kevin Scott’s turns as Ellie and Frank. The orchestrations aren’t the originals, and aren’t very good. “Dance Away the Night,” written for the 1928 London staging, is given a lifeless performance here. The album also includes “Till Good Luck Comes My Way,” often omitted from productions and recordings of Show Boat; Merrill makes this song dull, too, but he can’t be fully blamed for his “Ol’ Man River,” which was a bad idea in the first place. [Ed. Note: Flare’s CD also features selections from Rose Marie with Julie Andrews and Giorgio Tozzi.] — J.D.

Studio Cast, 1958 (RCA/Sepia) No stars; not recommended. From the overture on, this recording makes you feel like you’re trapped in an elevator, so Muzak-like is Henri René’s orchestra (no arranger credited). Howard Keel is in good voice but seems dramatically detached, and Anne Jeffreys’ usually lustrous soprano sounds like it’s under wraps. Gogi Grant is a torchy Julie in too-slow renditions of “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” and “Bill.” Although there are a few interesting inclusions — such as “Nobody Else but Me,” “Till Good Luck Comes My Way,” and “Where’s the Mate for Me?” — this Show Boat sinks. — J.D.

Studio Cast, 1959 (EMI/no CD) (1 / 5) A wild combination of disparate elements, this recording has soupy arrangements, tempi that are often woefully slow, and awful orchestrations. Shirley Bassey is a restrained Julie. On the plus side, New Zealander Inia Te Wiata’s “Ol’ Man River” is well sung. Don McKay and Marlys Watters display lovely voices in their three big duets as Ravenal and Magnolia, while Dora Bryan’s Ellie exudes showbiz know-how in “Life Upon the Wicked Stage” and, with Geoffrey Webb, in “I Might Fall Back on You.” — J.D.

Studio Cast, 1961 (Columbia/Sony) (1 / 5) Theatricality is missing from this Show Boat. While John Raitt’s Ravenal  and Barbara Cook’s Magnolia are nicely sung, “Make Believe”seems incomplete here. The duo’s recording of “You Are Love”is only adequate, and the singers are swamped by the orchestrations in “Why Do I Love You?” William Warfield is solid but unexciting in Joe’s “Ol’ Man River.” Anita Darian’s Julie is almost coquettish in “Bill,” warm and honest when caressing “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man.” Fay DeWitt has a bubbly belt and is reasonably droll in Ellie’s “Life Upon the Wicked Stage,” but the female chorus drags down the number. In fact, every time the Merrill Staton Choir takes over, singing with little feeling, there is a deadening effect. The orchestra, playing uncredited orchestrations, is led by Franz Allers. Four bonus tracks on the CD reissue offer Tess Gardella in a bang-up version of “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” (recorded in 1928), Helen Morgan singing “Bill” with the Victor Young Orchestra (1932), Paul Robeson in a solo version of the duet “I Still Suits Me” (1947), and Jan Clayton singing “Nobody Else But Me.” — J.D.

Music Theater of Lincoln Center Cast, 1966 (RCA) (4 / 5) This fine, succinct cast album deletes the opening chorus of “Cotton Blossom,” but from then on, most of the major songs of Show Boat are heard in fairly complete versions, very well sung and convincingly acted. Barbara Cook (Magnolia) and Stephen Douglass (Ravenal) do superlative work in their three duets: Broadway’s greatest soprano and one of its greatest baritenors truly soar when they raise their voices in “You Are Love,” “Make Believe,” and “Why Do I Love You?” The last-named song also has a comedic chorus sung by David Wayne as Captain Andy. (In the production, he sang it to Margaret Hamilton as Parthy, but she is not heard on the album.) “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” is sung with feeling by Constance Towers as Julie, with Rosetta LeNoire and the spirited chorus lending strong support. Towers’ “Bill” is also lovely. Allyn Ann McLerie is definitive in Ellie’s “Life Upon the Wicked Stage,” and the Act II opening is well done, if brief. Finally, this recording is blessed with a sensational “Ol’ Man River” sung by William Warfield, whose voice has incredible power and beauty throughout its range in a performance bursting with spontaneity. The Robert Russell Bennett reorchestrations are largely intact and lovingly conducted by the great Franz Allers. — J.D.

London Cast, 1971 (EMI-Stanyan/LaserLight) (3 / 5) Although musically inauthentic in many ways, the 1971 London production of Show Boat ran for more than 900 performances. What makes the cast album most special is the presence of Cleo Laine as Julie; her “Bill” is achingly beautiful and deeply felt, her “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” is rich in sultry tone and thrilling riffs, and her “Nobody Else But Me” is delivered as a soulful ballad. André Jobin as Ravenal and Lorna Dallas as Magnolia sing their songs beautifully. Kenneth Nelson and Jan Hunt are very lively as Frank and Ellie, performing in fine vaudeville style to enjoyable effect in the interpolated “How’d You Like to Spoon With Me?” Thomas Carey is good as Joe in “Ol’ Man River,” and Ena Cabayo makes a distinctive Queenie. Included for this recording, but not in the production itself, were “Life Upon the Wicked Stage,” “Till Good Luck Comes My Way,” “I Have the Room Above Her,” and “I Still Suits Me” — but note that the LaserLight edition is a one-CD album of highlights from the album, which was originally released on two LPs. — J.D.

Studio Cast, 1988 (EMI, 3CDs) (5 / 5) This complete set is the one indispensable recording of Show Boat. Five classic songs — “Make Believe,” “Ol’ Man River,” “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man,” “You Are Love,” and “Bill” (lyrics partly by P. G. Wodehouse) — have survived every permutation of the show, and “Why Do I Love You?” has survived most, but other songs have been included or excluded from each of the numerous productions and recordings. This album offers every extant piece of music ever written for Show Boat: the complete score as heard on Broadway in 1927; portions that had been deleted during road tryouts; songs added for the many revivals and the 1936 film version; and a lot of dialogue, most of it underscored. Only some music for scene changes and a few incidentals are omitted. John McGlinn reconstructed the score and conducts this truly monumental recording, which also includes all or most of the show’s dialogue. From the first chord of the original overture, intermingling the score’s ever-changing moods, it’s clear that the result is unique. Opera stars Frederica Von Stade and Jerry Hadley, as Magnolia and Ravenal, act almost as well as they sing. Playing Julie is another opera star, the magnificent Teresa Stratas, who combines the inner strength of the character with a touching vulnerability. Representing the unrecorded 1983 Broadway revival of Show Boat are Paige O’Hara as Ellie, Bruce Hubbard as Joe, and Karla Burns as Queenie — all of them terrific. Hubbard’s “Ol’ Man River” is warm, wise, and sung with the right amount of power mixed with resignation. Two other Broadway veterans, Robert Nichols and David Garrison, bring their talents and good humor to the roles of Captain Andy and Frank, respectively. The supporting roles are also luxuriously cast, which helps boost this recording to such a high level. It’s a revelatory experience, whether one is hearing the astonishing “Mis’ry’s Comin’ Aroun'” for the first time or simply marveling at how the individual pieces of the score fit together. — J.D.

Studio Cast, 1993 (TER-JAY) (3 / 5) This nearly complete recording based on the 1946 Broadway edition of Show Boat includes the rarely performed or recorded “In Dahomey” and a good deal of dialogue. John Owen Edwards does an excellent job of conducting the National Symphony Orchestra. Janis Kelly sings Magnolia superbly, and Jason Howard is a heavy-voiced but romantic Ravenal; their “Make Believe” duet is particularly impressive. Sally Burgess has the right vocal heft for Julie, displaying a legit voice with a lot of soul in her songs. Shezwae Powell is cutely sassy as Queenie, while Caroline O’Connor is nice and brassy as Ellie, but Willard White’s “Ol’ Man River” seems a bit too ponderous. — J.D.

Original Toronto/Broadway Cast, 1994 (Quality Music) (4 / 5) Harold Prince and Susan Stroman created a new version of Show Boat that ran 946 performances on Broadway, beating the London record set in 1971. Recorded during the pre-Broadway Toronto run, this cast album features Robert Morse as Captain Andy. The fine orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett and William David Brohn show respect for the originals while forging a Show Boat for the 1990s with restorations/inclusions such as “Mis’ry’s Comin’ Aroun’,” “Till Good Luck Comes My Way,” and “I Have the Room Above Her.” Here, “Why Do I Love You?” is done as a solo by Elaine Stritch in the previously nonsinging role of Parthy. “Kim’s Charleston” is a dance confection thrillingly whipped up by arranger David Krane. Also included is the music for both of Stroman’s great Act II montages. Rebecca Luker and Mark Jacoby are excellent as Magnolia and Ravenal — no sugary nonsense in either interpretation, but lots of beautiful vocalism.  “Stunning” is the best word to describe Michel Bell’s unadorned, heartfelt “Ol’ Man River.” Lonette McKee as Julie is believable and expressive in “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” and “Bill,” neatly treading the fine line between legit authenticity and soul. Queenie is sung by the rich-voiced Gretha Boston, who won a Tony Award for her performance. Under Jeffrey Huard’s intelligent musical direction, the entire cast and the orchestra sound excellent throughout. — J.D.

Studio Cast, 2004 (Angel, 2CDs) (3 / 5) Every flop musical should be so lucky: A deluxe presentation with an all-star cast and a 52-piece orchestra (67 for the overture!), this two-disc recording features every note of Sherry! and every cut song, plus some interviews. The show is composer Laurence Rosenthal and librettist-lyricist James Lipton’s 1967 tuner based on George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart’s classic comedy The Man Who Came to Dinner. The diverting score, conducted by Marvin Laird and sumptuously played, is smartly orchestrated to sound like a 1930s movie musical, but the bitchiness of the material becomes monotonous, and many of the numbers are extraneous. As for the cast, Nathan Lane hasn’t the innate elegance for Sheridan Whiteside, and Carol Burnett is comically expert but vocally worn in Lorraine’s songs. Bernadette Peters sounds lovely as Maggie in the ballads “Maybe It’s Time for Me” and “Imagine That”; Tom Wopat partners her with relaxed assurance. Tommy Tune is excellent as Beverly Carlton, and smaller roles are taken by Phyllis Newman, Lillias White, and Mike Myers. Even Rosenthal and Lipton participate, performing like seasoned troupers. — Marc Miller

Original Broadway Cast, 1975 (RCA) (3 / 5) Based on the film of the same name, this musical tells the story of Charlie Anderson, a widowed Virginian who tries in vain to keep his family uninvolved in the Civil War. Librettist James Lee Barrett adapted his screenplay in collaboration with Philip Rose and Peter Udell; the songs are by lyricist Udell and composer Gary Geld. Shenandoah enjoyed a healthy run, due in part to the superb, Tony Award-winning performance of John Cullum as Anderson. The homey, country-tinged score is unfailingly tuneful; a standout is the joyous “Freedom,” sung by Donna Theodore and Chip Ford. “Next to Lovin’ I Like Fightin’,” a testosterone-infused number for the six Anderson sons, is rousing. (Sample lyric: “Next to poetry and prose, I like punchin’ me a nose!”) “Violets and Silverbells,” “The Only Home I Know,” and a few other songs are a little treacly, but Cullum’s numbers carry the show: He’s bracingly angry in “I’ve Heard It All Before,” tender in “The Pickers Are Cornin” and “Papa’s Gonna Make It Alright,” and commanding in his two “Meditations.” — Michael Portantiere

Off-Broadway Cast, 1997 (Original Cast Records) (3 / 5) Seven years after the 1973 Broadway failure of Shelter, librettist-lyricist Gretchen Cryer and composer Nancy Ford rewrote the show, combining it with the first act of their earlier musical The Last Sweet Days of Isaac. In 1997, a newly titled revision, The Last Sweet Days, was presented by the York Theatre Company; that production was recorded under the title Shelter, and that’s the cast album under review here. (Got it?) But rather than solving the problems of their two unsuccessful musicals, all the team did was create a third show that substitutes a certain verbosity for dramatic action. In the first act of Shelter, Isaac is more than a little crazy. In the second act, the character (who has changed his name to Michael) monstrously mistreats his wife, his girlfriend, and a woman named Ingrid, whom he had known earlier and has just met again and bedded. This plot twist adds no resonance or meaning to the piece. In sum, Shelter is a tedious, sedentary soap opera about “relationships,” albeit one filled with imaginative touches and a bunch of good songs, nicely sung here by Willy Falk, Ellen Foley, Ellen Sowney, and Romain Fruge as the voice of Arthur, a singing computer. — David Wolf

Original Broadway Cast, 1963 (MGM/Polydor) (5 / 5) “Charming, romantic, perfect” — those words from the song “Dear Friend” define She Loves Me, a true masterpiece of the American musical theater. A two-LP recording transferred to one fabulous CD preserves almost the entire score. Based on a play that inspired the films The Shop Around the Corner, In the Good Old Summertime, and You’ve Got Mail, the show tells of warring Budapest shop clerks who don’t realize they’ve been sending anonymous love letters to each other. The songs, by composer Jerry Bock and lyricist Sheldon Harnick, blend seamlessly with the work of librettist Joe Masteroff, and the recorded performances of the cast are flawless. Barbara Cook is so much more than a typical ingenue, finding nuance and complexity in the role of the needy, neurotic, vulnerable Amalia; her renditions of “Dear Friend,” “Ice Cream,” and “Will He Like Me?” exemplify what great musical theater singing is all about. When Cook does “I Don’t Know His Name” with Barbara Baxley as “bad girl” Ilona, the vocal contrast is divine; and it’s a moment to treasure when Cook raises her voice to a hysterical soprano-belt in the frenzied “Where’s My Shoe?” duet with Daniel Massey.  As “Dear Friend” Georg, Massey is convincingly shy and nervous in “Tonight at Eight,” and winning in the exultant title song. Baxley rips into “I Resolve” and then simply oozes out “A Trip to the Library.” Jack Cassidy, as the suave roué Kodaly, caresses “Ilona” seductively and makes the grandest of exits in “Grand Knowing You.” The roles of Maraczek (“Days Gone By”), Sipos (“Perspective”), and Arpad (“Try Me”) are done to a turn by Ludwig Donath, Nathaniel Frey, and Ralph Williams, and Wood Romoff is very funny as the Headwaiter in “A Romantic Atmosphere.” I defy you to listen to the finale of Act II as sung and acted by Cook and Massey without getting tears in your eyes.  — Jeffrey Dunn

Original London Cast, 1964 (HMV/Angel) (4 / 5) An abridged recording of a great score, this cast album lacks “Days Gone By,” “Goodbye, Georg,” “Tango Tragique,” “Where’s My Shoe?”, “Will He Like Me?” and the dialogue leading into the finale. “I Resolve” is replaced by a new song for Ilona titled “Heads I Win,” sung here with blistering strength by Rita Moreno, who also does an amazing job with “A Trip to the Library.” The “Three Letters” sequence for Amalia and Georg was reconceived for London and features members of the ensemble as other lovelorn correspondents. Anne Rogers is a sweet if somewhat bland Amalia, Gary Raymond is a believable Georg, and Gary Miller is a dashing Kodaly. Gregory Phillips sings adorably as Arpad, but Carl Jaffe as the Headwaiter is shockingly off-key throughout “A Romantic Atmosphere.” For this first London production of She Loves Me, many of the show’s lyrics were Anglicized, and some were rewritten to rhyme with the British pronunciations.  — J.D.

Broadway Cast, 1993 (Varèse Sarabande) (5 / 5) This energetic recording of the Roundabout Theatre’s revival of She Loves Me has the skillfully reduced orchestrations by Frank Matosich, Jr. and David Krane that were heard in the theater, and there are a few changes to the original score: Georg’s “Tango Tragique” is heard only as an instrumental, a brief reprise of “Days Gone By” is eliminated, and some adjustments are made in “Twelve Days to Christmas.” A nice amount of dialogue, underscoring, and incidental music gives the album a real sense of theatrical flow. Diane Fratantoni (later known as Diane Sutherland) sings well as Amalia. Boyd Gaines may sound too emotionally secure as Georg, but he’s still charming, adding some nice touches to “Tonight at Eight” and “She Loves Me.” As Kodaly, Howard McGillin makes deceit and conceit almost likable in “Ilona” and “Grand Knowing You.” Louis Zorich, Lee Wilkof, and Brad Kane as Maraczek, Sipos, and Arpad are all fine in their solos. Sally Mayes is distinctive in Ilona’s numbers, Jonathan Freeman is a terrific Headwaiter, and the ensemble is high-spirited. — J.D.

London Cast, 1994 (First Night) (4 / 5) The astonishingly versatile Ruthie Henshall is a delight as Amalia, and her chemistry with John Gordon Sinclair as Georg is palpable on this recording. The supporting cast is good, particularly Barry James as Sipos, Simon Connolly as Arpad, and Tracie Bennett as Ilona. Only Gerard Casey as Kodaly is outclassed by his predecessors in the role. This is another highly theatrical recording of She Loves Me; intriguingly, the lyrics that were Anglicized for the original London production have reverted back to the American originals. — J.D.

Broadway Cast, 2016 (Ghostlight)  (3 / 5) This is the cast album of the Roundabout Theatre Company’s second revival of She Loves Me, more than 20 years after their first successful production in 1993. Here we have bigger star power, a larger orchestra, and grander orchestrations by Larry Hochman. In fact, if you  listen in chronological order, the two Roundabout recordings serve as bookends framing the company’s progression from a humble non-profit organization to a major Broadway heavyweight, providing us with a flashier She Loves Me the second time around. But therein lies a problem. This show has endured as an intimate musical comedy; its appeal lies in the fact that its characters are well defined and relatable, even when at their silliest. While this recording arguably offers the best sung rendition of the score, songs such as “Will He Like Me?” and “Dear Friend” lose some of their charm, and the wit of “Sounds While Selling,” “Ilona,” and other numbers gets lost, amid the quick tempos and lush, new orchestrations. Oddly enough, one of the more empowered songs in the score, Ilona’s “I Resolve,” is given a largely tearful rendition here by Jane Krakowski, though it eventually builds to a commanding finish. Once again, Roundabout has assembled an excellent ensemble cast, yet the generally broad approach of the production keeps them from being definitive in their roles. Laura Benanti is the funniest Amalia recorded, and Zachary Levi is an endearing Georg, but he is a less powerful presence than she, which leads to an imbalance in the pair’s chemistry. The rest of the company, including Krakowski, Nicholas Barasch as Arpad, and Michael McGrath as Sipos, all do fine work, though Gavin Creel could be a touch smarmier as Kodaly. For a more fulfilling listening experience overall, you might want to try the original or 1993 revival cast albums; but if you’re interested in a fizzier, highly energetic interpretation of one of Broadway’s best scores, this recording certainly has something to offer. — Matt Koplik

Original Broadway Cast, 1971 (Columbia/Sony) (3 / 5)  This show flopped on Broadway, but the cast recording is too much fun to pass up. Scored by composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb, 70, Girls, 70 has a book by Ebb and Norman L. Martin (with an adaptation credit for Joe Masteroff), based on the English play Breath of Spring. The characters are residents of a Manhattan hotel for the aged who turn to grand larceny to spice up their lives. Perhaps what doomed the musical was the overly complicated show-within-a-show concept, in which the veteran performers frequently step out of the action to perform numbers about the vicissitudes of old age. These songs — including “Old Folks,” “Broadway, My Street,” and “Coffee in a Cardboard Cup” — are the most enjoyable in the score, especially as delivered by this ball-of-fire cast. The title tune, with its rousing banjo passages, is a gem. Less interesting are “The Caper,” which lays out the plan for the first robbery, and “The Elephant Song,” an overlong 11-o’clock number in which leading lady Ida (Mildred Narwick) announces her own imminent death. However, Natwick, is delightful throughout — especially in “Home,” an inviting rhumba, and “Yes,” a lively tune that sums up the songwriters’ live-for-today philosophy. Equally peppy are Hans Conreid, Lillian Roth, and Lillian Hayman. A standout number is “Go Visit (Your Grandmother),” featuring Yiddish-theater veteran Henrietta Jacobson with Tommy Breslin; the song includes some eyebrow-raising lyrics (“Go ahead and give the old lady a laugh / You went to Fire Island last summer? / For God’s sake, show her the photographs!”). Don Walker’s orchestrations make extensive use of onstage pianist Dorothea Freitag and provide a propulsive undertow for every number.  — David Barbour

Original London Cast, 1991 (JAY) (3 / 5) This is an appealing alternative to the Broadway album. The London production of 70, Girls, 70 starred Dora Bryan and featured a new book by David Thompson and Norman L. Martin that eliminated some of the lesser numbers while adding two pleasant, new ones: “Well Laid Plans” and “I Can’t Do That Anymore.” Julian Kelly’s new, more intimate orchestrations work nicely. The recording offers lively renditions of the score’s highlights, sparked by Bryan’s warbly but witty singing. — D.B.