All posts by Michael Portantiere

Dreamgirls

Dreamgirls-OBCOriginal Broadway Cast, 1982 (Geffen/Decca Broadway) 2 out of 5 stars (2 / 5) What were they thinking? The most exciting Broadway score of the 1980s was carved up to fit on one disc, and thereby was stripped of its narrative drive and emotional punch. But what a score! Under the whip hand of director-choreographer Michael Bennett, librettist-lyricist Tom Eyen and composer Henry Krieger created a musical loosely based on the story of Diana Ross and the Supremes. This is no trashy tell-all; rather, Dreamgirls is an American epic, tracking no fewer than eight major characters as they climb to the top of the music industry. It’s a musical melodrama about ambition, adultery, lies, corruption, and betrayal, set to an irresistible Motown beat. Moreover, the authors have much to say about show business as a pathway to assimilation for black Americans, and the high cost of success. The disc preserves Harold Wheeler’s non-stop orchestrations and Cleavant Derricks’ electrifying vocal arrangements. The cast, including Sheryl Lee Ralph, Loretta Devine, Ben Harney, and Derricks, is first-rate — but Jennifer Holliday’s performance as Effie, the Dreamgirl who is cast out of the group and betrayed by her scheming lover/manager, seems more and more mannered upon repeated listening. Her rendition of the first-act finale, “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” caused standing ovations in the theater; hearing it today, you may be unnerved by her wild, unrestrained vocalizing. Still, the big disappointment of this disc is what’s missing from it. Among the cuts are “Heavy,” the number that signals trouble brewing in the group, and much of the dazzling opening sequence that introduces all of the major characters. A remastered and expanded CD edition of this album does offer a little more material in the tracks “Driving Down the Strip,” “It’s All Over,” and a reprise of the title track “Dreamgirls” for the finale, but much of the score is stil missing because it was not recorded during the original sesssions. While there are moments of excitement here, this groundbreaking musical didn’t get the treatment it deserved in the recording studio.  — David Barbour

Dreamgirls-concertConcert Cast, 2002 (Nonesuch, 2CDs) 5 out of 5 stars (5 / 5) This recording, based on a benefit concert presented by The Actors’ Fund, is an embarrassment of riches. The cast is led by divas Audra McDonald, Heather Headley, and Lillias White, and even the smaller roles are filled by the likes of Alice Ripley, Emily Skinner, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Malcolm Gets, Norm Lewis, and Patrick Wilson. Most important, the recording redresses a historical injustice by preserving the show in its entirety, giving listeners full access to the dramatic reach of the Krieger-Eyen score. It also preserves the Effie of Lillias White, a veteran of the original Bennett production. White’s sassy, spiky, yet deeply vulnerable performance is tops; she sings “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” as a hair-raising aria of heartbreak and rage, while her rendition of Effie’s Act II anthem “I Am Changing” is triumphant. McDonald and Lewis turn the duet “When I First Saw You” into a shattering confrontation, and Headley stirs up a whirlwind of comic fury as she tells off her married lover in “Ain’t No Party.” When all three ladies tear into the title number, you’ll be in Diva Heaven. There’s also fine work from Billy Porter as a James Brown-like figure whose career is skidding, and Darius de Haas as the group’s ambitious songwriter. The recording is pure gooseflesh from beginning to end, and one of the few really essential cast albums of the decade.  [Ed. Note: Although this is presented as a live recording of the concert, it seems that a great deal of it was actually redone after the fact in a studio.] — D.B.

Motion Picture Soundtrack, 2006 (Columbia/Urban Soundtraxx) 3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5) Bill Condon’s seductive film version of Dreamgirls applies a patina of Douglas Sirk-style glamour to the narrative, but the soundtrack recording is a middling affair. The “deluxe edition,” which runs to 36 tracks across two discs, is much more complete — unless you turn to a streaming service like Spotify or Amazon, in which case say goodbye to a dozen tracks, including the infectious opener “I’m Looking for Something” and the climactic “Hard to Say Goodbye.” All 12 are missing from the highlights disc, with the exception of “Hard to Say Goodbye” — which, again, is not available to stream. (Confused yet?) The best reason for getting either edition is Jennifer Hudson, whose “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” throbs with heartbreak and fury. “I Am Changing,” her Act II self-affirmation, is another jolt of electricity. Beyoncé, ideally cast as the Diana Ross-like Deena Jones, has fewer opportunities, given her full workload of mostly girl-group numbers. Oddly, she is cut out of “When I First Saw You,” here made into a solo for the underpowered Jamie Foxx as Curtis, her Svengali-like lover/manager. (An unimpressive duet version is included in the extras.) But Beyoncé does her considerable best by “Listen,” a wrenching new aria that lays out Deena’s motivation for betraying Curtis. Other additions to the score include “Love You I Do,” a solo for Hudson that sounds like an ’80s-era Whitney Houston B-side; and “Patience,” a dullish trio for Eddie Murphy (solid as Jimmy, the fading James Brown figure), Anika Noni Rose (as Lorell, his disenchanted lover), and Keith Robinson (as C.C. White, Effie’s brother and the group’s songwriter). Overall, the soundtrack score is full of pluses and minuses: “Heavy” is reduced to 90 seconds and stripped of its dramatic exchanges, but “It’s All Over,” in which open warfare breaks out among the characters, really crackles. These collections are probably best enjoyed by Hudson fans and Beyoncé completists. A club mix version of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” included in the extras, is mad camp — it’s a tragedy you can dance to! — D.B.

Original London Cast, 2017 (Masterworks Broadway) 3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5) It took Dreamgirls 35 years to reach London in a production, staged by Casey Nicholaw, that was intended to transfer to Broadway. It never got there, but it yielded a solid cast recording that prioritizes vocal pyrotechnics over incisive characterizations. (The album was allegedly recorded live, but the audience is heard only sparingly.) The main attraction here is Amber Riley, a veteran of TV’s Glee, who delivers the youngest-sounding Effie of any recording. This is an asset in the early sequences, when the characters, are teenagers, less so when Effie morphs into the sadder-but-wiser woman of “I Am Changing.” Nevertheless, despite some notably slow tempi, Riley’s two big solos are shiver-inducing. Other standouts include Joe Aaron Reid, incisive as Curtis, and Liisi Lafontaine as an appealingly coltish Deena. In terms of changes to the score, the sizzling Act II opener depicting the Dreams’ Vegas act (seen in the 1987 Broadway revival and heard on the 2002 recording) has been reworked but not improved, and “Listen” is reimagined as a duet marking Deena and Effie’s pained reunion after years of estrangement. Again, as in the movie, the number adds some welcome emotional heft. If you can’t find the 2002 concert cast album, this is an acceptable alternative; but it lacks some essential connective tissue, the high-pressure approach pushes every number to finale level, and a certain musicality is missing. If Dreamgirls is going dazzle, it needs room to breathe. — D.B.

 

 

Drat! The Cat!

Drat-OBCOriginal Broadway Cast, 1965 (Blue Pearl/no CD) 3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5) It’s a cliché among cast album collectors to hear a good score of a flop musical and ponder, “Why wasn’t this a hit?” But the recording of this eight-performance 1965 tuner is truly mystifying in that respect. Released in 1984, it’s taken from a live tape, and the audience is plainly having a marvelous time. Ira Levin’s daffy book concerns a bumbling cop pursuing a seductive jewel thief in circa-1890s New York. The snatches of dialogue on the record are met with appreciative chuckles and outright guffaws. Milton Schafer’s score is tuneful and spirited, and Levin’s deft lyrics accent the comedy. Elliott Gould’s rendition of the one hit song, “She Touched Me,” wins what sounds like a thunderous ovation. Even Joe Layton’s comic ballet “The Upside-Down Thief’ elicits gales of giggles. Best of all among the cast is a teenage Lesley Ann Warren as Alice, the diamond-pinching heiress; she’s a giddy delight in “Wild and Reckless,” a charmer in the tongue-twisting “Holmes and Watson” duet with Gould, and quite the pensive balladeer in “I Like Him.” Jane Connell turns up as Alice’s mother, making inimitably odd noises in the waltz ensemble “Dancing With Alice” and raging engagingly at Jack Fletcher in “It’s Your Fault.” The score and the performances are super. I would have upgraded my rating of the recording if it weren’t for the sound quality, which is pretty wretched overall. — Marc Miller

Drat-StudioStudio Cast, 1997 (Varèse Sarabande) 3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5) The good folks at Varèse Sarabande assembled a top-drawer cast and a full orchestra to give Drat! The Cat! the recording it deserved, and this CD improves on the above album, but not in all respects. Certainly, the sound is a dozen times better. The accompanying booklet contains superior notes by Peter Filichia and an appreciation by author Ira Levin. Jason Graae, in the role created by Elliott Gould, makes a fine lead, and is even disarming in a hidden “bonus” track. There’s luxury casting all around: Judy Kaye, with an intentional spoof of an Irish accent, is the cop’s widowed mother; Elaine Stritch is his lady love’s harpy of a mama; and Jonathan Freeman is the object of Stritch’s considerable scorn. The recording retains the original orchestrations of Hershy Kay and Clare Grundman, and it includes lots of lead-in dialogue. On the debit side: As Alice, the jewel-thief “cat” of the title, Susan Egan weighs every line carefully and sings excellently, but there’s little of the giddy, naughty rich girl in her portrayal. For all of its assets, this Cat album lacks a certain theatrical spark. But you can’t really go wrong with either recording, even if the original has a very slight edge. — M.M.

Do Re Mi

Do-Re-MiOriginal Broadway Cast, 1960 (RCA) 2 out of 5 stars (2 / 5) Right after Gypsy, you’d have expected composer Jule Styne to test his powers in another meaty Broadway project. Instead, he regressed to formula musical comedy with this minor hit, reuniting with frequent collaborators Betty Comden and Adolph Green and his High Button Shoes star, Phil Silvers. As oneHubie Cram, Silvers played opposite another great clown, Nancy Walker, in a jukebox-industry spoof that may have had some resonance in the wake of the payola scandals. But the score lets the stars down: “Waiting, Waiting,” “Take a Job,” “Ambition,” and “Adventure” sound oddly unfinished, neither conforming to standard song structures nor having any special reason for avoiding them. Second couple John Reardon and Nancy Dussault fare somewhat better, and Reardon even gets to introduce “Make Someone Happy.” But the blaring Styne overture is all fanfare and no substance, and the 11-o’clock number “All of My Life,” sung by a heavy-breathing Silvers, doesn’t earn its right to breast-beat. Apparently, a lot of the show’s virtues were visual in Silvers’ shtick, Walker’s reactions, and a nubile assortment of chorus girls. Of course, none of that comes through on disc. — Marc Miller

Do-Re-Mi-LondonOriginal London Cast, 1961 (Decca/TER/Sepia) 3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5) The middling Styne score doesn’t sound any more impressive as performed on the other side of the Atlantic, but it picks up some arresting oddities in this briskly conducted album. Most jarringly, in a very New York show filled with lyrical references to Far Rockaway, Brooklyn, and Dinty Moore’s, the mostly Brit cast makes no attempt at New York accents. Billed above the title is Max Bygraves, a mugging music-hall comic who manages to be a restrained and affecting Hubie; there’s real wistfulness in his “All of My Life.” The comedienne Maggie Fitzgibbon’s vocal part lies uncomfortably for her, and she makes some very painful noises. Jan Waters, an attractive ingénue, is sturdily partnered by the big-voiced American Steve Arlen in a sweet duet. Some cuts in the overture and a slightly thinned-out orchestra hurt this thin score not a bit.  — M.M.

Do-Re-Mi-encoresEncores! Concert Cast, 1999 (DRG) 3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5) City Center’s enterprising musicals-in-staged-concert series had a go at Do Re Mi in 1999, and the cast album of that production improves markedly on the original. For starters, Nathan Lane has more voice than Phil Silvers, and he probably inhabits this type of burlesque-influenced conniver better than anyone alive today. This is also a more complete recording than RCA’s; the lead-in dialogue and extra songs (“He’s a VIP,” “Who Is Mr. Big?”) help us make more sense of the flimsy plot, and the score is followed by a bonus track of a 10-minute interview with the songwriters from the 1960 recording session. Brian Stokes Mitchell’s creamy baritone sells the ballads, and Heather Headley is sweetly understated opposite him. She’s also fine in the send-up of 1950s pop-awfulness “What’s New at the Zoo?” As Kay Cram, Randy Graff works hard, but she’s not the intuitive comedic genius that Nancy Walker was. Paul Gemignani conducts with his customary snap.  — M.M.

Doonesbury

Doonesbury-editOriginal Broadway Cast, 1983 (MCA) 2 out of 5 stars (2 / 5) For the stage musical version of his political-satire comic strip, Garry Trudeau fashioned his own book and lyrics, proving himself to be a surprisingly adept lyricist. He elicits honest laughs with “Another Memorable Meal,” about Mike Doonesbury’s pathetic culinary attempts, and “Complicated Man,” in which Honey and Boopsie torch about their difficult boyfriends. Nor does Trudeau leave out the satire, scoring anti-Reagan-era points in “Real Estate” and “It’s the Right Time to Be Rich.” Unfortunately, these savories are wedded to the shapeless, tuneless rock meanderings of composer Elizabeth Swados, who also did the clattering orchestrations. And while this is nominally a book musical, there’s very little narrative or character development in it; the ballads bob around on the surface, sounding like nothing more than Lite-FM selections. As rock musicals go, this one has more vocal power than most: Laura Dean’s Boopsie is a standout (especially in “I Can Have It All”), and Ralph Bruneau displays an attractive high tenor as Mike. Broadway notables Mark Linn-Baker and Barbara Andres get their chances, too, although the latter is paired with the vocally uncertain Kate Burton in an unmoving mother-daughter reconciliation number. The show was a bit small-scale for Broadway, which may have accounted for its short run, but the cast album is an evocative, cheeky time capsule. If there were some way to divorce Trudeau’s lyrics from Swados’ music, I might revisit it more often. — Marc Miller

Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope

Cope-editOriginal Broadway Cast, 1972 (Polydorl/no CD) 2 out of 5 stars (2 / 5) Here’s an example of the sort of show that’s much more effective onstage than on record. It was easy to get caught up in a live performance of this revue, which sometimes seemed like a revival meeting. As recorded, though, Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope emerges as little more than a collection of R&B numbers, all presented with the same intensity. There’s a tremendous sameness to the material. Micki Grant, who won great acclaim for her songs (and who later wrote some of the best material in Working), heads the cast, which also includes Alex Bradford, Hope Clarke, Bobby Hill, and Arnold Wilkerson.  — David Wolf

Don’t Play Us Cheap

CheapOriginal Broadway Cast, 1972 (Stax, 2LPs) 1 out of 5 stars (1 / 5) This Melvin Van Peebles musical is as different from his earlier Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death as it could be. Though plotless, the earlier show is dramatic and intensely theatrical, whereas Don’t Play Us Cheap tells a friendly, comical story of two imps who give their souls to the devil. Before they can qualify as full-fledged demons, they must prove their skills by wrecking a party; so they crash a Harlem affair, but their efforts to create mayhem are complicated when one imp falls in love with a young woman who’s throwing the party. The numbers embrace jazz, blues, gospel, pop, and R&B. The cast album, originally released as a two-LP set, contains the entire score, including seven instrumental selections. Unfortunately, the songs don’t function dramatically, and the piece is too loosely constructed to have any real impact. The imps are played by Joe Hughes, Jr. and the legendary Avon Long, the latter charming as ever in his only solo, “The Phoney Game.” Esther Rolle and Rhetta Hughes are heard as the women who give the party. — David Wolf

Donnybrook!

DonnybrookOriginal Broadway Cast, 1961 (Kapp) 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) This musical based on the movie The Quiet Man was a spirited but unsuccessful show. Donnybrook! did boast an excellent cast that included Susan Johnson, Eddie Foy Jr., and Art Lund, plus a wonderful score by Johnny Burke, who achieved fame by penning terrific lyrics to the music of Jimmy Van Heusen and others for dozens of Hollywood musicals. The songs are tuneful, funny, and romantic. “I Wouldn’t Bet One Penny,” “Ellen Roe,” “A Quiet Life,” “Dee-lightful Is the Word,” “The Loveable Irish,” “Sez I,” and “He Makes Me Feel I’m Lovely” may not be household titles, but they are excellent examples of Broadway songwriting at its best. Joan Fagan brings great spirit to several of the Burke ballads. Johnson, one of the theater’s top belters, also shows warmth and vulnerability here; she and Foy have a wonderfully charming comic rapport. And Lund sings with feeling, if not quite the requisite amount of theatricality. The album, which has not been officially transferred to CD as of this writing but is available through iTunes, sounds clear and immediate — but note that it was recorded in the heyday of the stereo-separation craze, so everyone sings left or right of center. Make an effort to find the recording and get acquainted with its many charms.  — Ken Bloom

A Doll’s Life

dolls-lifeOriginal Broadway Cast, 1982 (Original Cast Records! Bay Cities) 3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5) A Doll’s Life is about what happened to Henrik Ibsen’s Nora after she slammed the door at the end of A Doll’s House. Betty Comden and Adolph Green wrote the book and lyrics, Larry Grossman wrote the music, and Harold Prince directed. The show opened on Broadway to terrible reviews and closed after five performances — but, fortunately, it was recorded. There’s a lot that’s wrong with the score, but also a lot that’s very right with it, as the cast album reveals. Most outstanding is Betsy Joslyn in the enormously taxing central role. Nora’s songs range from low belt through mid-range mix to high soprano. The character’s progression from frightened doll-wife through many bedrooms and boardrooms to successful business woman before she finally returns home to confront her husband is charted with dramatic and musical complexity, and Joslyn is more than up to the role’s challenges. She’s expressive in her heartfelt “Letter to the Children,” probing in “Learn to Be Lonely,” sensual in “No More Mornings,” triumphant in “Power,” and urgent in “Can You Hear Me Now?” These excellent solo pieces alone would make this recording worthwhile, but there are also fine performances by Peter Gallagher, particularly effective in “Stay With Me, Nora,” and George Hearn, who lends his authoritative baritone to “You Interest Me.” Most of the score has an operatic flavor — it even includes a mini-opera called “Loki and Baldur” — so it’s not surprising that all the supporting cast members have strong, legit voices. So, what’s wrong with A Doll’s Life? Well, a few numbers don’t work at all, and may even cause a groan or two. Of course, you can skip around at will on a recording, and this recording is definitely worth a try. — Jeffrey Dunn

Do I Hear a Waltz?

Waltz-OBCOriginal Broadway Cast, 1965 (Columbia/Sony) 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) Stephen Sondheim has often bad-mouthed Do I Hear a Waltz? — perhaps because it can’t compare to his trail-blazing hits, and also because Sondheim apparently wrote some lyrics that were not acceptable to composer Richard Rodgers and, therefore, didn’t make it into the show.  But while Arthur Laurents’ book is a bit of a confused bore, the Rodgers-Sondheim score is really good. The musical is an adaptation of Laurents’ play The Time of the Cuckoo. The story: Spinster Leona Samish (Elizabeth Allen) travels to Venice and meets attractive Renato Di Rossi (Sergio Franchi), but she isn’t trusting enough to allow herself to fall in love with him. The show starts briskly with “Someone Woke Up,” Leona’s claim that she’s ready for anything. It continues well with “This Week, Americans,” in which the proprietor of the pensione at which Leona is staying (Carol Bruce) charms her guests. “What Do We Do? We Fly,” a sharply humorous group number about transatlantic air travel, follows. Rodgers gets in his bolt-of-lightning ballads with “Someone Like You” and “Take the Moment,” as well as the lovely title song — a waltz, natch. Also enjoyable is “Bargaining,” in which Renato teaches Leona the ins and outs of shopping in Venice. Only “We’re Gonna Be All Right” seems like filler, but there’s a reason for that; see below. — Peter Filichia

Waltz-PasadenaPasadena Playhouse Cast, 2001 (Fynsworth Alley) 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) On this recording, Steve Orich’s brisker musical direction helps make Do I Hear a Waltz? sound like a hit. Alyson Reed and Anthony Crivello have more personality than their Broadway counterparts, and what fun it is to hear Carol Lawrence on a cast album after too long an absence, playing the landlady of the pensione. Only Tina Gasparra, as her maid, disappoints as she tries much too hard to sound comic. There is one significant, unfortunate cut: “Bargaining” was a charming song, and an important one because it made us like Renato, so it’s a shame to lose it. On the other hand, there’s a nifty reprise of “This Week, Americans” and other additions and restorations. Most notably, the previously excised lyrics of “We’re Gonna Be All Right” make an incisive and sophisticated song out of what had just been a pleasant throwaway number. If these lyrics are an indication of what Sondheim was forced to eliminate at Rodgers’ insistence, we can begin to understand why the guy can’t stand this show.  — P.F.

Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?

Patent-LeatherOriginal Broadway Cast Members, 1985 (Bay Cities/Original Cast) No stars; not recommended. No matter how “informed” the writer of a review is, the critique is largely a matter of opinion. Or as Cole Porter put it, “I like Offenbach, you do not / So what? So what? So what?” Which is my way of explaining that I greatly dislike Do Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?, even though I know the show has been hugely successful in stagings around the country and is, in fact, the longest running musical ever to play Chicago. It’s certainly possible that I would respond more favorably to it if I had attended parochial school or were a Catholic — or if, like the show’s main character, I’d fallen in love with a girl in the fifth grade, watched as she became a nun and then, years later, reunited with her after she left the convent. Not having had those experiences, I view this musical as unevocative nostalgia without the slightest bit of insight or wit. For the record, the music and lyrics are by Alaric Jans and James Quinn, the book by John R. Powers.  — David Wolf

Funny Girl

Funny-Girl-OBCOriginal Broadway Cast, 1964 (Capitol/Angel) 5 out of 5 stars (5 / 5) It’s rare that we have concrete recorded proof of the exact moment when a performer became a legend, but that’s the case with the original Broadway cast album of Funny Girl. Yes, this recording of the Fanny Brice biomusical has that wonderful collection of Jule Styne-Bob Merrill songs; vivid performances by Sydney Chaplin as Nick Arnstein, Kay Medford as Fanny’s mother, Danny Meehan as her showbiz pal Eddie Ryan, and Jean Stapleton as a family friend; a killer overture, more than good enough to rival Gypsy’s; Ralph Burns’ opulent orchestrations; and Milton Rosenstock’s excellent musical direction/conducting. But what matters most is Barbra Streisand, who deservedly shot to super-stardom playing Brice. She’s never been fresher or more appealing than she is here in “I’m the Greatest Star,” “Cornet Man,” “Who Are You Now?”, “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” “The Music That Makes Me Dance,” and the definitive rendition of “People.” Streisand uses her sprawling belt, liberally doused with her natural tenacity and eccentricity, to make these songs sound like no one else should even think about singing them for fear of paling in comparison. Even so, her ambitious approach to the songs is always held in check by a complete commitment to character. More than 50 years after this cast album was made, Streisand’s  performance still represents the best of what Broadway can be, and propels the recording from “excellent” to “essential.” — Matthew Murray

Funny-Girl-STFilm Soundtrack, 1968 (Columbia/Sony) 3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5) It’s fascinating to compare Barbra Streisand’s performances on the original Broadway cast album and the film soundtrack of Funny Girl. Though only about four years passed between the two recordings, the star’s approach to these songs changed drastically, no doubt partly because she was tailoring her renditions to the film medium, but also because Streisand’s performance style had already at that point started to become far more self-aware — some might say self-indulgent — than the thrilling, raw talent she had displayed on Broadway. The quality of her phenomenal voice itself is at its zenith on the soundtrack recordings of “People,” “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” etc., and the comedy of such songs as “I’m the Greatest Star,” “His Love Makes Me Beautiful,” and “You are Woman, I am Man” is far funnier than on the OBC recording, thanks to better timing and more sharply honed comic chops. But some listeners may find Streisand’s embellishments of some of the vocal lines to be a bit much here. One example of several: When she sings “Lovers are very special people,” swooping down to the bottom of her vocal range on the second syllables of both “lovers” and “people,” she sounds more like a show-off pop or jazz singer than a credible character in a musical. On top of all this, changes to the song stack have tilted the balance of the film and the album even more sharply toward Streisand: a new, mediocre title song and the not-especially-funny comic number “The Swan,” both by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, have been added, along with the Fanny Brice signature songs “I’d Rather Be Blue” and “My Man,” those latter two additions arguably damaging the integrity of the Styne/Merrill score. Meanwhile the cutting of such Broadway numbers as “Who Taught Her Everything,” “I Want to Be Seen With You,” and “Find Yourself a Man” have eliminated almost all solo singing from anyone else in the film; the two significant exceptions are “If a Girl Isn’t Pretty,” featuring Kay Medford as Fanny’s mother and Mae Questel as Mrs. Strakosh, and “You Are Woman, I Am Man,” in which Omar Sharif as Nicky Arnstein has a lovely if brief duet with Streisand. For the record, three Styne/Merrill songs that Streisand sang in Funny Girl on Broadway — “Cornet Man,” “Who Are You Now?” and “The Music that Makes Me Dance” — have also been axed, so please turn to the OBC album to enjoy those. On a positive note, the soundtrack orchestrations are lovely and lush without being syrupy. Given the sales figures for this recording, it’s obvious that many people — including this reviewer — love it for what it is, but it’s probably best enjoyed as an album of “Barbra Streisand Sings Songs from Funny Girl” rather than the soundtrack of a film musical. —  Michael Portantiere

London Cast, 2016 (Decca) 2 out of 5 stars (2 / 5)  Before Funny Girl‘s first Broadway revival (or, rather, revisal) in 2022, director Michael Mayer and writer Harvey Fierstein headed the creative team of a London production in 2016. Originating at the Menier Chocolate Factory, this was the first time the West End has seen the show since Streisand debuted it there following her Broadway triumph. The production starred Olivier Award winner Sheridan Smith, and was enough of a success with critics and audiences that it resulted in a cast recording and laid the groundwork for the Broadway transfer with Mayer and Fierstein still at the helm, but with an entirely different cast (see review below). While there are some enjoyable elements to this album, many of the same problems that would plague the Broadway production are evident here, and sadly, almost all of the changes made to the song stack are for the worse. Smith, who’s had multiple successes in musicals on the West End, is a mixed bag as Fanny Brice. On the plus side, she’s naturally funny and gives the character a unique spin that’s separate enough from Streisand without altering the DNA of the material. Her “You are Woman, I am Man” and “His Love Makes Me Beautiful” are fun as Smith makes a meal of the comedic fodder. Her voice, however, is strong only intermittently; while she can carry herself through most of the uptempo numbers (“Cornet Man,” “I’m the Greatest Star”), Smith has difficulty floating any of Fanny’s ballads (“People,” “The Music That Makes Me Dance.”) Darius Campbell is a decent Nick Arnstein, but he’s unfortunately saddled with “Temporary Arrangement,” a song that was cut from the original Broadway production of Funny Girl out of town and should never have been restored. Chris Walker’s orchestrations sound much fuller here than on the subsequent Broadway recording, and the tempi are not as sped through. While this recording isn’t by any means a disaster, it’s far from essential listening. — Matt Koplik

Broadway Cast, 2022 (Masterworks Broadway) 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) Although Funny Girl was a hit on stage and film, it had a rough road returning to Broadway, the consensus being that Barbra Streisand’s performance in the central role of Fanny Brice had cast too large a shadow over the property. When the show finally came back in 2022, the headliner was Beanie Feldstein, primarily known for her work in television and film. Both the production and Feldstein’s performance were maligned by critics, many finding the design elements cheap and the star’s voice wanting for a score that demands excellence, and Feldstein departed quickly. Enter Lea Michele, whose performance was praised despite some controversy surrounding her reported bad behavior and lack of professionalism in previous projects, and Funny Girl’s fortunes immediately turned around, resulting in a mostly rewarding cast album. On the downside: Although the orchestra was augmented for this recording, it still sounds shallow, and Chris Walker’s orchestrations are more miss than hit. (The overture sounds especially anemic.) This production, like its London predecessor, incorporated musical and textual changes from the show as originally written, with a revised book by Harvey Fierstein. Unfortunately, these changes are mostly for the worse. Ramin Karimloo is a suave Nick Arnstein, even if his modern-sounding tenor clashes somewhat with the classic style of Jule Styne’s score and, as was the case with his London counterpart, he benefits not at all from the reinstatement of the song “Temporary Arrangement.” On a brighter note, Karimloo does beautiful work when singing with Michele, as in a duet version of “Who Are You Now?” (previously a solo for Fanny). Tovah Feldshuh brings authentic New York Jewish grit to Mrs. Brice, and Jared Grimes is charismatic as Eddie, but it’s Michele who makes this album an essential listen with a true star turn. If listeners detect hints of Streisand in some of her vocal inflections, that’s to be expected, as many of  Streisand’s signature indulgences have become synonymous with the material. Michele attacks “I’m the Greatest Star” and “Cornet Man” with driven energy, then settles down and lures in the listener with “People” and the score’s other pensive ballads — just like Babs. And when Michele gets her determined grip on “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” you feel as if you’ve heard her wring every ounce of juice possible from one of the musical theater’s greatest Act I finales. It may have taken nearly 60 years, but cast album collectors finally have another quality Fanny Brice to enjoy. – M.K.

City of Angels

City-of-Angels-OBCOriginal Broadway Cast, 1990 (Columbia/Sony) 5 out of 5 stars (5 / 5) Cy Coleman’s blending of 1940s musical styles — swing, blues, film noir soundtrack, and more — with David Zippel’s deft and witty lyrics helped make City of Angels one of the best musicals of the 1980s. This excellent recording preserves Billy Byers’ hot orchestrations and the performances of an almost ideal cast. Gregg Edelman’s rich, rangy baritone is exciting in the songs written for author/screenwriter Stine; René Auberjonois finds plenty of oily comedy in the role of Buddy Fidler, flim-flam film producer extraordinaire; and Scott Waara’s smooth tones are ideal for radio crooner Jimmy Powers. Rachel York as Mallory and Dee Hoty as Alaura both give dynamic performances, but Hoty is hampered by the exclusion from the recording of one of her big numbers. The major standouts are the show’s Tony winners: James Naughton’s easygoing manner and voice are just right for film detective Stone; and Randy Graff, playing two “Girl Friday”-type secretaries, walks away with the show’s brashest and funniest number, “You Can Always Count on Me.” The Naughton-Edelman duet “You’re Nothing Without Me” is another highlight. Only Kay McClelland, playing both Stine’s wife and Stone’s longtime flame, is just adequate, although her two songs — “It Needs Work” and the torchy “With Every Breath I Take” — are well written. The cast album’s most significant flaw is the omission of much material that would have balanced the characters and illuminated the show’s razor-sharp humor. Still, this is an essential recording of a top-notch Coleman score. Don’t stop listening until “Double Talk Walk,” some of Broadway’s best-ever exit music, has finished playing. — Matthew Murray

City-of-Angels-LondonOriginal London Cast, 1993 (RCA) 2 out of 5 stars (2 / 5) With almost every important musical moment of City of Angels captured, and enough of Larry Gelbart’s incisive dialogue included to set the scenes, this is the kind of recording that should have been made of the original Broadway production. Unfortunately, the performances here leave much to be desired, with most of the cast over-emoting in both speech and song. Henry Goodman, superb as Buddy, makes this work only because his character is so far over-the-top to begin with. The style feels far less organic to the other performances, with Roger Allam a particularly uncomfortable Stone and Susannah Fellows (Alaura), Fiona Hendley (Gabbi/ Bobbi), and Haydn Gwynne (Oolie/Donna) doing little better. Martin Smith keeps his Stine grounded, but his 11-o’clock number, “Funny,” is a restrained disappointment here. Even if the cast’s problems with American accents and 1940s speech patterns come through, this recording’s more thorough documentation of the score makes it useful as a companion, if not a substitute, for the otherwise superior Broadway recording.  — M.M.

A Chorus Line

A-Chorus-LineOriginal Broadway Cast, 1975 (Columbia/Masterworks Broadway) 5 out of 5 stars (5 / 5) In 1975,  A Chorus Line was a phenomenon. The conception of the show began with Broadway wunderkind Michael Bennett’s idea that there might be a musical to be made from the stories of the lives of Broadway’s dancers, a group that was undervalued and overlooked at the time. Bennett got together a bunch of these “gypsies,” many of whom would go on to be in the original company of A Chorus Line, and urged everyone to talk about their lives, all the while taping the conversations. From those tapes, Bennett along with librettists James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, composer Marvin Hamlisch, and lyricist Edward Kleban shaped the material through a series of workshops at The Public Theater. Both achingly real and thrillingly theatrical, the show premiered there to ecstatic reviews and quickly moved to Broadway, where it became a massive hit. The setting is an open audition of dancers for an unnamed Broadway musical, during which the show’s director, Zach, sets his final 16 hopefuls in a line and proceeds to inquire about their lives. Some of the dancers offer humorous anecdotes (“I Can Do That”), others share painful stories (the moving “At the Ballet”). From beginning to end, this original Broadway cast recording feels like lightning in a bottle. The definitive cast performs with a gumption that’s palpable to the listener, expressing each character’s desire to dance and their need get the job. As Cassie, a veteran dancer who’s hoping for a second chance at her career and who also has a complicated history with Zach, Donna Mckechnie is exceptional. (She won a Tony Award for her performance. )Though we don’t get to see any of her beautiful dancing here, her vocals are the most impressive of any Cassie, and the sheer desperation in her delivery of “The Music and the Mirror” resonates deeply. There’s also Priscilla Lopez as the bouncy Diana, Kelly Bishop as the cynical yet vulnerable Sheila, Sammy Williams as the conflicted Paul, and Pamela Blair as the brassy Val — but, truthfully one could keep going on and on about each cast member’s contribution. The score remains a classic, with Kleban’s conversational lyrics seamlessly flowing in and out of dialogue as Hamlisch’s melodies display great variety in style and emotion, from pulsating anxiety (the opening “I Hope I Get It”) to classic show biz razzle-dazzle (the finale ,“One”). Though the grand montage “Hello Twelve, Hello, Thirteen, Hello Love” is only represented here in chunks, and the music-and-dialogue sequence “And…” wasn’t recorded at all, there are no serious complaints about this truly great cast album. Fun fact: Due to the small budgets for the workshops, Bennett was unable to afford a solo orchestrator to work on the entire show, so he instead hired three — masters Hershy Kay, Jonathan Tunick, and Bill Byers — to individually orchestrate various musical numbers. The fact that the work of these three men never feels disjointed and comes together as a beautiful whole is representative of the theme of A Chorus Line in general. — Matt Koplik

acl-movieFilm Soundtrack, 1985 (Casablanca/Polygram) No stars; not recommended.  With its inherent theatricality and non-traditional story structure, A Chorus Line was always going to be a difficult property to adapt for the screen, even in the best of hands. But that hardly excuses Richard Attenborough’s bafflingly misguided interpretation. The soundtrack recording provides numerous examples of the film’s wrongdoings, which include giving “What I Did For Love” to Cassie as a solo and replacing “The Music and the Mirror” and the “Hello Twelve…” montage with, respectively, the inferior “Let Me Dance For You” and “Surprise, Surprise.” Also unfortunate are Ralph Burns’ synthesizer-heavy orchestrations. In fairness to Burns, though his work here is busy and rather cheap sounding, anyone who watches the movie (but why would you?) can see that the director and producers were aiming for a hip, modern, ’80s look and sound, so it’s likely they imposed that vision on the Broadway-favorite orchestrator.  Director Attenborough managed to cast an able company of dancers, but his and screenwriter Arnold Schulman’s terrible creative decisions bar any of them from truly succeeding. While Allyson Reed does a commendable job as Cassie, having her sing the show’s anthem, “What I Did For Love,” as a solo was, as noted, a huge misstep; it robs the company of the proud defense of their sacrifice for their art and instead puts a tighter spotlight on Cassie, so that the story suddenly becomes very specific rather than achieving the universality  that Michael Bennett fought hard for in the original stage show. Similarly, while Gregg Burge as Richie does his best with “Surprise, Surprise,” that number focuses purely on one character’s sexual awakening, rather than offering detailed glimpses into the adolescence (the pain, the humiliation, the joy) of each dancer on the line. For film students, A Chorus Line provides a textbook example of how not to adapt a successful musical to the screen. For Broadway fans, you’re better off pretending this soundtrack recording doesn’t exist. — M.K.

aclBroadway Cast, 2006 (Masterworks Broadway) 3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5) If the original cast album of A Chorus Line provides a rush of adrenaline, this respectful recording plays like a reference guide for those who might be new to the score. Just about every note and every lyric is carefully set down — though “And…” is still sadly unrepresented — with a cast that makes sure not to impose negatively on the Chorus Line legacy. While this approach is a far more welcome alternative to that of the disastrous movie version, it makes for a rather bland recording. From the piano intro of “I Hope I Get It” through to the grand finale, “One,” the listener can sense the conductor, cast, and orchestra taking great pains to not have a single hair out of place. This delicate attitude takes away much of the energy and urgency that make A Chorus Line so compelling, and it keeps most of the very talented company from putting their own personal spin on their characters. That said, there are some major highlights here. As Diana, Natalie Cortez offers an impassioned and vulnerable interpretation of “Nothing,” and if Jessica Lee Goldyn isn’t quite as brassy as Pamela Blair, her “Dance: Ten, Looks: Three” is comically endearing. Best of all, for the first time, the “Hello Twelve…” montage is recorded in its nearly 20 minute entirety! If nothing else, that alone makes this recording essential for Broadway fans. — M.K.

A Christmas Carol

Christmas-CarolOriginal Stage Cast, 1993 (Columbia/Sony) 3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5) The Alan Menken-Lynn Ahrens musical version of A Christmas Carol lit up Madison Square Garden for 10 seasons, and though the production’s spectacle played a vital role in its success, this recording documents the fact that an enjoyable score may also have had something to do with it. The adaptation is very straightforward; Menken and Ahrens’ took few liberties with Charles Dickens’ classic story. There are the requisite numbers for Scrooge’s feelings about Christmas as compared with those of his neighbors, his meetings with the ghosts of Christmases past, present, and future, and his eventual change of heart. The score is unremarkable, but that’s OK; songs like “The Lights of Long Ago” and “Christmas Together” are pleasant enough, “Mr. Fezziwig’s Annual Christmas Ball” is an attractive toe-tapper, and “A Place Called Home” is a charming, tuneful duet for the young-adult Scrooge and his lady love. Walter Charles is nothing short of ideal as Scrooge, acting and singing with all the necessary crotchety conviction. He leads a cast that includes such Broadway names as Christopher Sieber, Bill Nolte, Robert Westenberg, Ken Jennings, and Emily Skinner. This recording makes for an enjoyable, if not quite essential, listen during the holidays or at any other time of the year. — Matthew Murray

Christmas-CarolTelevision Cast, 2004 (JAY) 3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5) Television adaptations of musicals are frequently mixed bags, given the perceived need for stars whom viewers will instantly recognize but who may or may not be well suited to their roles. However, many of the casting choices made for the 2004 Hallmark Entertainment version of the Menken-Ahrens A Christmas Carol were as savvy as they were starry, and this recording captures the best of their work. Jane Krakowski’s focused, empathetic performance as the Ghost of Christmas Past makes her big solo, “The Lights of Long Ago,” a major highlight. Jason Alexander is a showily threatening Marley. Jesse L. Martin is obviously having a ball as the Ghost of Christmas Present, and his “Abundance and Charity” is abundant with joy. Edward Gower and Jacob Moriarty sound just right as Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim, respectively. Stage favorites Brian Bedford, Claire Moore, Linzi Hately, and Ruthie Henshall score in their smaller roles, the last particularly so as Scrooge’s Mother, delivering a lovely and poignant “God Bless Us Everyone.” On the recording, Scrooge is a somewhat diminished presence, so you don’t hear a ton of Kelsey Grammer, but what’s here is loaded with well-calculated grump if not all the gusto one wants from the role. A lush, full orchestra plays Michael Starobin’s lively orchestrations under the baton of Michael Kosarin. — M.M.

Cats

Cats-LondonOriginal London Cast, 1981 (Geffen) 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) Before it became a joke, Cats was a true phenomenon. While Trevor Nunn’s direction placed spectacle above emotion and story, the show has a better score than it’s usually given credit for. T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats may not have been a natural choice for musicalization; still, Andrew Lloyd Webber found some remarkably creative ways to get Eliot’s feline characters to sing, whether in the style of straight-out pop (“The Rum Tum Tugger”), mock-operetta (“Growltiger’s Last Stand”), or a host of others. The magical (and highly electronic) overture, the rapidly shifting strains of the lengthy first-act Jellicle Ball, and the lush finale “The Ad-Dressing of Cats” all help to make this a musical theater score full of variety and invention. Even the now standard “Memory” works within the weird universe created by the half-posthumous collaboration of Eliot and Lloyd Webber. Here, that song is delivered beautifully by West End diva Elaine Paige as Grizabella, the Glamour Cat — the character who ties together the show’s story about junkyard strays meeting to decide which of them will be reborn into a new, presumably better life. Paul Nicholas’ Rum Tum Tugger, Brian Blessed’s Old Deuteronomy (and Bustopher Jones), and Kenn Wells’ Skimbleshanks also provide lots of fun. This recording of Cats captures the ineffably English tone of the piece, and is a highly entertaining listen. — Matthew Murray

Cats-BroadwayOriginal Broadway Cast, 1983 (Geffen) 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) One of the longest-running musicals in Broadway history, Cats is also the most inherently English of all the mega-musicals of its era, and so the unconvincing Brit accents and American vocal mannerisms of the original Broadway company do not lend this recording much authenticity. Still, with a cast this good, it barely matters. Betty Buckley is a worthy successor to Elaine Paige as Grizabella, and her “Memory” is one of the most powerful on record. (Many singers have recorded the song as a stand-alone piece.) Ken Page is particularly charming as Old Deuteronomy; future stars Terrence Mann and Harry Groener do very good work as the Rum Tum Tugger and Munkustrap; and Timothy Scott and Anna McNeely as Mr. Mistoffelees and Jennyanydots are delightful. Of special note is Stephen Hanan, whose hilarious Bustopher Jones, heartbreaking Gus, and dynamic Growltiger make him a standout. As is the case with the London album, this one is missing a certain amount of material, including some dance music and “The Awful Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles.” But the superb cast and knockout orchestra, under the musical direction of Stanley Lebowsky, make it sound fresher and more vibrant than its predecessor.  — M.M.

Film Soundtrack, 2020 (Republic) No stars; not recommended. Tom Hooper’s film adaptation of Cats is a true movie musical disaster, the director providing a master class in how to make every wrong artistic decision from the word “go.” As he did with his film version of Les Mis, Hooper once again required his cast, packed with misused talent, to sing live on set, so as to make the performances seem more “authentic” and less “fantastical.” Did no one tell him this was Cats? Part of what made the stage musical a worldwide phenomenon was its ability to take audiences away from reality; not since Attenborough’s A Chorus Line has a director so misunderstood the assignment. Even without watching the CGI hellscape that Hooper created on screen, one can understand why the film is so critically maligned just from listening to this soundtrack album. Every song is sung with trepidation, as if the cast is never sure what their starting note is or if they’ll even have the breath support to get through it. Performers such as Rebel Wilson (“The Old Gumbie Cat”), Laurie Davidson (“Mr. Mistoffelees”), and Sir Ian McKellen (“Gus: The Theatre Cat”) play with the rhythms and note values of their songs so much that they’re practically unidentifiable. The enlarged orchestrations are fussier and somehow sound more dated than the 80’s originals. A new song for the movie, “Beautiful Ghosts,” was written by Webber and Taylor Swift (who also makes a brief appearance singing “Macavity”) and is sung by a clearly embarrassed Francesca Hayward as Victoria; Swift’s lyrics are filled with empty poetry, and Webber’s melody evaporates into the air. On the credit side, Jason Derulo has fun as Rum Tum Tugger, and Jennifer Hudson delivers a solid if not exceptional “Memory.” But with iconic renditions by Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley already preserved, a solid “Memory” isn’t enough to make this soundtrack even tolerable. Better it be taken to the pound. — Matt Koplik

Caroline, or Change

CarolineOriginal Broadway Cast, 2004 (Hollywood Records, 2CDs) 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) Tony Kushner writing the book and lyrics for a musical full of inanimate objects? If you did not see Caroline, or Change onstage, you may have difficulty getting past the novelty of a singing washing machine, dryer, radio, bus, and moon — but once you do, this show is revealed to be an attractive and often emotionally explosive folk opera. Jeanine Tesori supplies intriguing and highly listenable music, heavily steeped in the styles of the show’s 1963 setting, for this tale about the relationship between a black woman named Caroline Thibodeaux and the southern Jewish family that employs her as a maid. Tonya Pinkins gives an earth-shaking, all-encompassing performance as Caroline, making the emotionally and musically difficult score sound easy and reaching stratospheric heights in her monumental, five-minute-long, 11-o’clock number “Lot’s Wife.” She receives solid support from such Broadway notables as Veanne Cox, Chuck Cooper, and Alice Playten, while Tony Award-winner Anika Noni Rose is impressive as Caroline’s daughter. Although many of the individual songs are striking in their own right — including the youthfully catchy first-act finale “Roosevelt Petrucius Coleslaw” and “The Chanukah Party,” with its already immortal lyric “Chanukah, oh Chanukah / Oh Dreydl and Menorah! / We celebrate it even though / It isn’t in the Torah!” — this recording is best experienced straight through from beginning to end. — Matthew Murray

Broadway Cast, 2022 (Broadway Records, 2CDs) 3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5) Caroline, or Change was not properly appreciated when it premiered on Broadway in 2004, as its complex and uncompromising presentation of race relations proved a hard sell for many audiences and critics. In the years since, the musical’s themes have only grown more relevant, and the quality of the material has finally been recognized by its winning the Best Musical Olivier Award for the London premiere production (a transfer from Broadway) and then, years later, via a much-lauded London revival that eventually was brought to Broadway by the Roundabout Theatre Company. That production yielded this new cast recording, and since the revival made many critics change their tune about this near-opera and give it the high praise it always deserved, you’d think that the cast recording would rival or even surpass the original. But while the singing here is stronger overall (Caissie Levy, in particular, is wildly overqualified vocally for the role of Rose Stopnick), there’s a controlled, studied quality to the proceedings that keeps the album from greatness. While director Michael Longhurst’s production included more elaborate staging than George C. Wolfe’s original, and featured some odd design choices, the recording shows that this revival was extremely faithful to the material as written and performed in 2004, even using the same flawless orchestrations. Joseph Joubert, a co-orchestrator on the original, is on hand as music director, conducting the score crisply but with little fire. Sharon D. Clarke, the lone British performer who transferred with the production, is perhaps more in command of her voice than Pinkins, but her Caroline seems more calculatedly mean; whereas the character’s unpleasantness in Pinkins’ performance seemed to stem from pain and exhaustion, Clarke’s Caroline often sounds like a brooding shark, lying in wait to snap at anyone who crosses her path. It’s an interesting interpretation of the role, though arguably less engaging. On the other hand, Tamika Lawrence proves to be a scene stealer as Dotty, and Harper Miles, Nya, and Nasia Thomas tear into the collective role of The Radio with vocal ferocity. For a work as richly rewarding as Caroline, any new interpretation is welcome; so if this recording doesn’t surpass the original, it’s well-enough done to stand alongside it as a point of comparison and an opportunity to explore more facets to this masterwork. — Matt Koplik

Bounce

BounceOriginal Cast, 2004 (Nonesuch) 2 out of 5 stars (2 / 5) Stephen Sondheim’s first new musical in nearly a decade, Bounce was highly anticipated when it played Chicago and Washington in 2003. Though this recording benefits from the lack of John Weidman’s book, the score doesn’t sound appreciably better here than it did onstage, despite a good orchestra conducted by David Caddick and a top-notch cast including Howard McGillin, Richard Kind, Michele Pawk, Gavin Creel, Herndon Lackey, and Jane Powell. What’s missing is a sense of vivid inspiration, although there are a few nice selections. The title song, sung by McGillin and Kind, is catchy; McGillin and Pawk have an attractive duet in “The Best Thing That Ever Has Happened”; and “Addison’s City” and “Boca Raton” make up an entertaining musical scene that chronicles the Florida land boom. Otherwise, the music has uncomfortable echoes of Sondheim’s superior work in such shows as Sweeney Todd(a vamp in the title song recalls “By the Sea”) and Merrily we Roll Along (Jonathan Tunick’s orchestrations could have been lifted from that show). There’s much here to appreciate, but little to love; Sondheim’s previous scores set the bar so high that a middling effort like this one just doesn’t seem quite good enough. [Ed. Note: Sondheim and Weidman later rewrote this show and retitled it Road Show; see separate review of the recording of that version.] — Matthew Murray

Divorce Me, Darling

Divorce-OriginalOriginal London Cast, 1964 (Must Close Saturday) 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) If you saw The Boy Friend and wondered what happened to its characters 10 years later, Sandy Wilson answered that question with this delightful “1930s musical” sequel. It starts with the four “perfect young ladies” exclaiming, “Here We Are in Nice Again.” All the other characters eventually turn up in various disguises. Along the way, both stage and film musicals of the ’30s are affectionately spoofed with catchy pastiche songs. The original London cast is perfection, but it should be noted that Patricia Michael (playing Polly) was “indisposed” during the recording sessions; two of her numbers are sung by Jenny Wren, who does a fine job. The only original Boy Friend cast member in this show was Geoffrey Hibbert as Lord Brocklehurst, who delivers the hilarious “On the Loose.” Other highlights: the title song, performed by almost the entire cast; the mysterious Madame Kay (Joan Heal) in the sultry “Blondes for Danger”; Polly’s lament, “What Ever Happened to Love?”; Bobby’s sly seduction of Polly, “No Harm Done” (Cy Young); and the rhapsodic/comedic “Back Where We Started.” — Jeffrey Dunn

Divorce-ChichesterChichester Festival Cast, 1997 (JAY) 3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5) Composer-lyricist Sandy Wilson writes in his notes for this recording that he was not happy with the original West End production of this show, but now, 32 years later, “I have seen Divorce Me, Darling come to life.” In the interim, Wilson had rewritten the book for a small production in 1979; that version is recorded here, and is now the standard performing edition. The recording features several musical theater stalwarts, among them Liliane Montevecchi as Mme. Dubonnet, Ruthie Henshall as Polly, Tim Flavin as Bobby, Linzi Hately as Hortense (the maid from the Villa Caprice, where the “perfect young ladies” were “finished”), Kevin Colson as Percival, and Marti Webb as Hannah-Bobby’s sister, a new character. The album has the same tune stack as the original London cast recording with the addition of “Back to Nature.” Many of the songs have revised lyrics, additional dance music, and lead-in dialogue. Wilson wrote an excellent 1930s pastiche score for Divorce Me, Darling, and this recording does it justice. If I have a slight preference for the previous recording, I wouldn’t want to be without either.  — J.D.

Destry Rides Again

Destry-OBCOriginal Broadway Cast, 1958 (Decca) 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) Harold Rome’s whip-cracking western musical comes complete with good guys, bad guys, saloon girls, respectable prostitutes, and gun fights. The atmospheric Decca cast recording stars Andy Griffith in his only Broadway musical role and Dolores Grey as saloon singer Frenchy, the latter belting up such a storm that it’s a wonder she managed to get through eight performances a week. On CD, from the first notes of the rousing overture, there’s an added crispness that was always lacking on the LP. This only adds to the pleasure of hearing Griffith’s “Tomorrow Morning” (with some great sound effects) and his comedic, double-talking “Only Time Will Tell.” But the album is dominated by Grey’s songs, most notably the sinuous “I Know Your Kind,” the soul-searching ballad “I Say Helio,” and one of the more thrilling examples of this singer’s style: “Fair Warning.” The two leads duet effectively in “Anyone Would Love You” and the plot-motivated reprise of “Once Knew a Fella.” The production number “Are You Ready, Gyp Watson?” is effective even without its brilliant Michael Kidd choreography; “Respectability” is a charming musicalization of what it means to work in a bordello; and “That Ring on the Finger” gives Grey, Rosetta LeNoire (as her spunky maid), and the “working girls” a chance to let go joyously at the prospect of Frenchy getting married. Almost every song on this lively cast album is a winner. — Jeffrey Dunn

Destry-LondonOriginal London Cast, 1982 (JAY) No stars; not recommended. It took Destry Rides Again almost a quarter-century to get from Broadway to London. In the interim, the musical theater had changed greatly on both sides of the Atlantic, so it’s not surprising that what used to be a show with lots of dancing girls, prostitutes, and cowboys was downsized. The London cast of 19 had only three women, which meant the deletion of “Respectability. ” Almost all cast members doubled as the show’s band; the orchestration is reduced to what sounds mainly like guitars and violins with a bass, harmonica, trombone, and a barely audible piano. This approach has a calamitous effect on the score, and musical director Chris Walker must take at least some of the blame for it. Alfred Molina is low-keyed and ineffective as Destry, while Jill Gascoine sounds pained as Frenchy; her singing grates on the ear, and she only partly compensates with her acting. Harold Rome wrote a wonderfully tuneful score for this show, but this recording manages to disguise that fact.  — J.D.

A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine

Hollywood-UkraineOriginal Broadway Cast, 1980 (DRG) 2 out of 5 stars (2 / 5) Can so trite and scattershot a revue about the joys of moviegoing really have charmed Broadway audiences for 588 performances? Apparently, thanks to a bright young cast including David Garrison and a Tony-winning Priscilla Lopez, and some clever staging by Tommy Tune. But the first half, on disc at least, is dreary indeed: a salute to Richard Whiting here, a tap-danced Production Code number there, some middling additional songs by Jerry Herman (although Lopez does shine in “The Best in the World”), and only Wally Harper’s excellent piano arrangements to spice up the Dick Vosburgh-Frank Lazarus score. Things perk up greatly in Act II, a version of Chekhov’s The Bear as it might have been filmed with the Marx Brothers. Garrison is a super Groucho, Peggy Hewett a model Margaret Dumont, and “Samovar the Lawyer” (“I’m wise to all the loopholes / I haven’t any scroop-holes”) a piece of special material so funny that Groucho himself might have pounced on it. But the ingenuousness is over-peddled — young lovers Kate Draper and Stephen James are actively annoying — and, throughout, the movie satire points are excruciatingly obvious. Still, the recording does have some nice moments, mostly from Lopez and Garrison.  — Marc Miller