Original Off-Broadway Cast, 2026 (Center Stage Records) (2.5 / 5) Listeners looking for a standard, story-driven musical theatre score will instead find here one that values dreamlike atmosphere over a linear narrative. The plot of Picnic at Hanging Rock, centered on a group of Victorian-era Australian schoolgirls whose Valentine’s Day excursion in 1900 results in three of them vanishing without a trace, acts as a launchpad for psychological ambiance rather than a traditional mystery. In that way, the musical closely mirrors its source material, a 1975 film which proved that tension and the inexplicable are far more potent than typical horror movie tropes. Composer Greta Gertler Gold and lyricist/book writer Hilary Bell do their best to capture that mood in the score, and so the cast album doesn’t lend itself to casual listening; it’s more of an acquired taste, requiring multiple listen-throughs for full appreciation. When the score succeeds, it does so largely through unique orchestrations and strong vocal arrangements. Gold utilizes the ensemble of students to construct a wall of sound that feels both innocent and ominous, perfected in the song “Ode to Saint Valentine.” The music serves to set the mood and reflect the characters’ mental unraveling, and as a result, some listeners may find it struggles to toe the line between “atmospheric” and “noisy.” Due to the ensemble nature of the piece, it’s tough to find standout performances on the recording, but Erin Davie is praiseworthy as the stern headmistress who’s trying to keep control of the school, while Gillian Han and Titianna Córdoba excel as two of the schoolgirls who go missing. Outside of this small circle, the individual voices mostly blend into the background. On the whole, this musical succeeds as an adaptation of its source material, but the cast album rarely results in a pleasurable listening experience in its own right. — Forrest Hutchinson