Pat Cerasaro - Page 217

This week, we are taking a listen to the sparkling new cast recording of the hit 2009 Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim & Hugh Wheeler's A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC. While tickets are hard to come by due to the star-wattage on display each night at the Martin Beck, Tommy Krasker & Co. at PS Classics have given us an embarrassment of riches with this near-note-complete, 2-disc recording of the Sondheim masterpiece.

This week, continuing our show-by-show analysis of the entire canon of Stephen Sondheim's theatre scores, we are taking a listen to the various cast recordings of that other legendary musical Sondheim helped to create early in his career, a show which is currently wowing them every night in its hit revival at the Broadway Theatre, WEST SIDE STORY.

This week, we are taking a listen to the brand-new release of the first single from the forthcoming soundtrack to the motion picture musical BURLESQUE starring Christina Aguilera, Kristen Bell, Stanley Tucci and Cher. This very catchy and mildly caustic confection is Aguilera's first song in the film and expertly establishes the everything-old-is-new-again nature of the production, with brassy blasts sounding off over a herky-jerky hip-hop-style beat. The anachronisms in the lyrics and musical pastiche styles work very well, indeed. Aguilera's vocals are as excellent as expected and this proves to be a very positive precursory glimpse into the wild, sexy, willpower-building world of BURLESQUE. So, please, do as the song says and 'get your ass up and show me how you burlesque!'

This week, both in memory of the real-life Baby June, June Havoc, who passed away this week, as well as a precursory introduction to a multi-part series critiquing the entire canon of all major Sondheim cast albums available in anticipation of the late April opening of the new review SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM (currently in previews at Studio 54), we are taking a listen to the various cast recordings of the major productions on Broadway/West End of GYPSY over the last fifty years. GYPSY was, of course, one of the first scores on Broadway boasting lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and whether a leading lady the likes of Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters or Patti LuPone, it is a score unlike any other before or since and a true pinnacle of not only musical theatre, but all theatre, on Broadway and beyond. Some may even say the greatest musical of all...

One of my most cherished theatrical memories is seeing DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES in previews starring an unbelievably talented and brand-new talent named Mandy Gonzalez who has since gone to star in IN THE HEIGHTS, and just this week took the lead role of Elphaba in WICKED...

This week we are taking a listen to one of Broadway's brightest stars Laura Bell Bundy, late of HAIRSPRAY and LEGALLY BLONDE, who is hoping for some pop/country-crossover success with her latest, for all intents and purposes, double-album...

This week we are taking a listen to two wonderful releases from Broadway and West End luminaries John Barrowman and Elaine Paige. Though both have appeared on Broadway, Barrowman in PUTTING IT TOGETHER and Paige in SUNSET BLVD as well as an acclaimed appearance in SWEENEY TODD at City Opera, they are best known for their fantastic work on the West End stage, Barrowman having created roles in MATADOR and THE FIX and Paige having a legendary career creating such impressive roles as Evita, Piaf, Grizabella in CATS, Florence in CHESS, as well as THE DROWSEY CHAPERONE and other appearances in addition to a multi-decade recording and concert career. This could not be a more prescient time to discuss either of these two powerful performers: Paige, with her excellent weekly radio show on BBC Radio, and Barrowman with an upcoming multi-episode arc on ABC's DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES beginning this Sunday...

This week we are taking a look at the just-released cast album of the new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical sequel, LOVE NEVER DIES, which has proven to be among many phans and theatre fans, in a word, divisive. Be sure to check out last week's Phantom Round-Up for a rundown of the original PHANTOM OF THE OPERA as it stands on disc if only because it is beneficial to have at least a tertiary knowledge of that show‘s score in order to fully appreciate the music here... And what rich, rapturous music it is!

In this week's Flashback Friday we are allaying to Oscar-fever and taking this opportunity to share a splendid turn from one of the most versatile and cherished actresses of our age, whether on film, television, or stage - the latter of which you can catch her eight times a week in the hit revival of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC.

This week we are talking a trip to the Paris Opera and visiting some old friends on the eve of their re-appearance in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical sequel LOVE NEVER DIES, but before that review next week (clue: it's truly phantastic, with an 'f' and a 'ph'!) let us take a look at the best and most notable recordings of the score of the original show, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, including the Original London Cast Recording, the Canadian Highlights recording starring Colm Wilkinson, the 2004 Film Soundtrack, as well as two solo albums by the show's original stars, Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman...

This week's Flashback Friday entry comes as an Internet Interest submission from a legendary music producer and stage/television veteran director, with an additional entry provided partly by the magic of YouTube. As we shall soon see, we are in store for quite a tasty, thrilling treat!

This week, we are taking a listen to a pair of crossover theatre/pop stars who have two timely new releases. Both performers have been featured in the Olympics this year, Wilkinson's 'This Is The Moment' from the JEKYLL & HYDE concept album and Brightman's Olymptic green theme, 'Shall Be Done', playing prominent roles in the proceedings. Also, both performers were involved in the original 1985 Sydmonton workshop of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and just this week the curtain went up on the sequel to the Andrew Lloyd Webbber mega-hit, LOVE NEVER DIES. Both engaging entertainers continue their winning streaks, so to say, with these recent efforts...

Taken from a 1974 television special titled 'Mitzi... A Tribute to the American Housewife' comes this week's entry, a very bizarre and somewhat risqué reworking of 'The Little Things You Do Together' from Stephen Sondheim & George Furth's COMPANY.

This week we are taking a look at two thrifty releases that come from very different places, from two very different performers with wildly divergent intended goals for their work. A definite case of a hit and a miss, if there ever were any. Up first is the strong debut from the first-ever female Pirelli in SWEENEY TODD...

This week, we are introducing a new BWW column, an extension of SOUND OFF!, in which we will highlight clips exhibiting particular interest to the theatre-loving ones among us. In addition to a selection made at my own discretion, I will also be accepting submissions for an additional Internet Interest selection each week

Probably my favorite recording of my all-time favorite Christmas song, Frank Loesser's 'Baby, It's Cold Outside!', is the barn-burning opener to one of the best Christmas albums out there, Broadway Cares' HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS. While Christmas may be passed, and Valentine's Day just around the corner, it certainly warms the heart a bit to think that the audible affection affected by Alan Cumming and Liza Minnelli on that track spills over into real life, as they happen to be the best of friends. This week we will take a look at Alan Cumming's first solo album, I BOUGHT A BLUE CAR TODAY and Liza's just-released concert film which was recorded at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas late last year, around Christmastime, LIZA'S AT THE PALACE...

This week, we are taking a trip to the West End, analyzing the cast recordings of the two biggest new musical hits on the boards, both based on successful and very music-centric films, SISTER ACT and PRISCILLA: QUEEN OF THE DESERT, and both showcasing songs in a seriously 70s soul/funk/disco style. We will go from the soaring sonorous heights of Heaven to the dungeon-like depths of musical Hell with these two entries...

This week we are taking a listen to the new Off-Broadway rock musical ROOMS: A Rock Romance and the revival cast recording of FINIAN'S RAINBOW. From Scotland to Ireland, and back to Broadway, we, quite joyfully, jaunt...

Let's take a look at two new recordings of a song from the forthcoming Green Day rock opera AMERICAN IDIOT that is now available on iTunes as well as the cast recording for the new Broadway musical MEMPHIS, which is available at the theatre, stores and on iTunes.