Broadway Theater Reviews Page 3

Album Review: A STRANGE LOOP (Original Broadway Cast Recording) is Poignant and Entertaining
by David Clarke - July 08, 2022

A STRANGE LOOP is a refreshing Black, queer fantasia on the artistry of creating modern musical theater. It’s similar to [TITLE OF SHOW], but with more to say....

Album Review: MR. SATURDAY NIGHT Original Cast Album Is Classic Musical Comedy Well Recorded And Released
by Stephen Mosher - June 21, 2022

Craft Recordings/Concord Theatricals has released a well-produced cast recording of the musical comedy that has audiences howling on 41st Street....

BWW Album Review: ASSASSINS (The 2022 Off-Broadway Cast Recording) is Pistol-Smart and Deeply Satisfying
by David Clarke - April 12, 2022

Earlier this spring, Broadway Records released ASSASSINS (The 2022 Off-Broadway Cast Recording), giving fans of Stephen Sondheim our third English language commercially released recording of this brilliant score. Closed early because of Omicron, Broadway Records preserved this cast's wonderfully nua...

BWW Album Review: BETTY BUCKLEY SINGS STEPHEN SONDHEIM Sparkles With Grace and Heart
by David Clarke - March 24, 2022

Marking the passing of legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim and just ahead of the anniversary of his birth, Tony Award winner Betty Buckley released BETTY BUCKLEY SINGS STEPHEN SONDHEIM. Each rendition from Sondheim’s catalog sparkles with Buckley’s grace and heart, making the album a be...

BWW Album Review: SPACE DOGS Is Far Out!
by Courtney Savoia - March 08, 2022

SPACE DOGS is the epic new musical, telling the mind-blowing true story of Laika and the Chief Designer — a stray dog and the top-secret Russian scientist, who sent her to space during the Cold War. Written and performed by Broadway’s Van Hughes and Nick Blaemire, this production is equal parts adve...

BWW Album Review: FLYING OVER SUNSET (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Shimmers Beautifully But Leaves Us Grounded
by David Clarke - March 04, 2022

FLYING OVER SUNSET had the kind of pedigree that made it a must-see show. Yet, many of us missed it. Masterworks Broadway offers theatre lovers a window into the production with FLYING OVER SUNSET (Original Broadway Cast Recording). Despite its beauty, the album exposes why the show shuttered so qui...

BWW Album Review: WITNESS UGANDA (AN AMERICAN MUSICAL) Features Beautiful Vocals and Accessible Lyrics
by David Clarke - February 26, 2022

As presented by Sony Masterworks Broadway on WITNESS UGANDA (AN AMERICAN MUSICAL), the musical surprised me with its catchy musical hooks and rhythms, gorgeous vocal performances, and the universality of its story despite its Biblical references....

BWW Album Review: 'The Sunday Set' Will Keep Your Spirits High All Week
by Courtney Savoia - February 22, 2022

CLUB44 RECORDS recently announced the release of The Sunday Set, the new album from Billy Stritch and Jim Caruso – including an entertaining selection of urbane standards, jazz favorites, and clever comedy numbers. The album, recorded live at The Birdland Theater, features vocals from Stritch and Ca...

BWW Review: THE FOREST, Hampstead Theatre
by Marianka Swain - February 15, 2022

How might Florian Zeller return to the theatre following his Oscar triumph for The Father? London's Hampstead Theatre hosts the world premiere of his latest play, The Forest....

BWW Review: BONNIE & CLYDE IN CONCERT, Theatre Royal Drury Lane
by Abbie Grundy - January 18, 2022

Theatre Royal Drury Lane has allowed its show-stopping hit Frozen to take a short break, making way for an explosive and dynamic concert production of Bonnie & Clyde....

BWW Album Review: FROZEN Star Samantha Barks Bravely Leads Listeners 'Into the Unknown' With Her New Album
by Courtney Savoia - December 28, 2021

Frozen star, Samantha Barks, recently released her latest album, Into the Unknown, under new record label, Westway. The album features selections from a number of contemporary musicals, including Six, Dear Evan Hansen, Jagged Little Pill, Ghost, Mean Girls, Moana, The Greatest Showman, and more....

BWW Album Review: CAROLINE, OR CHANGE (The New Broadway Cast Recording) is Truly Remarkable & Moving
by David Clarke - December 22, 2021

Christmas came early when Broadway Records released CAROLINE, OR CHANGE (The New Broadway Cast Recording) on digital platforms. The stunning two-disc recording captures every marvelous moment of the mostly sung-through score, gifting fans of Broadway a truly remarkable way to access this show no mat...

BWW Review: CABARET, Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre
by Marianka Swain - December 12, 2021

It's the party at the end of the world - and it's the show of the year. Rebecca Frecknall's astonishing revival of John Kander and Fred Ebb's 1966 musical, starring Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley, is truly a revelation, as is the extensive revamp of the Playhouse Theatre....

BWW Album Review: WEST SIDE STORY (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is Rife with Resplendent Performances
by David Clarke - December 10, 2021

Hollywood Records has released WEST SIDE STORY (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). The new soundtrack soars, fully highlighting the brilliance of Leonard Bernstein’s unforgettable jazz and latin infused musical score....

BWW Album Review: Todd Almond's A PONY FOR CHRISTMAS Will Elevate Your Winter Wonderland
by David Clarke - December 03, 2021

Just in time for the Christmas season, Ghostlight Records released Todd Almond’s debut holiday album A PONY FOR CHRISTMAS. The record is an unconventional, folk-pop holiday album that blends Almond’s original compositions with renditions of traditional carols and a few pop surprises. Often more wist...

BWW Review: TICK, TICK... BOOM! Drags, But Is Effective
by David Clarke - November 16, 2021

Written by Jonathan Larson, the theater composer and lyricist made infamous with RENT, the film adaptation of TICK, TICK… BOOM! is sure to garner a lot of attention. The stage version is a rollicking, urgent three-person chamber musical that flies by in a tight 90 minutes. The film is expanded to 11...

BWW Album Review: ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER: SYMPHONIC SUITES Celebrates Art and Creativity
by David Clarke - November 13, 2021

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s scores have remained among the most beloved and most commercially successful music to emanate from the depths of orchestra pits across the world. In a new love letter to the celebrated composer and his enduring music, Decca recently released ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER: SYMPHONIC SUITE...

BWW Album Review: A VERY DARREN CRISSMAS Serves Up the Perfect Cup of Holiday Cheer
by Courtney Savoia - November 12, 2021

Emmy, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild award-winner, and singer-songwriter and activist, who has graced the screen and Broadway stage in popular acts, including Glee, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Hedwig and the Angry In...

BWW Album Review: Scott Alan's 'Nothing More' Celebrates the Joyous, Fulfilling, and Sometimes Messy Parts of Fatherhood
by Courtney Savoia - November 01, 2021

American songwriter, Scott Alan, recently released his ninth album, Nothing More, and partnered with musical director, Ben Cohn, on this special recording that serves as a love letter to his daughter, during her first couple years on Earth. Alan has worked with some of the most talented stars of the...

BWW Album Review: UNKNOWN SOLDIER (Original Cast Recording) is Truly Gorgeous and Evocative
by David Clarke - October 13, 2021

Ghostlight Records released UNKNOWN SOLDIER (Original Cast Recording), one of composer Michael Friedman’s last scores, on Friday, September 24, 2021. Every lush and elegiac note and melody has been pristinely preserved with this truly gorgeous and evocative album....

BWW Album Review: Jennifer Hudson's RESPECT Soundtrack Exquisitely Honors the 'Queen of Soul' and Celebrates Strength in Sisterhood
by Courtney Savoia - September 25, 2021

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but truly getting to know the heart, soul, and essence of a music legend is the ultimate honor. For Oscar-and Grammy-winning actress, Jennifer Hudson, portraying the one and only Aretha Franklin was a serious and cherished commitment. In her...

BWW Review: COME FROM AWAY on Apple TV+ is a Celebration of Humanity and Broadway
by David Clarke - September 08, 2021

On September 10, 2021, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001, Apple TV+ is debuting a stunning stage capture of Broadway’s COME FROM AWAY. Filmed live at Broadway’s Gerald Schoenfeld Theater in May 2021, the film is both a celebration of humanity’s penchant for kindness in the fa...

BWW Review: Kristolyn Lloyd Debuts Heartfelt Music, Affirmations, & Admissions In CONFESSIONS OF A TOKEN BLACK GIRL At Feinstein's/54 Below
by Bobby Patrick - September 03, 2021

One can never be sure in this uncertain world - especially in show business - of how an acting career will look in hindsight; fortunately, along with all the power as a performer she packs into her slight 5’4” frame, this lady (as it turns out) is also a gifted from the gods songwriter. With more t...

BWW Review: Broadway's Day of Reckoning Has Arrived with PASS OVER
by Christian Lewis - August 22, 2021

Pass Over is not the Broadway of yesteryear. This is a new Broadway, both glistening and openly revealing darkness underneath. It is not complacent, uncritical, or simply nostalgic. Perhaps we have finally said goodbye to one incarnation of the Great White Way, and here Pass Over ushers in the next ...

BWW Album Review: Ben Platt's REVERIE Legitimizes His Solo Pop Career
by David Clarke - August 20, 2021

Earlier this month, Ben Platt dropped REVERIE, his second studio album. The irresistible pop project includes the highly lauded and much played singles “Happy to Be Sad” and “Imagine” while further cementing Platt as a legitimate pop musician....