VIDEO: London Cast Recording of WORKING to Be Released Next Week

By: Feb. 23, 2018
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Ghostlight Records will release the Original London Cast Recording of Stephen Schwartz's WORKING on Friday, March 2. The album is being released following a hugely successful run at Southwark Playhouse, directed by Luke Sheppard in Summer 2017. This will be the first recording of WORKING since the Original Broadway Cast Recording in 1978 and will feature never-before-released tracks by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Starting today, Friday, February 23, customers that pre-order the digital album on iTunes and Amazon will immediately receive the Lin-Manuel Miranda-penned track "A Very Good Day," in addition to the previously-available song, Stephen Schwartz's "It's An Art." To pre-order the album, please click HERE.

The European Premiere production featured an outstanding ensemble cast of notable British theatre performers, and created six new roles, all filled by graduates making their professional debut. Since launching their careers in WORKING, they have gone on to successful theatre and film projects across the country. The production has been Nominated for Best Off West End Production at the Whats On Stage Awards, and as a finalist for the Off West End Awards of Best Musical Production, and Peter Polycarpou for Best Male Performance.

The recording will include all original London cast members: Gillian Bevan, Dean Chisnall, Krysten Cummings, Siubhan Harrison, Peter Polycarpou and Liam Tamne, as well as Patrick Coulter, Nicola Espallardo, Izuka Hoyle, Luke Latchman, Huon Mackley and Kerri Norville.

Stephen Schwartz said of the album: "I'm delighted that not only has this superb cast of Working been preserved, but that there is finally an album that includes the wonderful new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. For me, an album of this new version of the show is long overdue and very welcome."

The album was recorded live at Southwark Playhouse with additional recordings at Abbey Road Studios. It was engineered and co-produced by Jack Chown at No.1 Baltic Place. Orchestrations are by Alex Lacaimore with additional orchestrations for this production and album by Martin Higgins.

WORKING was produced by Jack Maple, Ramin Sabi, Christopher Ketner, & D.E.M. Productions who all additionally produced the album with Isaac McCullough, and additionally Stephen Schwartz as Executive Producer.

WORKING is the extraordinary genre-defining musical based on Studs Terkel's best-selling book of interviews with the American workforce: Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do. The show has been adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso, the creators of Godspell and Rags, with additional contributions by Gordon Greenberg.

This highly original and universal portrait of the American workday is told from the perspective of those that the world so often overlooks - the schoolteacher, the housewife, the fireman and the waitress, amongst many - whose daily grind and aspirations reflect the truths of the people that make up a nation. WORKING employs a range of musical styles and genres from contributing composers, including five-time Grammy Award-winner James Taylor and Pulitzer Prize-winner Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, In The Heights), as well as Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Mary Rodgers & Susan Birkenhead.

WORKING first opened on Broadway in 1978, under the direction of Stephen Schwartz, with a cast including Patti LuPone, Bob Gunton, Joe Mantegna, David Patrick Kelly and Rex Everhart. The show has since undergone several revisions, with additional songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda being introduced in 2009. WORKING was last performed off-Broadway in December 2012, under the direction of Gordon Greenberg (Holiday Inn, Guys and Dolls, Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris).

WORKING was choreographed by Fabian Aloise with Set Design by Jean Chan, Costume Design by Gabriella Slade, Lighting Design by Nic Farman and Sound Design by Tom Marshall, with Musical Supervision by Alex Parker, Musical Direction by Isaac McCullough and Casting by Will Burton CDG.

The new production at Southwark Playhouse was performed by arrangement with Music Theatre International (Europe) Limited.

Ghostlight Records has become the leading independent force in Original Broadway Cast Recordings - building a library of over 150 records in the last 17 years, featuring some of the most successful Broadway musicals and solo albums by Broadway's brightest stars. Founded by Grammy Award winner Kurt Deutsch, Sh-K- Boom/Ghostlight has won Grammy Awards for The Book of Mormon, In the Heights and Beautiful - The Carole King Musical. Other notable releases include cast recordings for 2017 Tony nominee Falsettos, 2016 Tony nominees Bright Star and She Loves Me and 2015 Tony nominee Something Rotten! as well as Disney's Newsies. The label has also released solo albums from Patti LuPone, Billy Porter, Sutton Foster, Adam Pascal, Lea DeLaria, Kelli O'Hara, Ben Vereen, Christine Ebersole and more. The label continues to support the new generation of musical theatre composers with their extensive relationships with David Yazbek, Michael John LaChiusa and Michael Friedman, as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tom Kitt, Pasek & Paul, Joe Iconis, Ryan Scott Oliver, Shaina Taub, Dave Malloy, Kerrigan & Lowdermilk and Adam Gwon. Sh-K-Boom Entertainment is a producer of the acclaimed film version of The Last Five Years, written and directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan. The label recently became part of the new Arts Music division at Warner Music Group. www.GhostlightRecords.com



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