Amanda Prahl

Broadway World album critic Amanda Prahl reviews the new Ahrens and Flaherty musical KNOXVILLE.

Amanda Prahl examines all-new UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN, the good, the bad, and the triumphant.

The live cast recording, recorded on their (new) opening night, captures the unique energy that has turned Six from quirky online phenom to Broadway hit.

With some catchy tunes and a talented cast, the cast recording of Love in Hate Nation is a valiant effort, but it never quite rises to standout status.

The experience of listening to the soundtrack to Netflix's adaptation of tick, tick... BOOM! is a highly specific one, and all the more emotional for that specificity.

With her second holiday album, Happiness Is… Christmas!, Kristin Chenoweth puts her own unique spin on the classic Christmas collection

Diana attempts a throwback-pastiche score with baffling moments of camp to tell the story of an uber-famous blonde whose relationship with the press both made her and destroyed her. And, like Bombshell, the score to Diana vacillates between quite off-the-mark and genuinely affecting.

By this point, it feels like every major musical name has produced some kind of “pandemic project”. With Tom Kitt & The Collective's new album, Reflect, there’s a refreshing lack of gimmick to it.

The team of Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Zippel, and Emerald Fennell have created a new version of Cinderella that's actually quite fun, sometimes lovely, and consistently catchy.

SUF/SOND puts a new spin on classic Sondheim tunes, giving them the soft indie-folk treatment. It’s a creative and often intriguing exercise that gives a new perspective on these iconic tunes, although it’s not flawless across the board.

Fangirls, Yve Blake’s tongue-in-cheek satire, parodies both fan culture and the historic dismissal of the interests of young women. It’s a smart, intriguing show with a catchy score that makes you laugh as much as it makes you think.

Far from being musical heresy, R&H Goes Pop! instead serves as a reminder of how Rodgers and Hammerstein were at the forefront of musical theatre during their time, and how their music is truly timeless.

The experience of listening to a Josh Groban album is not dissimilar to the experience of watching one of those classic ‘90s romantic comedies. There’s a warmth and familiarity to both, a reassurance that what you’re getting is heartfelt and genuine, even if it’s not reinventing the wheel. That’s exactly what it’s like listening to Groban’s latest album, Harmony.

Within the first few lines of the opening song of Salad Days, the mini-musical already tells you exactly what it’s going to be: a delightful, deliberately modern comedy that lightly pokes fun at the markers of urban millennial life.

Kyle Taylor Parker’s Broadway Soul, Vol. 2 features all the familiar Broadway songs you love, but with a unique take that makes them feel fresh again.

Estella Scrooge has several strong elements: a talented cast giving it their all, catchy music, and witty lyrics. But an inconsistent tone and too many wink-wink references prevent the album from becoming more than the sum of its parts.

The Prom's movie soundtrack is largely a well-made version of Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin’s score, although it occasionally seems to prioritize glitz and polish over the scrappy joys of its stage predecessor.

Bright spots in 2020 have been few and far between, but 'Legacy,' a previously-unreleased pair of song cycles from Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, is definitely one of the year’s unexpected highlights.

“Spring will come again” may be one of the most iconic lines in Hadestown, but the cast’s new holiday album 'If the Fates Allow' proves that they’re just as talented in the winter chill as in the bloom of spring.

Michael Ball and Alfie Boe are here with a perfect soundtrack for the season, Together at Christmas. The duo of stage icons are teaming up again for an album of holiday favorites, and although there are a few missteps along the way, the end result is, mostly, a pleasantly charming addition to your holiday music rotation.