Was wondering if there is a big difference between the La Jolla and the Papermill productions of the show compared to the cast album? Which one is the closest? Thanks in advance!!!
The cast recording is the Papermill version of the show, but IIRC the only significant difference music-wise between La Jolla and Papermill is a single song (the Thai Mol Pyas/tavern song).
In terms of music, as lambchop mentioned, the only significant change was the tavern song. They changed a few minor things, like putting Esmerelda into the chorus in the opening and giving her a couple of solo lines when it transferred to Papermill, which wasn't the case in La Jolla, but no major differences other than the tavern song. They recorded the Papermill version, and with some dialogue left out or shortened, it's pretty much the full show on the album.