Blackbirds Of 1928 / Shuffle Along (1953 Studio Cast Recording) (Masterworks Broadway/ArkivMusic)
Two shows from the 1920s get a big band spin put on them on this release of two studio recordings from 1953. Cab Calloway and Thelma Carpenter sound absolutely terrific as they offer up a quartet of familiar Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields’ songs from Blackbird, including “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” and “I Must Have That Man,” while Carpenter, Louise Woods, and Avon Long are on hand for the four tunes from Eubie Blake and Noble Sissel’s Shuffle Along, including the rarely heard “Bandana Song” and “Gypsy Blues.”
Darkling (Albany Records)
At first, some of the soundbites that make up vast stretches of Anna Rabinowitz’s libretto for this unique music-theater piece may strike listeners as unbearably pretentious. But stick with this two-disc recording and allow Stefan Weisman’s haunting score for strings wash over you. Indeed, you’ll find that these snippets are the way in which the work gives voice to the lives and memories of Europeans who lived between the first and second World Wars, and before the recording has ended, you may be taken off guard by the surprisingly powerful cumulative effect of the words and music.
Emily Bergl Live at the Algonquin: Kidding on the Square (On the Square Productions)
Bergl (familiar to many from her work on Desperate Housewives) turns back the figurative clock to channel her inner Betty Boop, Gertrude Lawrence and Beatrice Lillie as she uses her pleasant voice and genuinely bubbly demeanor to glide through tunes by the likes of Noel Coward, Rodgers and Hart, and Fats Waller. Along the way, she throws in a curveball or two — such as the Roy Orbison hit “Crying” — but this CD is mostly an affectionate, tuneful trip back to the early years of the 20th Century.
Godspell (New Broadway Cast Recording) (Ghostlight Records)
There’s a delicious and undeniably youthful verve that courses through this new recording of the beloved Stephen Schwartz musical (now on view at Broadway’s Circle in the Square). At its center is the golden-voiced Hunter Parrish as Jesus; however, the ensemble is also sterling, particularly Lindsay Mendez, who offers up a powerful “Bless the Lord”; Telly Leung, who delivers beautifully on “All Good Gifts”; and Morgan James, who brings sizzling sultriness to “Turn Back, O Man.” The entire company is ably supported by Michael Holland’s new orchestrations and arrangements.
How to Survive The Apocalypse: A Burning Opera (burningopera.com)
The classic rock musical Hair seems to have sired a grandchild in this show, which is inspired by the annual event in Nevada known as “Burning Man.” (One character snidely refers to it as a “Mad Max sock-hop in a dustbowl.”) Mark Nichol’s score pulls from an ambitious grab bag of styles: metal brushes up across the operatic; while funk and rock rests pleasantly by relatively traditional musical theater-style writing. Interestingly enough, it all works, and there’s an exuberance in both the performances and in Erik Davis’ lyrics that make the recording rather infectious.
Johnny the Priest (London Cast Recording) (Must Close Saturday Night Records)
Antony Hopkins’ melding of late 1950s pop sounds (for the younger characters) and operetta (generally for their elders) proves to be a remarkably shrewd choice for this long-forgotten musical. The work is based on an equally obscure play by R.C. Sherriff about aimless London teens and the young vicar (sung soulfully by Jeremy Brett) who hopes to help them. The show itself may not be producible today, but there are some genuinely charming tunes in the piece, particularly a specialty number for Hope Jackman, who plays the vicar’s mum with decided earthiness.
Marcy in the Galaxy (Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording)
An aspiring artist finds herself confronting both her past and future in this beguiling and poignant contemporary chamber musical set in a New York City diner. Composer, lyricist, and bookwriter Nancy Shayne’s heartfelt work springs to life effortlessly thanks to the central performance of Donna Lynne Champlin, who glides effortlessly over even the spikiest of Shayne’s melodic lines, making the character’s neuroses seem infinitely lovable. Also on hand are Teri Ralston as Marcy’s concerned mom, along with Janet Carroll and Mary-Pat Green, who provide easily recognizable color as two of the diner’s older denizens.
The Music Box – The music & songs of Gareth Peter Dicks (Escape Records)
Dicks’ gifts as composer, lyricist — as well as orchestrator/arranger — are amply represented on this disc that showcases songs from several of his musicals (including a new one that centers on the infamous case of Jack the Ripper). Impressively, he has an ear for both soaring power ballads and more gentle tunes, and with the lush “The Long Journey Home,” he displays his abilities as writer of extended instrumental pieces. Among the particular highlights on the album are Liam Tamne’s assured delivery of the uptempo “When Will I Know Your Name?” and Gemma Sutton’s rendition of the country-infused “Simple Words.”