There are few composers as closely associated with New York and the Broadway stage as George Gershwin. Gershwin, who died at the tragically young age of 38 from a brain tumor, is the quintessential New York composer, with songs such as 'Summertime' (from Porgy And Bess) and 'Rhapsody In Blue,' to name a couple, eternally linking him to the city and its environs. The double-disc compilation The Essential George Gershwin (Sony Classical/Legacy) opens with Gershwin himself performing the composition 'Prelude No. 2 For Piano.' The 40 remaining tracks are interpretations of Gershwin songs by a stellar assortment of vocalists, all of whom more than do the material justice. From obscure ('Oh, Lady, Be Good' by Buck & Bubbles, 'Nice Work If You Can Get It' by Maxine Sullivan, 'How Long Has This Been Going On?' by Felicia Sanders, and 'I'll Build A Stairway To Paradise' by Georges Guetary) to more familiar artists ('The Man I Love' by Billie Holiday, 'I've Got A Crush On You' by Ella Fitzgerald,' 'They All Laughed' by Tony Bennett, 'It Ain't Necessarily So' by Aretha Franklin, and of course, Michael Feinstein performing 'Home Blues'), the songs retain their timeless qualities. Living songwriting legend Diane Warren contributes a brief essay to the liner notes about Gershwin's longevity.
Lyricist Alan Jay Lerner (My Fair Lady, Camelot, Brigadoon and others) is given a spectacular tribute by Broadway actor Brent Barrett on his CD The Alan Jay Lerner Album (Fynsworth Alley). Barret, who counts recent productions of Annie Get Your Gun, Chicago, and Kiss Me, Kate among his many stage roles, got the idea for this album after an Encores! concert presentation of On A Clear Day You Can See Forever. He even opens the disc with 'Come Back To Me,' a song from that show. There is a nice mix of the familiar ('They Call The Wind Maria' from Paint Your Wagon, 'I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face' from My Fair Lady, 'I Remember It Well' from Gigi, which is performed as a duet with Lauren Bacall) and the obscure ('Economics' from Love Life, 'Anyone Who Loves' from Dance A Little Closer, and 'Tell Me, Tell Me' from Lolita, My Love). Barrett's homage to Lerner, like Julie Andrews's 1996 similar release, is a long overdue salute to the well-respected lyricist.
While none of Lerner's musicals are currently playing on Broadway, there are still plenty of revivals from which to choose. Man of La Mancha: The New Broadway Cast Recording (RCA Victor) is from the 2002 revival of the 1965 Tony Award-winning musical adaptation of the Miguel de Cervantes book Don Quixote. Sounds like a pretty lofty and serious subject for a musical, but the show did succeed in creating some memorable songs (written by Joe Darion and Mitch Leigh), including 'Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote),' 'Dulcinea,' and of course, 'The Impossible Dream (The Quest),' all performed by Brian Stokes Mitchell. This revival cast also includes Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (as Aldonza) and Ernie Sabella (as Sancho).
Flower Drum Song—The New Broadway Cast Recording (DRG) features a new book written by David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly), based on the original 1958 book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joseph Fields. Yet another musical that is connected to the Richard Rodgers centennial (Rodgers wrote the music), this revival is also significant for the cultural changes since the musical first debuted on Broadway more than 40 years ago. There is still an air of levity (it doesn't get much campier than 'I Enjoy Being A Girl,' does it?), but the message about the immigrants' struggle to assimilate is still present. Lea Salonga (the original Kim in Miss Saigon) is romantic lead Mei Li.
Almost 20 years after Linda Ronstadt played Mimi in a Broadway production of La Boheme, there are people who are still trying to sell opera, and more specifically Puccini, to young, hip audience members. The 'rock' musical Rent, loosely based on La Boheme, succeeded because the music was 'contemporary,' and spoke to an audience raised on rock and pop music. Knowing his film work (Moulin Rouge, Romeo & Juliet, Strictly Ballroom), it's no surprise that Baz Luhrmann's production of La Boheme is visually spectacular. But keep in mind that in 1896, when Giacomo Puccini's opera La Boheme made its debut, opera was akin to being the pop music of that time. That is not the case now, and it remains to be seen whether The Original Cast Recording of Baz Luhrmann's Production of Puccini's La Boheme on Broadway (Dreamworks) will have the same popularity that the accompanying music from his films have enjoyed, and whether it will speak to the fans of Eminem, Missy Elliott or Avril Lavigne.
Two vastly different geographical locales are the settings for George C. Wolfe's Harlem Song: Original Apollo Theater Cast Recording (Columbia) and The Beautiful Game: Original Cast Recording (Decca Broadway). Harlem Song, a musical history lesson, beginning in the Harlem section of New York in 1920, is a rich and bountiful assemblage of songs performed by a sensational cast of vocalists and dancers. The Beautiful Game, written by Andrew Lloyd Weber and Ben Elton, tells the story of a football (soccer) team in Belfast, Ireland, in the late '60s and early '70s, set against a backdrop of the violence and unrest.
The trend of converting movies into stage musicals took a decidedly unusual turn with Debbie Does Dallas: Original Cast Recording (Sh-K-Boom). Sherie Rene Scott, who played Amneris on Broadway in Elton John's Aida, is high school cheerleader Debbie who needs to raise money to get to Dallas where she has been accepted as a Texas Cowgirl. Debbie and her four cheerleader friends get minimum-wage jobs, but discover that they can earn more money by doing the nasty with the sex-starved men of their middle-American home town. The cast recording intersperses dialogue from the musical, along with songs such as 'Small Town Girl,' 'The Dildo Rag,' 'I Wanna Do Debbie,' and 'Dallas … I'm Coming.'
If there ever was a musical that isn't on Broadway yet, but definitely belongs there, it's Poseidon! An Upside Down Musical. I've seen the Hell In A Handbag Productions' debut creation twice and look forward to seeing it again. It's easily the best and funniest musical comedy adaptation of a movie (The Poseidon Adventure) since The Producers. It's also the gayest, with homoerotic humor swimming throughout the script and the songs (written by David Cerda and Scott Lamberty). Poseidon! An Upside Down Musical: Original Cast Recording (www.handbagproductions.org) opens with the glorious introductory number 'Poseidon' in which young boy-toy Robin (Joshua Campbell) introduces us to the cast through his eyes. There are a couple of wonderful ensemble numbers, including the rousing 'Airpockets' and the dramatic post-capsize ballad 'An Ordinary Day.' However, the most memorable songs are the solos, such as 'Bachelor Haberdasher' sung by Mr. Martin (Joe Waterman) and 'Shut Up!' sung by angry crew member (Derek Czaplewski) and the nurse (Brigitte Ditmars), with the best ones being 'Just Panties' sung by the Stella Stevens reformed-hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold character Linda Rogo (Tracy Repep) and 'In The Water I'm A Very Skinny Lady' sung by Steve Kimbrough who does the best Shelley Winters as Belle Rosen that you've ever seen. (www.handbagproductions.org)
