Talkin' Broadway Sound Advice Recap Week of 8/4/20 (updated 8/7/20)

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Please note that scheduling changes due to the coronavirus pandemic are being made as soon as we are aware of them. But there may be further changes in release dates in the future, as things play out.

See the complete list of Upcoming/Recent releases.

Earlier recaps:

2020: July 28, 21, 14, 7 | June 30, 23, 16, 9, 2 | May 26, 19, 12, 5 | April 28, 21, 14, 7 | March 31, 24, 17, 10, 3 | February 25, 18, 11, 4 | January 28, 21, 14, 7

2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015


CDs Now Available:

The Andrews Sisters in Hollywood
(Sepia Records - on 2 CDs)
Rare film studio recordings The Andrews Sisters made for filming and not released commercially. Most tracks have never been available till now. 50 tracks.

The Merry Widow
(Sepia Records - on CD)
Score by Franz Lehar. Remastered recording from 1962, translated into English by Merl "Ted" Puffer and Deena Cavalieri and first time on CD. Featuring Lisa Della Casa, John Reardon, Laurel Hurley, Charles K. L. Davis, Paul Franke, Howard Kahl, Paul Richards. The American Opera Society Orchestra and Chorus. Franz Allers, conductor. Margaret Hillis, choral conductor. "Opening Chorus," "We Are Alone," "Hanna's Entrance," "Maxim's," "Finale Act I," "Vilja," "Soldier Boy," "Women," "Love In My Heart," "Finale Act II," "Grisettes," "Merry Widow Waltz / Finale Act III." Bonus tracks: "Ave Maria" (Lisa Della Casa), "Ave Maria! Jungfrau Mild" (Lisa Della Casa). In stereo.

Vietgone
(LATW - Audiobook on CD/Audible Edition/)
Play by Qui Nguyen. L.A. Theatre Works production recorded before a live audience at the UCLA James Bridges Theater in February 2020. Will Dao, Desiree Mee Jung, Greg Watanabe, Paul Yen, Jeena Yi. Directed by Tim Dang. Original music by Shane Rettig. Released 7/29/20.


DIGITAL MUSIC Now Available:

Shine (Instrument of Hope)
(Broadway Records - digital single on mp3/at iTunes)
Music and lyrics by Sawyer Garrity and Andrea Peña. The Instrument of Hope is a trumpet crafted from spent bullet casings to help keep the conversation about gun violence prevention on the main stage. Sawyer Garrity and Andrea Peña lead vocals, with Marjory Stoneman Douglas H.S. Drama Dept. Choir, Melody Herzfeld- program director. Album cover design by Manny Oliver, father of Joaquin Oliver, and founder of ChangeTheRef.org. Featuring 66 top trumpeters. Music produced, arranged and orchestrated by Kim Scharnberg. Executive Producers: Shine MSD. Released 7/31/20.

Sophia Anne Caruso: Toys
(Brookside - new digital single on mp3/at iTunes)
Beetlejuice actress performs song by Nick Littlemore and Henry Hey. Released 5/22/20.


Books Now Available:

Stage Money: The Business of the Professional Theater 2nd edition
(Univ of South Carolina Press - Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
Revised and updated version of Tim Donahue and Jim Patterson's 2010 book. Guide to understanding professional theater finances today through the use of the tools and metaphors of the business world at large. Includes the latest financial information and illuminating examples of key concepts, and has been enhanced with a discussion of the stagehands' union plus a new chapter on marketing for the theater. Foreword by Ken Davenport.

Theresa Rebeck, Complete Plays, Volume 5 2011-2019, Volume 5
(Smith & Kraus - Paperback Book)
The Nest, Poor Behavior, The Way of the World, Seared, Bernhardt/Hamlet, Downstairs, and Fool. 643 pages.


Recordings RECENTLY MADE AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER:

Small House No Secrets Composers Cut
(Disappear Records - new on CD)
From SONiA disappear fear new musical which debuted at the Kennedy Center in 2019 (Page to Stage series), then was produced in Baltimore and is in pre-production in Germany, Australia and Hawaii. Recorded by SONiA for the actors.


Books/Plays RECENTLY MADE AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER:

The Phantom of the Opera Collection
(Titan Comics - Hardcover Book)
Fully authorized graphic novel adaptation by Cavan Scott, illustrated by José María Beroy, of the Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart, Richard Stilgoe original libretto.

The Queen of Tuesday: A Lucille Ball Story
(Random House - new Hardcover Book/Kindle Edition/Audible Audiobook)
By Darin Strauss. "... a fresh view of a celebrity America loved more than any other." Mixes fact and fiction, memoir and novel, to imagine the provocative story of a woman we thought we knew. Darin Strauss and Tavia Gilbert narrators for the audio version. 336 pages.

A Tale of Transformation: Twenty-Five Years of Beauty and the Beast on Stage
(Disney Editions - Hardcover Book)
By Jeff Kurtti. Fully illustrated with concept art, costume designs, behind-the-scenes photography, and other rarities and never-before published visuals, along with text by renowned Disney author historian Jeff Kurtti. Also features a dozen guest essays by creative talents and performers who have been a part of, or been deeply influenced by this landmark cultural work. Disney Editions Deluxe series. 160 pages.

West Side Story the novel
(Gallery Books - Hardcover Book)
By Irving Shulman. The classic novelization of one of Broadway’s most enduring and beloved musicals (based on a conception by Jerome Robbins, book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins), updated with a new cover. 160 pages. Previously released in paperback and audiobook format.





Compiled by Talkin' Broadway Staff.

Corrections and questions may be directed to SoundAdvice@talkinbroadway.com