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CDs Now Available:
Anything Goes
(JAY Records - new CD-R/digital album)
Original London revival cast recording of score by Cole Porter. Marian Montgomery, James Kenney, Valerie Vardon, Janet Mahoney, Michael Segal, Bernard Sharpe, Peter Honri, Michael Malnick, April Ashton, Jan Cave, Vivian Sotkes. "Overture," "You're the Top," "Bon Voyage," "It's Delovely," "Heaven Hop," "Friendship," "Let's Do It," "Anything Goes," "Public Enemy Number One," "Let's Step Out," "Let's Misbehave," "Blow, Gabriel, Blow," "All Through the Night," "Be Like the Bluebird," "Take Me Back to Manhattan," "I Get a Kick Out of You," "Finale (You're the Top/Anything Goes)" DIGIMIX. Released 9/8/23.
Digital Music Now Available:
Michael Lee Brown: Way It Used to Be
(new EP)
Michael Lee Brown (Dear Evan Hansen) original songs. "Way It Used to Be," "Lettin' It Play," "Life Can Be."
Books Now Available:
Cinderellas of West 53rd Street: Stories from the Legendary Rehearsal Club
(BearManor Media - Hardcover Book/Paperback/Kindle Edition)
By TRC Charter Alums. Foreword by Blythe Danner. National network of Rehearsal Club "Cinderellas" (coined by TV Guide in the 1950s) came together to tell their stories, spanning four decades, 1940s - 1970s. Captures New York City and Broadway history while charting the journey leading to The Rehearsal Club's incorporation in 2019. Carol Burnett, Blythe Danner and others are recognizable, well-known RC Alums. 264 pages. Hardcover released 4/15/23. Audiobook on CD and Audible Audiobook with bonus materials to be released in January 2024.
C'mon, Get Happy: The Making of Summer Stock
(Univ Press of Mississippi - Hardcover Book)
By David Fantle and Tom Johnson. Foreword by Savion Glover. A comprehensive study of this 1950 motion picture, from start to finish and after its release. The authors discuss in detail the contributions of the cast (which included Gloria DeHaven, Eddie Bracken, Phil Silvers, and Marjorie Main), the director (Charles Walters), the producer (Joe Pasternak), the script writers (George Wells and Sy Gomberg), the songwriters (which included Harry Warren and Mack Gordon), and top MGM executives (Louis B. Mayer and Dore Schary). Features extensive interviews, conducted by the authors, with Kelly, Walters, Warren, and others, who shared their recollections of making the movie. Additional special section called "Taking Stock" that buttonholes numerous contemporary dancers, singers, choreographers, musicians, and even Garland impersonators for their take on Summer Stock, its stars, and any enduring legacy they think the film might have. From Mikhail Baryshnikov, Ben Vereen, and Tommy Tune to Garland's and Kelly's daughters, Lorna Luft and Kerry Kelly Novick, respectively, they offer their unique perspective on the film and its stars. 304 pages.
Reviewing the Situation: the British Musical from Noël Coward to Lionel Bart
(Methuen Drama - Hardcover Book/Kindle Edition)
By John Snelson. Traces what made shows like Oliver!, Me and My Girl, The Dancing Years, Bless the Bride and Expresso Bongo successes in the West End and how their qualities define a uniquely British interpretation of the genre. Detailed case studies, such as The Boy Friend and Bitter Sweet. 208 pages. Released 10/5/23.
Seriously Mad: Mental Distress and the Broadway Musical
(Univ of Michigan Press - Hardcover Book/Paperback/Kindle Edition)
By Aleksei Grinenko. An account of stage musicals' engagement with historically significant theories about mental distress, illness, disability, and human variance in the United States. Shows how theater dramatized serious medical conditions and social problems. Among the many Broadway productions discussed are Next to Normal, A Strange Loop, Sweeney Todd, Man of La Mancha, Dear World, Anyone Can Whistle, Gypsy, Oklahoma!, and Lady in the Dark. 280 pages.
Music to Be Released This Friday, September 13:
Sideways The Musical
(Lakeshore Records/Broadway Records - new on CD)
Original cast recording of score by Anthony Leigh Adams and Rex Pickett. Devin Archer, Ruby Lewis, Ryan Quinn, Emily Goglia, James Byous, Juliette Goglia, Britton Sparkman and Rebecca Jade. "God of the Grape," "There Is Hope," "Hittin' the Road," "Cheap Champagne," "The Life of Wine," "Stomping the Grapes," "No Matter How Low We Go," "Alone," "Infidelity," "Drink a Memory," "New Day," "You're Not the One," "Locked and Loaded," "The Joke's on You," "Without a Man," "On the Ropes," "Drink a Memory / The Life of Wine," "Bacchanal." Digital version released 8/18/23.
Newly Listed Recordings:
November 14:
Spirited Away: Live On Stage
(Shout! Factory - new 2-disc Blu-ray set)
Hayao Miyazaki's animated feature film comes to life in this first-ever stage adaptation. Adapted and directed by John Caird. Features two unique casts and performances filmed during the show's 2022 run at Tokyo's Imperial Theatre. Featuring Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi as Chihiro. 160 minutes.
November 17:
Jersey Boys OBC
(Rhino Records/Arts Music - new 2-LP vinyl set)
First ever vinyl issue of OBC album. Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard, J. Robert Spencer, and John Lloyd Young. Side A: "Ces Soirées-Là," "The Early Years: A Scrapbook," "Cry for Me," "Backup Sessions," "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like a Man," "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)," "My Boyfriend's Back," "My Eyes Adored You"; Side B: "Dawn (Go Away)," "Big Man in Town," "Beggin'," "Medley: Stay/ Let's Hang On!/ Opus 17 (Don't You Worry bout Me/ Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby Goodbye)," "C'mon Marianne," "Can't Take My Eyes Off You ," "Working My Way Back to You," "Fallen Angel," "Rag Doll," "Who Loves You." Also: exclusive red vinyl set at Barnes & Noble.
Other New Announcements:
Details added:
November 3:
Stephanie J. Block: Merry Christmas, Darling
(Club44 Records - new album)
Featuring both secular and sacred seasonal classics, including a new song written for her by Club44 co-founder Wayne Haun and David Zippel, a duet with her husband Sebastian Arcelus, and a duet with their daughter Vivienne Arcelus. "Sleigh Ride," "And Snow," "Merry Christmas, Darling" (available now), "Little Drummer Girl" (with Vivienne Arcelus), "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep / My Favorite Things," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "When You Hold Me in Your Arms (It's Christmas)" (with Sebastian Arcelus), "Winter White," "O Holy Night," "Manhattan in December." Produced by Wayne Haun and Stephanie J. Block, with Joel Lindsey and Sharon Terrell serving as executive producers.
