Perry Como: The Complete Christmas Collection
(Collector's Choice - on 2 CDs)
All of the holiday-themed recordings Perry made for RCA over 36 years, with liner notes by Richard Carpenter. Tracks hail from the original 78 rpm album Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music (1946); the 1953 album Around the Christmas Tree; the 1959 stereo album Seasons Greetings from Perry Como; 1967 singles "Christmas Bells" and "Love Is a Christmas Rose"; the 1968 album The Perry Como Christmas Album; the album outtake "Some Children See Him"; the single release "Christmas Dream"; and Perry's final holiday song from 1982, "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Forever." 51 tracks.

Stephanie Fearon: My Parade
(new on CD)
UK musical theatre performer (and "Over the Rainbow" search for Dorothy TV show) debut album. "Come to Your Senses," "I Don't Know How to Help You," "Another Suitcase in Another Hall," "As Long as You're Mine" (featuring Leon Lopez), "He's No Good," "Sister Act," "Somebody to Love," "Legally Blonde," "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," "Don't Rain On My Parade," "Tell Me On a Sunday," "Out Here On My Own," "Home." Available for at Dress Circle

December 7, 2010

Betty Buckley: Bootleg Boardmixes From the Road
(Practical Magic Productions - new on CD-R/iTunes)
Tracks from live performances Buckley has offered around the country. "Honest Emotion" (new song by Michael McDonald), "Falling in Love," "Ghost in This House," "On the 4th of July," "Bye Bye Country Boy," "Stormy Blues," "Straighten Up and Fly Right," "It Might as Well Be Spring" and "Blue Skies." CD is manufactured on demand at Amazon. Released 11/19.

The Bob Hope Collection
(Shout! Factory - Amazon on 3 DVDs/Deep Discount)
The Road To Rio, The Lemon Drop Kid, My Favorite Brunette, The Road To Bali, and The Seven Little Foys.

Christine Lavin Presents: Just One Angel
(Yellow Tail Records - new on CD/at iTunes)
Christmas/Hanukah/Solstice/New Year's songs by some of contemporary music's best, including Jeff Daniels, Janis Ian, Uncle Bonsai, Megon McDonough, The Accidentals, Roy Zimmerman, David Rasche, Lori Lieberman, Hilary Field, and more. Produced by Christine Lavin, the songs range from the reverent to the irreverent. Released in October. See the Talkin' Broadway review.

Gorefest 8: Cirque du Slaughté
(ImprovBoston - new mp3 album)
Original Cast Recording of the Halloween musical comedy "Gorefest 8: Cirque du Slaughté", first performed on October 21, 2010 at ImprovBoston, Cambridge, Mass. By Misch Whitaker & Adam Brooks (Book), Stephen Gilbane (Music). MP3 album/tracks and clips available at CD Baby.

Mutiny!
(Stage Door Records - new on CD)

Original London cast recording of Richard Crane score. Opened at Piccadilly Theatre in July 1985. Debut on CD, with all tracks digitally remastered from the master tapes. David Essex, Frank Finlay, Sinitta, Neville Jason, David Oakley, Simon Packham, Anthony Johncock, Patrick Clancy, Nicola Blackman, Frank Olegario. Produced with the assistance and cooperation of David Essex and The Mel Bush Organisation. U.S. release. UK release available at Stage Door Records

Niffer Clarke: Beyond the Ingenue
(new on CD)
Debut album by NY actress singer (Bells Are Ringing, Adding Machine). "In My Own Little Corner," "Will He Like Me," "My White Knight" (original version), "In Buddy's Eyes," "I Have Confidence," "People Will Say We're in Love" (with John D Smitherman), "The Ingenue," "I Could Have Danced All Night," "Before I Gaze at You Again," "Crazy World," "All I Ask of You" (Bonus Track with John D Smitherman). CD and mp3 albums, tracks and clips at CD Baby

Share the Joy
(new single at iTunes/mp3)
Young People's Chorus of New York City collaboration with more than 2000 voices from 41 choirs in nine states. Single by Francisco J. Núñez and Jim Papoulis.

(Sorta) Love Songs - The Songs of Scott Burkell and Paul Loesel
(Sh-K-Boom - new on CD/at iTunes)
From the writers of Ella Minnow Pea, The Extraordinary Ordinary (at the Clurman Theatre beginning December 1), Sorta Love Songs."A Sorta Love Song" (Kate Baldwin), "I'll Jump" (Brian D'Arcy James), "The Natural Order of Things" (Matt Doyle & Morgan James), "Ohio, 1904" (Liz Callaway), "No Words" (Rebecca Luker & Danny Burstein), "Invention" (Michael Buchanan), "Parsley" (Jennifer Laura Thompson), "I Really Really Love You (Stalker)" (Scott Burkell), "The Ballad of Sarsaparilla Safirovich" (Stephanie J Block), "October Weekend" (Lisa Howard), "There Are Nights" (Marin Mazzie), "Set Sail" (Jason Danieley), "Ordinary Day" (Lisa Brescia, Farah Alvin, Justin Patterson & Kyle Dean).

The Zulu and the Zayda
(Masterworks Broadway - new on CD-R/at iTunes
1965 OBC recording of Harold Rome score with Menasha Skulnik, Louis Gossett Jr., Ossie Davis and Yaphet Kotto. CD available at at Arkiv.

November 30, 2010

The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story
(Disney Home Entertainment - new on DVD)
Documentary on the songwriting team. Extras include: Why They're "The Boys", Disney Studios in the '60s, Casting Mary Poppins, Theme Parks —A look at their theme park music songbook and how they went about composing a song for a ride, Roy Williams - A Disney Animator and also famous for being on the original Mickey Mouse Club, we learn through his artwork some of the stories of what it was like to work in the Animation Building in the 1960's, Bob's Art: A look at Bob Sherman's other passion, his artwork, Celebration: Testimonials from celebrities and Hollywood legends, Sherman Brother's Jukebox: A collection of Sherman Brothers songs and the stories behind them including: "Tall Paul", "Chim Chim Cher-ee", "Feed the Birds", "There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow", "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." 1

To Broadway, To Life!: The Musical Theater of Bock and Harnick
(Oxford Univ Press - Hardcover Book)
By Philip Lambert. First complete book about Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, one of Broadway's most important songwriting teams (Fiddler on the Roof, She Loves Me, Fiorello!). Drawing from extensive archival sources, and from personal interviews and communications with Bock and Harnick themselves and their most important collaborators, author Philip Lambert explores the essence of a Bock-Harnick show-how it is put together, and what makes it work. Includes discussion of well known songs and explores a vast catalogue of lesser-known songs from their many other shows and works. Also, the first look at the little-known youthful professional beginnings of Bock and Harnick in revues and television shows and summer retreats in the 1950s, and the careers they have forged for themselves with new collaborators in the decades since their partnership dissolved in 1970.

David Campbell - The Broadway Show: Live In Australia
(Sony - new on PAL DVD)
Filmed live at Adelaide's Festival Theatre, in a high quality 5 camera shoot. Overture/ Oh What A Beautiful Morning," "All I Care About," "Hey There," "'Til I Hear You Sing" (Love Never Dies), "Proud Lady," "When I Get My Name In Lights," "What Kind Of Fool Am I," "Soliloquy," "Overture" (Merrily We Roll Along), "Good Thing Going," "Finishing The Hat," "Being Alive," "Fugue For Tinhorns," "Luck Be A Lady," "Bring Me Home," "Hello Dolly," "You'll Never Walk Alone," "Goodbye" (Catch Me If You Can), Al Jolson medley: "My Mammy / Swanee / Carolina In The Morning / You Made Me Love You / Rock-a-bye Your Baby. PAL Zone 4 format. Available Middle Eight Music.

Fantasia/Fantasia 2000 Special Edition
(Disney - 4 Blu-Ray/DVD set)
Blu-ray Bonuses: 2003 Academy-Award Nominated Short Destino (Destino Rated PG); Feature length documentary Dali & Disney: A Date With Destino explores the relationship of Disney and Dali and how this piece came to fruition 50 years years after its inception; The Schultheis Notebook: A Disney Treasure - newly discovered detailed Fantasia production notes shed light on special effects wizardry; Disney Virtual Vault - BD Live feature; Musicana - Walt's inspiration for a sequel; Disney Family Museum; Interactive Art Gallery; Audio commentaries; Disney View. Some features available only if Blu-Ray player is connected to the Internet. Film is the Disney-censored version that was previously on DVD.

Glee: The Music, Volume 4
(Columbia - new on CD/mp3/at iTunes)
Dianna Agron, Chris Colfer, Darren Criss, Kevin McHale, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Heather Morris, Matthew Morrison, Chord Overstreet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Amber Riley, Naya Rivera, Mark Salling, Harry Shum, Jr., Jenna Ushkowitz.

Hollywood Musicals: The 101 Greatest Song-and-Dance Movies of All Time
(Black Dog & Leventhal - Hardcover Book)
By Ken Bloom. Beginning in 1927 and continuing to the present, this book celebrates all of the greatest films of the genre including Yankee Doodle Dandy, Cabaret, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Wizard of Oz, The King and I, A Star is Born, West Side Story, Funny Face, The Jazz Singer, and All That Jazz, as well as more recent movie musicals such as The Nightmare Before Christmas and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Organized alphabetically, each film is featured across several spreads ... with expert commentary that places the film in historical and cultural context. Also included are features on the film's creators and cast, plot synopses, song lists, production details, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, original movie posters, and much more. Beautifully reproduced photographs of the most memorable and pivotal scenes, the stars, and off-camera shots adorn the pages and illuminate the text. Sidebars include cast albums, flops, the greatest scores, and lesser-known musicals.

In Spite of Reason
(Sparxecho Productions - remastered mp3 album)
Concept album for John Doucette & Tony Cavallo pop rock opera based on the life of President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. Digitally remastered. 36 songs; 90 minutes.

A Little Night Music: Vocal Selections, Revised Edition
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Stephen Sondheim score. Newly edited, with new music engravings, added songs, articles and photos. Includes: "Every Day a Little Death," "The Glamorous Life," "In Praise of Women," "It Would Have Been Wonderful," "Later," "Liaisons," "The Miller's Son," "Night Waltz," "Now," "Remember?," "Send in the Clowns," "Soon," "You Must Meet My Wife." Available at MusicDispatch.com; will ship soon from Amazon.

Lorraine Gallard: Songs From the Heart
(Bonness Records - new on CD)
Lorraine Gallard sings songs by Weill, Gershwin, Berlin, Porter, Arlen, Harburg and more. "My Ship," "Youkali," "If You Don't Want My Peaches, You'd Better Stop Shaking My Tree," "You'd Be Surprised," "Mon Legionnaire," "Oigen," "I Wish You Love/Que Reste-t-Il De Nos Amours?," "The Physician," "You Don't Know Paree," "Fun To Be Fooled," "True Love," "Trouble Man," "A Picture Of Me Without You," "Not Exactly Paris / La Vie En Rose / The Party's Over." Available at CD Baby.

Michael Ball: A Life on Stage
(Universal Pictures UK - new on Region 2 DVD)
Features 25 of Michael's greatest live tracks, all personally introduced by Michael and four exclusive behind the scenes conversations shot throughout the year at Hampton Court Palace Festival-Concert Day, Michael as Stage Producer, his TV show "The Michael Ball Show," his Radio 2 show "Sunday Brunch." Region 2. 130 minutes. Includes "The Winner Takes It All," "High Flying Adored," "I Know Where I've Been" and many more. Available at Amazon UK and Dress Circle

Les Miserables - 25th Anniversary
(Universal - new on region 2 DVD/Blu-Ray)
Special performance shown on screens across the world on October 3, from London's O2 Arena. Cast Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean, Nick Jonas as Marius, Norm Lewis as Javert, Matt Lucas as Thenardier, Lea Salonga as Fantine, Jenny Galloway as Madame Thenardier, Ramin Karimloo as Enjolras, Camilla Kerslake as Cosette and Samantha Barks as Eponine. Available at Amazon UK and Dress Circle.

Party of 2: The Mating Musical
(new on CD)
Morris Bobrow musical currently running in San Francisco. Order at www.partyof2themusical.com.

And The Rain Keeps Falling Down
(Just Passing Through Records - new single on mp3)
Drew Dillon performs a song from the Northern Irish premier of Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens (Janet Hood and Bill Russell) at The Black Box, Belfast on Monday 30 August 2010, in aid of The Rainbow Project. Available at CD Baby.

Rain: A Tribute to The Beatles on Broadway Songbook
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Songbook features 36 songs from the show, including: "Across the Universe," "All My Loving," "Come Together," "Eleanor Rigby," "Give Peace a Chance," "Hey Jude," "I Saw Her Standing There," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," "Revolution," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Twist and Shout," "We Can Work It Out," "With a Little Help from My Friends," "Yesterday" and more. Available at MusicDispatch.com; will ship from Amazon soon.

Shirley Jones Tribute to Richard Rodgers (Special Edition)
(Encore Music - new on CD/mp3)
"I Wish I Were In Love Again," "It Never Entered My Mind," "Isn't It Romantic," "Spring Is Here," "Where Or When," "I Have Dreamed," "Blue Moon," "It Might As Well Be Spring," "Falling In Love With Love," "Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered." Released October 2010.

Show-by-Show Deluxe Set: Broadway Musicals: Show-by-Show and Hollywood Musicals: Show-by-Show
(Applause - Paperback Book Set)
New and expanded edition with 300 of the most important and memorable productions of the American musical theatre and over 300 movies documented including screenplay writer, director, choreographer, cast list, song list, release date, plot summary and much more. This is also a completely new and expanded edition. Both volumes in a slipcase set.

Superior Donuts
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book)
Play by Tracy Letts.

Waiting for Godot OBC
(Hallmark - Amazon mp3)
1956 Broadway cast recording of Beckett play. Bert Lahr, E. G. Marshall, Alvin Epstein, Kurt Kasznar, Luchino Solito. Directed by Herbert Berghof.

Waking Sleeping Beauty
(Disney - new on DVD)
Documentary focusing on Disney's reborn animated musical features between 1984-1994. Extras: Why Wake Sleeping Beauty? featurette; Untold Bedtime Stories deleted scenes; The Sailor, the Mountain Climber, the Artist and the Poet celebrating Roy Disney, Frank Wells, Joe Ranft, and Howard Ashman; Studio Tours; A Reunion Rob Minkoff and Kirk Wise; Walt what would Walt do and compare Walt's era and this era; three webisode shorts; gallery of photos, caricatures, and art from the era.

Weird Romance Off-Broadway Cast Recording
(Masterworks Broadway - new at iTunes/mp3) 
Score by Alan Menken and David Spencer. Danny Burstein, Ellen Greene, Jonathan Hadary, Marguerite MacIntyre, Jessica Molaskey, Valarie Pettiford, Eric Riley, Sal Viviano, William Youmans. "Weird Romance," "Stop And See Me," "That's Where We Come In," "Feeling No Pain," "Pop! Flash!," "Amazing Penetration," "Eyes That Never Lie," "No One Can Do," "Worth It," "Endgame: The Final Sequence," "Opening Sequence / My Orderly World," "Need To Know," "You Remember," "You Remember: Part II," "Another Woman," "Pressing Onward, Moving Forward," "I Can Show You A Thing Or Two," "A Man," "Pressing Onward, Moving Forward: Reprise," "Someone Else Is Waiting," "I Can Show You A Thing Or Two: Finale."

What Christmas Time Means To Me ~ Suzanne Carrico
(SuCa Productions - new on CD)
MAC Award winner sings with the Don Rebec quartet. "Carol of the Bells/My Favorite Things," "What Child is This?," "Silver Bells," "The Man with the Bag," "Because It's Christmas," "Some Children See Him" (featuring Sean Harkness)," "Baby, it's Cold Outside/Let It Snow," "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm," "Merry Christmas to Us All," "Gesu Bambino," "11. Little Drummer Boy/Do You Hear What I Hear."

The Whisperers/Equus
(Kritzerland Records - new on CD)
Soundtracks for 1966 The Whisperers, composed and conducted by John Barry; and 1977 film adaptation of Peter Shaffer's play Equus, music composed by Richard Rodney Bennett. Equus dialogue tracks are included separately. Both are remastered. Limited edition of 1,000 copies. Available at Kritzerland.com

The Wiz
(Universal Studios - new on Blu-Ray)
Order at CD Universe
1978 musical film starring Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Richard Pryor, Theresa Merritt, Lena Horne, Luther Vandross, Mabel King, Nipsey Russell, Roberta Flack, Gwen Guthrie, Cissy Houston, Ted Ross. Songs by Quincy Jones, Luther Vandross, Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson, Charlie Smalls. Directed by Sidney Lumet. Choreographer Louis Johnson. Costumes by Tony Walton. Bonus featurette Wiz on Down the Road. Full 1080p Hi-Def video and DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound on a BD-50 (50 gigabyte dual-layered Blu-ray Disc).

November 23, 2010

12 Men Of Christmas
(20th Century Fox - new on DVD)
Order at CD Universe
2009 Lifetime holiday film featuring Kristin Chenoweth, Josh Hopkins, Anna Chlumsky, Erin Dilly, Stephen Huszar.

20UNDER40: Re-Inventing the Arts and Arts Education for the 21st Century
(AuthorHouse - Hardcover Book)
By Edward P. Clapp. Anthology of critical discourse that addresses the impending generational shift in arts leadership by publishing twenty essays about the future of the arts and arts education each written by young and emerging arts professionals under the age of forty. Chapters include "The Epoch Model: An Arts Organization with an Expiration Date" by David McGraw and "Please Don't Start a Theatre Company!" by Rebecca Novick plus chapters on: how the arts can evolve in the 21st century, including digital trends, art criticism, philanthropy through crowdsourcing, creative rights in the internet age, arts administration, the anatomy of choreography, and how art can empower science.

The Andy Williams Collection
(Questar - new on 3 DVDs)
Order at CD Universe
Disc 1: Andy Williams: Moon River and Me; Andy personally introduces a collection of performances from his Emmy Award-winning television series that ran for 9 consecutive years, including special appearances by Henry Mancini, Al Hirt and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Disc 2: Andy Williams: My Favorite Duets; including: Julie Andrews, Pearl Bailey, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland, Phil Harris, Lena Horne, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Johnny Mathis, The Osmond Brothers, Peter, Paul and Mary, Simon & Garfunkel and the Williams Brothers; Andy contributes his personal insights to each duet; also an interview with Johnny Mathis. Disc 3: The Best of the Andy Williams Christmas Shows; 24 of the greatest songs of the holiday season; And is joined by the entire Williams clan and the Osmond Brothers.

Burlesque - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
(RCA - new on CD) 
Order at CD Universe
Soundtrack for 2010 musical film. Cher, Christina Aguilera, Kristen Bell, Alan Cumming.

Celebrate Broadway Vol. 7: Kids!
(Broadway Masterworks - new at iTunes/Amazon mp3) 
"Kids" (Bye Bye Birdie), "I Won't Grow Up" (Peter Pan), "Knock Knock," "Food, Glorious Food" (Oliver!), "Waiting For Life" (Once On This Island), "Symphonic Sondheim: Comedy Tonight" (A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum), "June Is Bustin' Out All Over" (Carousel) [1994 Remastered], "Hair" (Hair), "Sixteen Tons/Chain Gang," "Moonshine Lullaby" (Annie Get your Gun) [Remastered 1988], "El Sombrero" [Remastered 1991], "Put On A Happy Face" (Bye Bye Birdie), "Broadway Baby" (Follies).

Come Fly Away - Piano/vocal Selections: Broadway Vocal Selections
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
29 selections, including: "Body and Soul," "Come Fly with Me," "Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)," "I've Got the World on a String," "I've Got You Under My Skin," "My Funny Valentine," "My Way," "Theme from "New York, New York"," "Teach Me Tonight," "That's Life," "Wave," "Witchcraft," "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" and more.

Destabilizing the Hollywood Musical: Music, Masculinity and Mayhem
(Palgrave Macmillan - Hardcover Book)
By Kelly Kessler. By the mid-sixties, Hollywood's once conservative go-to-gal shed its tap shoes for something darker, hipper, and more in tune with the day's trends. Leaving Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire in their wake, films such as Tommy, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Hair reflected the times as they embraced swingers, youth rebellion, and Scorsese-esque aesthetics. Focusing mainly on the period between the genre's post-Sound of Music boom and its near-disappearance in the 1980s, Destabilizing the Hollywood Musical pushes past the idyllic world of Oklahoma! to examine emergent and socially contentious norms that defined decades of the genre and helped to form its millennial revival. Often rejecting love, marriage, and the USA, much of this later musical breed favours male stories of lust, deception, isolation, and failure wrapped in a haze of rock-n-roll, visual dynamism, and testosterone.

The Essential Marina Prior
(Sony - new on CD)
Greatest hits compilation from Australia's leading lady of musical theatre (currently Mrs Banks in the Australian production of Mary Poppins). "I Dreamed A Dream," "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," "Memory," "Somewhere," "I Don't Know How To Love Him," "Love Changes Everything," "Music Of The Night," "Friends For Life (Amigos Para Siempre)," "If I Loved You," "Don't Cry For Me Argentina," "Send In The Clowns," "Not While I'm Around," "Before I Gaze At You Again," "Close Every Door," "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man," "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This," "You Could Drive A Person Crazy," "Moonfall," "One Hand, One Heart," "Tonight." Available at Middle Eight Music.

Harolyn Blackwell: Strange Hurt
(Masterworks Broadway - iTunes/mp3) 
RCA album featuring two half-hour song cycles: Maury Yeston's December Song and Ricky Ian Gordon's Genius Child. "December Snow," "Where Are You Now," "Please Let's Not Even Say Hello," "When Your Love Is New," "Bookseller In The Rain," "My Grandmother's Love Letters," "I Am Longing," "I Had a Dream About You," "By The River," "What a Relief/Coda," "Winter Moon," "Genius Child," "Kid in the Park," "To Be Somebody," "Troubled Woman," "Strange Hurt," "Prayer," "Border Line," "My People," "Joy."

Julie Wilson in Dixieland: Live at the Algonquin
(Showtune Records - new on CD)
Live recording from February 2000 dedicated by Ms Wilson to Peter Allen. "When The Saints Go Marching In/When You're Smiling," "Darktown Strutters Ball," "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place/The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else/I Ain't Got Nobody," "Everything Old Is New Again.," "Josephine," "Ain't She Sweet," "But Beautiful/I Thought About You," "I Ain't Gonna Give Nobody My Jelly Roll," "Firefly," "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans," "Louisville Lou," "Hot Lips," "Hard Hearted Hannah," "If I Could Be With You/It Had To Be You," "Find Out What They Like," "Sadie Green The Vamp Of New Orleans," "Sunday/Sugar/Bill Bailey." Limited edition, available only at www.showtune.com.au/stalls.html.

Madea's Big Happy Family: The Play
(Lions Gate - new on DVD/Blu-Ray)
Order at CD Universe
Filmed stage play by Tyler Perry that has toured the country for 125 performances in 126 days. Music by Tyler Perry, Elvin Ross, Jim Gorst, Quinton Nixon. Tyler Perry, Cassi Davis, Palmer E. Williams, Jr., Cheryl Pepsii Riley.

Middletown by Will Eno
(TCG - Paperback Book)
Eno play, currently at the Vineyard Theatre Off-Broadway.

Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol
(new digital iTunes/mp3) 
Soundtrack for 1962 animated musical special. Jule Styne/ Bob Merrill score. "Great To Be Back On Broadway" (Jim Backus), "Great To Be Back On Broadway (Reprise)" (Jim Backus), "Ringle, Ringle" (Jim Backus), "Lord's Bright Blessing" (Jack Cassidy), "Alone In The World" (Marie Matthews), "Winter Was Warm" (Jane Kean), "We're Despicable" (Paul Frees), "Alone In The World (Reprise)" (Marie Matthews), "Ringle, Ringle (Reprise)" (Jim Backus), "Lord's Bright Blessing (Reprise)" (Jack Cassidy).

Murder, She Wrote: Season 12
(Universal - new on 5 DVDs)
Order at CD Universe
Complete twelfth season (1995-1996) of Angela Lansbury television series. Guest stars include John O'Hurley, Wayne Rogers, Felicia Lansbury, Rod Taylor, Tom Wopat, Pat Morita, Richard Beymer, Bryan Cranston, Audrey Landers, Martin Milner, Diana Canova, David Ogden Stiers.

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus
(Macy's Parade & Ent Group - new single on iTunes) 
Single to be performed by Ann Hampton Callaway and the Young People's Chorus of NYC in the 2010 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. New arrangement written by Emmy-nominated composer Wesley Whatley with lyrics by William Schermerhorn.

November 9, 2010

The Best of Charles Miller and Kevin Hammonds: It's Just The Beginning
(new on CD)
Songs from ten Musicals written by the team of British composer Charles Miller and New York lyricist Kevin Hammonds (including When Midnight Strikes, Brenda Bly: Teen Detective). Michael McCarthy, Caroline O'Connor, Pia Douwes, Shona White, Jodie Jacobs, Julie Atherton, Paul Spicer, Fenton Gray, Richard Reynard, Helena Blackman, Mark Evans, Cassidy Janson, Valerie Cutko, Brenda Edwards, Donna Hines, Charlotte Page, Louise Plowright, Alan Winner. Available at Dress Circle

The Best of Christmas - Sam Harris Live! (Deluxe Edition)
(SamHarris.com - new mp3 album)
Collection of live holiday recordings, including bonus studio tracks: "Merry Christmas Darling", karaoke version of "Only Angels Know", and a studio recording of "Take My Hand, Precious Lord / You'll Never Walk Alone" as sung on The Oprah Winfrey Show. 18 tracks. Samples, tracks and album available in mp3 format on CD Baby.

Bettina Jonic: The Bitter Mirror
(Motema Music - new on 2 CDs)
Long out of print, 1975 album featuring songs by Bertolt Brecht and Bob Dylan. Originally performed at the Royal Court Theater.

A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers
(Pantheon - Hardcover Book)
Will Friedwald's essay on the lives and careers of more than three hundred singers. From giants like Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, and Judy Garland to lesser-known artists like Jeri Southern and Joe Mooney. The most extensive biographical and critical survey of these singers ... as an essential guide to the Great American Songbook and those who shaped the way it has been sung ... from the songs of Irving Berlin and W. C. Handy through Stephen Sondheim and beyond ... straightforward jazz and pop singers; hybrid artists who moved among genres and combined them; the leading men and women of Broadway and Hollywood; yesterday's vaudeville and radio stars; and today's cabaret artists and hit-makers. 832 pages.

The Chocolate Soldier
(Masterworks Broadway/Arkiv - new on CD-R/iTunes/mp3) 
1958 studio recording of Oscar Straus score. Risë Stevens, Robert Merrill, Peter Palmer, Jo Sullivan. Conducted by Lehman Engel. Available at

The Collected Plays of Paul Rudnick
(It Books - Paperback Book)
I Hate Hamlet, Jeffrey, and five others.

The Elia Kazan Collection
(20th Century Fox - 18 DVDs)
Order at CD Universe
15 films, 5 are new-to-DVD. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Boomerang!, Gentleman's Agreement, Pinky, Panic in the Streets, A Streetcar Named Desire, Viva Zapata!, Man on a Tightrope, On the Waterfront, East of Eden, Baby Doll, A Face in the Crowd, Wild River, Splendor in the Grass, America, America. Also included is A Letter to Elia (2010), the new, full-length documentary on Kazan's life, produced and presented by Martin Scorsese.

Glee: The Christmas Album
(Columbia - new on CD) 
Order at CD Universe
"We Need A Little Christmas," (Jenna Ushkowitz, Amber Riley, Chris Colfer), "Deck The Rooftop," (Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Naya Rivera, Kevin McHale, Heather Morris, and Jenna Ushkowitz), "Merry Christmas Darling," (Lea Michele), "Baby, It's Cold Outside," (Chris Colfer and Darren Criss), "The Most Wonderful Day Of The Year," (Chord Overstreet, Mark Salling, Kevin McHale, Lea Michele, Chris Colfer, Jenna Ushkowitz, and Heather Morris), "Last Christmas," (Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley, Kevin McHale, Mark Salling, Jenna Ushkowitz, and Chris Colfer), "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," (Lea Michele, Amber Riley, Naya Rivera, and Jenna Ushkowitz), "O Christmas Tree," (Matthew Morrison), "Jingle Bells," (Cory Monteith, Mark Salling, and Kevin McHale), "You're a Mean One, MrGrinch," (k.dlang and Morrison), "Angels We Have Heard On High," (Amber Riley), "O Holy Night," (Lea Michele).

Handle With Care - 2010 Original Australian Cast
(Joymas Creative - new on CD)
Music and Lyrics by Megan Shorey. Featuring Penny Farrow, Judy Hainsworth, Kathryn McIntyre, Kathy Burns, Sarah Knight, Arlie McCormick, Liz Buchanan & Rachel Dunham. Four mini-musicals celebrating the beauty and the bitch of being a woman. Available at CD Baby and Middle Eight Music.

John Barrowman: Live At The Royal Albert Hall (PAL)
(Lace DVD - new on Region 2 DVD)
Recorded Live at the Royal Albert Hall in London on October 4th, 2010. Tracks include: "Get The Party Started," "You To Me Are Everything," "Viva Las Vegas," "Don t Cry Out Loud," "Unusual Way," "Spiderman," "Memory," "Fireflies," "Don t Rain On My Parade," "The Doctor And I," "Rule The World," "Let s Get Loud," "From This Moment," "I Am What I Am." Plus extras and behind the scenes footage of John, both at home and at work. Available at Amazon UK and Dress Circle. All regions NTSC version to be released 11/22/10 at Amazon UK.

My Passion for Design: A Private Tour
(Viking Press - New Book)
By Barbra Streisand. Focuses on the architecture and construction of her newest homes ... a culmination and reflection of Streisand's love of American architecture and design between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries. Many of her own photographs of the rooms she has decorated, the furniture and art she has collected, and the ravishing gardens she has planted on her land on the California coast. Additionally, Barbra shares memories of her childhood, the development of her sense of style, and what collecting has come to mean to her.288 pages.

Sal Mineo: A Biography
(Crown Archetype - Hardcover Book)
By Michael Gregg Michaude. In a childhood leap from the Bronx to Broadway, the 11-year-old Mineo was cast in The Rose Tattoo in 1951 and got acting tips and inspiration from Yul Brynner during The King and I. He made the move to Hollywood and found success at a time when studios were reaching toward the new teen market: Sal fit the bill perfectly. His tough yet sensitive image appealed to both girls and boys. After his memorable scenes with James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, he became the youngest performer ever nominated for a Best Supporting Oscar. By age 35, however, his film career was over, and he turned his attention to directing theater; it was during this career change that he was stabbed and killed during a robbery attempt. Michaud captures the actor's passionate, freewheeling lifestyle, and his narrative is dotted with those who worked with him: Dennis Hopper, Janet Leigh, Eva Marie Saint, and James Whitmore. Especially revealing are the intimate insights of Mineo's fiancée, Jill Haworth, and his male lover Courtney Burr. Detailed coverage of the arrest, trial, and conviction of Mineo's murderer brings this authoritative biography to a compelling conclusion.

Sondheim: The Birthday Concert
(Image Entertainment - new on DVD & Blu-Ray)
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PBS Great Performances concert (to air November 24) New York Philharmonic March 15-16, 2010, concert celebrating Stephen Sondheim's 80th birthday. Hosted by David Hyde Pierce. Paul Gemignani conductor. Directed by Lonny Price and choreographed by Josh Rhodes. Performances include "America" (Dancers, West Side Story), "Something's Coming" (Alexander Gemignani, West Side Story), "We're Gonna Be Alright" (Marin Mazzie, Jason Danieley, Do I Hear a Waltz?), "Don't Laugh" (Victoria Clark, Hot Spot), "Johanna"(Nathan Gunn, Sweeney Todd), "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" and "Love Will See Us Through" (Matt Cavenaugh, Jenn Colella, Laura Osnes, Bobby Steggert, Follies), "Too Many Mornings" (Nathan Gunn, Audra McDonald, Follies), "The Road You Didn't Take" (John McMartin, Follies), "It Takes Two" (Joanna Gleason, Chip Zien, Into the Woods), "Growing Up" (Jim Walton, Merrily We Roll Along), "Finishing the Hat" (Mandy Patinkin, Sunday in the Park with George), "Move On" (Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Sunday in the Park with George), "Pretty Women" (Michael Cerveris, George Hearn, Sweeney Todd), "A Little Priest" (Michael Cerveris, George Hearn, Patti LuPone, Sweeney Todd) •"Theme from ‘Reds'" with Pas De Deux (NY Philharmonic, Two ABT Dancers Maria and Blaine), "So Many People" (Laura Benanti, Saturday Night), "Beautiful Girls" (David Hyde Pierce, Follies), "Ladies Who Lunch" (Patti LuPone, Company), "Losing My Mind" (Marin Mazzie, Follies), "The Glamorous Life" (Audra McDonald, A Little Night Music), "Leave You" (Donna Murphy, Follies), "Not a Day Goes By" (Bernadette Peters, Merrily We Roll Along), "I'm Still Here" (Elaine Stritch, Follies), "Sunday" (Broadway Chorus, Sunday in the Park with George), "Happy Birthday" (All Cast). 116 minutes.

Tangled
(Disney - new on CD) 
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Animated film (based on "Rapunzle") soundtrack by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater. Mandy Moore, Donna Murphy, Brad Garrett, Zachary Levi, Grace Potter.

Things to Ruin: The Songs of Joe Iconis
(Ghostlight Records - new on 2 CDs) 
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Collection of songs by Kleban and Larson Award Winner Joe Iconis (writer of musicals The Black Suits and Bloodsong of Love). Theatrical rock concert about human beings who are messy, emotional, drugged up, knocked down, inspired, electric and who don't have nearly enough time to cause the kind of commotion they so desperately need to. Directed by John Simpkins. Performed by Nick Blaemire, Katrina Rose Dideriksen, Badia Farha, Sarah Glendening, Eric William Morris, Lance Rubin, Jason "SweetTooth" Williams and Joe Iconis, with a four-piece band led by Joe himself. Recorded February 28, 2010 at MSR Studios, NYC. CD release date.

Unburied Treasures
(Bunycrai Enterprises - new on CD)
Original Rosemary Branch Theatre (London) cast recording. Mark Bunyan score. Musical revue about the travails and travels of famous people after death -- from Mozart & Haydn to Daniel Boone, from Christopher Columbus to Eva Peron, with Errol Flynn, Mary Shelley, D H Lawrence and others joining in. Available at CD Baby.

West End Bares - 2011 Souvenir Wall Calendar
(2011 Wall Calendar)
Features full colour photographs from West End Bares —Strip Britannia 2010 taken live at the all-star event. 13 Pages plus cover and board backing - Shrink wrapped. Features John Barrowman. Sold in aid of TheatreMAD The Make A Difference Trust charity. Available at Dress Circle

November 9, 2010

At This Theatre: Revised and Updated Edition
(Applause - Hardcover Book)
By Robert Viagas. Foreword by Louis Botto. Updated and expanded 2010 edition includes more than 500 color production photos, vintage archival photos, and Playbill covers from all forty currently operating Broadway theatres. Thirty-eight of the original chapters have been expanded to cover all the shows that have opened in the ten years since the popular 2000 edition, with two new chapters added to include Broadway theatres recently refurbished and returned to life.

Bing Crosby: The Television Specials, Volume 2
(Infinity - on 2 DVDs)
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268 minutes.

Bing Crosby: Through the Years Volume Six (1953-1954)
(Sepia Records - new on CD)
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Recordings by Crosby in chronological order made between November 1953 and April 1954. Includes duets with Donald O'Connor, Gary Crosby and Danny Kaye plus "White Christmas" and "Snow" with Danny Kaye, Peggy Lee and Trudy Stevens. 29 tracks.

Celebrate Broadway Vol. 6: Beautiful Girls
(Broadway Masterworks - new at iTunes/Amazon mp3) 
Beautiful Girls" (Follies), "I Got the Sun in the Morning" ("Annie Get Your Gun"), "A Quiet Thing What Is a Woman?" ("I Do! I Do!"), "Children and Art" ("Sunday in the Park With George"), "Mean to Me" ("Ain't Misbehavin'"), "Old Maid" ("110 In The Shade"), "Being Alive" ("Company"), "Mr. Monotony" ("Miss Liberty" and "Call Me Madam"), "Monotonous" ("New Faces of 1952"), "As Long As He Needs Me" ("Oliver"), "What Did I Have That I Don't Have?" (l On a Clear Day You Can See Forever ), "Losing My Mind" ("Follies"), "Like It Was" ("Merrily We Roll Along").

The Change: Another Teenage Werewolf Musical
(new mp3)
Original cast recording of Travis Sharp and Eric Frampton musical. Played at Atlanta's Dad's Garage Theatre Company in 2010. Available in mp3 format at CD Baby.

Daddy Long Legs
(new on CD)
Cast recording of Rubicon (California) production of John Caird/Paul Gordon musical. Robert Adelman Hancock and Megan McGinnis. CD, mp3 and sound clips available at CD Baby.

Departure Lounge
(new on CD) 
Original cast recording of the first full London production of Dougal Irvine's award-winning musical comedy. Chris Fountain, Verity Rushworth, Harry Hepple, Liam Tamne and Steven Webb. Had been available in the UK - now available at CD Baby

Elaine Paige and Friends
(Warner Bros UK - new on import CD)
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New duets album produced by the legendary Phil Ramone. Paige performs classic covers with Barry Manilow, Billy Ocean, Dionne Warwick, Idina Menzel, John Barrowman, Johnny Mathis, Jon Secada, LeAnn Rimes, Michael Bolton, Neil Sedaka, Olivia Newton-John and Paul Anka. Plus a brand new track written by Gary Barlow and Tim Rice called "It's Only Life," featuring Sinead O'Connor. To be released in the UK on November: ordering at Amazon UK and Dress Circle

Hollywood Singing & Dancing: The Series
(Great Musical Treasures - 7 DVD set)
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The seven-part series in one set. Each part previously released alone.

Hunting of the Snark
(new import CD/region 2 DVD set)
Composer Michael Batt. Studio cast of Roger Daltrey, Justin Hayward, John Hurt, Billy Connolly, Julian Lennon, Captain Sensible, Deniece Williams, Migde Ure. The DVD is from the Royal Albert Hall concert on April Fool's Day 1987. A London production opened at Prince Edward Theatre in 1991. Previously available as part of the Mike Batt Music Cube. Also available at Dress Circle. Audio recording also available on iTunes.

James Barbour: A Gift of Christmas
(Treehouse Entertainment - on CD/mp3/iTunes) 
Two track album: "Oh Holy Night" and "Twas the Night Before Christmas." Produced and arranged by Peter Wolf. Released December 2009.

Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, Gale Sherwood: Favorites in Stereo
(Sepia Records - new on CD)
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First time on CD. Studio album of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy solos and duets, plus Nelson Eddy and Gale Sherwood album of popular songs, hits from musicals and operetta standards. 24 tracks.

Luke Kennedy - Overexposed
(new on CD)
Debut album for Australian musical theatre performer and member of the Ten Tenors group. "Human Nature," "What's Love Got To Do With It," "Instant Karma," "Drift Away," "Call Me," "Lost In The Wilderness," "Gethsemane" (live), "Shadowland" (live), plus Bonus Track "What's Love Got To Do With It" (ballad version). Available at Middle Eight Music.

Memphis: Piano/Vocal Selections (Melody in the Piano Part)
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Songbook of new Broadway musical score by Joe DiPietro and David Bryan. 15 songs: "Ain't Nothin' but a Kiss," "Big Love," "Change Don't Come Easy," "Colored Women," "Love Will Stand When All Else Falls," "Make Me Stronger," "Memphis Lives in Me," "Music of My Soul," "Radio," "Say a Prayer," "She's My Sister," "Someday," "Stand Up," "Steal Your Rock 'N Roll," "Underground."

Midnight Frolic: The Broadway Music of Louis A. Hirsch
(New World Records - new on CD) 
Seventeen previously unrecorded pieces from Jouis A. Hirsch, who wrote eighteen musicals and revues between 1911-1924, whose productions featured Al Jolson, Will Rogers, W.C. Fields, and Mae West. Colte Julian, baritone; Bernadette Boerckel, soprano; The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, Rick Benjamin, director. "Overture to the Ziegfeld Follies of 1915," "Was There Ever a Night Like This?," "Hello Frisco!—The Transcontinental Telephone Song," "'Neath the South Sea Moon," "My Rainbow Girl & The Alimony Blues," "My Home Town," "Any Old Time At All," "Mary," "When I Hear a Syncopated Tune," "Selections from Mary," "Cupid's Lane," "The Wedding Glide," "Wildflower: An Indian Intermezzo," "List'ning on Some Radio," "The Love Nest," "Highlights from Going Up," "The Ziegfeld One Step."

Mutiny!
(Stage Door Records - new on CD)
Original London cast recording of Richard Crane score. Opened at Piccadilly Theatre in July 1985. Debut on CD, with all tracks digitally remastered from the master tapes. David Essex, Frank Finlay, Sinitta, Neville Jason, David Oakley, Simon Packham, Anthony Johncock, Patrick Clancy, Nicola Blackman, Frank Olegario. Produced with the assistance and cooperation of David Essex and The Mel Bush Organisation. Available at Stage Door Records for £10.99 including shipping to the U.S..

Once Upon A Mattress (OLC) / Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves 40
(Sepia Records - new on CD)
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Mary Rodgers' and Marshall Barer's Once Upon a Mattress OLC album with tracks in show order for the first time, with Max Wall, Thelma Ruby and Jane Connell. Also, the concept album for Rodgers' Ali Babs and the 40 Thieves 40 narrated and sung by Bing Crosby with lyrics by Sammy Cahn. 27 tracks.

Score: A Hockey Musical
(new on CD)
Soundtrack for 2010 Canadian comedy-drama musical film, written and directed by Michael McGowan, featuring Noah Reid, Allie MacDonald, Olivia Newton-John, Marc Jordan, Nelly Furtado. Includes "Hugs" performed and written by Olivia Newton-John with Olivia Newton-John, Amy Sky and Marc Jordan.

Stomp The Ultimate Collection
(Well Go USA - on 3 DVDs)
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All of Stomp's DVDs from over the years which includes Stomp Out Loud, Stomp Live and Pulse a Stomp Odyssey.

Sunday Night at the London Palladium
(Network UK - new Region 3 DVD set)
From 1955, Sunday Night at the London Palladium established itself as one of the weekly televisual highlights for the British viewing public. This DVD set released to celebrate the London Palladium's centenary contains some of the best of what remains in the archives for the original run from the 1950s and '60s, with hosts including Tommy Trinder, Bruce Forsyth and Hughie Green. Also special two-hander show from December 1961 that featured only Norman Wisdom and Bruce Forsyth, with some of the remaining shows from the 1970s revival. Beryl Reid, Adam Faith playing with the John Barry Seven, Bobby Darin, Pinky & Perky, Sarah Vaughan, Freddie and the Dreamers, Mario Lanza, Larry Grayson, Jim Dale, Paul Anka, Rod Hull and Emu, Ted Rogers, Sacha Distel, Cliff Richard, Bob Monkhouse, Clodagh Rodgers and many more [to include London cast of The Most Happy Fella from a 1960 program]. Special Features: 3 December 1961 - special strike edition featuring Norman Wisdom and Bruce Forsyth; 6 January 1974 - due to a bomb scare on the evening of transmission this edition was never broadcast and is presented here for first time; Extensive image galleries featuring pictures of performers from shows that no longer exist, including Pete and Dud, The Beatles, Judy Garland (including her final performance in 1969), Frankie Howerd, Morecambe and Wise, Sammy Davis Jr., The Supremes and many behind-the-scenes images. Available at Amazon UK and Dress Circle.

Toxic Avenger: Piano/Vocal Selections (Melody in the Piano Part)
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book
Vocal selections from the musical adaptation which opened at New World Stages in Manhattan in April 2009 and ran until January 2010. Joe DiPietro and David Bryan.

November 2, 2010

Anne Steele: Strings Attached
(PS Classics - new on CD) 
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MAC-nominated singer and member of vocal group Tipping the Velvet. Unconfirmed track list: "Don't Stop Me Now," "If It Kills Me," "Tennessee Waltz," "Don't Think Twice," "Indiana," "I Want You Back," "It Might Be You," "Here, There and Everywhere," "Toxic/Mercy," "Move On," "Father and Son," "Speechless," "Sober," "Fooled Around and Fell in Love/My Foolish Heart," "Falling Down," "Smile."

The Bing Crosby Collection
(Universal - 3 DVD set)
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College Humor (1933; Jack Oakie, Richard Arlen, Burns and Allen); Here Is My Heart (1934; Kitty Carlisle, Roland Young, Alison Skipworth); We're Not Dressing (1934; Ethel Merman, Burns and Allen, Ray Milland, Leon Errol); Mississippi (1935; W.C. Fields, Joan Bennett, Gail Patrick, Queenie Smith, songs by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart); Sing You Sinners (1936; Fred MacMurray, Donald O'Connor, Ellen Drew, includes Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser's "Small Fry"); Welcome Stranger (1947; Joan Culfield, Barry Fitzgerald, Wandra Hendrix, Percy Kilbride, songs by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke).

Broadway Musicals: The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time - Revised and Updated
(Black Dog & Leventhal - Hardcover Book)
Fully updated edition by authors Frank Vlastnik and Ken Bloom now includes an expanded Off-Broadway section. Fully updated edition by authors Frank Vlastnik and Ken Bloom. Now includes several shows not in the original hardcover edition, such as Avenue Q, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Wicked. An expanded off-Broadway section showcases shows such as I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change and Little Mary Sunshine.

Broadway's Carols for a Cure, Volume 12
(Rock-It-Science - new on CD)
Cast members sing for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The Addams Family), "It's Chanukah," (American Idiot), "Do You Hear What I Hear," (Billy Elliot), "Another Geordie Christmas," (Broadway Strings), "Christmas Lullaby," (Elf), "The First Noel," (My Fair Lady (The Engeman Theater) "Joy to the World," (In the Heights), "¡Vengan!," (Jersey Boys), "Tu Scendi d'alle Stelle," (La Cage Aux Folles), "We Need a Little Christmas/The Best of Times," (The Lion King), "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," (A Little Night Music), "Jul, Jul Stralande Jul," (Mamma Mia!), "O Holy Night," (Mary Poppins), "Pat-a-Pan," (Memphis), "The Carol of the Bells," (Million Dollar Quartet), "Run Rudolph Run!," (Next to Normal), "What Child is This?," (The Phantom of the Opera), "Noel Nouvelet," (Rock of Ages), "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," (Rosie's Broadway Kids), "Keep On Singin'," (West Side Story), "O Come All Ye Faithful," (Wicked), "Here We Go ..." plus "Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel" (Promises, Promises) and "Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas (written and sung by Joey Curatolo, who plays Paul McCartney in Rain). Music director Rob Bowman. Produced by Lynn Pinto, engineered by Andros Rodriguez. ordering at BroadwayCares.org or by calling (212) 840-0770, ext. 250.

Bryn's Christmas
(Deutsche Grammophon - new on 2 CDs)
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Carols and Christmas songs. 1 CD plus Welsh bonus disc.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
(20th Century Fox - new on Blu-Ray & DVD set)
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1968 film with Sherman Brothers songs. Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes. Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack.

David Campbell: On Broadway
(Masterworks - new on CD)
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 U.S. release of Australian musical theatre performer's fourth studio album. Produced by Rob Fisher and Bill Elliott, and recorded with a 40-piece orchestra at East West Studios, Los Angeles in January 2010. "Overture," "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'," "When I Get My Name In Lights," "Hey There," "Hello, Dolly!," "Bring Him Home," "Being Alive," "All I Care About," "You'll Never Walk Alone," "Proud Lady," "Luck Be A Lady," "What Kind Of Fool Am I?," "Goodbye" (Catch Me If You Can), "Some Other Time." Accompanying documentary appeared on Australian TV.

Free for All: Joe Papp, The Public, and the Greatest Theater Story Ever Told
(Doubleday - Paperback Book)
By Kenneth Turan and Joseph Papp. Paperback versin of 2009 history of the New York Shakespeare Festival and the Public Theater - two institutions that under the inspired leadership of Joseph Papp have been a premier source of revolutionary and enduring American theater. Turan interviewed some 160 luminaries-including George C. Scott, Meryl Streep, Mike Nichols, Kevin Kline, James Earl Jones, David Rabe, Jerry Stiller, Tommy Lee Jones, and Wallace Shawn. He weaves their voices into a rich tale of creativity, conflict, and achievement. At the center ... the larger-than-life figure of Joseph Papp reigns supreme.

George Gershwin (Yale Broadway Masters Series)
(Yale Univ Press - Hardcover Book)
Author Larry Starr focuses fresh attention on George Gershwin's Broadway contributions and examines their centrality to the composer's entire career ... and considers Gershwin's musical language, his compositions for the concert hall, and his movie scores for Hollywood in the light of his Broadway experience.

Hair: The Story of the Show that Defined a Generation
(Running Press - Hardcover Book)
By Eric Grode. The official history of the pioneering rock musical Hair, including dozens of interviews with the writers, cast members and creative teams from the original production as well as the current Broadway revival.

In the Next Room (or the vibrator play)
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book)
Sarah Ruhl play, on Broadway in 2009-10 season.

Jasper Kump: Real
(new mp3 album)
5-song EP from vocalist Jasper Kump. Available at CD Baby.

Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise
(Simon and Schuster - Hardcover Book)
By Sam Irvin."... an effervescent toast to show business with a shot of Auntie Mame and a twist of The Devil Wears Prada ... A multi-threat entertainer and a world-class eccentric, Kay Thompson was the mentor/best friend of Judy Garland, the vocal guru for Frank Sinatra and Lena Horne, and the godmother/Svengali of Liza Minnelli ... She went to school with Tennessee Williams, auditioned for Henry Ford, got her first big break from Bing Crosby, trained Marilyn Monroe, channeled Elvis Presley, rejected Andy Warhol, rebuffed Federico Fellini, got fired by Howard Hughes, and snubbed Donald Trump. "

Leonard Bernstein at Work: His Final Years, 1984-1990
(Amadeus Press - Hardcover Book)
Steve J. Sherman's photographic essay of Leonard Bernstein during the last six years of his life. Approximately 200 black-and-white photographs, most previously unpublished, taken on and off stage during 20 different events or concerts, along with personal comments and remembrances from over 50 of his colleagues, friends, and relatives. Foreword by Lauren Bacall, preface by Jamie Bernstein and introduction by James M. Keller (Leonard Bernstein scholar-in-residence at the New York Philharmonic). 256 pages.

Love on a Summer Afternoon: Songs of Sam Davis
(PS Classics - new on CD) 
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Michael Arden, Tituss Burgess, Danny Burstein, Kevin Chamberlin, Will Chase, Jason Danieley, Malcolm Gets, Edward Hibbert, David Hyde Pierce, Christopher Sieber and Bobby Steggert. Unconfirmed track list: "Goodbye to Boston," "Land of the Dead," "Invested in You," "Greenwich Time," "Love and Real Estate," "Everything," "Brief Candle," "Love Is a Chance You Take," "The Boy He Wanted," "Old Blue Sweater," "Love on a Summer Afternoon," "A Kilt Is Not a Dress," "I Dream a World,," "The Cookie Boy." Also ordering at PSClassics.com for early shipping.

Music From And Inspired By The Original Motion Picture 'For Colored Girls'
(Atlantic - new on CD)
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Musical companion for the upcoming Tyler Perry film which has been adapted from Ntozake Shange's 1975 Obie & Tony Award-winning play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf. Features all new and unreleased music from such artists as Nina Simone, Gladys Knight, Leona Lewis, Estelle, Laura Izibor, Macy Gray, Janelle Monae and Lalah Hathaway. The soundtrack sets the many stories of struggle told within the film's chore poem to music to reflect women's ongoing battle with love, abandonment and the finding of self.

One from the Hart
(Pocket - Hardcover Book)
A memoir by Stefanie Powers.

Passion: Vocal Selections, Revised Edition
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Newly edited, with new music engravings, added songs, articles and photos. Includes: "Flashback," "Happiness," "I Read," "I Wish I Could Forget You," "Is This What You Call Love?," "Love like Ours," "Loving You," "No One Has Ever Loved Me," "They Hear Drums."

Peter Allen's Making Every Moment Count
(Masterworks Broadway - new at iTunes/mp3) 
"Tonight You Made My Day," "Making Every Moment Count," "When I Get My Name In Lights," "Nobody Can Break Us Up," "I Could Marry The Rain," "See You In The Springtime," "So Much Depends On Love Today," "Why Not?," "I Couldn't Have Done It Without You," "Love Don't Need A Reason"

Promises, Promises: The Musical Comedy- Piano/Vocal Selections
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
New songbook for the Broadway revival. All new, digital engravings. "A Fact Can Be a Beautiful Thing," "Half as Big as Life," "A House Is Not a Home," "I Say a Little Prayer," "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," "Knowing When to Leave," "Promises, Promises," "She Likes Basketball," "Upstairs," "Wanting Things," "Whoever You Are, I Love You," "You'll Think of Someone."

Rhyming Dictionary: A Pocket Reference Guide for All Writers
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
The most contemporary rhyming dictionary on the market. Features more than 30,000 words encompassing standard vocabulary, proper nouns, popular expressions and more, all organized cross-phonetically to maximize word choice. Ideal for singer-songwriters, writers and poets, serious or recreational, pro or amateur.

Scot Albertson: Vibination
(new on CD)
Scot Albertson's fifth album. "Put On A Happy Face," "Incurably Romantic," "I Can't Escape From You," "A Waltz From Somewhere," "Solitary Moon," "Miss Manhattan Won't You Marry Me," "It Wasn't The Stars That Thrilled Me," "Dream Awhile," "At The Club Savoy," "Love Story," "Three Coins In The Fountain / I Have Dreamed (a medley)," "Honey Chile (Honey Child)," "Be Warmer This Winter." Available at CD Baby.

Shirley Jones: Touch Of Christmas
(Encore - new on CD/mp3) 
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Shirley Jones sings holiday favorites. "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," "Silent Night," "Let it Snow," "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," "Silver Bells," "Baby It's Cold Outside" (duet with Tony Orlando), "O Holy Night," "The Christmas Song," "Edelweiss," "Winter Wonderland," "A Touch of Christmas," "White Christmas." Notes at Amazon indicate CD is copy-protected.

Sound of Music 45th Anniversary DVD/Blu-Ray Set
(20th Century Fox - new Blu-Ray/DVD set)
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Remastered 1965 film featuring. Score by Rodgers & Hammerstein. Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack. Includes BD-LIVE: Live Lookup™ (powered by IMDb®) and Your Favorite Things: An Interactive Celebration — All-New Immersive Viewing Experience with Behind-the-Scenes Images, On-Screen Lyrics, Trivia Track and Location Quiz; Music Machine Sing-Along; Audio Commentaries with Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer and Director Robert Wise; Musical Stages: Creating The Sound of Music — All-New Interactive "Backlot Tour" with In-Depth Featurettes on the Songs, the Stage Show & Movie, the Film and Sound Restoration and the Real-Life von Trapp Family; A City of Song — Virtual Map of Filming Locations in Salzburg, Austria; Vintage Rodgers & Hammerstein and The Sound of Music Programs; for the very first time in home entertainment format, the full-length documentary, "Rodgers & Hammerstein: The Sound of American Music", hosted by Mary Martin; Screen Tests, Rare Treasures, Interviews, Photo Galleries; Feature Film In Standard Definition; Optional Sing-Along Track; Music Machine Sing-Along; The Sound of Music Tour —A Living Story.

Sound of Music Limited Edition Collector's Set
(20th Century Fox - new Blu-Ray set)
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Remastered 1965 film. Includes an exclusive hand-painted Music Box; 100-page Scrapbook; 45th Anniversary Soundtrack; Snapshots from Salzburg; reproduction of the original 1965 Souvenir program; exclusive "My Favorite Things" Music Box with letter of authenticity; BD-LIVE: Live Lookup™ (powered by IMDb®) and Your Favorite Things: An Interactive Celebration — All-New Immersive Viewing Experience with Behind-the-Scenes Images, On-Screen Lyrics, Trivia Track and Location Quiz; Music Machine Sing-Along; Audio Commentaries with Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer and Director Robert Wise; Musical Stages: Creating The Sound of Music — All-New Interactive "Backlot Tour" with In-Depth Featurettes on the Songs, the Stage Show & Movie, the Film and Sound Restoration and the Real-Life von Trapp Family; A City of Song — Virtual Map of Filming Locations in Salzburg, Austria; Vintage Rodgers & Hammerstein and The Sound of Music Programs; for the very first time in home entertainment format, the full-length documentary, "Rodgers & Hammerstein: The Sound of American Music", hosted by Mary Martin; Screen Tests, Rare Treasures, Interviews, Photo Galleries; Feature Film In Standard Definition; Optional Sing-Along Track; Music Machine Sing-Along; The Sound of Music Tour —A Living Story.

The Sound of Music - 45th Anniversary Edition Soundtrack
(Sony Legacy - on CD)
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With bonus track: "My Favorite Things" (by Lea Michele).

TCM Greatest Classic Film Collection: Astaire & Rogers
(Turner Home Ent - on 2 DVDs)
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The Gay Divorcee (1934), Shall We Dance (1937), Swing Time (1936), and Top Hat (1935). Extras: shorts Show Kids and Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove; cartoon Shake Your Powder Puff, audio-only bonus Hollywood on the Air radio promo; Shall We Dance commentary by Hugh Martin and pianist Kevin Cole, featurette The Music of Shall We Dance, musical short Sheik to Sheik cartoon Toy Town Hall; Swing Time commentary by John Mueller, featurette The Swing of Things: Swing Time Step by Step, musical short Hotel a la Swing, cartoon Bingo Crosbyana, Top Hat commentary by Ava Astaire McKenzie and film historian Larry Billman, featurette On Top: Inside the Success of Top Hat, comedy short Watch the Birdie with Bob Hope, cartoon Page Miss Glory, trailers.

TCM Greatest Classic Film Collection: Busby Berkeley
(Turner Home Ent - on 2 DVDs)
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42nd Street, Footlight Parade, Dames, Gold Diggers Of 1937. DISC 1: three shorts: Harry Warren: America's Foremost Composer, Hollywood Newsreel, A Trip Through a Hollywood Studio; Notes on Busby Berkleley; historical short: The Romance of Louisiana, cartoons Plenty of Money and You, Speaking of the Weather; two excerpts from 1929's Gold Diggers of Broadway. DISC 2: featurette Footlight Parade: Music for the Decades, shorts Rambing 'Round Radio Row #8, Vaudeville Reel #1; cartoons Honeymoon Hotel, Young and Healthy; featurette Busby Berkeley's Kaleidoscopic Eyes; shorts And She Learned About Dames, Good Morning, Eve, Melody Master: Don Redman and His Orchestra; cartoons I Only Have Eyes for You, Those Beautiful Dames; audio-only bonus: Direct from Hollywood radio promo; trailers.

What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up - The Songs of Scott Alan
(Billy-Boo Records - new on CD) 
3rd album of songs by Scott Alan. Christiane Noll, Willemijn Verkaik, Christopher Sieber, Darius de Haas, Nikki Renée Daniels, Bobby Steggert, Laura Osnes, Patina Miller, Zak Resnick, Morgan James, Diana Degarmo, Cassie Mcivor, Crystal Monee Hall. Jesse Vargas is arranger, orchestrator, conductor and co-producer. CD available at CD Baby and iTunes.

White Christmas Blu-Ray
(Paramount - new on Blu-Ray)
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1954 musical film featuring songs by Irving Berlin. Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen. 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack (along with the original mono). Special features: commentary by Rosemary Clooney; Backstage Stories from White Christmas (in HD); Rosemary's Old Kentucky Home (in HD)l Bing Crosby: Christmas Crooner (in HD); Danny Kaye: Joy to the World (in HD); Irving Berlin's White Christmas (in HD); White Christmas: From Page to Stage (in HD); White Christmas: A Look Back with Rosemary Clooney; two theatrical trailers (in HD).

October 26, 2010

Blessing: Cheyenne Jackson and Scott Alan
(Billy Boo Records - on mp3) 
Cheyenne Jackson, sings Scott Alan's song "Blessing." All proceeds from the single will go to two incredible youth oriented G.L.B.T. Organizations: The Trevor Project and the Hetrick-Martin Institute. Also available, an instrumental version. Also at CD Baby. Released May 2010.

Celebrate Broadway Vol. 5: Hello Young Lovers
(Masterworks - new at iTunes/mp3) 
Make Believe" (Showboat, Franz Allers, Barbara Cook, Stephen Douglass), "The Human Heart" (Once On This Island, Steve Marzullo, Andrea Fierson), "My Cup Runneth Over" (I Do! I Do!, Mary Martin, Robert Preston, John Lesko), "It's Never That Easy / I've Been Here Before, Sally Mayes, Lynne Wintersteller), "Who Can I Turn To" (When Nobody Needs Me)" (The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd, Herbert Grossman, Anthony Newley" (When Nobody Needs Me)" (The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd)), "Love Can't Happen" (Grand Hotel, Brent Barrett, Randy Booth), "I Still Get Jealous" (High Button Shoes, Paul Gemignani, Jason Alexander, Faith Prince), "Merrily We Roll Along: Not a Day Goes By Ann Morrison), "In Buddy's Eyes" (Follies, Paul Gemignani, Barbara Cook), "I Know Him So Well" (Chess, Marcia Mitzman, Judy Kuhn), "Easy To Be Hard" (Hair, Lynn Kellogg, Galt MacDermot), "I Don't Remember You/Sometimes a Day Goes By" (And the World Goes Round, David Loud, Jim Walton, Bob Cuccioli), "My True Love" (Phantom, Jonathan Tunick, Glory Crampton).

Dreamgirls Revival: Piano/Vocal Selections
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
"Move (You're Stepping on My Heart)," "Fake Your Way to the Top," "Cadillac Car," "Steppin' to the Bad Side," "I Want You, Baby," "Family," "Dream Girls," "Heavy," "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," "What Love Can Do," "I Am Changing," "When I First Saw You (You Are My Dream)," "Ain't No Party," "One Night Only," "Listen," "Hard to Say Goodbye, My Love." 16 songs, totaling 128 pages, and new artwork.

Evening Primrose
(E1 Entertainment - new on DVD)
Order at CD Universe
1966 musical teleplay by James Goldman from from John Collier short story, with a score by Stephen Sondheim. Anthony Perkins, Dorothy Stickney, Larry Gates, Charmian Carr. Extras: newly recorded video interview with director Paul Bogart, newly recorded audio interview with Charmain Carr, Paul Bogart's full color test footage with Anthony Perkins, 28-page booklet with contributions by Stephen Sondheim and Jane Klain of the Paley Center for Media.

Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954-1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes
(Knopf - Hardcover Book)
By Stephen Sondheim. Along with the lyrics for all of Sondheim's productions from 1954 to 1981 ... he tells us what he's learned from his failures as well as his successes; and dissects many songs, sometimes line by line, to outline his thought process and the decisions that go into the verses ... discusses his predecessors, his contemporaries, and analyzes his own work, offering rules, sins and wisdom on lyric writing. This book will also contain behind-the-scenes photographs from each production and many personal photographs of Sondheim with his contemporaries and collaborators. 400 pages.

And Furthermore: Judi Dench
(W&N - Hardcover/Audiobook)
Memoir by Judi Dench. Available now in the U.K., February 2011 in the U.S.

The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess: The 75th Anniversary Celebration
(Amadeus Press - Hardcover Book)
By Robin Thompson, foreword by Marc Gershwin. Lavishly illustrated 75th anniversary volume, created with the participation of the Gershwin estate. Recounts the history of Porgy and Bess through the various interpretations of the work and the many layers of meaning to be found in the story. Unique, rarely seen archival photographs and documents associated with the production. Commemorates this uniquely American blending of musical, ethnic, and creative styles and the people, the performers, and the times that produced it.

The Hammersteins: First Family of American Theater
(Black Dog & Leventhal - New Book)
By Oscar Andrew Hammerstein III. The story of one of Broadway's most creative and productive families. ... a multi-layered portrait of the Hammerstein legacy, complete with personal and professional highlights, as well as the scandals and tragedies. The book also draws heavily upon the family archives, presenting a rich collection of photographs, theatre blueprints, letters, programs, patents, and more, much of which has never been seen before.

Hugh Martin: The Boy Next Door
(Trolley Press - Hardcover Book)
Autobiography by Hugh Martin, now 96 years old. A "jaunt through the Golden Era of Broadway and the MGM musicals." Martin reveals some secrets that only he could know: the truth about his so-called collaboration with Ralph Blane, his addiction to the drugs of the infamous Dr. Feelgood, Max Jacobson, how he was instrumental in giving Gene Kelly the opportunity to show Broadway that he was a great choreographer in addition to already being a great performer, and what it was really like to be part of the MGM "Dream Factory." 416 pages.

A Little Night Music: Vocal Score, Revised
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Completely new edition, based on the composer's piano/vocal manuscript sources and features all music in clean new engravings.

Passing By: Songs by Jake Heggie
(Avie - new on CD)
Order at CD Universe
Collection of new songs performed by international vocalists. "Songs that tell stories about now and then." Jake Heggie (operas Dead Man Walking, Moby Dick, Three Decembers, The End of the Affair) music with lyrics and poetry by A.E. Housman, Terrence McNally ("Final Monologue from Master Class"), and Rainer Maria Rilke. Susan Graham, Zheng Cao, Frederica von Slade, Paul Groves, Joyce DiDonato, Isabel Bayrakdarian. Released 9/14/10.

Slings & Arrows: The Complete Collection
(Acorn Media - new on 6 Blu-Ray Discs)
Order at CD Universe
CBC series about a Shakespeare theatre company. Paul Gross, Don McKellar, Mark McKinney, Oliver Dennis. Three exclusive episode commentaries by the stars, writers, and director (Season 1/Episode 1 commentary with Bob Martin, Mark McKinney, and Susan Coyne; Season 2/Episode 6 commentary with Graham Harley and Michael Polley; and Season 3/Episode 6 commentary with Paul Gross and Martha Burns and director Peter Wellington); behind-the-scenes featurette; cast and crew interviews; backstage footage; bloopers; deleted and extended scenes; photo galleries; production notes; trailers; song lyrics.

October 19, 2010

The Actor's Ultimate Toolbox: Duo! The Best Scenes for the '90s and Duo! The Best Scenes for Two for the 21st Century
(Applause - Paperback Book)
These two volumes offer a full spectrum of scenes from the '90s and the 2000s. Each scene has a synopsis of the play, character descriptions and notes on how to propel the scene to full power! Includes: Angles in America, Burn This, Lettice and Lovage, Driving Miss Daisy, Other People's Money, M. Butterfly, August: Osage County, George and Martha, Intimate Apparel, Take Me Out, and Water Music. 1076 pages.

Avenue Q: The Musical: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical
(Applause - Paperback Book)
The Applause Libretto Library Series Each title presents a Broadway musical with fresh packaging in a 6 x 9 trade paperback format. Each Complete Book and Lyrics is approved by the writers and attractively designed with color photo inserts from the Broadway production. All titles include introduction and foreword by renowned Broadway musical experts.

Becky's New Car
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Play by Steven Dietz.

Betty Buckley: Bootleg Boardmixes From the Road
(Practical Magic Productions - new at iTunes) 
Tracks from live performances Buckley has offered around the country. "Honest Emotion" (new song by Michael McDonald), "Falling in Love," "Ghost in This House," "On the 4th of July," "Bye Bye Country Boy," "Stormy Blues," "Straighten Up and Fly Right," "It Might as Well Be Spring" and "Blue Skies." Available in disc form at Town Hall performances.

Chasing the Day
(Sh-K-Boom - new on CD) 
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Stephanie J. Block, Matt Doyle, Katie Rose Clarke, Alex Brightman, Morgan James, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Adam Kantor, Josh Lamon, Carrie Manolakos, and John Eric Parker sing songs written by Will Van Dyke (Pages: A New Musical, The Girls I've LIKE Liked, Where The Blue Grass Grows, The Grass Is Always Greener: A Song Cycle; also a musician/music director on Broadway and tours). Produced by Dominick Amendum and Van Dyke.

A Christmas Carol: The Concert
(Newport Classic - new on CD) 
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Classic Dickens tale with a new score by Bob Christianson (Too Hot To Handel) and Alisa Hauser. Merwin Foard as Scrooge, Lawrence Clayton as Cratchit, Tony winner Chuck Cooper as Ghost of Christmas Present and Marley, Daniel Reichard as Fred and Ghost of Christmas Past, and Sean Palmer as Young Scrooge. Full symphony orchestra, a rock/pop rhythm section, choir, a narrator and three soloists.

Eric Jordan Young: Once in a Lifetime
(new on CD) 
Debut solo album from Eric Jordan Young (Sammy & Me, Ragtime, Dessa Rose). "The Birth of the Blues," "Once In a Lifetime," "Where or When," "Hey There," "That Old Black Magic," "The Candy Man," "Mr Bojangles," "Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow," "I Want to Be With You," "I've Gotta Be Me," "The Shelter of Your Arms," "What Kind of Fool Am I?". CD available at www.ericjordanyoung.com/once-in-a-lifetime/.

Fierce and True: Plays for Teen Audiences
(Univ Of Minnesota Press - Hardcover/Paperback Book)
Peter Brosius and Elissa Adams, Editors. Collection of four plays that Minneapolis' Children's Theatre Company CTC commissioned and produced plays aimed at a twelve- to eighteen-year-old audience. Anon(ymous) by Naomi Iizuka, The Lost Boys of Sudan by Lonnie Carter, Five Fingers of Funk by Will Power, and Prom by Whit MacLaughlin and New Paradise Laboratories.

Glee: The Music, The Rocky Horror Glee Show
(Columbia - new on CD) 
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First CD from the second season of FOX's hit show. Paying homage to Richard O'Brien's cult musical masterpiece, the Glee cast injects their distinctive style to such Rocky Horror Show classics as "Time Warp," "Damn it," "Janet" and "Touch A Touch A Touch A Touch Me."

Gruesome Playground Injuries; Animals Out of Paper; Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo: Three Plays
(Soft Skull Press - Paperback Book)
Three plays by Rajiv Joseph (Whiting Writers Award winner), including the Pulitzer Prize finalist Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo.

It Gets Better: Broadway Sings for The Trevor Project
(new on iTunes) 
Song written by Jay Kuo and Blair Shepard. Proceeds to benefit the Trevor Project.

Jack Donahue: Parade - Live in New York City
(Two Maples Music - new on CD) 
Recorded live at Birdland in New York City. Features award-winning jazz vocalist Jack Donahue performing songs by Jimmy Webb, Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, the Gershwins, Jay Leonhart, and Jerry Herman. Available at CD Baby.

Jennifer Sheehan: You Made Me Love You - Celebrating 100 Years of the Great American Songbook
(new on CD)
"All the Things You Are," "Some of These Days," "You Made Me Love You," "In the Still of the Night," "How Long Has This Been Going On?," "Do You Miss Me?," "If You Hadn't, But You Did," "I'll Be Seeing You," "Take Me to the World/Take the Moment," "Two for the Road/What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?," "When October Goes," "I Can't Be New," "Movie of My Life," "What'll I Do?/Unexpressed," "Some Enchanted Evening/Fable," "Love is Here to Stay." Available at CD Baby.

Isabel Rose: Swingin' From the Hip
(Jubilee Recording Company - new on CD) 
Actress and writer (tour Six Degrees of Separation, film Anything But Love, novel/musical The J.A.P. Chronicles. "Aquarius," "Lovely Day," "I Enjoy Being A Girl," "Temptation," "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," "Haven't We Met," "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me," "I Only Wanna Be With You," "Boy Wanted," "On The Street Where You Live," "Thirteen Men," "Ac-cent-tchu- ate the Positive," "The Best Is Yet To Come." Produced by Julian Fleisher with arrangements by Jeff Klitz. CD available at www.isabelrose.com.

Jerry Hadley: Golden Days - Tenor hits from the Golden Age of Operetta
(Masterworks - new at iTunes) 
"Song Of The Vagabonds/Stouthearted Men," "I'm Falling In Love With Someone," "The Streets Of New York," "Neapolitan Love Song," "The Desert Song/One Alone," "Every Day Is Ladies' Day With Me," "Donkey Serenade," "Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise," "Drinking Song," "When You're Away," "I Love To Go Swimmin' With Wimmin" (with Tony Randall), "I Might Be Your 'Once-in-a-While'," "Marianne," "Serenade," "Indian Summer," "When I Grow Too Old To Dream," "Gypsy Love Song," "Golden Days" (with Mario Lanza).

The Lemon Drop Kid
(Shout - on DVD)
Order at CD Universe
1951 Bob Hope film, which introduced the song "Silver Bells."

Michael Feinstein's American Songbook DVD
(PBS Home Video - new on 2 DVDs)
2010 PBS series. Three one-hour episodes plus a two-hour bonus disk with additional live performances by Feinstein and rare archival footage of Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Lena Horne, Rosemary Clooney, Nat King Cole, and more. Order at ShopPBS.org

Moulin Rouge
(Fox Home Entertainment - new Blu-Ray with DVD set)
Order at CD Universe
2001 musical film directed by Baz Luhrmann. Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent, David Wenham, Kylie Minogue, Richard Roxburgh, Natalie Mendoza.

The Off-Broadway Songbook 2nd Edition
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
50 songs from Off-Broadway hits, including Altar Boyz, tick tick...Boom!, Floyd Collins The Last Five Years, The Fantasticks, Songs for a New World, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, [title of show], The Wild Party, and many more. Songs include:"Always a Bridesmaid," "Branded a Tramp," "Come to Your Senses," "Everybody Fits," "Happiness," "How Glory Goes," "I Hate Musicals," "If We Only Have Love (Quand on N'a Que L'amour)," "The Picture in the Hall," "Real Life," "So Many People," "Soon It's Gonna Rain," "Stars and the Moon," "Still Hurting," "30/90," "What More Do I Need?." and more.

Pins and Needles
(Masterworks - new at iTunes) 
Studio recording of Harold Rome revue. Featuring Barbra Streisand.

Rocky Horror Picture Show 35th Anniversary
(20th Century Fox - new on Blu-Ray)
Order at CD Universe
1975 film. Special features expected.

Sony Masterworks classic film scores remastered and reissued: Casablanca, Captain From Castile, Captain Blood, Lost Horizon, Gone With the Wind, The Sea Hawk.

Taking My Turn
(150 Music - on CD) 
Reissue of 1983 Off-Broadway cast recording. Gary William Friedman and Will Holt score. Marni Nixon, Margaret Whiting, Tiger Haynes, Cissy Houston, Mace Barrett, Ted Thurston, and Sheila Smith.

Theater of War
(Kino - new on DVD)
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Behind-the-scenes look at the 2006 Public Theater production of Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children. Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Tony Kushner, George C. Wolf. Includes commentary from Michael Moore.

West Side Story: Music on Film Series
(Limelight Editions - Paperback Book)
Barry Monush explores not only the stage origins of the piece, but the impact of the movie version and how it became a touchstone for all subsequent generations interested in dance on film and in great filmmaking in general.

What Makes Sammy Run?
(Masterworks Broadway/Arkiv - new on CD-R/iTunes) 
Grammy-nominated original cast recording. Remastered using the original stereo master. Steve Lawrence, Robert Alda and Sally Ann Howes. Ervin Drake score with orchestrations by Don Walker. Conducted by Lehman Engel. CD with liner notes available on demand at Arkiv Music.

October 12, 2010

Broadway Bares Openings
(Yellow Sound Label - new on mp3/iTunes) 
13 original opening numbers from BC/EFA's popular annual burlesque show, sung by the stars who debuted them on the Broadway Bares stage. Songwriters include Gary Adler and Laura Kenyon, Jeff Bowen, Andrew Lippa, David Nehls, and Mark Shaiman and Scott Wittman. "The Best Game In Town," (Euan Morton), "Click It!," (Heidi Blickenstaff and Mo Rocca), "Wonderland," (Tituss Burgess and Mary Birdsong), "Nothin' Really Thrills Me Anymore.," (Leslie Kritzer), "The New York Strip," (Sara Gettelfinger), "Doctor's Orders," (Shoshana Bean), "Coming Attraction," (Christopher Sieber), "Burlesque is Back," (Jane Krakowski), "Comic Strip," (Julia Murney), "Ride With Me," (Anika Larsen), "Peep Show," (Debbie Gravitte), "The Barest Show On Earth," (Andrew Lippa), "Grin And Bare It," (Lillias White). CD version available at http:www.BroadwayBares.com. All proceeds go to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Celebrate Broadway Vol. 4: Overtures
(Masterworks - new at iTunes) 
Carousel, Finian's Rainbow, Follies, The Roar Of The Greasepaint (The Smell Of The Crowd), Hello, Dolly!, The Boy Friend, Peter Pan, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, Merrily We Roll Along, The King And I, Mack & Mabel, Gypsy.

Great Songs of Broadway Songbook Revised
(Cherry Lane Music - Paperback Book)
Updated with 54 hits, including "And All That Jazz," "Dulcinea," "Edelweiss," "Getting to Know You," "The Impossible Dream," "Mame," "On the Street Where You Live," "People," "This Is the Moment," "Try to Remember," "When You're Good to Mama" and more. Complete songlist at MusicDispatch.com.

Laurette Taylor, American Stage Legend
(McFarland - Paperback Book)
By Lynn Kear. Offers fascinating new insights into the life and craft of Laurette Taylor. Included is a short play written by the actress, entitled The Dying Wife. 286 pages.

Love, Loss and What I Wore
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Play by Nora Ephron.

Les Miserables - Live! - Dream the Dream
(First Night - new on 2 CDs) 
Order at CD Universe
2010 UK 25th anniversary tour cast recording. Madalena Alberto, Ashley Artus, Earl Carpenter, Gareth Gates, Katie Hall, Rosalind James, John Owen Jones, David Lawrence, Jon Robyns, Lynne Wilmot. Previously released in the UK: Available at Dress Circle and Amazon UK.

The Noël Coward Reader
(Knopf - Hardcover Book)
Edited by Barry Day. Foreword by Cameron Mackintosh. Includes scenes from The Vortex, Blithe Spirit, Private Lives, and Design for Living and his film screenplays, Brief Encounter and the previously unpublished script for In Which We Serve; from his only published novel, Pomp and Circumstance; four of his best short stories; his verse; the lyrics of many Coward songs. 624 pages.

Out of the Blue
(Stage Door Records - new on CD)
1994 London cast recording of Shunn-Ichi Tokura and Paul Sand. First commercial release. Meredith Braun, Greg Ellis, James Graeme, Michael McCarthy and Simon Burke. Sleeve notes by Shun Tokura. Full colour 8-page booklet. Available at StageDoorRecords.com.

The Scottsboro Boys
(JAY Records - new on CD) 
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2010 Off-Broadway musical cast recording. Kander & Ebb score. Vineyard cast Sean Bradford, Josh Breckenridge, Derrick Cobey, John Cullum, Brandon Victor Dixon, Colman Domingo, Rodney Hicks, Kendrick Jones, Forrest McClendon, Julius Thomas III, Sharon Washington, Cody Ryan Wise, and Christian Dante White. Orchestrations by Larry Hochman, music direction and vocal arrangements by David Loud and music arrangements by Glen Kelly. Conducted by Paul Masse. Recorded 4/23/10.

Shepley Metcalf: Something Irresistible: Songs of Fran Landesman + Simon Wallace
(new on CD/mp3/iTunes) 
Boston-based singer performs new songs by the American expatriate lyricist Fran Landesman, written with jazz composer Simon Wallace. 15 songs performed for the first time ever on these shores. Released 3/23/10.

Sugar
(Kritzerland Records - new on 2 CDs)
Remastered 1972 original cast album. Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Bob Merrill. Robert Morse, Tony Roberts, Elaine Joyce, and Cyril Ritchard. Includes an alternate new mix along with the original album mix. Limited release of 1,000 copies. Orders placed at Kritzerland.com will ship one to five weeks early.

October 5, 2010

The Break of Noon: A Play
(Soft Skull Press - Paperback Book)
Neil LaBute play to debut this year at MCC.

Annie: The Broadway Musical (30th Anniversary Production)
Order at CD Universe
(Time Life - on CD)
24-track version of previously released tour cast recording.

Celebrate Broadway Vol. 3: Lullaby of Broadway
(Masterworks - new at iTunes) 
"Lullaby of Broadway," "Broadway Baby," "Be a Performer!," "All I Need Is the Girl," "Opening Doors," "One Step," "Hello, Dolly!," "Life upon the Wicked Stage," "I Want to Go to Hollywood," "Stereophonic Sound," "Comedy Tonight," "La Cage aux Folles," "Cabaret," "There's No Business Like Show Business."

Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas
(Limelight Editions - Paperback Book)
Film critic Alonso Duralde highlights the best and worst movies of the Yuletide season. Plot synopses, video availability, and fun facts.

Putting It On: The West End Theatre of Michael Codron
(Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd - Hardcover Book-Import)
By Alan Strachan. About producer Michael Codron. Also available from Amazon UK and Dress Circle.

Sondheim on Music- 2nd Edition
(Scarecrow Press - Hardcover Book)
By Mark Eden Horowitz. Where the first edition focused particularly on six shows (Passion, Assassins, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, and Pacific Overtures), the second edition presents a new chapter that discusses Sondheim's entire career. Several shows that were not discussed previously are explored here, as well as thoughts about the recent film adaptation of Sweeney Todd. The book also features an entire chapter on Bounce, the previous incarnation of his latest musical, Road Show. In addition to Sondheim's list of "Songs I Wish I'd Written," the Songlisting and Discography has been greatly expanded and updated to include all works composed and recorded over the last six years.

Supernova The Musical
(new on 3 CDs)
Concept cast recording. The story of a girl who found love and became an Internet singing sensation. Score by Mark Carroll (The Attic). Alison Jiear, Krysten Cummings, Ben Evans, Stuart Milligan, Dawn Spence, Julia Worsley, Lucy Williamson, Paul Iveson, Jon Boydon, Charlie Bull, Michael Conway, Michelle Francis, Jye Frasca, Lucinda Gill, Tim Howar, Mark Isherwood, Tee Jaye, Joseph Prouse, Golda Rosheuvel, Jayde Westaby, James Winter. Available for at Dress Circle

The Year Without a Santa Claus
(Warner Home Video - new on 2 Blu-Ray discs)
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1974 television stop-motion animated special. Voices include Shirley Booth, Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn, George S. Irving. Original music by Maury Laws. Directed by Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.

September 28, 2010

The Addams Family: Piano/Vocal Selections
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa. Piano/vocal arrangements (with melody in the piano part) for musical numbers from the Tony Award-nominated show. "Crazier Than You," "Happy Sad," "In the Arms," "Just Around the Corner," "Let's Not Talk About Anything Else but Love," "Live Before We Die," "Morticia," "One Normal Night," "Pulled," "The Moon and Me," "Waiting," "What If," "When You're an Addams."

The Addams Family: Vocal Selections (Vocal Line with Piano Accompaniment)
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Vocal arrangements with piano accompaniment from Tony-nominated score by Andrew Lippa. "Crazier Than You," "Happy Sad," "In the Arms," "Just Around the Corner," "Let's Not Talk About Anything Else but Love," "Live Before We Die," "Morticia," "One Normal Night," "Pulled," "The Moon and Me," "Waiting," "What If," "When You're an Addams."

After Miss Julie
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Play by Patrick Marber, a new version of a world classic. Relocates August Strindberg's Miss Julie (1888) to an English country house in July 1945. Presented on Broadway at American Airlines Theatre in 2009.

Andre Previn: A Bridge Between Two Worlds
(Naxos - new on DVD)
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Documentary portrait of Previn's fascinating musicianship and also looks candidly at his private life, including his relations with his two ex-wives, Mia Farrow and Anne-Sophie Mutter. Bonus: Mozart's Piano Quartets K. 478 and K 493 with Andre Previn at the keyboard.

Anthems: Kerry Ellis
(Decca - new on CD) 
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UK musical theatre performer (Oliver!, Wicked, We Will Rock You) debut album. "Dangerland," "Anthem," "I Can`t Be Your Friend," "Defying Gravity," "I`m Not That Girl," "You Have To Be There," "Love It When You Call," "Save Me," "Diamonds Are Forever," "No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young)," "Things That Glitter." US release.

Beautiful And Damned
(Stage Door Records - new on CD)
Les Reed and Roger Cook concept recording of show based on the life of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. Lorna Bannon, Carole Cook, Roger Cook, Katie Humble, Les Reed. Previously unreleased. Bonus: three exclusive live recordings from The London Cast featuring Michael Praed and Helen Anker, recorded live at the Lyric Theatre. Full colour 16-page booklet. Available for at StageDoorRecords.com.

This Beautiful City
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Steven Cosson and Jim Lewis (Book), Michael Friedman (music and lyrics). Libretto for award-winning musical presented in 2009 at the Vineyard Theatre.

Broke-ology
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Play by Nathan Louis Jackson (Off-Broadway for Lincoln Center Theatre in 2009).

La Cage aux Folles Revival Cast Recording
(PS Classics - new on CD) 
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New Broadway revival cast recording of Jerry Herman score. Kelsey Grammer, Douglas Hodge, Fred Applegate, Veanne Cox, Chris Hoch, Elena Shaddow, A.J. Shively, Christine Andreas, Robin De Jesús, Dale Hensley, Heather Lindell, Caitlin Mundth, Bill Nolte, David Nathan Perlow, Cheryl Stern, Nick Adams, Christophe Caballero, Sean A. Carmon, Nicholas Cunningham, Sean Patrick Doyle, Logan Keslar, Todd Lattimore, Terry Lavell. Recorded August 5 and 6. Shipping now from PSClassics.com.

Circle Mirror Transformation
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Annie Baker's award-winning play presented at Peter Jay Sharp Theater for Playwrights Horizons in 2009.

Clear Blue Tuesday
(Sh-K-Boom - new on CD) 
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Soundtrack for rock musical film. Music by Quentin Chiappetta. Becca Ayers, Julie Danao, Vedant Gokhale, Robi Hager, Erin Hill, Cassandra Kubinski, Brother Love, Greg Naughton, Jan O'Dell, Jeremy Schonfeld, Asa Somers.

The Entertainment Sourcebook 2011
(Applause - Paperback Book)
ATAC (The Association of Theatrical Artists and Craftspeople). Nearly 5,000 company entries from across the country. Insider's guide to finding any item imaginable, be it a Civil War saber, an animal to rent, authentic Amish clothing, 19th-century chandeliers, crystal and glassware, or plumbing supplies and fixtures. The Sourcebook is useful for anyone planning an event, even a wedding, and it's indispensable for those who work in theatre, film, television, opera, and print, with more website listings than ever before.

Fly Me to the Moon: Michael Feinstein with Joe Negri
(DuckHole Records - new on CD) 
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Released in conjunction with Michael Feinstein's American Songbook the primetime PBS-TV reality/documentary series, which starts airing nationally on Wednesday, October 6. "So in Love," "Meditation," "Fly Me to the Moon," "I Wish I Knew," "Blame My Absent Minded Heart," "Mist Is Over the Moon, A," "Serenata," "Why Shouldn't I," "One Love in My Life," "This Time the Dream's on Me," "Man and His Dream, A," "While My Lady Sleeps," "Lonely Town," "It Could Happen to You."

The Guest List: How Manhattan Defined American Sophistication---from the Algonquin Round Table to Truman Capote's Ball
(St. Martin's Press - Hardcover Book)
By Ethan Mordden. From the 1920s to the early 1960s, Manhattan was America's beacon of sophistication. From the theatres of Broadway to the lobby of the Algonquin Hotel to tables at the Stork Club, intelligence and wit were the twinned coins of the realm. Alexander Woollcott, Irving Berlin, Edna Ferber, Arturo Toscanini, Leonard Bernstein, Cole Porter, Dorothy Parker, Truman Capote, the Lunts and Helen Hayes presided over the town. Their books, plays, performances, speeches, dinner parties, masked balls, loves, hates, likes and dislikes became the aspirations of a nation. If you wanted to be sophisticated, you played by Manhattan's rules. If you didn't, you simply weren't on the guest list. The Heartland rebelled against Manhattan's dictum, but never prevailed. In this lively cultural history, Mordden chronicles the city's most powerful and influential era.

The Legendary Bing Crosby
(Infinity - new on DVD)
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First seen on public television. Bing performs solo and in duets with superstar colleagues. These memorable performances from TV specials Bing headlined between 1945 and 1977 haven't been seen since their original broadcasts. Full song performances by Bing blend seamlessly with unique insight from Kathryn Crosby, Mary Crosby, Michael Feinstein, Leonard Maltin, Regis Philbin and Andy Williams.

Miles to Babylon: A Play in Two Acts
(McFarland - Paperback Book)
Ann Harson play about Eugene O'Neill's mother, Ella.

One Night With Fanny Brice
(Original Cast Records - new on CD)
Premiere recording of Chip Deffaa's new musical play about legendary entertainer Fanny Brice, with Kimberly Faye Greenberg singing songs Brice made famous, like "Rose of Washington Square," "My Man" and "Second-Hand Rose." Available, with track list, at CD Baby. 24 tracks.

Placido Domingo —Maury Yeston's Goya
(Masterworks - New Digital Download) 
"Overture/Espana," "The Astounding Romantic Adventures Of Goya/In The Middle Of The 18th Century," "Girl With A Smile," "Till I Loved You," "Picture It," "I Will Paint Sounds," "Viva Espana," "Once A Time (I Loved You)," "I Stand Alone," "Dog In The Quicksand," "Moving On," "Bon Soir," "Finale," "Hasta Amarte (Till I Loved You)."

The Playbill Broadway Yearbook: June 2009 to May 2010: Sixth Annual Edition
(Applause - Hardcover Book)
Robert Viagas. The sixth edition is packed with photos and memorabilia from the entire 2009-2010 Broadway season. Chapters on all 73 Broadway shows that ran during the season. Headshots of all the actors who appeared in Playbill, photos of producers, writers, designers, stage managers, stagehands, musicians - even the ushers. This year's roster is expected to top 10,000 names. A wealth of photos from Broadway insider events, including "Gypsy of the Year," "Broadway Bares," and the annual Broadway League softball championship. Show correspondents report on things that only those who worked backstage would know: opening night presents, who got the Gypsy Robe, daily rituals, celebrity visits, favorite health tips and regimens, memorable ad-libs, etc. Correspondents range from dressers and stage doormen to stage managers, dancers, featured players, and, in some cases, the star of the show.

Playing for Time
(Olive Films - new on DVD)
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1980 made-for-TV movie starring Vanessa Redgrave, Jane Alexander, Viveca Lindfors, Christine Baranski, and Marisa Berenson. Screenplay by Arthur Miller. Directed by Daniel Mann.

Sound of Music
(Pet Sounds International - new on Import CD)
1981 London cast recording, first time on CD. John Bennett, Honor Blackman, June Bronhill, Petula Clark, Michael Jayston. Brings together all of Rodgers and Hammerstein´s original songs - the first time for a stage production. "Preludium," "The Sound of Music," "Maria," "A Bell Is No Bell," "I Have Confidence," "Do-Re-Mi," "Sixteen Going on Seventeen," "My Favourite Things," "The Lonely Goatherd," "How Can Love Survive?," "So Long, Farewell," "Climb Every Mountain," "Something Good," "Wedding Sequence, Maria" (Reprise), "Do-re-mi" (Reprise), "Edelweiss," "So Long, Farewell" (Reprise), "Climb Every Mountain" (Reprise) plus two bonus tracks from the original Epic single issued to promote the stage show.: "Edelweiss: and "Darkness." Available directly from Amazon UK and Dress Circle.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary
(Little, Brown and Co - Hardcover Book)
New collection of animal-themed tales by David Sedaris (In "The Toad, the Turtle, and the Duck," three strangers commiserate about animal bureaucracy while waiting in a complaint line. In "Hello Kitty," a cynical feline struggles to sit through his prison-mandated AA meetings. In "The Squirrel and the Chipmunk," a pair of star-crossed lovers is separated by prejudiced family members.) Illustrations by Ian Falconer.

A Still Untitled, Not Quite Autobiography
(JR Books Ltd. - Hardcover Book-Import)
By Ron Moody (Oliver!). Available for at Amazon UK and Dress Circle.

The Temperamentals
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Jon Marans' award-winning play that chronicles the founding of the Mattachine Society, the first sustained LGBT rights organization in the United States, and the love affair of two of its founding members, Harry Hay (Thomas Jay Ryan) and Rudi Gernreich. Premiered at the Barrow Group Studio Theater in April, 2009.

Yankee Tavern
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Steven Dietz play.

September 21, 2010

Billy Barnes' L.A.
(Kritzerland - on CD)
Original cast album, music and lyrics by Billy Barnes and Bob Rodgers. Joyce Jameson, Ken Berry, Steve Franken, Tom Hatten, Marlyn Mason, and Sylvia Lewis. Newly restored. Includes bonus tracks from a live show at Studio One, in West Hollywood with Billy Barnes and Marvin Laird were at twin pianos singing an updated (to then) "L.A. Is," "The Hollywood Museum," "Unemployment Line," "Ambivalent," "Show Biz Is My Life." Limited release of 1,000 copies. CDs ordered from Kritzerland.com will ship early.

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
(Ghostlight Records - new on CD) 
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Off-Broadway cast recording. River Aguirre, James Barry, Michael Crane, Michael Dunn, Greg Hildreth, Jeff Hiller, Lucas Near-Verbrugghe, Maria Elena Ramirez, Kate Cullen Roberts, Ben Steinfeld, Benjamin Walker, Colleen Werthmann and Emily Young. Michael Friedman score. Justin Levine, Music Director. Produced by Kurt Deutsch and Dean Sharenow. "Populism, Yea, Yea!," "I'm Not That Guy," "Oh, Andrew Jackson," "Illness As Metaphor," "I'm So That Guy," "Ten Little Indians," "The Corrupt Bargain," "Rock Star," "The Great Compromise," "Public Life," "Crisis Averted," "The Saddest Song," "Second Nature," "The Hunters of Kentucky." Recorded 4/26/10.

Celebrate Broadway Vol. 2: You Gotta Get A Gimmick
(Masterworks - New Digital Download) 
"I've Got Your Number," "Step to the Rear," "I Cain't Say No," "Mama Will Provide," "Kingston Market: Matilda Matilda," "Chicken Is He," "The Dream," "Lizzie Borden," "Arthur in the Afternoon," "0Your Feet's Too Big," "Crossword Puzzle," "A Well Known Fact," "Shuffle Off to Buffalo," "Siberia," "Another Wedding Song," "So Long Dearie," "A Little More Mascara," "You Gotta Have a Gimmick."

Christine Ebersole Sings Noel Coward
(Ghostlight Records - new on CD) 
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Inspired by Ebersole's appearance in Blithe Spirit. "Someday I'll Find You," "Any Little Fish/It's Only You," "You Were There," "A Room With A View," "Chase Me Charlie," "Matelot/Come The Wild, Wild Weather," "I'll Follow My Secret Heart," "World Weary," "If Love Were All," "Mad About The Boy," "Never Again/Sail Away," "The Dream Is Over," "When My Ship Comes Home," "I'll See You Again." Musical director Larry Yurman.

Liza Minnelli: Confessions
(Decca - new on CD) 
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Liza with piano accompaniment. "Confession," "You Fascinate Me So," "All the Way," "I Hadn't Anyone 'Til You," "This Heart of Mine," "I Got Lost in His Arms," "Remind Me," "Close Your Eyes," "He's a Tramp," "I Must Have That Man," "On Such a Night as This," "Moments Like This," "If I Had You," "At Last."

Glee: The Music, The Complete Season One
(20th Century Fox - new on iTunes) 
All of the music used in season one of the hit Fox musical series. Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele, Jane Lynch, Chris Colfer, Amber Riley, Dianna Agron, Mark Salling, Jenna Ushkowitz, Kevin McHale and more, in addition to guest star turns by musical vets including Jonathan Groff, Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Neil Patrick Harris and Olivia Newton-John. 100 tracks.

Home: Jane Monheit
(Emarcy/Universal Records - new on CD) 
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The singer's ode to the golden age of the jazz standard. "A Shine On Your Shoes," "There's A Small Hotel," "This Is Always," "Tonight You Belong To Me," "Look For The Silver Lining," "I'll Be Around," "Everything I've Got Belongs To You," "It's Only Smoke," "The Eagle and Me," "I Didn't Know About You/All Too Soon," "Isn't It A Lovely Day" and "While We're Young." With Michael Kanan (piano), Neal Miner on bass and Rick Montalbano on drums, plus guest artists John Pizzarelli (vocals and guitar), Peter Eldridge (vocals), Frank Vignola (guitar), Joe Magnarelli (trumpet and flugelhorn), Mark O'Connor (violin) and Larry Goldings (piano).

Mark Nadler: Beyond Words: Lyrics of Ira Gershwin
(Karen Lotman Productions - new on CD) 
Mark Nadler.

Les Miserables - Live! - Dream the Dream
(First Night - new on 2 import CDs)
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2010 UK 25th anniversary tour cast recording. Madalena Alberto, Ashley Artus, Earl Carpenter, Gareth Gates, Katie Hall, Rosalind James, John Owen Jones, David Lawrence, Jon Robyns, Lynne Wilmot. Import in U.S.; available directly from the UK at Dress Circle and Amazon UK.

Ordinary Days OC recording
(Ghostlight - new on CD) 
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Score by Adam Gwon. Hunter Foster, Lisa Brescia, Kate Wetherhead and Jared Gertner.

The Playwright As Thinker: A Study of Drama in Modern Times, Fourth Edition
(Univ of Minnesota Press - Paperback Book)
By Eric Bentley. First published in 1946, The Playwright as Thinker is a classic work of drama criticism that helped create the intellectual environment in which serious American theater would thrive in the second half of the twentieth century. Focusing on the canonic playwrights Strindberg, Ibsen, Pirandello, Sartre, and Brecht, Bentley viewed the playwright as thinker, and his survey of over 150 years of dramatic art provided, in essence, an intellectual history of Europe. This edition not only contains the original, long-suppressed foreword, in which Bentley lambastes the climate of Broadway at the time, but also the author's 1987 afterword.

Porgy and Bess
(RCA - on 3 CDs)
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Live recording of the 2009 Graz Festival in Austria concert. Conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Jonathan Lemalu (Porgy), Isabelle Kabatu (Bess), Angela Renée Simpson, Bibiana Nwobilo, Roberta Alexander, Gregg Baker, Rodney Clarke, Michael Forest, Previn Moore, Arnold Schoenberg Chor. Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

Sarah: The Life of Sarah Bernhardt (Jewish Lives)
(Yale Univ Press - Hardcover Book)
By Robert Gottlieb. The first English-language biography of Bernhardt to appear in decades. Tracks the trajectory through which an illegitimate—and scandalous—daughter of a courtesan transformed herself into the most famous actress who ever lived, and into a national icon, a symbol of France.

Sony Holland: Sanssouci
(Van Hess - new on CD) 
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"My Foolish Heart," "Curiosity," "Those Dancing Days Are Gone," "Sanssouci," "What A Difference A Day Made," "Little Tune," "When I Find You," "Les Feuilles Mortes," "You Don't Know What Love Is," "Your Always With Somebody New," "Too Many Beautiful Girls," "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," "My Romance."

Things to Ruin: The Songs of Joe Iconis
(Ghostlight Records - new at iTunes/Amazon mp3) 
Collection of songs by Kleban and Larson Award Winner Joe Iconis (writer of musicals The Black Suits and Bloodsong of Love). Theatrical rock concert about human beings who are messy, emotional, drugged up, knocked down, inspired, electric and who don't have nearly enough time to cause the kind of commotion they so desperately need to. Directed by John Simpkins. Performed by Nick Blaemire, Katrina Rose Dideriksen, Badia Farha, Sarah Glendening, Eric William Morris, Lance Rubin, Jason "SweetTooth" Williams and Joe Iconis, with a four-piece band led by Joe himself. Recorded February 28, 2010 at MSR Studios, NYC.

September 14, 2010

Elisabeth Withers: No Regrets
(Purpose Music/Koch - new on CD) 
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Tony-nominated singer/actress/songwriter (The Color Purple),

Follow That Girl
(Sepia - new on CD) 
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1960 OLC recording. Julian Slade score. Susan Hampshire, Peter Gilmore, Patricia Routledge, James Cairncross. Bonus tracks include a pop version of the title song and cut songs from the show, plus production images.

Glee: The Complete First Season
(20th Century Fox - new on 7 DVDs/4 Blu-Rays)
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Jane Lynch, Jessalyn Gilsig, Jayma Mays, Cory Monteith, Dianna Agron, Chris Colfer, Kevin McHale, Lea Michele, Matthew J. Morrison, Amber Riley, Mark Salling, Jenna Ushkowitz. Complete first season with extras: Welcome to McKinley!; Glee Music Video; Full Length Audition Pieces; Fox Movie Channel Presents Casting Session; Deconstructing Glee with Ryan Murphy; Dance Boot Camp; Jane Lynch A to Glee; Meet Jane Lynch; 5 Things you don't know about Jayma; 7 Things you don't know about Cory; 6 Things you don't know about Amber; 7 Things you don't know about Chris; Video Diaries; and all extras listed for Vol. 2. Widescreen. Individual episodes also available on Amazon Video On Demand.

Glee: Season One, Vol. 2
(20th Century Fox - new on 3 DVDs)
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Second half of Season 1 plus extras: Glee Music Juke Box; Glee Sing-Along Karaoke; Staying in Step With Glee; Sue's Corner; Bite Their Style: Dress Like Your Favorite Gleek; Behind the Scenes of the Madonna Episode; Making of a Showstopper. Widescreen.

Hallelujah Broadway
(EMI/Manhattan Records - new on CD) 
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Expanded version of PBS special featuring concert recorded February 8 in Prague. "Prepare Ye The Way Of the Lord," "Oh What A Beautiful Mornin'," "I'll Be Seeing You," "Gold," "Somewhere," "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," "Electricity," "Hallelujah Broadway," "Godspell Medley," "Seasons of Love," "What I Did For Love," "Bring Him Home," "Anthem," "Sunday," "For Good," "Someone Like You," "You'll Never Walk Alone."

Hallelujah Broadway
(EMI/Manhattan Records - new on DVD)
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PBS special featuring concert recorded February 8 in Prague. Linda Eder, Rodrick Dixon, Alfreda Burke, Anthony Kearns, Prague Filmharmonic Orchestra and Choir. The title song, "Hallelujah Broadway," was specially commissioned for the concert. Tony Gregory directs. Musical direction by Gavin Murphy.

Isabel Rose: Swingin' From the Hip
(Jubilee Recording Company - new on iTunes) 
Actress and writer (tour Six Degrees of Separation, film Anything But Love, novel/musical The J.A.P. Chronicles. "Aquarius," "Lovely Day," "I Enjoy Being A Girl," "Temptation," "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," "Haven't We Met," "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me," "I Only Wanna Be With You," "Boy Wanted," "On The Street Where You Live," "Thirteen Men," "Ac-cent-tchu- ate the Positive," "The Best Is Yet To Come." Produced by Julian Fleisher with arrangements by Jeff Klitz. CD release date October 19.

Julie and Carol Live at Carnegie Hall
(Masterworks - new at iTunes) 
"No Mozart Tonight," "You're So London," "Oh Dear What Can The Matter Be," "From Russia: The Nausiev Ballet," "Meantime," "From Switzerland: The Pratt Family," "History Of Musical Comedy," "From Texas: Big "D", Album Artwork.

Make A Wish - Original Broadway Cast
(Sony Masterworks - new on CD-R/Digital Download) 
1951 OBC recording of Hugh Martin score. Dean Campbell, Stephen Douglass, Nanette Fabray, Helen Gallagher, Harold Lang. Also includes a rare cover version of a song from the score: Judy Holliday's 1958 recording of "What I Was Warned About." First digital recording from using the original RCA Victor masters. To be available as a digital download through all major digital service providers and as disc-on-demand from Arkiv Music

Make Me an Offer
(Sepia - new on CD)
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1959 OLC recording. Daniel Massey, Dilys Laye, Diana Coupland, Sheila Hancock. David Heneker and Monty Norman score. First time on CD. Bonus tracks include excerpts from a live TV broadcast of the show. Extensive liner notes written by Monty Norman, who has also contributed photographs from his private archive.

Millicent Martin Sings
(Sepia - new on CD) 
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Millicent Martin's debut solo album, recording in the late 1950s. 20 tracks.

Most Happy Fella
(Sepia - new on CD/mp3) 
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1960 OLC recording plus five bonus tracks from the show sung by Edmund Hockridge. IniaTe Wiata, Helena Scott, Art Lund.

Patti LuPone: A Memoir
( Random House Audio; Unabridged edition - Audio Book)
Read by Patti LuPone. Memoir and retrospective of LuPone's career-defining turns, both on Broadway and abroad, in Evita, Les Misérables, Anything Goes, Sunset Boulevard, Sweeney Todd, and Gypsy. Nearly 100 photographs, including an 8-page four-color insert, and illuminating details about the life of a working actor, from inspired costars and demanding directors to her distinct perspective on how she developed and honed her Tony Award–winning performances. 210 pages. Click here to hear a clip.

Patti LuPone: A Memoir
(Harmony - Hardcover Book)
Memoir and retrospective of LuPone's career-defining turns, both on Broadway and abroad, in Evita, Les Misérables, Anything Goes, Sunset Boulevard, Sweeney Todd, and Gypsy. Nearly 100 photographs, including an 8-page four-color insert, and illuminating details about the life of a working actor, from inspired costars and demanding directors to her distinct perspective on how she developed and honed her Tony Award–winning performances. 210 pages.

Pirates of Penzance
(NBC/Universal - new on DVD)
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1983 film version with Kevin Kline, Linda Ronstadt, George Rose, Rex Smith and Angela Lansbury. Remastered anamorphic widescreen.

Saint Joan
(Kritzerland Records - new on CD)
Soundtrack of Otto Preminger's 1957 film of George Bernard Shaw's play, composed and conducted by Mischa Spoliansky. Limited release of 1,000. Orders placed through Kritzerland.com will ship early.

Seussical
(JAY Records - new on CD) 
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2007 TheatreworksUSA junior version cast recording of Ahrens & Flaherty score. Kelly Felthous, Brian Michael Hoffman, Nikka Graff Lanzarone, Willie Lee-Williams, Amelia Morgan-Rothschild, Ben Tostado, Josh Walden, Shorey Walker, Michael Wartella, Ellen Zolezzi with full orchestra. 33 tracks. Available now at iTunes.

September 7, 2010

Albee in Performance
(Indiana Univ Press - Paperback/Hardcover Book)
By Rakesh H. Solomon. Details Albee's directorial vision and how that vision animates his plays. Solomon reveals how Albee has shaped his plays in performance, the attention he pays to each aspect of theater, and how his conception of the key plays he has directed has evolved over a five-decade career ... the major works, from The American Dream and Zoo Story to Albee's best-known work, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, as well as to later plays such as Marriage Play and Three Tall Women. Also includes interviews with Albee and his collaborators on all aspects of staging, from rehearsal to performance. 320 pages.

Another Openin' Another Show
(Masterworks - New Digital Download) 
Broadway overtures conducted by Lehman Engel. Bloomer Girl, On The Town, Finian's Rainbow, Kiss Me, Kate, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Call Me Madam, Wonderful Town, Can-Can, Silk Stockings, L'il Abner, Bells Are Ringing, Goldilocks, Album Artwork.

Anthems: Kerry Ellis
(Decca - new on CD)
UK musical theatre performer (Oliver!, Wicked, We Will Rock You) debut album. Dangerland," "Anthem," "I Can`t Be Your Friend," "Defying Gravity," "I`m Not That Girl," "You Have To Be There," "Love It When You Call," "Save Me," "Diamonds Are Forever," "No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young)," "Things That Glitter." Available at Dress Circle and Amazon UK. US release September 28.

Broadway Musicals: The Biggest Hit and the Biggest Flop of the Season - 1959 to 2009
(Applause - Paperback Book)
Peter Filichia Peter Filichia takes a look at 100 shows that met either the most glorious or the most ignominious fates.

Connie Pachl & Jim Conant: Music, Marriage & Mayhem
(new on CD)
Award-winning vocalist Connie Pachl sings an eclectic selection of fresh song arrangements by guitarist/husband Jim Conant. "Ain't Misbehavin'," "I Will ," "I Don't Know Enough About You," "The Same Moon," "You Alone," "The Best Is Yet To Come," "Peel Me A Grape," "My Blue Heaven," "Sleepy Man," "My Funny Valentine," "Same Kind of Crazy," "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," "Bourree," "If Not For You," "Forever Young," "Who Cares?" Available at CD Baby.

When Pride Still Mattered: Lombardi: the Classic That Inspired the Broadway Play
(Simon & Schuster - Paperback Book)
Pulitzer Prize winner David Maraniss' biography of football great Vince Lombardi, the basis for Lombardi, coming to Broadway in fall 2010.

Tommy, the Movie
(Sony - new on Blu-Ray)
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1975 musical film. Score by The Who. Ann-Margret, Oliver Reed, Roger Daltry, Elton John, Eric Clapton, John Entwistle, Tina Turner, Keith Moon, Paul Nicholas, Jack Nicholson.

August 31, 2010

Broadway Men Sheet Music Playlist: Piano/Vocal
(Alfred Publishing - Paperback Book)
Dozens of piano/vocal arrangements of songs specially selected for male singers who love musical theatre, and includes pieces from Spring Awakening, Pippin, Hairspray, Chicago, and many more. Titles: All I Need Is the Girl" (from Gypsy), "All That's Known" (Spring Awakening), "Alone in the Universe" (Seussical), "Anyone Can Whistle" (Anyone Can Whistle), "Central Park" (See What I Wanna See), "C'est Moi" (Camelot), "Comedy Tonight" (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum), "Corner of the Sky" (Pippin), and many more (full list of songs available at Amazon).

Broadway Women Sheet Music Playlist: Piano/Vocal
(Alfred Publishing - Paperback Book)
For singers and pianists who love musical theatre, this deluxe collection of more than 200 pages of sheet music is a treasure trove of material for study, auditions, performances, and sing-along fun. Compiled especially for female singers, this book's more than 30 songs represent over a half-century of repertoire, from Broadway's golden age to the cutting edge. "And All That Jazz" ( Chicago), "Anytime" (I Am There), " (Make Me a Song), "Caution to the Wind" (Striking 12), "Daisy's Confession" (Adding Machine), "Don't Rain on My Parade" (Funny Girl), "Easy to Be Hard" (Hair), "Everything's Coming Up Roses" (Gypsy), "Frank Mills" (Hair), "Here's Where I Stand" (Camp), "Hernando's Hideaway" (The Pajama Game), "Home" (The Wiz), "How Could I Ever Know" (The Secret Garden), "I Just Want to Be a Star" (Nunsense), "I Miss the Mountains" (Next to Normal), "I Speak Six Languages" (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), "If You Hadn't But You Did" (Two on the Aisle), "Look to the Rainbow" (Finian's Rainbow), "Mama Who Bore Me" (Spring Awakening), "Nothing to Lose" (But Your Heart), " ( Liz Callaway's album Passage of Time), "Notice Me, Horton" (Seussical), "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" (A Tale of Two Cities), "Over the Rainbow" (The Wizard of Oz), "Remember Me" (Little Fish), "See What I Wanna See" (See What I Wanna See), "So in Love" (Kiss Me, Kate), "Somewhere That's Green" (Little Shop of Horrors), "Superboy and the Invisible Girl" (Next to Normal), "Waiting for Life" (Once on This Island), "Whatever Lola Wants" (Lola Gets), " (Damn Yankees), "When I Look at You" (The Scarlet Pimpernel), "Whispering" (Spring Awakening), "Without a Word" (A Tale of Two Cities), "Your Daddy's Son" (Ragtime).

The Broadway Musicals Quiz Book
(Applause - Paperback Book)
By Laura Frankos. Includes nearly 80 quizzes on every aspect of the Broadway musical, including sections devoted to the careers of major Broadway stars, songwriters, directors, and producers, ranging from Ethel Merman to Stephen Sondheim. It also features thematic quizzes - such as musicals set in France, adaptations from literature, food and drink, British shows, references to sports, biographical shows, and jukebox musicals - and quizzes covering each decade from 1900 to the present. Over 700 shows mentioned, and over 1200 questions. The answer section doesn't merely list the answers, it provides further information on the quizzes' subjects (and often on wrong answers, too!).

Busy Bees on Broadway
(Greenleaf Book Group Press - Hardcover Book)
M. Maitland DeLand (Author), Lyn Martin (Illustrator). For ages 4-8. Young readers will learn to appreciate creative expression as the busy bees dance, sing, juggle and declaim in the style of well-known Broadway performers. As in her previous Busy Bee and Katie Kate books, popular children's author and renowned woman's oncologist Maitland DeLand delivers timeless stories with a contemporary flair.

Celebrate Broadway, Vol.1: Sing Happy!
(Masterworks - new digital release) 
"Sing Happy" (Flora, The Red Menace), "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" (Anything Goes), "Freedom" (Shenandoah) [1988 Remastered]," "Consider Yourself" (Oliver), "I've Gotta Crow" (Peter Pan), "Good Morning Starshine" (Hair), "Oklahoma!" (Oklahoma!), "Born Again" (Jennie), "Our Time" (Merrily We Roll Along), "Hey, Look Me Over!" (Wildcat) [Remastered 1991]," "Before the Parade Passes By" (Hello, Dolly!) [1989 Remastered]," "I Got Love" (Purlie), "To Life" (Fiddler on the Roof), "A Certain Girl" (The Happy Time), "Little Me" (Little Me), "H- A - P - P - Y / We'll Take a Glass Together" (Grand Hotel), "The Best of Times" (La Cage Aux Folles).

Film Noir - The Musical
(Pog Dog Productions - new on CD)
Score for a mystery musical. "A troubled Broadway star, her vindictive rival, and their conniving shrink. And Murder!" l5 original songs in a radio broadcast style. 3D cover art, 16 page illustrated lyric booklet. Available at CD Baby.

Good Ol' Girls
(Ghostlight Records - new on CD)
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OB cast recording. Songs by Matraca Berg and Marshall Chapman. Sally Mayes, Teri Ralston, Lauren Kennedy, Liza Vann, and Gina Stewart. "Good Ol' Girl," "Appalachian Rain," "Lying To the Moon," "Late Date With the Blues," "Down To My Last Guardian Angel," "Booze In Your Blood," "Back In the Saddle," "All I Want is Everything," "Bad Debt," "Betty's Bein' Bad," "Happy Childhood," "Back When We Were Beautiful," "Alice In the Looking Glass," "Good Ol' Girl Reprise."

The Judy Garland Show: Volume 5
(Infinity Entertainment - new on DVD)
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26 episodes with featured guests Steve Allen, Mel Tormé, Jayne Meadows, Diahann Carroll. Richard Rodgers/Harold Arlen medley, Allen's original song hits, Tormé's "Blues in the Night" and Garland favorites "Hey Look Me Over," "Smile" and selections from her Carnegie Hall concert repertoire. Restored and digitally remastered from the original videotapes and digitally remixed sound in 5.1 surround sound.

Michel Legrand & Friends: The 50th Anniversary Concert, 50 Years of Music & Movies
(Kultur Video - new on DVD)
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taped live in Las Vegas at MGM Grand's Garden Arena and aired on PBS. Hosts Jon Voight and Jennifer O'Neill; features Michel Legrand, Quincy Jones, Dionne Warwick, Andy Williams, George Benson, Patti Page, Steve Lawrence, Melissa Manchester, Sting, Frank Sinatra, Jr. and Jerry Lewis. Directed by Michael Dimich. 120 minutes.

Scrapbook - The Songs of Rob Archibald & Verity Quade
(Quarchibald Records - new on CD)
West End singers from Sister Act and other shows, including Patina Miller, Jon Lee, John Barr, Rosemary Ashe, Louise Dearman, Ako Mitchell, Annalene Beechey, Jeff Nicholson, Richard Harley, Gina Beck, Simon Grieff, Kirsty Hoiles, Nicky Swift, Stuart Matthew Price, Wendy Somerville, Emily Tierney, Sarah Lark, Anna Francolim, Rebecca Lock and Stephen Ashfield, Robert Archibald and Verity Quade. Available at CD Baby.

Sondheim on Sondheim
(PS Classics - new on 2 CDs) 
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Original Broadway cast recording. Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Conceived and directed by James Lapine. New arrangements of over two-dozen Sondheim tunes, ranging from the beloved to the obscure, interspersed with audio commentary by the composer himself, who reveals fascinating details about his life and his art. Barbara Cook, Vanessa Williams, Tom Wopat, Leslie Kritzer, Norm Lewis, Euan Morton, Erin Mackey & Matthew Scott. Tracks: Disc One: My name is Stephen Joshua Sondheim..., "Invocation/Forget War," "Love Is In the Air," "Comedy Tonight," "Take Me to the World," Ten years after I was born..., "Talent/When I Get Famous," My first professional show..., "So Many People," With a portfolio of songs..., "Something's Coming," For many years Hal Prince..., "You Could Drive a Person Crazy," "The Wedding Is Off," "Now You Know," "Waiting for the Girls Upstairs," "Losing My Mind/Not a Day Goes By," The last show Hal and I did..., "Franklin Shepard, Inc.," "Good Thing Going," In 1983 I saw a movie called..., "Fosca's Entrance," "Is This What You Call Love?," "Loving You; Disc Two: "God," A lot of people think..., "Opening Doors," "The Best Thing That Ever Has Happened," We had three endings to Company..., "Multitudes of Amys," "Happily Ever After," "Being Alive," The show that's closest to exactly what..., "Something Just Broke," "The Gun Song," Jule Styne and I realized with Gypsy..., "Smile, Girls," I suppose if there is one that's closest..., "Finishing the Hat," "Beautiful," I had a lot of trouble with my mother..., "Children Will Listen," To me, teaching is a sacred profession..., "Send In the Clowns," I've often been asked why I don't write..., "Company/Old Friends," "Anyone Can Whistle." Produced by Tommy Krasker. Philip Chaffin, Alan D. Marks and Stephen Moore Executive Producers.

Stuart Matthew Price - All Things In Time
(new on CD)
Debut album for Stuart Matthew Price (Donmar Parade). Some tracks accompanied by composer. "The Old Red Hills Of Home" (Jason Robert Brown at the piano) , "The Touch Of Love" (Dougal Irvine on guitar) *, "Goodnight Kiss" (Laurence Mark Wythe at the piano) *, "Angels" (Richard Taylor at the piano; duet with Annalene Beechey), "There´s A World / I`m Alive, "Greenwich Time" (Sam Davis at the piano), "Free" (duet with Louise Dearman) *, "Sonnet XXIX" (Georgia Stitt at the piano), "Hope Springs Eternal" (Richard Beadle at the piano) *, "Run Away With Me, "Wishing For The Normal" (George Stiles at the piano; duet with Caissie Levy), "Midnight Will Happen Without Us" (Grant Olding at the piano) *, "All Things In Time" (Jason Robert Brown at the piano) *, Bonus Track: "Autumn Days" (Written & played by Stuart Matthew Price) *. * = previously unrecorded.

Tale as Old as Time: The Art and Making of Beauty and the Beast
(Disney - Hardcover Book)
This authoritative book by Charles Solomon on the development of the animated film musical features interviews with artists, executives, and voice actors, transcripts of meetings and story sessions. Illustrations include caricatures, sequences of animation drawings, and preliminary artwork from discarded sequences. 176 pages.

August 24, 2010

American Idiot, the Musical Complete Songbook: Piano/Vocal/Guitar
(Alfred - Paperback Book)
Piano vocal songbook of the Green Day Broadway show, featuring four pages of full-color photographs and sheet music for all 22 of the show's songs plus bonus "When It's Time."

Clear Blue Tuesday
(Sh-K-Boom - new digital download) 
Soundtrack for rock musical film. Music by Quentin Chiappetta. Becca Ayers, Julie Danao, Vedant Gokhale, Robi Hager, Erin Hill, Cassandra Kubinski, Brother Love, Greg Naughton, Jan O'Dell, Jeremy Schonfeld, Asa Somers.

The Essential Henry Mancini
(Masterworks - on 2 CDs) 
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Digitally remastered. 33 tracks.

Essential Lena Horne: The RCA Years
(Masterworks - on 2 CDs) 
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Digitally remastered. 25 tracks, including two versions of "Stormy Weather."

An Evening With Bernadette Peters
(new on PAL DVD)
Recorded live at the 2009 Adelaide Cabaret Festival, accompanied by the Adelaide Arts Orchestra. Backstage/ Introductions, "Let Me Entertain You," "No One Is Alone," "Nothing Like A Dame," "Mr Snow," "Some Enchanted Evening," "O Shenandoah," "When You Wish Upon A Star," "Johanna," "Not A Day Goes By," "You Could Drive A Person Crazy," "Children Will Listen," "Move On," "Being Alive," "Rose's Turn," "I Honestly Love You," "Kramers Song," "Some Other Time." In PAL format but coded Zone 0 All Regions. Available at Middle 8.

Harolyn Blackwell Sings Bernstein: A Simple Song
(Masterworks - new at iTunes) 
Arrangements by Danny Troob. "A Simple Song" (Mass), "A Little Bit In Love" (Wonderful Town), "I Hate Music" (I Hate Music), "Jupiter Has Seven Moons" (I Hate Music), "My Name Is Barbara" (I Hate Music), "A Big Indian and a Little Indian" (I Hate Music), "I'm a Person Too" (I Hate Music), "Glitter and Be Gay, "Who Am I" (Peter Pan), "Peter, "Peter" (Peter Pen), "My House" (Peter Pan), "Three Solos, "II: A Julia de Burgos, "No. 3, "Sean Song" (For Sean Lennon), "Dream with Me" (Peter Pan), "America" (West Side Story), "A Boy Like That" (West Side Story), "I Have a Love" (West Side Story), "Somewhere, "A Simple Song" Reprise (Mass).

August 17, 2010

Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin
(Disney Records - new on CD/Vinyl) 
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Beach Boys' songwriter "completes" two Gershwin trunk melodies, co-writing their lyrics. The Gershwin standards have been recast in the Beach Boys style. "Rhapsody in Blue/Intro," "The Like in I Love You" (new), "Summertime," "I Loves You, Porgy," "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin," "It Ain't Necessarily So," "'S Wonderful," "They Can't Take That Away from Me," "Our Love is Here to Stay," "I've Got a Crush on You," "I Got Rhythm," "Someone to Watch Over Me," "Nothing But Love" (new), "Rhapsody in Blue/Reprise."

Jerry Hadley: Standing Room Only
(Masterworks - new at iTunes/Amazon mp3) 
"Almost Like Being in Love" (Brigadoon), "Bring Him Home" (Les Miserables), "The Sadder But Wiser Girl For Me" (The Music Man), "Younger than Springtime" (South Pacific), "Marry Me" (The Rink)/Manhattan" (The Garrick Gaieties), "Don't Marry Me" (Flower Drum Song), "Lonely Town" (On the Town), "Standing on the Corner" (The Most Happy Fella), "What Kind of Fool Am I?" (Stop the World I Want to Get Off), "Anthem" (Chess), "Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)" (Jesus Christ Superstar), "Eve" (The Apple Tree)/She Loves Me" (She Loves Me), "She Wasn't You" (On a Clear Day You Can See Forever), "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" (Guys and Dolls), "All I Ask of You" (The Phantom of the Opera), "Mama Look Sharp (from 1776), "What I Did for Love" (A Chorus Line), "Come the Wild, Wild Weather" (Waiting in the Wings).

Legally Blonde Original UK Cast
(First Night - new on import CD)
Recorded live at the Savoy Theatre. Peter Davison, Alex Gaumond, Jill Halfpenny, Duncan James, Aoife Mulholland, Sheridan Smith. Also available at Footlight and directly from the UK at Dress Circle and Amazon UK.

Showtime: A History of the Broadway Musical Theater
(W.W. Norton & Company - Hardcover Book)
By Larry Stempel. Combines original research with analysis ... examines musicals in their cultural context for a study that illuminates them and their historical significance. Stempel covers the great creators, stagers, and performers whose creativity and innovation have sparked and sustained our appreciation for musical theater, and he lets them speak for themselves. 16 pages of four-color; 105 black-and-white illustrations

Song Of Norway
(Sony Masterworks - new on CD-R/Digital Download)
1959 Jones Beach Marine Theater cast recording or Robert Wright/George Forrest operetta score. Peryne Anker, Sig Arno, Brenda Lewis, William Linton, William Olvis, Muriel O'Malley, John Reardon, Helena Scott. Conducted by Lehman Engel. First time on CD. To be available as a digital download through all major digital service providers and as disc-on-demand from Arkiv Music.

August 10, 2010

All The Love I Have: Love Songs Of Andrew Lloyd Webber
(JAY Records - new on CD) 
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"No Matter What" (Whistle Down The Wind) sung By Gary Watson; "I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You" (Evita) sung By Josie Walker And Paul Baker; "Starlight Express" (Starlight Express) sung By Sean Mcdermott; "Memory" (Cats) sung By Sally Ann Triplett; "I Believe My Heart" (The Woman In White) sung By Max Von Essen And Laurie Gayle Stephenson; "All The Love I Have" (The Beautiful Game) sung By David Shannon; "The Last Man In My Life" (Song And Dance) sung By Josie Walker; "All I Ask Of You" (The Phantom Of The Opera) sung By John Barrowman And Shona Lindsay; "The Perfect Year" (Sunset Boulevard) sung By Karen Ziemba And Matt Bogart; "I Don't Know How To Love Him" (Jesus Christ Superstar) sung By Joanna Ampil; "Evermore Without You" (The Woman In White) sung By Max Von Essen; "Only You" (Starlight Express) sung By Diane Langton; "Half A Moment(By Jeeves) sung By Glory Crampton; "The First Man You Remember" (Aspects Of Love) sung By Ron Raines And Jill Paice; "Our Kind Of Love" (The Beautiful Game) sung By Sally Ann Triplett; "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" (Evita) sung By Chrisitane Noll; "Any Dream Will Do" (Joseph And His Technicolor Dreamcoat) sung By Darren Day.

Chicago The Original 1927 Film Restored
(Flicker Alley - on 2 DVDs)
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1927 film with Phyllis Haver, Eugene Pallette, Victor Varconi, Robert Edeson. Mastered in high definition at 25 frames per second directly from Cecil B. DeMille s original nitrate print, through the courtesy of the DeMille Estate. Bonus features The Golden Twenties (1950), a compilation documentary feature produced by The March of Time from authentic footage of the era; and Oscar-winning Lauren Lazin's The Flapper Story (1985), in which several self-declared children of the roaring twenties look back across the decades on their youthful lives. Included are a brochure by Thomas Pauly on author Maurine Watkins and the factual background of Chicago, notes by Robert S. Birchard, author of Cecil B. DeMille s Hollywood, and a special documentary supplement, Chicago; The Real Roxy Hart by Jeffery Masino and Silas Lesnick. Released 7/6/10.

Enter Laughing
(JAY Records - new on CD) 
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Stan Daniels score. York Theatre cast. Josh Grisetti, George S. Irving, Emily Shoolin, Janine LaManna, Jill Eikenberry, Michael Tucker, Ray DeMattis.

The Girls of Murder City: Fame, Lust, and the Beautiful Killers who Inspired Chicago
(Viking Adult - Hardcover Book)
By Douglas Perry. Retrospective of two Jazz Age trials ... the real-life originals of the killer ladies of the musical Chicago, and to the society that adored them. Perry revisits the 1924 cases of Belva Gaertner, a swanky divorcée, and Beulah Annan, a beautiful married woman, both accused of shooting their lovers to death. An illumination of the dawning age of celebrity culture. Photos.

The Leonard Bernstein Songbook
(Masterworks - new digital download) 
"New York, New York," "Lonely Town," "Carried Away," "Build My House," "Plank Song," "I Was Standing in a Garden," "What A Movie!," "Conga," "Ohio," "Wrong Note Rag," "Best of All Possible Worlds," "Oh, Happy We," "Glitter and Be Gay," "Make Our Garden Grow," "America," "Maria," "Tonight Quintet," "Somewhere," "Hymn and Psalm: A Simple Song," "Some Other Time from On The Town," "Take Care of This House from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue."

In My Craft or Sullen Art: Selected Stories and Poems by Dylan Thomas
(CPR Records - DVD-Audio Disc)
A collection of Dylan Thomas' best loved stories and poems, including "Fern Hill," "Do Not Go Gentle," "Death Shall Have No Opinion" as well as the complete versions of "A Child's Christmas in Wales" and "A Visit to Grandpa's," performed by Geraint Wyn Davies, Carole Shelley, Dana Ivey. Glen Roven, conductor. Bonus track of English Baritone Mark Stone singing a setting of "In My Craft or Sullen Art" composed by Glen Roven. Released 7/2/2010.

Judy Garland Lost Tracks
(JSP Records - 4 CD Set)
Includes two tracks by then 12-year-old Judy Garland's, her first studio recordings made by Decca on March 29, 1935, with mother Ethel Gumm at the piano. Remastered recorded rare and never-released tracks from private collections includes one hundred performances by Judy Garland on radio, stage and in film between 1929 and 1959. Plus many rare, previously unreleased radio and live performances, plus some previously released that are newly remastered. Disc One: The Decca Tests and Early Radio, 1935-39; Disc Two: Young Judy on the Radio, 1940-44; Disc Three: The Radio Years 1944-53; Disc Four: On Stage and the Gumm Sisters, 1929-59. Sleeve notes by Scott Brogan & Lawrence Schulman. 100 tracks. Fifty-five have never before been released. No longer available through US Amazon.com (but made be made available in October). UK release also available at Amazon UK.

Lost Broadway And More Vol 2
(Original Cast Records - new on CD)
22 tracks. Available at Footlight.com.

Sondheim on Sondheim
(PS Classics - new on 2 CDs)
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Original Broadway cast recording. Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Conceived and directed by James Lapine. New arrangements of over two-dozen Sondheim tunes, ranging from the beloved to the obscure, interspersed with audio commentary by the composer himself, who reveals fascinating details about his life and his art. Barbara Cook, Vanessa Williams, Tom Wopat, Leslie Kritzer, Norm Lewis, Euan Morton, Erin Mackey & Matthew Scott. Tracks: Disc One: My name is Stephen Joshua Sondheim..., "Invocation/Forget War," "Love Is In the Air," "Comedy Tonight," "Take Me to the World," Ten years after I was born..., "Talent/When I Get Famous," My first professional show..., "So Many People," With a portfolio of songs..., "Something's Coming," For many years Hal Prince..., "You Could Drive a Person Crazy," "The Wedding Is Off," "Now You Know," "Waiting for the Girls Upstairs," "Losing My Mind/Not a Day Goes By," The last show Hal and I did..., "Franklin Shepard, Inc.," "Good Thing Going," In 1983 I saw a movie called..., "Fosca's Entrance," "Is This What You Call Love?," "Loving You; Disc Two: "God," A lot of people think..., "Opening Doors," "The Best Thing That Ever Has Happened," We had three endings to Company..., "Multitudes of Amys," "Happily Ever After," "Being Alive," The show that's closest to exactly what..., "Something Just Broke," "The Gun Song," Jule Styne and I realized with Gypsy..., "Smile, Girls," I suppose if there is one that's closest..., "Finishing the Hat," "Beautiful," I had a lot of trouble with my mother..., "Children Will Listen," To me, teaching is a sacred profession..., "Send In the Clowns," I've often been asked why I don't write..., "Company/Old Friends," "Anyone Can Whistle." Produced by Tommy Krasker. Philip Chaffin, Alan D. Marks and Stephen Moore Executive Producers. Now shipping from PSClassics.com. Store date is 8/31/10.

Tupelo: Jeremiah James
(Yellow Sound Label - new on CD) 
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L.A. actor (Ovation Award nomination for Crazy For You), toured with Oklahoma!, part of singing group Teatro (Gold album), currently starring in West End Carousel.

Unusual Way
(JAY Records - new on CD) 
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Glory Crampton (world premiere of Phantom, OB The Fantasticks, Paper Mill Playhouse productions).

What's Up Doc?
(Warner Home Video - new on Blu-Ray)
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1972 film featuring Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, Madeline Kahn (film debut). Written by y Buck Henry, David Newman and Robert Benton, directed by Peter Bogdanovich. Scene-Specific Commentary by Barbra Streisand; Full-Movie Commentary by Director Peter Bogdanovich; vintage featurette Screwball Comedies - Remember Them?; Theatrical Trailer.

August 3, 2010

Agatha
(Warner Archive - on DVD-R)
1979 film about Agatha Christie's 11-day disappearance in 1926. with Dustin Hoffman, Timothy Dalton, Vanessa Redgrave. Directed by Michael Apted. Available at the Warner website.

Elvis: Blu-ray Film Collection
(Warner - new on 3 Blu-Ray discs)
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Jailhouse Rock, Viva Las Vegas, Elvis on Tour.

Elvis: 75th Anniversary Collection
(Warner - new on 17 DVDs)
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Jailhouse Rock, It Happened at the World's Fair, Kissin' Cousins, Viva Las Vegas, Girl Happy, Tickle Me, Harum Scarum, Spinout, Double Trouble, Stay Away Joe, Speedway, Live a Little Love a Little, Charro!, The Trouble with Girls, Elvis: That's The Way It Is Special Edition, Elvis On Tour, This Is Elvis. Commemorative concert photo book with behind the scenes shots of movies and stage performances and insightful career highlights notes. 10 reproduction memorabilia pieces, including studio correspondence and signed Elvis Presley checks. Selected titles also feature commentaries and/or making-of featurettes.

The Kim Novak Collection
(Sony - new on 3 DVDs)
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New-to-DVD 1957 Jeanne Eagels (Jeff Chandler, Agnes Moorehead) and 1959 film version of Paddy Chayefsky play The Middle Of The Night (Frederick March, Lee Grant, Matin Balsam); and remastered editions of Picnic, Pal Joey and Bell, Book and Candle. Bonus interviews/documentaries "Kim Novak's Hollywood Picnic," "Reflections In The Middle of The Night," "Backstage and At Home with Kim Novak, Select Scenes commentary with Kim Novak and writer Stephen Rebello, "Bewitched, Bothered and Blonde."

'night, Mother
(Universal - new on DVD)
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1986 film version of Marsha Norman's Pulitzer Prize-winning play play. Anne Bancroft, Sissy Spacek. 97 minutes. Fullscreen.