Sound Advice
Schedule of New & Upcoming CD, DVD & Book Releases

Updated 12/03/24

This week's update | See previous releases

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Now Available (scroll down for upcoming releases):

Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia
(Brookline Books - Hardcover Book/Kindle Edition)
By Peter Schmitz. Collection of short, focused narratives on the history of theater in Philadelphia and the visitors to the city's theaters. Chapters: Only in Philadelphia; The Wicked Stage; Playhouses; Local Heroes; Visiting Stars; Disputes, Deaths, and Disasters; The Tryout Town; The Manning Street Theater. Images and illustrations. 328 pages.

Alicia Witt: I Think I'm Spending Christmas with You
(new digital album)
actress, singer, songwriter, and pianist Alicia Witt. "I Think I'm Spending Christmas With You," "O Holy Night," "Weird Time of Year," "Is This The Christmas" (with Mandy Barnett), "The First Noel," "You're Gonna See This Tree," "If Christmas Was," "Soap Suds Snow," "Lonely Holy Christmas" (Matthew Perryman Jones), "Christmas Will Never End," "I'll Be Home for Christmas," "December 26th" (with John Paul White). Released 11/8/24.

Bradley Jaden: Recorded Live in London
(Westway Records - new on CD/digital)
West End performer Bradley Jaden (Les Misérables, Wicked, Camelot) recorded live at his Cadogan Hall performance in June 2024. Full orchestra. "Who I'd Be," "If I Can't Love Her," "Wondering," "Fall on Me," "On the Street Where You Live," "The Impossible Dream" (with Adam Pearce), "Sway," "Your Eyes," "As Long As You're Mine" (with Louise Dearman), "Blind Faith" (with Louise Dearman), "Music of the Night," "Being Alive," "Stars." WestwayMusic.com

Secret Lovers Songbook
(new Paperback Book)
Companion book to Anya Turner & Robert Grusecki's tenth studio recording released in September 2024. Ten new songs inspired by their own life experience and the artistry of poet Emily Dickinson, novelist Virginia Woolf, essayist Joan Didion, Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt, New Zealand-born street artist Deborah Wood, Harlem blues singer Gladys Bentley, transgender jazz pianist Billy Tipton, and British jazz singer/pianist Liane Carroll. AnyaRobertMusic.com.

Matt Dusk & Tom Gaebal: My Favourite Things
(digital single)
Released 11/22/24.

Shoshana Bean & Joey McIntyre: "A Brand New Christmas"
(new digital single)
Song from Jingle Bell Love written by Joey McIntyre. Released 11/8/24.

Swingin' Through The Holidays: Deborah Silver & The Count Basie Orchestra
(new EP)
"Jingle Bell Rock," "Blue Christmas," "(I'm Spending) Hanukkah in Santa Monica." Released 11/1/24.

December 5, 2024

Chris, Mrs. - A New Holiday Musical
(new album)
Score by Matthew Stodolak and Katie Kerr marries traditional holiday themes with a contemporary musical theater sound. Studio cast includes Adam Jacobs, Danielle Wade, Samantha Pauly, and Danny Burstein. Produced by Boldly Productions, with new orchestrations by Stodolak. The show premiered at Toronto's Winter Garden Theatre in 2023. First single, Ready to Try," now available.

December 6, 2024

Eight Immortals
(new digital album)
Sam Tsui and Casey Breves' new song cycle based on a series of popular Chinese myths. Jon Jon Briones, Samantha Williams, Justin David Sullivan, Ashley Chiu, Megan Loughran, Casey Breves, Sam Tsui, Ben Jones.

Jessica Vosk: Sleigh
(Concord Recordings - new on CD)
"Santa Tell Me," "All I Want for Christmas Is You," "Last Christmas," "Do You Hear the Faithful?," "Let It Snow / Winter Wonderland" (with Neil Patrick Harris), "Mary, Did You Know?," "This Christmas," "Christmas Is Only Moments Away" (with Scott Hoying), "Winter Song" (with Ariana DeBose), "My Favorite Things / Carol of the Bells," "Grown-Up Christmas List" (with David Foster), "The Twelve Gays of Christmas," "Hard Candy Christmas" (Bonus Remix). Digital released 11/15/24.

Hadestown - Live From London
(Sing It Again Records - new on CD/digital/vinyl)
Original West End cast recording of score by Anais Mitchell, recorded live at the Lyric Theatre in London. Cast includes Dónal Finn, Grace Hodgett Young, Zachary James, Melanie La Barrie, Gloria Onitiri, Bella Brown, Madeline Charlemagne, and Allie Daniel. CD and digital editions include more than 20 minutes of additional music featuring five songs exclusive to those formats. Produced by Todd Sickafoose, David Lai and Anais Mitchell, and co-produced by Mara Isaacs and Liam Robinson. Digital track list: "Road to Hell," "Melanie La Barrie & Original West End Company of Hadestown," "Come Home With Me," "Wedding Song," "Livin' It Up on Top," "All I've Ever Known ("In Spite of Herself"...) [Intro]," "All I've Ever Known," "Way Down Hadestown," "Chant," "When the Chips Are Down ("Songbird vs. Rattlesnake"...) [Intro]," "When the Chips Are Down," "Wait for Me ("Hey, The Big Artiste"...) [Intro]," "Wait for Me," "Why We Build the Wall," "Why We Build the Wall ("Behind Closed Doors"...) [Outro]," "If It's True," "Epic III," "Epic III ("They Danced"...)," "Promises," "Wait for Me (Reprise)," "Road to Hell (Reprise)."

Stella Cole: Snow
(La Reserve Records - new on CD/digital/vinyl)
New York based actor and singer. "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas," "That's What I Want for Christmas," "White Christmas," "Snow" (with Darren Criss), "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "Next Christmas," "Christmas Dreaming." Arrangements by Alan Broadbent. Digital release 10/25/24.

Tommy Steele: On Air
(Stage Door Records - new on CD)
recordings made by Tommy Steele from his popular 1964 radio series 'The Tommy Steele Show'. All of the performances featured on this collection have gone unheard since their original transmission. 31 tracks. Limited edition of 500 units. StageDoorRecords.com

December 10, 2024

It Happened at the Palace: A History of New York's Iconic Broadway Theater
(Broad Book Press - Hardcover Book/Kindle Edition)
By Stewart F. Lane. A historical account and love letter to the performing arts, a chronicle of New York's cultural evolution, and a business saga of revival and triumph. More than 175 photographs, untold stories, and intimate portraits of stage legends and the intricate process of preserving a landmark not only of bricks and mortar but of dreams and memories. 200 pages.

December 13, 2024

The Gershwins Abroad
(SCHOTT - Hardcover Book)
By Ira Gershwin. Michael Owen, editor. Ira Gershwin's account of the 1928 European trip. Vivid – oftentimes humorous – descriptions of the numerous parties given for the Gershwins; the concerts of George's compositions, and his work on the tone poem "An American in Paris"; meetings with such artistic luminaries as Sergei Prokofiev and Alban Berg; encounters with members of high society; Ira's wide-ranging choice of reading material; and entertaining anecdotes about the food and drink consumed along the way. First time in print. 256 pages.

January 10, 2025

Reefer Madness: New Los Angeles Cast Recording
(Yellow Sound Label - new on CD/digital)
Music by Dan Studney and lyrics by Kevin Murphy. Featuring the full cast from its critically acclaimed 25th Anniversary Los Angeles revival, including Nicole Parker, Thomas Dekker, Anthony Norman, Darcy Rose Byrnes, J. Elaine Marcos, and Bryan Daniel Porter. CD will feature two bonus tracks not available on the digital album. Album produced by Michael Croiter, Kevin Murphy, and Dan Studney. Three tracks released 11/14/24. reefermadness.com.

January 21, 2025

A Show Tune for Today: 366 Songs to Brighten Your Year Calendar
(Applause - calendar)
By Peter Filichia. Day-to-day calendar (one that can be used again and again, in any year). 366 bite-size entries, with anecdotes, observations, fun facts, and other confections tied to a single song, perfect for starting each day. Tied to a show's opening date, holidays, historic dates, lyrics, or connections more surprising. 400 pages.

January 23, 2025

Slow Train Coming: Bob Dylan's Girl From the North Country and Broadway's Rebirth
(Methuen Drama - Hardcover Book/Kindle)
By Todd Almond. The journey of a musical from potential disaster to success, and the Broadway industry that managed to stay alive during the pandemic shutdown of 2020-22. Told through personal stories, anecdotes from the cast, production shots, behind-the-scenes photos, and insights from the creators. 280 pages.

February 25, 2025

The Book of Joel
(powerHouse Books - Hardcover Book)
By Joel Grey. The visual life story of Joel Grey: actor, singer, dancer, director, and photographer. This sprawling yet intimate scrapbook-style volume uncovers a kaleidoscope of both famous and previously unseen photographs, family snapshots, playbills, posters, and ephemera from Grey's personal archive, revealing an encyclopedic and all-absorbing visual romp through one of the last living greats of American entertainment. Excavated from Grey's personal archives and the treasure trove of his New York Public Library collection. Also included: intimate essays contributed by Eddie Redmayne Tony Kushner. 176 pages.

March 22, 2025

Every Day a Little Death: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Stephen Sondheim
(Level Best Books - new book)
Edited by Josh Pachter. Twenty crime stories, one inspired by a song from each of the twenty musicals with scores by Stephen Sondheim (including the made-for-TV Evening Primrose and the final show, Here We Are). Contributing authors include both widely published crime writers and people who are involved in the world of the theatre.

March 25, 2025

Elphie
(William Morrow - Hardcover Book/Paperback/Kinde Edition/Audible Audiobook)
By Gregory Maguire. The childhood story of Wicked's Elphaba, including her promiscuous mother, her pious father, her saintly sister Nessarose, and her junior felon brother Shell. Deluxe collector's hardcover features stenciled edges and a color illustrated map of Oz. 288 pages.

May 13, 2025

Stereophonic
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book)
Play by David Adjmi (songs by Will Butler). On Broadway this season. 160 pages.

May 25, 2025

Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Puzzles and Games of the Broadway Legend
(Applause - Hardcover Book)
Gaming expert and theatre fan Barry Joseph draws from over eighty years of Sondheim's activities, collecting his extremely rare and never-publicly-seen puzzles and game designs, original interviews with the celebrity friends who played them, deep dives into Sondheim-related archives from around the country, and analysis from both puzzle designers and theatre professionals from around the world. Allows readers to solve Sondheimian puzzles and bring Sondheimian games into their own homes. 208 pages. MatchingMindswithSondheim.com.

2025, date TBA

Death Becomes Her
(Concord Recordings - new album)
Original Broadway cast recording of score by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey (book by Marco Pennette). Megan Hilty, Jennifer Simard, Christopher Sieber, Michelle Williams, Taurean Everett, and Josh Lamon. Four tracks available now.

2026, date TBA

Liza Minnelli memoir
(Grand Central Publishing - new Hardcover book/ebook)
Liza Minnelli, with Michael Feinstein, Heidi Evans, and Josh Getlin. Audio edition will include bonus content with unreleased autobiographical recordings and musings that Minnelli and Feinstein have been working on for 15 years.

Release date unknown

Boop! The Musical
(new album)
Cast recording the score by David Foster and Susan Birkenhead of musical (book by Bob Martin) now playing at CIBC Theatre in Chicago. Cast includes Jasmine Amy Rogers, Faith Prince, Ainsley Melham, Erich Bergen, Stephen DeRosa. Recorded the week of November 12. Details TBA.

Charlie Rosen's Broadway Big Band
(new double album)
First recording from this band, which "puts both modern and classic showtunes on display, sung by the best and brightest of Broadway's young generation of leading performers, in the timeless tradition of Big Band. A full sized Jazz orchestra composed of 17 musicians play Rosen's re-imagined arrangements of an eclectic mix of tunes from Broadway's past, present, and beyond."

Complete Lyrics of Sheldon Harnick
(new book)

Empire: The Musical
(Yellow Sound Label - new album)
Original Off-Broadway cast recording of score by Caroline Sherman and Robert Hull. Produced by Michael Croiter. Recorded at PowerStation at BerkleeNYC. Release date TBA.

The Fantasticks
(JAY Records - new album)
Studio album recording of score by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones. Brad Oscar, Telly Leung, Elizabeth Teeter, Lewis Cleale, and Ron Raines.

The Fitzgeralds of St. Paul
(Brainstorm Live Entertainment - new album)
Concept album for score by Christie Baugher. Heidi Blickenstaff, Jewell Wilson Bridges, Jessica and Santino Fontana, Grace McLean, Shannon O'Boyle, Tiffany Topol, Alysha Umphress, and others. Kickstarter campaign to launch 11/8/24.

Harbinger Records upcoming releases: material from Eubie Blake; download only demos of Hugh Martin and Sheldon Harnick; Steve Ross' back catalog for download;

The Jerusalem Syndrome
(JAY Records - new on CD/digital)
Original Off-Broadway (2023 York Theatre Company) cast recording of score by Laurence Holzman, Felicia Needleman, and Kyle Rosen.Farah Alvin, Dana Costello, Scott Cote, Andrea Fleming, James D. Gish, Alan H. Green, Danielle Lee James, John Jellison, Josh Lamon, Garrett Long, Karen Murphy, Jeffrey Schecter, Jennifer Smith, Chandler Sinks, Pablo Torres, Curtis Wiley, Lenny Wolpe, and Laura Woyasz. Digital release expected in January 2024 and CD in March 2024.

I Can Get It for You Wholesale
(Concord - new album)
2024 Off-Broadway cast recording of score by Harold Rome (book by Jerome Weidman). Santino Fontana, Adam Chanler-Berat, Eddie Cooper, Victor de Paula Rocha, Adam Grupper, Darron Hayes, Greg Hildreth, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Judy Kuhn, Julia Lester, Hayley Podschun, Sarah Steele, Joy Woods, Ephie Aardema, Jennifer Babiak, Billy Cohen, and John Plumpis. Arrangements by David Chase. Expected Fall 2024.

Larry Kramer authorized biography
(Henry Holt & Co. - new book)
By Bill Goldstein. To include interviews with Kramer and his husband David Webster, along with friends, colleagues, and "foes" plus material from Kramer's archives at Yale University.

Lizard Boy
(new album)
Live recording of 2023 Prospect Theatre cast. Score by Justin Huertas. Cast features Huertas, Kiki deLohr, and William A. Williams. Release date TBA.

Merrily We Roll Along
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book)
Libretto for musical by Stephen Sondheim (music and lyrics) and George Furth (book). 112 pages

The Nutty Professor
(new album)
Studio recording of score by Marvin Hamlisch and Rupert Holmes. Based on the recent Ogunquit Playhouse staging of the musical based on the Jerry Lewis movie.. Cast TBA. 2024 release expected.

Paradise Square OBC
(new on CD/digital)
Broadway cast recording of score Jason Howland (music), Nathan Tysen and Masi Asare (lyrics), with additional music by Larry Kirwan, inspired by the songs of Stephen Foster. Joaquina Kalukango, Chilina Kennedy, John Dossett, Sidney DuPont, A.J. Shively, Nathaniel Stampley, Gabrielle McClinton, Jacob Fishel, Kevin Dennis and Matt Bogart. Produced by Jason Howland and Billy Jay Stein. Recorded at Power Station at BerkleeNYC during the weeks of April 18 and April 25.

Romeo & Bernadette: A Musical Tale of Verona and Brooklyn
(Yellow Sound Label - new album)
Off-Broadway cast recording. Nikita Burshteyn (Newsies), Anna Kostakis, Carlos Lopez (Man of La Mancha), Michael Marotta (Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical), Judy McLane (Mamma Mia!), Michael Notardonato, Ari Raskin, Troy Valjean Rucker (August Rush), Zach Schanne (Pippin), and Viet Vo (Viet Gone). Lyrics by Mark Saltzman and music adapted from classic Italian melodies. Recorded 2/18/20. Late March release expected.

Sycamore Trees
(PS Classics - new album)
Original cast recording of score by Ricky Ian Gordon (book by Gordon and Nina Mankin). Farah Alvin, Marc Kudisch, Judy Kuhn, Jessica Molaskey, Matthew Risch, Diane Sutherland, and Tony Yazbeck. The musical debuted at DC's Signature Theatre in 2010. Orchestrations by Bruce Coughlin. Fred Lassen conducts the eight-piece orchestra, with Andrew Resnick at the piano. The album was produced by Tommy Krasker and Bart Migal, with audio restoration by Migal. Special limited edition of 250 CDs. PSClassics.com.

Tammy Faye
(new album)
Music by Elton John; lyrics by Jake Shears. Cast from Almeida Theatre debut production. Details TBA.

This Side of the World
(new album)
East West Players cast recording of score by Paulo K Tiról.

Three Houses - A Concept Album
(new album)
Score by Dave Malloy. Kickstarter.com.