2020: August 4 | July 28, 21, 14, 7 | June 30, 23, 16, 9, 2 | May 26, 19, 12, 5 | April 28, 21, 14, 7 | March 31, 24, 17, 10, 3 | February 25, 18, 11, 4 | January 28, 21, 14, 7
2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
CDs Now Available:
Dolores Gray: The Decca Singles 1953-1955
(Stage Door Records - new import CD)
Broadway and West End performer. Compilation of all Dolores Gray's single releases for the Decca label issued between 1953 and 1955. Most tracks making their debut on CD. The 24 tracks include: "Big Mamou" and "Kaw-Liga"; pop cover versions of songs from By the Beautiful Sea, The Girl in Pink Tights and Silk Stockings; "The Call of the Far-Away Hills" from the 1953 Western film Shane; songs she recorded for the Decca album of There's No Business Like Show Business. Limited edition release of 500 units. Also at StageDoorRecords.com.
DIGITAL MUSIC Now Available:
Brickman On Broadway
(Green Hill Productions - new EP on mp3/at iTunes)
"Jim Brickman plays the best of Broadway." "Memory," "True Love," "For Good," "You Will Be Found."
(I Am) Nobody's Lunch
(Ghostlight Records - new digital album on mp3/at iTunes)
Part of the second installment of The Michael Friedman Collection. World premiere recording of score by Michael Friedman. Featuring features Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Nick Blaemire, Adam Chanler-Berat, Brad Heberlee, Daoud Heidami, Osh Ghanimah, Ashley Pérez Flanagan, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Jennifer R. Morris, Sarah Beth Pfeifer, Brian Charles Rooney, and Mary Testa, with an ensemble including Ashley Pe´rez Flanagan, Sarah Beth Pfeifer, Stephen Schapero, and Jacob Keith Watson. Made possible by the generous donors to the Michael Friedman Legacy Fund and by the artistic contributions of his many collaborators. produced by Steve Cosson and Kurt Deutsch, co-produced by Ian Kagey, Wiley DeWeese, Dan Lipton, and Amy C. Ashton. Dan Lipton music director; orchestrations by Wiley DeWeese. Cover illustrations are by Josh Neufeld (joshcomix.com).
"Judy Garland / Renee Zellweger"
(BFD - new digital single on mp3/at iTunes)
From Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation. Released 8/7/20.
Liz Callaway: The Morning After
(Walking Girl Records - new digital single on mp3/at iTunes)
Liz Callaway sings song written by David Shire.
Paris Commune
(Ghostlight Records - new digital album on mp3/at iTunes)
Part of the second installment of The Michael Friedman Collection. World premiere recording. Written by Steve Cosson and Michael Friedman, with songs translated and adapted by Michael Friedman. Features Kate Buddeke, Aysan Celik, Charlotte Dobbs, Rebecca Hart, Nina Hellman, Daniel Jenkins, Brian Sgambati, and Sam Breslin Wright, with an ensemble including Randy Blair, Ally Bonino, Sarah Beth Pfeifer, and Jonathan Raviv. Made possible by the generous donors to the Michael Friedman Legacy Fund and by the artistic contributions of his many collaborators. produced by Steve Cosson and Kurt Deutsch, co-produced by Ian Kagey, Wiley DeWeese, Dan Lipton, and Amy C. Ashton. Dan Lipton music director; orchestrations by Wiley DeWeese. Cover illustrations are by Josh Neufeld (joshcomix.com).
"Woke-Lahoma!"
(BFD - new digital single on mp3/at iTunes)
From Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation. Released 7/24/20.
Books Now Available:
Adrian Lester and Lolita Chakrabarti: A Working Diary
(Methuen Drama - Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
By Adrian Lester and Lolita Chakrabarti. Chronicles 16 months of their fascinating working lives, including their experiences working on the stage adaptation of Life of Pi, an original series of monologues about the NHS, the film adaptation of Red Velvet and the TV series The Rook, among many other projects. 192 pages.
Eubie Blake: Rags, Rhythm, and Race
(Oxford Univ Press - Hardcover Book/Kindle Edition)
By Richard Carlin and Ken Bloom. New biography of one of the key composers of 20th-century American popular song, Eubie Blake, who created Shuffle Along with Noble Sissle and went on to compose for films and other Broadway shows, eventually finding a second career as a ragtime raconteur in the 1960s. His skills as a pianist, gifts as a storyteller and entertainer, and appearances on major TV shows from Johnny Carson and David Frost to the Today Show led him to a new career as a concert artist. The authors also illustrate the wider history of post-minstrel black entertainment, from pianists working in bordellos and dance halls through ragtime, Broadway, and film, showing both the new opportunities available to contemporary black performers and the limitations that black musicians still struggled to overcome. Draws from a wealth of personal archives and interviews with Blake, his friends, and other scholars. 440 pages. Kindle version released 7/13/20.
MUSIC to be released this Friday, August 14:
Dolores Gray: The Decca Singles 1953-1955
(Stage Door Records - new import CD)
Broadway and West End performer. Compilation of all Dolores Gray's single releases for the Decca label issued between 1953 and 1955. Most tracks making their debut on CD. The 24 tracks include: "Big Mamou" and "Kaw-Liga"; pop cover versions of songs from By the Beautiful Sea, The Girl in Pink Tights and Silk Stockings; "The Call of the Far-Away Hills" from the 1953 Western film Shane; songs she recorded for the Decca album of There's No Business Like Show Business. Limited edition release of 500 units. Also at StageDoorRecords.com.
(I Am) Nobody's Lunch
(Ghostlight Records - new digital album)
Part of the second installment of The Michael Friedman Collection. World premiere recording of score by Michael Friedman. Featuring features Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Nick Blaemire, Adam Chanler-Berat, Brad Heberlee, Daoud Heidami, Osh Ghanimah, Ashley Pérez Flanagan, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Jennifer R. Morris, Sarah Beth Pfeifer, Brian Charles Rooney, and Mary Testa, with an ensemble including Ashley Pe´rez Flanagan, Sarah Beth Pfeifer, Stephen Schapero, and Jacob Keith Watson. Made possible by the generous donors to the Michael Friedman Legacy Fund and by the artistic contributions of his many collaborators. produced by Steve Cosson and Kurt Deutsch, co-produced by Ian Kagey, Wiley DeWeese, Dan Lipton, and Amy C. Ashton. Dan Lipton music director; orchestrations by Wiley DeWeese. Cover illustrations are by Josh Neufeld (joshcomix.com).
Paris Commune
(Ghostlight Records - new digital album)
Part of the second installment of The Michael Friedman Collection. World premiere recording. Written by Steve Cosson and Michael Friedman, with songs translated and adapted by Michael Friedman. Features Kate Buddeke, Aysan Celik, Charlotte Dobbs, Rebecca Hart, Nina Hellman, Daniel Jenkins, Brian Sgambati, and Sam Breslin Wright, with an ensemble including Randy Blair, Ally Bonino, Sarah Beth Pfeifer, and Jonathan Raviv. Made possible by the generous donors to the Michael Friedman Legacy Fund and by the artistic contributions of his many collaborators. produced by Steve Cosson and Kurt Deutsch, co-produced by Ian Kagey, Wiley DeWeese, Dan Lipton, and Amy C. Ashton. Dan Lipton music director; orchestrations by Wiley DeWeese. Cover illustrations are by Josh Neufeld (joshcomix.com).
Recordings RECENTLY MADE AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER:
Robbie Rozelle: Songs from Inside My Locker (CD)
(Broadway Records - on CD)
Recorded February 23 and March 1, 2019 at Feinstein's/54 Below. Written by Robbie Rozelle. Musical direction and arrangements by Josh D. Smith. Six-piece band The Two Drink Minimum. Special guests include Bonnie Milligan (Head Over Heels) and Maya Days (Aida). "Let's Misbehave," Kim at the top of Miss Saigon..., "If I Only Had a Brain," A ballad k-hole..., "Little Girls / Captain Hook's Tango," My two dads..., "Charles Nelson Reilly / Paul Lynde Medley The Kid," My very first boyfriend ever..., "First Penis I Saw," They just decided it's Spring..., "In Hell's Kitchen," There are so many roles I never got to play..., "The Aged-Out Medley," Comedy comes in threes..., "A Step Too Far (with Bonnie Milligan and Maya Days)," Everyone has mantras..., "I Have Found Tomorrow / Here Comes the Sun," I'm an accidental performer..., "Change in Me," A Hefty bag covered in KY..., "Jam Tomorrow." Produced by Michael J Moritz Jr. Previously released on mp3 and at iTunes. [See our review.]
Diana Ross & the Supremes Sing and Perform Funny Girl the Ultimate Edition
(Second Disc/Real Gone Music - new on 2 CDs)
1968 album of The Supremes performing the score by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill. Featuring the original U.S. stereo mix; the rare U.K. mono mix (with an extended version of Diana Ross' "People"; "The Supreme Mixes," reinstating Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong's original vocals not heard in 1968; and bonus tracks including previously unreleased alternate versions of "Cornet Man," "His Love Makes Me Beautiful," and "Sadie, Sadie" as well as live performances of "I'm the Greatest Star" and the Fanny Brice standard "My Man." "Cornet Man" (alternate vocal version), "People" (alternate vocal version), "Don't Rain On My Parade," "Sadie, Sadie" (alternate vocal version), "Don't Rain On My Parade" (alternate vocal version), "I Am Woman," "I'm The Greatest Star" (Live From "TCB"/1968), "Sadie, Sadie," "People," "My Man (Mon Homme), "The Music That Makes Me Dance" (alternate vocal version), "I'm The Greatest Star," "His Love Makes Me Beautiful" (alternate vocal version), "Funny Girl," "If A Girl Isn't Pretty" (alternate vocal version), "If A Girl Isn't Pretty," "I Am Woman" (alternate vocal version), "Cornet Man," "The Music That Makes Me Dance," "I'm The Greatest Star" (alternate vocal version), "Funny Girl" (alternate vocal version), "His Love Makes Me Beautiful."
Books/Plays RECENTLY MADE AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER:
Circle in the Square Theatre: A Comprehensive History
(McFarland and Co. - Paperback Book)
By Sheila Hickey Garvey. Records the seven-decade history of this distinguished theatre from its nightclub origins to its current status as a Tony Award-winning Broadway institution. Based on years of research as well as interviews conducted with Circle in the Square's major contributing artists. 412 pages.
God, Sex, and Musical Theatre: Meditations for Unlocking the Powerful Self
(birch bench press - Paperback Book)
By Broadway director Kristin Hanggi (Rock of Ages). Poetry, thoughts, and musings on communing with the unseen, expressions of love, and the nuances of desire. 148 pages.
The New Business of Acting: The Next Edition - COVID Update
(Ingenuity Press - Kindle Edition)
By Brad Lemack (Backstage). Pandemic-specific supplement to his popular book for actors, The New Business of Acting: How to Build a Career in a Changing Landscape - The Next Edition.
Sistuhs in the Struggle: An Oral History of Black Arts Movement Theater and Performance
(Northwestern Univ Press - Paperback Book)
By La Donna Forsgren. Documents how black women theater artists and activists—many of whom worked behind the scenes as directors, designers, producers, stage managers, and artistic directors—disseminated the black aesthetic and emboldened their communities. Draws on nearly thirty original interviews with well-known artists such as Ntozake Shange and Sonia Sanchez, as well as less-studied figures including distinguished lighting designer Shirley Prendergast, dancer and choreographer Halifu Osumare, and three-time Tony-nominated writer and composer Micki Grant. 296 pages.
Time to Act: An Intimate Photographic Portrait of Actors Backstage
(Lanoo Publishers - Hardcover Book)
By Simon Annand. Foreword by Cate Blanchett. Victoria Broackes, contributor. In meditative portraits, often shot in the intimate space of the dressing room, Annand captures the focus and tension of world-class actors right before they go on the stage. Including Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Anthony Hopkins, Jake Gyllenhaal and Judi Dench. 256 pages. Donation to The Theatre Artists Fund for every copy sold.
Vaudeville and the Making of Modern Entertainment, 18901925
(Univ of North Carolina Press - Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
By David Monod. Looks through the apparent carnival of vaudeville performance and asks: what made the theater so popular and transformative? Monod makes the case that vaudeville became so popular because it offered audiences a guide to a modern urban lifestyle. 288 pages.
OTHER NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Added to August 21:
A Killer Party: A Murder Mystery Musical
(Broadway Records - new digital album)
Songs from the remotely-recorded musical. Score by Jason Howland (music) and Nathan Tysen (lyrics). The cast includes Keenan Wynn, Michael James Scott, Krystina Alabado, Carolee Carmello, Drew Gehling, Jackie Burns, Laura Osnes, Jarrod Spector, Alex Newell, Miguel Cervantes, and Jeremy Jordan. "Sleuth In Duluth," "A Killer Party," "TodayS Detective," "Stuck," "Boom! Shout! The Lights Went Out," "Circus on the Sea," "Breathe," "Songus Interruptus," "Live Out Loud," "Boom! Shout! Reprise!," "Wait for My Cue," "Never Miss My Mark," "I Did It for You," "Big Cat," "Hands Out!," "Shipload of Fools," "Process of Elimination," "A Killer Party (Reprise)," "Sleuth In Duluth (Reprise)," "Requiem for An A-Hole (Bonus Track)." Produced by Howland and Billy Jay Stein.
Added to September 10:
Einstein's Dreams
(Broadway Records - new digital album)
Joanne Sydney Lessner (book and lyrics) and Joshua Rosenblum (music and lyrics). Cast includes Zal Owen as Einstein, Alexandra Silber, Brennan Caldwell, Talia Cosentino, Stacia Fernandez, Lisa Helmi Johanson, Michael McCoy, Tess Primack, and Vishal Vaidya. Music director is Milton Granger, and the orchestra includes Bruce Doctor, Kiku Enomoto, Jonathan Levine, Eleanor Norton, and Saadi Zain.
Compiled by Talkin' Broadway Staff.
Corrections and questions may be directed to SoundAdvice@talkinbroadway.com
