Talkin' Broadway Sound Advice Recap Week of 1/2/18 (updated 1/5/18)

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See the complete list of Upcoming/Recent releases.

Earlier recaps:

2017: December 12, 5 | November 28, 21, 14, 7, October 31, 24, 17, 10, 3 | September 26, 19, 12, 5 | August 29, 22, 15, 8, 1 | July 25, 18, July 4 & 11 | June 27, 20, 13, 6 | May 30, 23, 16, 9, 2 | April 25, 18, 11, 4 | March 28, 21, 14, 7 | February 28, 21, 14, 7 | January 31, 24, 17, 10, 3

2016 | 2015


CDs Now Available:

42nd Street: 2017 London Cast
(First Night Records - new import CD/mp3/at iTunes)
Harry Warren/Al Dubin score. Cast includes Sheena Easton, Tom Lister, Clare Halse, Jasna Ivir, Norman Bowman, Stuart Neal, Graeme Henderson, Christopher Howell. "Overture / Audition," "Young and Healthy," "Shadow Waltz," "Go into Your Dance," "You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me," "Getting out of Town," "Dames / Keep Young and Beautiful," "I Only Have Eyes for You," "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," "10 ," "Sunny Side to Every Situation," "Lullaby of Broadway," "About a Quarter to Nine," "With Plenty of Money and You," "Shuffle off to Buffalo," "42nd Street," "42nd Street (Reprise)," "Finale."

Natalie Dessay | Michel Legrand: Between Yesterday & Tomorrow
(Sony Masterworks - new on CD/vinyl LP)
Composer Michel Legrand's song cycle about one woman's life (written and partially recorded by Barbra Streisand) performed by operatic coloratura soprano Natalie Dessay. "Birth," "Mother and Child," "Mother and Child Interlude," "Where Does the Wind Come From?," "Where Does the Wind Come From Interlude," "Hold Me," "Can You Tell the Moment?," "Fairly Tales and Story Books," "An Unexpected Smile," "An Unexpected Smile Interlude," "With You," "You and I Plus One," "You and I Plus One Interlude," "Mother and Child Duo," "Wait," "Wait Interlude," "The More You Have," "Yesterday's Apples," "Between Yesterday and Tomorrow," "Last Breath." Released digitally on mp3 and at iTunes 11/17/17.


DIGITAL RECORDINGs Now Available:

"Ben Franklin's Song"
(Atlantic - new digital single on mp3/at iTunes)
Song featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda's lyrics cut from Hamilton with music by the Decemberists. Kicks off Miranda's year-long #Hamildrop series. Non-explicit version also available on mp3/at iTunes. Released 12/15/17.

Lena Hall: Obsessed: Hedwig and the Angry Inch
(Ghostlight Records - new digital album mp3/at iTunes)
Acoustic versions of songs from the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. "Tear Me Down," "The Origin of Love," "Sugar Daddy," "Wicked Little Town," "The Long Grift," "Midnight Radio."


BOOKs Now Available:

Agnes Moorehead on Radio, Stage and Television
(McFarland - Paperback Book)
By Axel Nissen. Focuses on 25 of her most representative performances, this retrospective analyzes her work on radio serials like Mayor of the Town (1942-1949) and Suspense (1942-1962), her stage productions of Don Juan in Hell and Gigi, her television appearances on Bewitched and The Twilight Zone and her Emmy-winning appearance on The Wild Wild West - in the context of her personal life, discussing her relationship with directors, producers and other performers and providing little known facts about the productions. 277 pages.

Dear Evan Hansen: Through the Window audiobook
(Grand Central Publishing - Audiobook on CD)
By Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul. Official behind-the-scenes book of the new hit musical. Includes interviews with the cast and crew, a PDF featuring the play's libretto and beautiful photos, a deeper look into Evan's fictional world, as well as reflections on the creators own formative memories from their adolescence as it relates to the show's themes, and important examinations of how we present ourselves online and mental health. Photo gallery and unabridged libretto. Audiobook read by Taylor Trensch. Hardcover and Kindle versions released 11/21/17.

The Hamilton Mixtape songbook
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Songbook with piano, voice and guitar arrangements for 22 of the songs from the Hamilton Mixtape recording: "Dear Theodosia" (Regina Spektor with Ben Folds), "Helpless" (Ashanti with Ja Rule), "History Has Its Eyes on You" (John Legend), "It's Quiet Uptown" (Kelly Clarkson), "My Shot" (The Roots), "Satisfied" (Sia with Miguel & Queen Latifah), "That Would Be Enough" (Alicia Keys), "Wait for It" (Usher), "Washington's by Your Side" (Wiz Khalifa), and more. 136 pages.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame: The Stage Musical
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Vocal selections from the score by Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken. 17 songs.

King of Jazz: Paul Whiteman's Technicolor Revue
(Media History Press - Hardcover Book)
By James Layton and David Pierce. Foreword by Michael Feinstein. Tells the story of the making, release, and restoration of Universal's 1930 Technicolor musical extravaganza King of Jazz. With original artwork, studio production files, behind-the-scenes photographs, personal papers, unpublished interviews, and a host of other previously unseen documentation. Includes an in-depth look at the challenges Universal overcame in restoring the film in 2016. Appendix provides a comprehensive guide to all of the film's performers, music, alternate versions, and deleted scenes. Released 11/21/17. 304 pages.

Theatre Management: Arts Leadership for the 21st Century
(Palgrave - Paperback Book)
By Anthony Rhine. Overview of the processes involved in developing and managing a theatre in the 21st century. Chapters apply theory to real life situations. 254 pages.


Recordings RECENTLY MADE AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER:

The Band's Visit
(Ghostlight Records - new on CD at Amazon)
OBC recording of score by David Yazbek. Cast: Katrina Lenk, Tony Shalhoub, George Abud, Etai Benson, John Cariani, Adam Kantor, Andrew Polk, Ari'el Stachel, Bill Army, Rachel Prather, Jonathan Raviv, Sharone Sayegh, Kristen Sieh, Alok Tewari. cello). "Overture," "Waiting," "Welcome to Nowhere," "It Is What It Is," "The Beat of Your Heart," "Soraya," "Omar Sharif," "Haj-Butrus," "Papi Hears the Ocean," "Haled's Song About Love," "The Park," "Itgara," "Something Different," "Itzik's Lullaby," "Something Different (Reprise)," "Answer Me," "The Concert," "Afifi" (Bonus Track). Kurt Deutsch, album executive producer. David Yazbek and Dean Sharenow producers. Also at GhostlightRecords.com. Released earlier on mp3 and at iTunes

Ernest Shackleton Loves Me
(Broadway Records - new on CD)
Original cast recording of score by Brendan Milburn (music) and Val Vigoda (lyrics). Starring Val Vigoda (Striking 12) and charismatic Wade McCollum. Music direction and orchestrations by Ryan O'Connell.

King of Jazz
(The Criterion Collection - new Blu-ray)
Revue starring bandleader Paul Whiteman, with a spectacular array of sketches, performances by such acts as the Rhythm Boys (featuring a young Bing Crosby), and orchestral numbers overseen by Whiteman himself, all lavishly staged by John Murray Anderson and shot in early Technicolor. Long available only in incomplete form, King of Jazz appears here newly restored, offering a fascinating snapshot of the way mainstream American popular culture viewed itself at the dawn of the 1930s. 98 minutes. Blu-ray special edition features: new 4K digital restoration by Universal Pictures, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack; new audio commentary featuring jazz and film critic Gary Giddins, music and cultural critic Gene Seymour, and musician and bandleader Vince Giordano; new introduction by Giddins; new interview with musician and pianist Michael Feinstein; four new video essays by authors and archivists James Layton and David Pierce on the development and making of King of Jazz; deleted scenes and alternate opening-title sequence; All Americans, a 1929 short film featuring a version of the "Melting Pot" number that was restaged for the finale; I Know Everybody and Everybody's Racket, a 1933 short film featuring Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra; two Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons from 1930, featuring music and animation from King of Jazz.


Books RECENTLY MADE AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER:

Answers from "The Working Actor": Two Backstage Columnists Share Ten Years of Advice
(Focal Press - Paperback Book)
By Jackie Apodaca and Michael Kostroff, from their column in "Backstage." 324 pages.

In the Presence of Greatness: My Sixty-Year Journey as an Actress
(BearManor Media - Hardcover Book/Paperback Book)
By Patty Duke and William J. Jankowski. Autobiographical book about Duke's show business legacy, with untold stories of her six-decade career and the legends of her time. Illustrated with 70 rare photos, many never before published and from her personal collection. 348 pages.

Sondheim and Wheeler's Sweeney Todd (The Fourth Wall)
(Routledge - Paperback Book)
By Aaron C. Thomas, taking on Sweeney Todd's chequered history and genre, its treatment of violence and cannibalism, and its sexual politics. 120 pages.





Compiled by Talkin' Broadway Staff.

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