December 28, 2004

The Intent to Live: Achieving Your True Potential as an Actor
(Bantam - Hardcover Book/Kindle Edition)
By Larry Moss, who studied with Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner and Warren Robertson, has directed Off-Broadway (The Syringa Tree) and appeared on Broadway (Drat the Cat, West Side Story revival), and taught at Juilliard & Circle in the Square. Now offers acting classes at Larry Moss Studio in L.A. This book offers case studies, exercises, and insights to enable actors to connect personally with a script, develop their character from the inside out, overcome fear and inhibition, hone their technical skills, and, above all, come alive in the moment on stage or on camera. Filled with a wealth of theater lore and appreciations of great performances.

Running Theaters: Best Practices For Leaders And Managers
(Allworth Press - Paperback BookKindle Edition)
By Duncan M. Webb.

Wicked Easy Piano Selections Book
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)

December 21, 2004

A Christmas Carol
(Jay Records - new on CD/at iTunes)
Soundtrack for 2004 Hallmark telefilm version with music by Alan Menken and book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. Stars Kelsey Grammer, Jason Alexander, Jesse L.Martin, Jane Krakowski, Geraldine Chaplin, Jennifer Love Hewitt and betting for the British side, Brian Bedford, Linzi Hateley, Ruthie Henshall and Claire Moore.

De-Lovely
(MGM Home Video - new on DVD)
2004 film on the life of Cole Porter. Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, Jonathan Pryce. Includes commentary, deleted footage, making of ..., production notes, trailer.

How I Lost 10 Pounds in 53 years
(Back Stage Books - Hardcover Book)
Kaye Ballard autobiography.

Kiki & Herb Will Die For You at Carnegie Hall
(new on 2 CDs/on mp3/at iTunes)
Double CD.

Liza of Lambeth
(new on CD)
1976 OLC recording by Adams, Rushton and Stringle. With Michael Robbins, Patricia Hayes, Bryan Marshall, Kate Williams, Christopher Neil, Tina Martin and Angela Richards. UK released.

The Sound Of Musicals: The Theatermania Guide To Musical Theater Recordings
(Backstage - Paperback Book)
By Michael Portantiere.

December 14, 2004

All Night Long
(Universal - new on DVD)
1981 film with Barbra Streisand, Gene Hackman, Diane Ladd, Dennis Quaid, and William Daniels.

Anything But Love
(Wellspring - new on DVD)
Semi-autobiographical film of cabaret performer Isabel Rose's efforts to establish a club career. Isabel Rose, Cameron Bancroft, Andrew McCarthy, Eartha Kitt.

Autobahn : A Short Play Cycle by Neil LaBute
(Faber & Faber - Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
Provocative new collection of one-act plays set within the confines of the front seat. "Each of these seven brief vignettes explore the ethos of perception and relationship--from a make-out session gone awry to a kidnapping thinly disguised as a road trip, a reconnaissance mission involving the rescue of a Nintendo 64 to a daughter's long ride home after her release from rehab. The result is an unsettling montage that gradually reveals the scabrous force of words left unsaid while illuminating the delicate interplay between intention and morality, capturing the essence of middle America and the myriad paths which cross its surface."

Baby
(Musiko - on CD)
Limited Collector's Edition CD Single containing 3 tracks from [some] cast recording starring Lea Salonga and David Shannon.

Brooklyn
(Razor & Tie - new on CD)
OBC recording. The recording was made in front of an invited studio audience at Right Tracks Studio on West 38th Street on October 25. Kevin Anderson, Cleavant Derricks, Ramona Keller and Karen Olivo with Manoel Felciano, Caren Lyn Manuel, Julie Reiber, Horace V. Rogers and Haneefah Wood. John McDaniel provides music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations.

Cinderella
(Image Entertainment - new on DVD)
1957 CBS show starring Julie Andrews. From the black and white kinescope in a "best possible" transfer. Documentary featuring all-new Interviews with Stars Julie Andrews, Edie Adams, Kaye Ballard and Jon Cypher; never-before-seen behind-the-scenes photo galleries; extensive galleries of rare color photos and advertising art; Rodgers and Hammerstein's appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show prior to the airing of Cinderella; collector's booklet: "Impossible Things Are Happening Every Day: The Making of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella!".

Hollywood Arms
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Play by Carol Burnett and Carrie Hamilton. Produced on Broadway in 2002 at the Cort Theatre with Linda Lavin, Michele Pawk (Tony nominee), Frank Wood, Donna Lynne Champlin, Sara Niemietz.

Life Has Been Good to Me
(new on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
Randal Keith solo album of songs from the stage. Previously only available on singer's website. Now at CDBaby.com.

Mary Poppins: 40th Anniversary Edition
(Buena Vista Home - new on 2 DVDs)
1964 film with Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Glynis Johns, Elsa Lanchester, Reginald Owen, Arthur Treacher, Ed Wynn. Anamorphic widescreen transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, plus a brand-new live action and animated sequence reuniting Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, with music by Oscar-winner Richard Sherman. This new musical number is exclusive to the DVD, which also will boast such extras as a new audio commentary by Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, featurettes "Backstage Disney" and "The 1964 Gala World Premiere," never before heard deleted song "Chimpanzoo," rare television and promotional footage, interactive games, stills and trailers and more.

Mickey Rooney: His Films, Television Appearances, Radio Work, Stage Shows, And Recordings
(McFarland - Paperback Book)
By Alvin H. Marill. Part biography and part reference tool, this richly illustrated work covers Rooney's life from his birth in 1920 and first stage appearance 16 months later to his television appearances in 2003. It discusses both his professional and personal life and includes information drawn from interviews with his peers, including Spring Byington, Jackie Cooper, and Ann Rutherford. Five appendices conclude the work: a detailed filmography of his more than 170 features and 65 shorts, each listing credits and a brief commentary, plus reviews where available; listings of all his radio, television, and stage work; and a discography of his recorded work.

Mourning Becomes Electra
(Image - new on DVD)
1947 film based on Eugene O'Neill play. Rosalind Russell, Michael Redgrave, Kirk Douglas, Raymond Massey.

December 7, 2004

Andre Charlot: The Genius of Intimate Musical Revue
(McFarland - Paperback Book)
By James Ross Moore.

On Broadway: Art and Commerce on the Great White Way
(Southern Ill. Univ. Press - Paperback Book)
By Steven Adler. Details insider perspectives from sixty-six practitioners and artists to chronicle the recent past and glimpse the near future of the Great White Way, including Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Laurents, Des McAnuff, Frank Rich, Robin Wagner, Rocco Landesman, Robert Longbottom, Todd Haimes, Bernard Gersten, and Alan Eisenberg. Each details his or her firsthand account of the creative and economic forces that have wrought extraordinary changes in the way Broadway theatre is conceived, produced, marketed, and executed. Assesses the impact of the advent of corporate producers, the ascendance of not-for-profit theatres on Broadway, and the growing interdependence between regional and Broadway productions, as well as the effect of the radical urban redevelopment staged in Times Square and the changing demographics and appetites of contemporary theatre audiences in New York and around the globe.

Can't We Be Friends?
(Universal - new on CD)
Jane Powell 1956 album. Music arranged and conducted by Buddy Bregman. Import. 12 tracks.

Kander and Ebb - New York, New York, Cabaret and And All That Jazz
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
40 songs. And All That Jazz, Cabaret,New York, New York, Coffee (In a Cardboard Cup), Don't Tell Mama, How Lucky Can You Get, I Move On, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Mister Cellophane, A Tough Act to Follow, Willkommen, and more. Also included is a profile of Kander & Ebb, complete production credits, an essay by Fred Ebb written just before his untimely death, and over 280 pages of music.

I Remember Mama
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
1948 film based on John Van Druten's adaptation of Kathryn Forbes novel. Irene Dunne, Edgar Bergen, Rudy Vallee, Oscar Homolka, Barbara Bel Geddes, Ellen Corby, Cedric Hardwicke.

Richard Rodgers' No Strings: An After Theatre Version
(Collectables - new on CD)
With Reissue of Atlantic Records album, with Chris Connor, Bobby Short, LaVern Baker, and Herbie Mann.

The Rise and Fall of the Broadway Musical
(Northeastern Press - Hardcover Book)
By Mark N. Grant. Sets out to answer questions like "Many of today's Broadway shows, from Rent to The Lion King to Movin' Out, have become commercial hits, but do they have the cultural importance or the dramatic and musical artistry of such enduring productions as Oklahoma!, Show Boat, or Kiss Me, Kate? Grant thoroughly investigates all aspects of the Broadway musical as he traces the transformation of singing and melody, libretto and lyric writing, dance rhythms, sound design, and choreography and stage direction through three distinct eras: the formative period (1866-1927), the golden age (1927-1966), and the fall (1967 to the present). And he argues that the best musicals of the golden age still survive in the public imagination because they uniquely integrated complementary artistic achievements in playwrighting, music, design, dance, movement, and truthful acting.

A Star is Born
(Image - on DVD)
1937 film with Adolphe Menjou, Andy Devine, Fredric March, Janet Gaynor, Lionel Stander, and Mae Robeson. Technicolor remaster from original 35mm nitrate. To included some deleted footage. Repriced 1999 release.

Talk to Me: Monologue Plays
(Random House Vintage - Paperback Book)
Eric Lane and Nina Shengold.

Theater Voices: Conversations on the Stage
(Scarecrow Press - Paperback Book)
By Steve Capra. Interviews that reveal both the strength and extraordinary mutability of theater, as expressed by some of the most honored and well-regarded names of the stage, including Julie Harris, Quentin Crisp, Spalding Gray, Martin Sherman, Karen Finley, Eddie Izzard, Alan Ayckbourn, Robert Brustein, Uta Hagen, John Lahr, Stephen Daldry, and Edward Albee.

Theatre World Volume 58 2001-2002
(Hal Leonard Corporation - Paperback/Hardcover)
By John Wills (Editor), Tom Lynch (Contributor), Ben Hodges (Contributor).

Under the Bridge
(On the Lamb Records - new on CD)
Studio recording. Musical and Vocal arrangements by David Pomeranz, Kathie Lee Gifford, Paul Raiman. All proceeds from CD sales go to the Association to Benefit Children.

November 30, 2004

Billy (Michael Crawford)
(Sony Music - on CD)
OLC of 1974 Barry and Black musical. Michael Crawford, Elaine Paige, Gay Soper, Avis Bunnage, Bryan Pringle, Diana Quick, Betty Turner, Lockwood West, and Billy Boyle.

Josh Groban Live at The Greek (CD/DVD)
(Warner - new on CD/DVD)
Josh Groban's second PBS "Great Performances" special, filmed at L.A.'s Greek Theater in the summer of 2004. Includes "Believe" From Polar Express soundtrack.

Newsical the Musical First Edition
(Original Cast Records - new on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
Off Broadway cast recording. Score/book by Rick Crom. Available at www.newsicalthemusical.com/merchandise.html

The Selected Letters of Tennessee Williams, Volume II: 1946-1957
(New Directions Publishing - Hardcover Book)
Covers the time period of A Streetcar Named Desire, The Rose Tattoo, Camino Real, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Williams' prodigious outpouring of stories, poetry, and novels as well as plays. Several major film projects, including the notorious Baby Doll, with Elia Kazan. Letters written to Kazan, Carson McCullers, Gore Vidal, publisher James Laughlin, and Audrey Wood, Williams' resourceful agent, continue earlier lines of correspondence and introduce new celebrity figures. The Broadway and Hollywood successes in the evolving career of America's premier dramatist vie with a string of personal losses and a deepening depression to make this period an emotional and artistic rollercoaster for Tennessee.

The Signet Book of Short Plays
(Signet Classics - Paperback Book)
A new collection: 12 short plays by Tennessee Williams, Horton Foote, Wendy Wasserstein, Kia Corthron, Daisy Foote, Susan Glaspell, Greg Gunning, David Ives, William Saroyan, Shel Silverstein, Core Vidal, Thornton Wilder.

Sundown
(Original Cast Records - new on CD/on mp3)
Studio cast recording of Peter Link (music), Larry Rosler (lyrics) musical (book by Joe Bravaco and Rosler). Steve Blanchard, Judy McLane, Patrick Ryan Sullivan, Joe Lutton, Bob Aronson, Dennis Deal, Jimmy Bennett, Jeff Wolf, Julia Wade, and Peter Link.

Young Zombies in Love
(Emerald Rain - new on CD)
Studio recording of Gaby Alter/Damien Hess musical. Iain Mann, Sarah Wescott and Jessica Neighbor. Presented earlier this year at the New York International Fringe Festival.

November 23, 2004

Ann-Margret Christmas Carol Collection
(Art Greenhaw - new on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
Ann-Margret with The Jordanaires and Art Greenhaw. The Christmas Song; Jingle Bells; I'll Be Home For Christmas; What Child Is This?; Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas; Go Tell It On The Mountain; I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day; O Come All Ye Faithful; The Manger Song; God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen; Silent Night; (Bonus Song: Jesus Loves Me).

Beyond the Sea
(Rhino Records - new on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
Soundtrack for 2004 Bobby Darin biopic with Kevin Spacey. Digipak.

Hillbrow
(Must Close Saturday Records - new on CD)
Original 2004 London cast recording of Brian Portelli musical set in an apartheid South Africa of 1963. Also at Amazon.co.uk

Little Miss Marker
(Universal - new on DVD)
1980 remake of Shirley Temple film, featuring Julie Andrews, Walter Matthau, Sara Stimson, Tony Curtis, Bob Newhart, Lee Grant, Brian Dennehy. Full frame. No extras.

No More Love Songs
(Must Close Saturday Records - new on CD/at iTunes)
Gabrielle Bell with pianist Rex Walford. Songs from British musicals 1950-1975, including Twang!!, Grab Me a Gondola, The Buccaneer, Lady at the Wheel, Chrysanthemum and others.

The Phantom of the Opera
(Sony Classical - new on CD)
Soundtrack of 2004 film, with Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum and Patrick Wilson. Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) Charles Hart (lyrics) score. Soundtrack to be conducted by Nigel Wright supervised by Simon Lee with 100 hand-picked musicians from all over Europe. To be recorded at London's famous Abbey Road Studios. To include new end-title song written by ALW and Hart especially for the film, "Learn to be lonely" performed by Minnie Driver.

The Phantom of the Opera (Special Edition Package)
(Sony Classical - new on 2 CDs)
2 CD Deluxe Collector's Edition, packaged in a 4 3/4" x 5" hardcover book, contains all of the music from the single disc plus other original score material featured in the film. Soundtrack of 2004 film, with Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum and Patrick Wilson. Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) Charles Hart (lyrics) score. Soundtrack to be conducted by Nigel Wright supervised by Simon Lee with 100 hand-picked musicians from all over Europe. To be recorded at London's famous Abbey Road Studios. To include new end-title song written by ALW and Hart especially for the film, "Learn to be lonely" performed by Minnie Driver.

The Queer Encyclopedia of Music, Dance, and Musical Theater
(Cleis Press - Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
By Claude J. Summers. Features over 200 articles showcasing composers, singers, musicians, dancers, and choreographers across eras and styles. Includes overviews of genres as well as fascinating biographical entries on hundreds of figures such as Peter Tchaikovsky, Maurice Ravel, Sergei Diaghilev, Bessie Smith, Aaron Copland, Stephen Sondheim, Alvin Ailey, Rufus Wainwright, and Ani DiFranco.

Summer Theatre Directory 2004
(Theatre Directories - Paperback Book)
Edited by P. J. Tumielewicz . A national guide to summer employment, combined auditions information, summer opportunities at over 350 Summer Theatres Shakespeare festivals, theme parks, and cruise ship theater opportunities in the US and Canada. How and when to apply, types of positions open, and approximate salaries offered. There is also information on apprentice and intern programs. Listings of 80 summer training programs, with information on age limits, fees, and facilities. Tips on auditions.

Writer's Block
(Authorhouse - Hardcover/Paperback Book)
Mystery novel by Bruce Kimmel. "Set in the world of Broadway musical theater in 1969, Writer's Block is a funny, bitchy, suspenseful tale of the creation of a new musical-from the start of rehearsals, through the tryouts in New Haven and Boston, to opening night and after. The arguments, the fights, the tensions, the betrayals-yes, there's no business like show business. But when someone vital to the show turns up dead, apparently of accidental causes, it's time for one member of the production team to become an amateur Broadway sleuth in search of the truth-was the death an accident or was it murder?"

November 16, 2004

Broadway's Greatest Gifts - Carols for a Cure Vol. 6
(BC/EFA - new on 2 CDs/on mp3/at iTunes)
Broadway theatre community lifts its voice in true holiday spirit. Cass from 42nd Street, Bombay Dreams, Wicked, Dracula, Golda's Balcony, Chicago, The Lion King, Aida, Little Shop of Horrors, Rent, The Phantom of the Opera, Hairspray, Movin' Out, Avenue Q, Mamma Mia!, The Foreigner, Beauty and the Beast, The Producers, Wonderful Town, The Boy From Oz and Fiddler On the Roof. Bonuses: "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," arranged and performed by J. Walter Hawkes, and a performance of Norman Weiss' "A Little Ditty," sung by Hugh Panaro. Also available at BC/EFA

Eloise at Christmastime
(Disney Home Ent. - new on DVD)
2003 TV movie based on the character created by Kay Thompson with Julie Andrews, Gavin Creel, Sofia Vassilieva, Sara Topham.

Finian's Rainbow
(Ghostlight - new on CD/at iTunes)
2004 Irish Rep cast recording. Melissa Errico, Malcolm Gets, Max von Essen, Jonathan Freeman, David Staller, Jonathan Hadley, Eric Jackson, Jayne Ackley Lynch, Kimberly Dawn Neumann, John Sloman, Joacquin Stevens, Teri White, and Errico's replacement, Kerry O'Malley.

The Good Body
(Villard - Hardcover Book/Kindle Edition)
Eve Ensler's Off Broadway play. Released November 9.

Midnight at the Palace : My Life as a Fabulous Cockette
(Alyson Pub - Paperback Book)
One of the founding members of the Cockettes (immortalized in the 2002 documentary film), Pam Tent, takes us inside this flamboyant ensemble of countercultural radicals, whose legendary midnight musicals at the Palace Theater in San Francisco were a unique burst of cultural experimentation and artistic outrageousness which continue to influence the worlds of theater, music, fashion, gay politics, gay spirituality, and urban club life.

New Moon
(Ghostlight - new on CD)
2003 Encores! version of Sigmund Romberg-Oscar Hammerstein II-Frank Mandel-Laurence Schwab operetta, recorded July 12-13, 2004. Musical director-conductor Rob Fisher, 36-piece orchestra, 24 people in the singing ensemble. Cast includes Lauren Ward, Christiane Noll, Rodney Gilfry, Brandon Jovanovich, Burke Moses, and Peter Benson.

Ragtime
(Paramount - new on DVD)
1981 film based on E.L. Doctorow's novel. Basis for musical of the same name. James Cagney, Mary Steenburgen, Debbie Allen, Howard E. Rollins Jr., James Olson, Elizabeth McGovern, Mandy Patinkin, Donald O'Connor.

In Your Dreams
(Ghostlight - new on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
Christine Ebersole/Billy Stritch album

Mary Poppins (Special Edition)
(Disney - new on 2 CDs)
Remastered soundtrack. Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke. Restores the previously abridged "Step in Time" sequence to its original length and includes a 16-minute bonus track: the Sherman brothers' reminiscences about their work on the landmark film interspersed with four of their original song demos (Chim Chim Cher-ee/Let's Go Fly A Kite/The Eyes Of Love/Feed the Birds). Second disc is a bonus DVD.

Skylark: The Life and Times of Johnny Mercer
(St. Martin's Press - Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
By Philip Furia (Irving Berlin: A Life in Song and Ira Gershwin: The Art of the Lyricist). Paperback version of 2003 hardcover release. Biography based on scores of interviews with friends, family and colleagues, and drawing extensively on Johnny Mercer's letters, papers and his unpublished autobiography. Includes 16-page b&w photo insert.

Urinetown Vocal Selections
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
14 vocal selections plus full-color production photos. 112 pages

The Very Best of Michael Crawford
(Virgin TV - new on CD)
Collection of Michael Crawford recordings, including a song from Woman in White plus duets with Patti LaBelle ("With Your Hand Upon My Heart") and Barbara Bonney ("The Phantom of the Opera"). Import. Available for less at Amazon.co.uk.

Woman in White
(EMI Classics/U.K. - new on 2 CDs)
OLC recording of Andrew Lloyd Webber/David Zippel score from 2004 musical (book by Charlotte Jones). Michael Crawford, Maria Friedman, Martin Crewes, Angela Christian, Oliver Darley, Jill Paice, Edward Petherbridge.

November 9, 2004

The American Musical and the Formation of National Identity
(Princeton Univ. Press - Hardcover Book)
By Raymond Knapp. Offers discussions of how American musicals, especially through their musical numbers, advance themes related to American national identity. Written by a musicologist and supported by illustrative audio examples (on the book's website), the book examines key historical antecedents to the musical, including the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, nineteenth and early twentieth-century American burlesque and vaudeville, Tin Pan Alley, and other song types. It then proceeds thematically, focusing primarily on fifteen mainstream shows from the twentieth century, with discussions of such notable productions as Show Boat (1927), Porgy and Bess (1935), Oklahoma! (1943), West Side Story (1957), Hair (1967), Pacific Overtures (1976), and Assassins (1991). Extensive appendix provides information on each show discussed, including plot summaries and song lists, and a listing of important films, videos, audio recordings, published scores, and libretti associated with each musical.

Arthur Miller's America : Theater and Culture in a Time of Change
(UMP - Hardcover Book/Paperback Book)
Enoch Brater (Editor). Collects new writing by leading international critics and scholars that considers the dramatic world of icon, activist, and playwright Arthur Miller's theater as it reflects the changing moral equations of his time.

The Art of Romance
(Sony - new on CD)
Tony Bennett solo album. Produced by the famed Phil Ramone, includes songs by Harold Arlen and Stephen Sondheim, and guest appearances by jazz saxman Phil Woods and Latin percussionist Candido Camero.

Back Stage Book of New American Short Plays 2005: 12 Plays, 12 Fresh New Voices
(Backstage - Hardcover/Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
Edited by Craig Lucas and Mark Glubke. First in series: published each fall, the Back Stage New Short Play Series will feature cutting-edge work by some of America's most promising young playwrights. Back Stage Senior Editor Mark Glubke will serve as the series editor. This volume includes: Christopher Shinn's The Sleepers, David Schulner's Hope (and Charles), Bathsheba Doran's 2 Soldiers, anton dudley's Davy and Stu, Victor Lodato's Dear Sara Jane, and Dan LeFranc's Hippie Van Gumdrop. Each year, a different established playwright will serve as the series' guest editor.

Bennetts: An Acting Family
(University Press of Kentucky - Hardcover Book/Kindle Edition)
Chronicle of one of the royal families of stage and screen, including sisters Constance and Joan. 576 pages.

Broadway the Golden Age
(new on DVD)
Rick McKay's documentary on the Golden Age of Broadway. Interviews with many theatre stars. 90 minutes of extras, including a 35-minute sneak peek of "Broadway: the Next Generation" (to be released separately next year), deleted material (including a 20-minute alternate ending) and a 16-minute feature about Broadway and Hollywood premieres.

Christmas
(Methuen - Paperback Book)
Play by Simon Stephens. Debuted at U.K.'s Bush Theatre in January '04.

Cirque Du Soleil: 20 Years Under the Sun - An Authorized History
(Harry N Abrams - Hardcover Book)
By Tony Babinski. Retrospective of the history of Cirque du Soleil, from its humble origins to its remarkable international success. With 300-plus full-color illustrations that feature all of the company's dazzling productions. The book's release is set to coincide with Cirque du Soleil's 20th anniversary.

Hummin' To Myself
(Universal/Verve - new on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
Linda Ronstadt sings standards with Alan Broadbent, Christian McBride, Warren Bernhardt and David "Fathead" Newman.

The Inner Voice: The Making of a Singer
(Viking Books - Hardcover Book/Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
By Renee Fleming; "the autobiography of my voice." A look at the real life of an artist today, a life confronted by the loneliness of touring, the need for resilience, the desire for creativity in the face of overwhelming commercial pressures, coping with business issues, and, most important, balancing personal and professional fulfillment.

Jekyll and Hyde Dramatized: The 1887 Richard Mansfield Script and the Evolution of the Story on Stage
(McFarland - Hardcover Book)
By Martin A. Danahay, Alexander Chisholm. An authoritative, collated version of the Mansfield script charts the evolution of his play through its Boston, New York, and London productions. Special attention is given to American theater and popular entertainment during the late nineteenth century, and to the Jack the Ripper murders, which led to the closing of Mansfield's London production. Appendices include competing scripts staged by Daniel Bandmann and H.B. Irving, as well as reviews of the various productions, transcripts of Mansfield interviews, and excerpts from early biographies of Richard Mansfield.

Matzo Balls for Breakfast and Other Memories of Growing Up Jewish
(Free Press - Hardcover Book/Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
By Alan King.

Michael Ball - Live in London
(new on DVD)
Region 2 DVD. Recorded live at Hammersmith features 27 songs plus an interview.

Miss Peggy Lee: A Career Chronicle
(McFarland & Company - Hardcover Book/Paperback Book)
By Robert Strom; Foreword by Keely Smith. Covers her recordings, radio and television appearances, her work in films, and her songwriting efforts. Material drawn from interviews with Lee and others, nightclub and concert reviews, and a wealth of other sources. Appendices list songs that Lee performed and recorded and a selective list of her CDs. The work concludes with a bibliography and is illustrated with many rare photographs.

Noël Coward: A Life in Quotes
(Consortium - Hardcover Book/Paperback Book)
Reprint (new cover design) of 1999 volume. Barry Day, with the full co-operation of the Noel Coward estate, has gathered together the best of Coward's wit and wisdom, and linked them together to tell the story of his life. The book is illustrated with cartoons and caricatures of Coward.

Petula Clark - Live at the Paris Olympia
(Silva America - new on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
Recording from Clark's 2003 Paris concert, with songs from her stage and film appearances. Includes "Tell Me It's Not True" (Blood Brothers) and "With One Look" (Sunset Boulevard). Import.

Petula Clark: Live at the Paris Olympia - DVD
(Koch - new on DVD)
Live Paris 2003 concert. In French and English. Bonus material: backstage interview with Clark in French with English subtitles, plus segment with Clark talking about her memories of Serge Gainbourg at Radio France (in French with English subtitles) and exclusive film outside Serge's house.

Portrait of the Artist As Australian: L Oeuvre Bizarre De Barry Humphries
(McGill-Queen's University Press - Hardcover Book)
Critical assessment of Barry Humphries' entire career - as a daring post-modern deconstructionist on stage, film, and television, with sixty-seven stage shows, twenty-four film and thirty-four video appearances, thirty-four television series and seventy-one television appearances, and seventy-two audio recordings, but especially what he calls his 'second career' as author of twenty-nine books.

Spare Scenes
(Heinemann Drama - Paperback Book)
By Diane Timmerman, Designated Linklater Voice Teacher and Associate Professor of Theatre at Butler University in Indianapolis, where she teaches acting and voice. This book contains 60 open, circumstance-free scenes that promote growth in craft by forcing you to create context by determining character, relationship and action. Each brief scene places you into a two-person scenario where something is at stake, but where the dialogue offers no specific clues about the clash, forcing you to make choices that demonstrate the who, what, why, where, when, and how.

Speaking of Dance
(Routledge - Hardcover/Paperback/Kindle Edition)
By Joyce Morgenroth. Tells the story of how choreographers make their dances in their own words. The author has interviewed 12 distinguished and innovative American choreographers and presents in-depth conversations that focus specifically on the art of dance (including Merce Cunningham, Meredith Monk, Bill T. Jones, Mark Morris, and Trisha Brown).

Tony Bennett - The Complete Improv Recordings
(Concord Records - new on 4 CDs)
Bennett's early '70s recordings on four boxed discs, remastered, including an album of Rodgers & Hart songs, plus numerous alternate takes.

A Theater of Our Own : A History and a Memoir of 1,001 Nights in Chicago
(Northwestern - Hardcover Book)
Richard Christiansen draws upon his exclusive interviews, insights, and memories gathered over a period of more than forty years of reviewing the arts. This history and memoir traces the evolution of the Chicago theater scene from small theaters to major institutions such as the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the Goodman Theater, and The Second City. Along the way, Richard Christiansen relates his behind-the-scenes conversations with some of Chicago's most acclaimed writers, directors, and actors--David Mamet, Frank Galati, Mary Zimmerman, John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf, Harold Ramis, Gary Sinise, and Joe Mantegna--all a part of Chicago's theater renaissance from the 1970s onward.

Theatricality As Medium
(Fordham University Press - HardcoverPaperback/Kindle Edition)
Beginning with Plato, Samuel Weber tracks the uneasy relationships among theater, ethics, and philosophy through Aristotle, the major Greek tragedians, Shakespeare, Kierkegaard, Kafka, Freud, Benjamin, Artaud, and many others who develop alternatives to dominant narrative-aesthetic assumptions about the theatrical medium. His readings also interrogate the relation of theatricality to the introduction of electronic media.

Zagat 2004/05 New York City Theater Guide: Winter (Zagat Survey: New York City Theater Guide)
(Zagat Survey - Paperback Book)

November 2, 2004

Broadway Musicals: The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time
(Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers - Hardcover Book/Paperback Book (2nd Edition))
By Ken Bloom and Frank Vlastnik. Plot synopses, cast and song lists, production details, backstage anecdotes, and quotations supplement the text and pictures for every entry. Special illustrated feature chapters include "Cast Albums," "Guilty Pleasures," "Notable Flops," "Great Scores from So-So Shows," and more. 850 photographs; most have never been published before. Foreword by musical theatre (and television) legend Jerry Orbach.

Adam Pascal: Civilian
(Sh-K-Boom - new on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
Songs include: Beautiful Song, Tomorrow and the Sun, Wonderchild, Something of Ours, Civilian, Ordinary Men Abound, 10,000 Miles, No Trace, Mother's Child, Book of Endings, The Ringing In My Ears, I'm With You.

The Christmas Trilogy Box Set
(Lava Records - new on 3 CDs and 1 DVD)
Trans-Siberian Orchestra collection of Christmas music. Christmas Eve and Other Stories, The Christmas Attic, The Lost Christmas Eve, and The Ghosts of Christmas Eve DVD 56 selections.

Entertainment Awards: A Music, Cinema, Theatre and Broadcasting Guide, 1928 Through 2003
(McFarland and Company - Hardcover Book)
By Don Franks. Lists over 15,000 winners of twenty major entertainment awards: the Oscar, Golden Globe, Grammy, Country Music Association, New York Film Critics, Pulitzer Prize for Theater, Tony, Obie, New York Drama Critic's Circle, Prime Time Emmy, Daytime Emmy, the American Music Awards, the Drama Desk Awards, the National Broadway Theatre Awards (touring Broadway plays), the National Association of Broadcasters Awards, the American Film Institute Awards and Peabody. Production personnel and special honors are also provided.

The Long Christmas Ride Home
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
Play by Paula Vogel. Lucille Lortel Award winning play. Was produced at the Vineyard Theatre.

The Lost Christmas Eve
(Lava Records - new on CD)
Finale to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Christmas Trilogy. Released October 12.

Monkey Biz'nis
(Original Cast Records - new on CD)
Original demo recording of this "Musical Diversion in One Act" by Jack Gottlieb, with Wallace Norman, Joel Briel and Steve Sterner.

Portrait of Johnny : The Life of John Herndon Mercer
(Pantheon Books - Hardcover Book/Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
By Gene Lees. Intimate biography of the great songwriter by one of Mercer's best friends.

So in Love with Broadway
(JAY Records - new on CD)
Ron Raines solo album.

Songs by Bobby Short
(Collectables - new on CD)
Bobby Short's initial album for Atlantic Records, not previously available on CD. Delayed from earlier date.

Stardust...The Great American Songbook: Volume III
(J-Records - new on CD)
Third in series of Rod Stewart collection of standards.

Summer of '42
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Play written by Hunter Foster and David Kirshenbaum based on the film. Produced in 2001 at Variety Arts Theatre with Ryan Driscoll, Kate Jennings Grant, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Jason Marcus.

Theatrical Feast In New York
(Sutton Publishing - Hardcover Book)
By Elizabeth Sharland. Anecdotal historical companion to legendary theatre people and their favorite places to eat. A vibrant mix of anecdote and entertainment, it should appeal to thespians, those interested in theatre and food history, and visitors to New York.

A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant
(Ghostlight - new on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
Original cast recording of OBIE-winning musical, with book, music and lyrics by Kyle Jarrow from a concept by Alex Timbers. Originally produced by Les Freres Corbusier in NYC. ( West Coast premiere at The Powerhouse Theatre in Santa Monica on October 15.) Cast of 8-to-12 year-olds perform "Disclaimer," "Hey! It's a Happy Day!," "L. Ron Hubbard," "The Way That I Began," "Searching," "Science of the Mind," "Mister Auditor," "Rain," "Something Special," and the show's Finale. Bonus cut: alternative version of "Rain" performed by New York City punk-popsters, The Fabulous Entourage.

October 26, 2004

Bat Boy: The Musical
(new on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
OLC cast recording. Deven May, John Barr, Rebecca Vere and Emma Williams.

Broadway's Lost Treasures II
(Acorn media - new on DVD)
2nd PBS special, with bonus material: "Always Mademoiselle," Katherine Hepburn; "The Lambeth Walk," Robert Lindsay and the Me and My Girl cast; "The Name's LaGuardia," Tom Bosley; "Be Italian," the (original) cast of Nine.

Joseph: King Of Dreams (Limited Edition)
(Universal - on DVD)
2000 animated film with voices by Ben Affleck, Judith Light, Mark Hamill, Steven Weber. Music by John Bucchino (songs) and Daniel Pelfrey. Extras: trailers, featurette, storyboard presentation, text/photo galleries, production notes, read along, trivia game.

The Kiss of the Spider Woman Vocal Selections
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Reissue of songbook for Kander and Ebb musical. 11 songs, 106 pages. Includes Anything for Him, The Day After That, Dear One, Dressing Them Up, I Do Miracles, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Morphine Tango 1, Only in the Movies, Over the Wall 2, She's a Woman, Where You Are.

Linda Eder - Christmas Stays the Same
(Wea Corp - new on DVD)
Bravo TV special from 2001. Christmas classics old and new.

The Liza Minnelli Scrapbook
(Citadel - Paperback Book)
By Scott Schechter .

Look Ma, I'm Dancin'
(Universal Classics/Decca Broadway - new on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
1948 OBC recording of Hugh Martin musical. Mastered from the source material. Recorded out of town before the show's January 1948 opening. Includes previously unissued "Let's Do a Ballet" and "Horrible, Horrible Love" as well as alternate takes of "Gotta Dance" and "Shauny O'Shay," with the booklet's notes by Martin.

Love Changes Everything
(Untv - new on 2 import CDs)
Michael Ball solo album.

Masters of Movement: Portraits of America's Great Choreographers
(Smithsonian Books - Hardcover Book)
By Rose Eichenbaum, Clive Barnes. Collection of photographic portraits and vignettes based on intimate conversations. Journey into the world of dance, from the concert stage and Broadway to feature films and music videos. Includes 120 never before seen photos of the biggest names in dance including Paul Taylor, Bill T. Jones, Lar Lubovitch, Judith Jamison, Mark Morris, Katherine Dunham, Daniel Ezralow, Gregory Hines, Rob Marshall, Christopher Wheeldon, Edward Villella, Ann Reinking, David Parsons, Rennie Harris and more.

Mulan (Special Edition)
(Buena Vista - on 2 DVDs)
1998 animated musical (composers Jerry Goldsmith, Matthew Wilder; lyricist David Zippell) film. Voices include Miguel Ferrer, Eddie Murphy, Ming-Na Wen, Harvey Fierstein, June Foray, James Hong, Noriyuki Morita, Soon-Tek Oh, Donny Osmond, Lea Salonga, James Shigeta, George Takei, Jerry Tondo, Gedde Watanabe, Frank Welker, B.D. Wong. Extras: alternate openings, deleted scenes, deleted song "Keep 'em Guessing," audio commentary, early presentation reels, progression reels, featurettes "Discovering Mulan," "Digital Dim Sum," "Songs of Mulan," all new music video with Jack Chang, performances by Raven, 98 Degrees, Stevie Wonder, and Christina Aguilera, galleries and fun facts.

The Musical: A Research Guide to Musical Theater and Film
(Routledge - Hardcover Book)
By William Everett. Focuses on musical theatre in the popular Broadway form with additional coverage on the closely related film musical and musical theatrical styles in several other nations. Sections include: general histories; musical theatre surveys; film musicals; creators and works; performers; performance studies; periodicals; sets and series of printed material; discographies; and recorded anthologies.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood Vocal Selections
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Reissue of songbook for Rupert Holmes musical. 12 songs, 82 pages. There You Are, A Man Could Go Quite Mad, Two Kinsmen, Moonfall, The Wages of Sin, Both Sides of the Coin, Perfect Strangers, Never the Luck, Off to the Races, Don't Quit While You're Ahead, The Garden Path to Hell, The Writing on the Wall.

Our House
(Universal - new on DVD)
Winner of the 2003 Olivier Award for Best New Musical. Tim Firth musical featuring the songs of British band Madness. Previously shown on BBC3. Region 2 DVD.

Prince of Egypt (Limited Edition)
(Buena Vista - on DVD)
1998 animated, musical film (composer Stephen Schwartz) with voices of Val Kilmer, Danny Glover, Jeff Goldblum, Martin Short, Michelle Pfeiffer, Patrick Stewart, Ralph Fiennes, Sandra Bullock, Steve Martin. Extras: audio commentary by directors, "The Making Of The Prince Of Egypt," "Basics Of Animation: Chariot Race," "Focus On Technical Effects," trailer, photo galleries, production notes, art gallery.

Purpose of Love - Tim Di Pasqua Songbook (Vol. One)
(new on CD)
11 original songs sung. Performers include Brian Lane Green, Alix Korey, Trent Armand Kendall, Capathia Jenkins, Tom Andersen, Scott Coulter, Karen Saunders, Baby Jane Dexter, Michael Levesque, Jessica Hendy and Ann Marie.

Restless Willow
(150 Music - new on CD)
Stevie Holland's third album, a collection of classic jazz standards, special and original material, arranged and orchestrated by Gary William Friedman. Tracks include Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life", Ira & George Gershwin's "Summertime", James Taylor's "Sunny Skies" and Francis Lai's "Love Is stronger Far Than We". Stevie is joined by singer Rubén Flores on the duet "One Touch" (a new song by Holland and Friedman).

The Rink Vocal Selections
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Reissue of songbook for Kander and Ebb musical. 9 songs, 64 pages. Colored Lights, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, Blue Crystal, Under the Roller Coaster, We Can Make It, Marry Me, The Rink, Wallflower, All the Children in a Row. Includes photos and a complete list of Kander & Ebb's other works.

Rod Stewart - Best Of The Great American Songbook
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Songbook from Stewart CD collection.

Sing the Songs from Boy From Oz - Karaoke
(Pocket Songs/Just Tracks - new on CD)
14 songs. Includes note-perfect instrumental background tracks (no guide vocals) and full lyric book.

Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
(Alpha Video - new on DVD)
1936 black and white film (not the musical). Tod Slaughter, Stella Rho, John Singer, Eve Lister.

Tallulah! : The Life and Times of a Leading Lady
(Regan Books - Hardcover Book)
By Joel Lobenthal.

Theater and Film: A Comparative Anthology
(Yale University Press - Paperback Book)
Robert Knopf examines the complex historical, cultural, and aesthetic relationship between theatre and film, and the effect that each has had on the other's development. Essays from performers, directors, writers, and critics, including contributions from Susan Sontag, Stanley Kauffmann, Sarah Bey-Cheng, Bertolt Brecht, Ingmar Bergman, Harold Pinter, David Mamet, Julia Taymor, Judi Dench, Sam Waterston, Orson Welles, Antonin Artaud, and Milos Forman, among others. The book is divided into five parts: historical influence, comparisons and contrasts, writing, directing, and acting, with interludes by major artists whose work and words have shaped the development of theatre and film. Comprehensive bibliography and filmography.

The Way It's Never Been Done Before : My Friendship with Marlon Brando
(HarperEntertainment - Hardcover Book)
By lifelong friend and business confidant, George Englund, who examines "the other side of Marlon, that told of the man and friend and father he was."

October 19, 2004

All in the Dances : A Brief Life of George Balanchine
(Harcourt - Hardcover Book)
By Terry Teachout. The dramatic story of George Balanchine, Russian émigré who fell in love with American culture, married four times and kept a mistress on the side, and transformed the art of ballet forever.

Broadway: The American Musical (Box Set)
(Sony Music - new on 5 CDs)
Accompaniment to PBS series Broadway: The American Musicals. 5 CD set of songs. 121 songs; features 64 Tony Award-winning performances. Includes introductory essay by filmmaker Michael Kantor, along with in-depth track-by-track annotations by noted Broadway historian Laurence Maslon.

From Christmas Eve to Christmas Morn
(new on CD)
Brian d'Arcy James solo album. Includes single "Michigan Christmas."

Dracula
(MCA - new on DVD)
1979 film with Frank Langella.

Paddy Roberts
(Must Close Saturday Records - new on CD)
Two 1960s Decca LPs: Strictly for Grown-Ups / Paddy Roberts Tries Again Back. Includes "The Ballad of Bethnal Green," "Follow Me...," and "The Belle of Barking Creek."

Ray!: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
(WMG/Atlantic - new on CD)
Soundtrack for 2004 film, biopic of Ray Charles. Includes seven Ray Charles performances, which are lip-synced in the film by Jamie Foxx.

The Real Nick And Nora: Frances Goodrich And Albert Hackett, Writers Of Stage And Screen Classics
(Southern Illinois University Press - Paperback Book)
David L. Goodrich writes about his aunt and uncle, Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, who wrote the screenplays for some of America's most treasured movies, including It's a Wonderful Life, The Thin Man, Easter Parade, Father of the Bride, Naughty Marietta, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Sarah Brightman Live From Las Vegas: the Harem Tour
(EMI - new on DVD)
Concert recorded in Las Vegas.

Showstoppers, Too!
(DRG - new on CD)
"A Best of Collection from Our Latest Cast Recordings." Features three tracks taken from seven OBC recordings of the past several years: Taboo, Little Shop, Wonderful Town, Barbara Cook's B'way, Flower Drum Song, Bea Arthur on B'way and Elaine Stritch at Liberty. Featuring performances by Boy George, Donna Murphy, Elaine Stritch, Bea Arthur, Barbara Cook, Lea Salonga, Euan Morton, Raul Esparza, Hunter Forster, Kerry Butler and many more!

Silver & Gold
(Lava - new on CD)
Vanessa Williams collection of holiday favorites and original compositions. Features the single "Silver & Gold." Brian McKnight performs on "Joy to the World." Released 10/12/04.

The Story Goes On - Live at Theatre Building Chicago
(LmgKidSource Music - new on CD)
Alexandra Billings solo album. Features "The Alone Medley," "Blue Skies/I Can See Clearly Now," "I'm Not My Mother." Arranged by Russ Long and William Underwood.

Zipp!
(Must Close Saturday Records - new on 2 CDs)
Gyles Brandreth's London show. Complete and unexpurgated in a super 2 CD set, recorded live on stage. "100 musicals or your money back," whirlwind tour of the best, and worst, of British and American musicals. Includes the complete works of Andrew Lloyd Webber in sixty seconds.

October 12, 2004

2002: The Best Ten-Minute Plays for 2 Actors
(Smith & Kraus - Paperback Book)
Michael Bigelow Dixon, editor.

2002: The Best Ten-Minute Plays for 3 or More Actors
(Smith & Kraus - Paperback Book)
Michael Bigelow Dixon, editor.

Back Stage Guide To Broadway
(Back Stage Books - Paperback Book)
By Robert Viagas. Insider secrets - from how to buy tickets for sold-out shows to getting refunds to the best times to get tickets, and more.

I Believe My Heart
(Innocent - new on CD)
Two-track single from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Woman in White. Features the song sung by Duncan James and Keedie, plus an instrumental version.

Broadway: The American Musical
(Paramount - new on 3 DVDs)
Six hour 2004 PBS special series. To include additional five hours of bonus material.

Center Square: The Paul Lynde Story
(Alyson Publications - Paperback Book)
By Steve Wilson and Joe Florenski.

Cinderfella
(Paramount - new on DVD)
1960 film with Jerry Lewis, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Ed Wynn, Judith Anderson, Count Basie, Joe Williams, Robert Hutton. Songs by Harry Warren and Jack Brooks. Widescreen, color.

Columbia Singles, Volume 1: 1950-1951
(Collectables - new on CD)
Percy Faith.

Damn Yankees
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
1958 classic film musical. First time on DVD. Remastered and restored. Gwen Verdon, Tab Hunter, Ray Walston, Russ Brown, Shannon Bolin, Nathaniel Frey, Robert Shafer, James Komack, and Jean Stapleton. Co-directed by George Abbott and Stanley Donen. Choreographed by Bob Fosse (who also appears on-screen un-credited with Gwen Verdon in "Who's Got the Pain"). Score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross.

Disney's Karaoke Series: Mary Poppins
(Disney - new on CD+G)

And the Dead Shall Rise : The Murder of Mary Phagan and the Lynching of Leo Frank
(Random House Vintage - Paperback Book)
Paperback version of account of the murder, trial and lynching in a narrative form. Includes research through court transcripts, contemporary newspaper articles, judicial and legal documents, and personal papers, and material on the Knights of Mary Phagan. The story was the basis of the Jason Robert Brown/Alfred Uhry musical Parade.

The Entertainment Sourcebook 2005
(Applause - Paperback Book)
By Association of Theatrical Artists and Craftspeople. Known as "The Green Book," reference book with more than 5000 entries (indexed) from across the country of products and services listings for use (e.g: as props) in shows, film, TV, and other events.

On the Eastside / Moments Like This
(Collectables - new on CD)
Bobby Short twofer.

The Glass Cage : The Crest Theatre Story
(McArthur & Company Publishing, Ltd. - Hardcover Book)
Paul Illidge looks at Canada's first permanent professional playhouse and the Who's Who of theatre who worked there. Many premiere works by playwrights from around the world including Edward Albee, Graham Greene and more.

The Joy of Music
(Amadeus Press - Paperback Book/DVD)
Leonard Bernstein. Classic collection of conversations on the meaning and wonder of music with exclusive DVD with an introduction by the late Alistair Cooke, featuring live TV broadcasts of the Omnibus music series from the mid-1950s, with two of the programs featured in the book: "Beethoven's Fifth Symphony" and "The Art of Conducting."

Kaufman & Co.: Broadway Comedies
(Library of America - Hardcover Books)
Nine Kaufman classics (including The Royal Family and a version of Animal Crackers discovered in Groucho Marx's papers and published here for the first time), three of which are out of print. Editor Laurence Maslon is an associate arts professor at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and a former associate artistic director at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.

The Lives of the Circus Animals: A Novel
(William Morrow - Paperback Book)
By Christopher Bram (Father of Frankenstein, adapted for Gods and Monsters). Set in contemporary New York theater scene. Paperback issue.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers - 50th Anniversary Edition
(Warner Home Video - new on 2 DVDs)
1954 Oscar-winning film, directed by Stanley Donen, with a score by Saul Chaplin, Gene de Paul and Johnny Mercer. Choreographed by Michael Kidd. Starring Jane Powell and Howard Keel. Presented for the first time on DVD in new anamorphic 16x9 format transfer, enhanced for widescreen and with new Dolby Digital 5.1 surround audio. Newly remastered original CinemaScope (2.55:1) version as well as the rarely-seen alternate widescreen (1.75:1) version, director Stanley Donen's commentary, a newly updated cast & crew documentary, vintage featurettes and premiere newsreel, and a Donen musicals trailer gallery.

That's Entertainment!
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
1974 theatrical release, showcasing 125 stars from nearly 100 musical films. DVD includes newly-filmed accounts of the personal memories of 11 of the stars who were at MGM from 1929-1958 and a retrospective of unforgettable musical sequences. Introduction by film historian Robert Osborne.

That's Entertainment: The Complete Collection
(Warner Home Video - new on 4 DVDs)
Special edition four-disc DVD gift set, including That's Entertainment!, That's Entertainment Part 2, and That's Entertainment III. Includes fully remastered picture, widescreen and full-screen versions. Bonus disc: exclusive That's Entertainment: Treasures from the Vaultfeaturing more than five hours of extras: rare extended footage from MGM's 25th Anniversary luncheon in 1949; "That's Entertainment: 50 Years of MGM" TV special unseen since original broadcast in 1974, "That's Entertainment! III Behind the Screen" 1994 documentary; "The Lion Roars Again" 1975 MGM short; lengthy excerpts from "The Mike Douglas Show" TV special in 1976 that featured two days of premiere coverage of That's Entertainment, Part 2; new 1/2-hour documentary "The Masters Behind The Musicals" with Ann Miller, Jane Powell, Angela Lansbury and others; complete "The Lock Step" number; "Just One More Time" 1974 featurette; and a MGM Outtake Jukebox with 16 rarely-seen deleted musical numbers featuring such stars as Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Durante, Esther Williams, Lena Horne, Jane Powell, Mel Torme and many other legendary MGM stars. Introductions by film historian Robert Osborne.

That's Entertainment! 2
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
1976 release continues the tradition of That's Entertainment! with sequences from movie musicals and highlighting such non-singing stars as Greta Garbo, Clark Gable and the Marx Brothers. Featuring Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly (together for the first time since Ziegfeld Follies of 1946), acting not only as narrators but also as performers, singing and dancing in all-new numbers directed by Kelly just for the film. Produced by Saul Chaplin and Daniel Melnick, with narration by Leonard Gershe and additional music arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle. Introduction by film historian Robert Osborne.

That's Entertainment! 3
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
"Director's cut" (previously released on VHS) of 1994 release in celebration of MGM's 70th Anniversary. Incorporates scores of famous songs and dances from MGM films and reunites nine of the performers who rose to international stardom through their MGM association. Some rare footage from cut scenes (not seen in theatrical release). Gene Kelly opens and closes the picture as June Allyson, Cyd Charrise, Lena Horne, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, Debbie Reynolds, Mickey Rooney and Esther Williams present. Written, produced and directed by Bud Friedgen & Michael J. Sheridan, the film was executive produced by Peter Fitzgerald. Introduction by film historian Robert Osborne.

October 5, 2004

100 Years of Peter Pan
(Sepia - new on CD)
Compilation CD featuring 27 tracks from the various productions of Peter Pan between 1929-1953. Includes: two tracks recorded in 1929 featuring John Crook's music from the original 1904 stage production performed by the J. H. Squire Celeste Octet; six sides recorded in 1940 with Jean Forbes-Robertson as Peter and Dinah Sheridan as Wendy; six songs by Leonard Bernstein from 1950 Broadway production with Jean Arthur and Boris Karloff; four sides from a special adaptation for children featuring most of the Broadway cast; eight cover versions of songs from the 1953 Disney soundtrack performed by Doris Day, Hermione Gingold, Jean Carson and The Sandpipers; and two versions of "Peter Pan, I Love You", a song not featured in any "Peter Pan" production but written as a tribute to Peter Pan in the 1920s (Waring's Pennsylvanians and Henry Burr).

Aladdin (Disney Special Platinum Edition)
(Buena Vista/Disney - new on 2 DVDs)
1992 Disney animated film. Singing voices of Brad Kane, Jonathan Freeman, Robin Williams.

Aladdin: Special Edition Gift Set
(Buena Vista/Disney - new on 2 DVDs)

Andrew Lloyd Webber Favorites
(Universal - new on 4 DVDs)
Contains the previously released Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar (the version broadcast on TV), Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and The Royal Albert Hall Celebration, no "extras."

Barbara Cook Sings From the Heart
(DRG - new on CD)
1959 recording of songs by Rodgers and Hart. New liner notes written by Barbara Cook.

Best Of Broadway: The American Musicals
(Universal - new on CD)
Accompaniment to PBS' series. 21-song best-of-the-best from the (5-CD) box set. Also includes Laurence Maslon's insightful liner notes and Michael Kantor's introductory essay.

Betty Garrett: Star of Stage & Screen
(Sepia - new on CD)
28 songs recorded for RCA Victor and MGM Records between 1947 and 1953. Standards and novelty numbers; songs from her films; her only US Top Ten hit - "Buttons and Bows"; six duets with Larry Parks; one with Gene Kelly and two with Jimmy Durante. This is the first Betty Garrett solo CD and almost all of the tracks are appearing on CD for the first time.

Bridge and Tunnel : A Trip Through American Identity in Eight Voices
(Three Rivers Press - Paperback Book)
Sarah Jones' acclaimed Off Broadway show.

Cliff - The World Tour Cliff Richard
(Koch - new on DVD)
Popular U.K. singer performing in New Zealand at The Mission winery, presenting a selection of his most popular songs. Among them are "We Don't Talk Anymore," "Dreamin'," "Devil Woman," and a variety of cover versions.

Cole Porter: An All Star Tribute
(VAI - new on DVD)
Aired on January 28, 1964 on the Bell Telephone Hour. Ethel Merman (host), John Raitt, Gretchen Wyler, Peter Nero and Martha Wright in a 53 song marathon shoe-horned into the hour-long telecast. Musical accompaniment by Donald Voorhees and the Bell Telephone Hour orchestra. Merman sings a selection of ragtime favorites as a bonus, with outtakes. 65 minutes.

Collage
(PS Classics - new on CD)
Luba Mason solo CD. Pop classics from George Harrison to Neil Diamond to Van Morrison, in a blend of Latin, pop, jazz, theatre, and folk. With guest vocalist Ruben Blades.

Dame Edna & Absolutely Fabulous: Best Of BBC
(BBC Warner - new on 2 DVDs)

The Dame Edna Christmas Experience - The Christmas Specials
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
"The Dame Edna Christmas Experience" and "A Night on Mount Edna." Charlton Heston, Dame Edna Everage, Gina Lollobrigida, Julio Iglesias, Mel Gibson, Roger Moore. Bonuses.

The Dame Edna Experience: Complete Collection
(Warner Home Video - new on 5 DVDs)
Contains: The Dame Edna Experience: The Complete Series One, The Dame Edna Experience: The Complete Series Two, and The Dame Edna Christmas Experience. Over 4 hours of extras.

The Dame Edna Experience: The Complete Series Vol. 2
(Warner Home Video - new on 2 DVDs)
Dame Edna Everage, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Jane Fonda, Lauren Bacall, Liza Minnelli, Ronald Reagan, Jr., Whoopi Goldberg. Bonuses.

Dinah Shore Sings Songs From Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick
(Sepia - new on CD)
In 1951 Dinah Shore headed the cast of a "Technicolor" film adaptation of a period play from 1919, Aaron Slick From Punkin Crick (Marshmallow Moon in the UK). The story concerns a small town widow tricked into selling her farm by city slickers who believe the land contains oil but who are in turn outwitted by a shrewd farmer who ends up marrying the widow. The Oscar-winning team of Livingston and Evans were commissioned to contribute songs for the film to showcase Miss Shore's talent. This CD features the 8 songs from the film plus 19 others recorded in the early part of the 1950s. Many are appearing on CD for the first time.

Dramatists Sourcebook 23rd Edition : Complete Opportunities for Playwrights, Translators, Composers, Lyricists and Librettists
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book)
Now in its twenty-third year, Dramatists Sourcebook - the best selling guide for opportunities for stage writers - now has more than 1100 opportunities for playwrights, translators, composers, lyricists and librettists, as well as opportunities for screen, radio and television writers.

The Fearless Vampire Killers, or Pardon Me but Your Teeth Are in My Neck
(MGM Home Video - new on DVD)
1967 Roman Polanski comedy film. Features Polanski, Jack MacGowran, and Sharon Tate. The basis for Dance of the Vampires.

Gordon MacRae and June Hutton - Songs from By the Light of the Silvery Moon and others
(Sepia - new on CD)
8 are songs from the film plus 19 solo contributions, including all of Hutton's US chart entries, most of which are first time on CD.

Guide to Visual and Performing Arts 2005 (Peterson's Professional Degree Programs In The Visual And Performing Arts)
(Peterson's - Paperback Book)
This resource explores professional degree programs in studio art, dance, music, and theater. From admissions criteria to contact information of more than 1,000 programs at over 600 institutions is included.

Hillbrow
(Must Close Saturday Records - new on CD)
Original 2004 London cast recording of Brian Portelli musical set in an apartheid South Africa of 1963. Available at Must-Close-Saturday-Records.com

John Barrowman Swings Cole Porter
(First Night/Red Int / Red Ink - new on CD)
Arrangements by Larry Blank. U.S. release.

A Lot of Livin'
(PS Classics - new on CD)
Deborah Tranelli solo CD. Theatre and pop songs ranging from standards by Kern, Rodgers and Arlen to rarities by Stephen Schwartz and John Bucchino.

Make Believe
(PS Classics - new on CD)
Jessica Molaskey solo CD. A dozen Broadway tunes with accompaniment by John Pizzarelli plus a full complement of strings, winds, and brass.

Musicals
(Carlton Books - Hardcover Book)
By Kurt Ganzl. Subtitled: "The Complete Illustrated Story of the World's Most Popular Live Entertainment." Revised and updated edition.

Salena Jones in Hollywood: Making Love
(JAY Records - new on CD)
New album from international jazz singer Salena Jones. Companion album to Salena's first album for JAY, Salena Jones On Broadway, Only Love (which will be re-issued soon in a remastered format).

Theatre Directory 2004-05
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book)
Annual pocket guide to theatre and related organizations contains personnel information for more than 440 theatres nation-wide, including address, e-mail and websites, performance seasons, and theatre's special interests. Also includes a regional index state by state; a personnel index and special interests index.

September 28, 2004

Aladdin (Special Edition Soundtrack)
(Disney - new on CD)
Includes bonuses: previously unreleased "Proud of the Boy," and karaoke version of same.

Blossom Dearie: Soubrette Sings Broadway Hit Songs
(Universal/Verve - on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
Reissue of 1960 recording.

Broadway: The American Musical
(Bulfinch - Hardcover Book/Paperback Book)
By Laurence Maslon. A companion to the six-part PBS documentary series, Broadway: The American Musical. Illustrations include photographs, sheet-music covers, posters, scenic renderings, production stills, rehearsal shots, and caricatures, many previously unpublished. Complementing the narrative are lively sidebars that highlight the stars, the shows, and the songs. Each chapter includes essays written by some of B roadway's most fascinating luminaries, past and present.

Broadway's Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Dynamic Divas, Surefire Showstoppers, and Box-Office Busts
(Brasseys, Inc. - Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
Tom Shea honors those who have made musical theater what it is today—the good, the bad, and the ugly. More than forty top-ten lists packed full of fun and facts of Broadway and Off Broadway. Author Tom Shea is an accomplished singer and actor and, to his knowledge, the only person to have appeared in The Golden Apple, Lady in the Dark, One Touch of Venus, Knickerbocker Holiday, Utopia, Ltd., and The Grand Duke.

The Cabaret
(Yale University Press - Hardcover Book)
by Lisa Appignanesi. Revised and updated edition of comprehensive cultural history of cabaret, where the most radical of artists, poets, writers, musicians, and theater directors have gathered since 1881. New illustrations from both East and West.

The Dana Owens Album
(Interscope - new on CD)
Queen Latifah sings standards and blues.

Footloose (Special Collector's Edition)
(Paramount - on DVD)
1984 film. Includes audio commentary by Kevin Bacon, producer Craig Zadan and writer Dean Pitchford, plus added "featurettes" on the making of the film.

I'll Cry Tomorrow
(Film Score Monthly - on CD)
Soundtrack released by special arrangement with Turner Classic Movies Music. From "biopic" story of Lillian Roth, starring Susan Hayward, who was Oscar-nominated. Score by Alex North. Three musical numbers performed by Hayward (as Roth) in the film: "Sing You Sinners," "When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along" and "Happiness Is Just a Thing Called Joe," have been remixed in stereo and presented in sequence within the score. Bonuses and alternate vocals: "Ashamed/Home Sweet Home" (original version), AA Medley, End Title (original version), "I'll Cry Tomorrow" (single version with Hayward and Johnny Green at the piano with his quartet), "The Vagabond King Waltz/I'm Sitting on Top of the World," "Starlight Romance/Presently," "Waltz Huguette/Bar Mitzvah Rhumba," Source Music Medley, "When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along" (Sandy Ellis), "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe" (Sandy Ellis). Liner notes by Lukas Kendall. Available at FilmScoreMonthly.com

Leonard Bernstein Mass at the Vatican City
(Kultur - new on DVD)
Staged and televised from the Vatican in Rome in 2000, with "more than 200 performers.

Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts - Collector's Edition
(Kultur - on 9 DVDs)
Leonard Bernstein's series produced by CBS to introduce children to the world of classical music. Contains 25 episodes, each with an entertaining lesson from the maestro.

Manilow Scores
(Concord Records - new on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
Barry Manilow's own renditions of songs from his own musicals, Harmony (written with Bruce Sussman) and Copacabana (written with Bruce Sussman and Jack Feldman). Seven songs from each show. Co-produced by Manilow and Phil Ramone.

The Pillowman
(Faber & Faber - Paperback Book)
Play by Martin McDonagh (The Beauty Queen of Leenane).

The Power of the Actor
(Gotham - Hardcover and Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
By Ivana Chubbuck. The first book from the leading coach and teacher to the stars. Takes classic and contemporary scripts from film, television and theater, and comprehensively breaks them down using Ivana's script analysis process.

Sarah Brightman: Live From Las Vegas, The Harem World Tour
(Angel - new on CD)
Live recording of Las Vegas concert plus "Snow on the Sahara" bonus studio track.

Texas, Li'l Darlin'/You Can't Run Away from It
(Decca Broadway - new on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
Twofer of 1949 OBC recording of Robert Emmett Dolan/Johnny Mercer musical mastered from the source material; and soundtrack for 1956 film remake of It Happened One Night with June Allyson, Jack Lemmon and Stubby Kaye, directed by Dick Powell and original music by George Duning and Gene de Paul (songs).

There and Back Again : An Actor's Tale
(St. Martin's Press - Hardcover/Audio Book)
By Sean Astin and Joe Layden. Story of actor Seas Astin, son of Patty Duke and stepson of John Astin.

Up in Central Park/Arms and the Girl
(Universal/Decca - new on CD)
Twofer with studio cast recording of Fields/Romberg Up in Central Park (Wilbur Evans and Betty Bruce) and OBC of Morton Gould, Dorothy Fields musical, Arms and the Girl (Nanette Fabray, Georges Guétary, Pearl Bailey). Was previously sold as a web-exclusive at iclassics.com.

Viva La Vivacious: The Best of the RCA Years
(Castle - new on CD)
U.K. release of Ann-Margret recordings - 48 tracks from her singles and albums.

Worst Witch
(BFS Entertainment - new on DVD)
Released August 24. Based on Jill Murphy's book. Fairuza Balk, Charlotte Rae, Diana Rigg, Tim Curry.

September 21, 2004

American Masters - Legends of Broadway
(Wellspring - on 3 DVDs)
The works of Leonard Bernstein, Richard Rodgers and the Women of Tin Pan Alley are thoroughly discussed. The titles included are Leonard Bernstein: Reaching for the Note, Richard Rodgers: The Sweetest Sounds, and Yours for a Song: The Women of Tin Pan Alley. All seen on PBS.

Broadway Musicals of 1960
(Bayview - new on CD)
Town Hall Broadway by the Year Series featuring Brent Barrett, Tovah Feldshuh, Eddie Korbich, Marc Kudisch, Douglas Ladnier, Liz Larsen and Lisa Vroman! Recorded live June 9th, 2003 at Town Hall, New York. Songs from Wildcat, Camelot, Bye Bye Birdie, Greenwillow, Do Re Mi, Tenderloin, Irma La Douce, Unsinkable Molly Brown, Vintage 60, Christine.

Bye Bye Birdie
(UAV - new on DVD)
1995 TV musical version. Jason Alexander, Vanessa Williams, Marc Kudisch.

Colored Lights : Forty Years of Words and Music, Show Biz, Collaboration, and All That Jazz
(Faber & Faber - Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
Paperback version of 2003 published book by John Kander & Fred Ebb. Dual autobiographies in dialogue - as told to Greg Lawrence - chronicling the four-decade-long collaboration of Kander & Ebb. 16 pages of black-and-white photographs, an introduction by Liza Minnelli and a foreword by director Harold Prince. [Review of hardcover version available]

Exit, Pursued by a Bear: An A–z Guide To Shakespeare's Plays, Poems And Stagecraft
(Bloomsbury Reference - Hardcover Book)
By Louise McConnell. Provides historical context for Shakespeare's works and catalogs every Shakespearean play with a full synopsis and listing of characters, including those with nonspeaking walk-on parts. Information on Elizabethan history and society, literary terms, Shakespearean criticism, and Shakespeare's sources is also provided, and a comprehensive glossary includes listings of theatrical terms, actors, and theater companies from the 16th century to the present.

The Happiest Corpse I've Ever Seen
(Palgrave MacMillan - Hardcover Book/Kindle Edition)
By Ethan Mordden. "Mordden takes us through the aftermath of the days of the great Broadway musical. From the long-running Cats to Miss Saigon, Phantom, and Les Miserables, to gems like The Producers, he is unsparing in his look at the remains of the day." Read our review of this book.

Infiniment: Best Of (Jacques Brel)
(DRG - new on 2 CDs)
U.S. release. Songs that were used for Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, sung here by Brel himself (in French). Rare two-disc set of Brel's performances. Booklet contains a complete biographical portrait, rare photos, and each song has been carefully translated into English for the first time. 40 tracks.

Mexican Hayride**
(Decca Broadway - new on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
1944 OBC recording of Cole Porter musical. Mastered from the source material. Bonus: the complete 1940 Decca album Cole Porter Songs sung by Marty Martin, with the star's re-creation of "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" and five other Porter numbers. **Initial CDs had an error. Replacement copies, available now, should have a sticker on them.

In the Moment : My Life as an Actor
(Carroll & Graf - Hardcover Book)
Autobiography by Ben Gazzara.

Outrageous
(Hens Tooth Video - new on DVD)
1977 semi-biographical story of Canadian female impersonator Craig Russell.

The Rose Tattoo
(Paramount - new on DVD)
1995 film of Tennessee Williams' play with Anna Magnani (Oscar win) and Burt Lancaster.

You Sing Avenue Q
(Pocket Songs/Just Tracks - new on CD+G)
21 with instrumental-only renditions of the music, along with a full lyric book. Will play in karaoke machines and regular CD players.

You've Got to Have a Dream: The Message of the Musical
(SCM Canterbury Press - Paperback Book)
By Ian Bradley. U.K. published, this book takes a look at musicals from from a spiritual, theological and philosophical point of view. Available at Amazon.co.uk

September 14, 2004

Andrew Lloyd Webber (Yale Broadway Masters)
(Yale Univ. Press - Hardcover and Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
By John Snelson, Geoffrey Holden Block. The first comprehensive survey of the works of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Music scholar John Snelson (Editor of Publications at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden) explores the influences that have informed Lloyd Webber's work, from film, rock, and pop music to Lloyd Webber's own life story.

Angels in America
(HBO/Warner Home Video - new on 2 DVDs)
Award winning 2003 HBO adaptation of Kushner plays. Meryl Streep, Ben Shenkman, Justin Kirk, Al Pacino, Patrick Wilson, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeffrey Wright, James Cromwell, Emma Thompson. Widescreen, Dolby Surround.

The Best of Liza Minnelli
(Sony Legacy - new on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
Compilation of tracks from her Columbia albums and other labels. Includes previously unissued "Me and My Baby," recorded when Minnelli did Chicago's "All That Jazz" and "I Am My Own Best Friend," both also on this disc, during the time she temporarily replaced Gwen Verdon in the production.

Burlesque: Legendary Stars of the Stage
(Collector's Press - Hardcover Book)
By Jane Briggeman. History of burlesque's greatest performers, including photographs and interviews. Featuring 100 publicity stills and vintage photographs. Provides insight on the music and stage bits popularized during this era.

The Mind's Eye : Theatre and Media Design from the Inside Out
(Heinemann Drama - Book & CD)
Design professional Wayne Kramer guides you through the process of imagining and realizing effective designs that are faithful to a source work's purpose. Beginning with a script, treatment, or project description, Kramer shows how to read carefully for the author's intent and then apply a specific element-by-element methodology that generates striking results in any genre and for any audience. CD-ROM that illustrates his points with digital clarity and case studies based on interviews with professionals show how they meet a variety of design dilemmas

A Must See! The Art of Broadway Theatre
(Chronicle Books - Paperback Book)
By Steven Suskin. "For this compendium of graphic design, Steven Suskin combed through rare archives to bring us more than fifty years of plays and 175 compelling pieces of Broadway art." See our interview with Steven Suskin

On the Moon
(Concord Records - new on CD)
Peter Cincotti's 2nd recording. Produced by Phil Ramone.

In The Picture: Production Stills from the TCM Archives
(Chronicle Books - Hardcover Book)
By Robert Osborne. 150 movie set photographers' documentary images, imparting vintage Hollywood as well as a wealth of details for all movie lovers. Stills from beloved classics-from Ben-Hur, Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, and the Wizard of Oz on up to Giant, The Dirty Dozen, and Bullitt. Rare behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood at work. ISBN 0811844161.

Seriously Funny: The Rebel Comedians Of The 1950's And 1960's
(Backstage - Paperback Book)
Paperback version of Gerald Nachman's 2003 book on the lives, careers, and influence of comedians of the 50s-60s, including Mort Sahl, Lenny Bruce, Dick Gregory, Sid Caesar, Mel Brooks, Mike Nichols & Elaine May, and more.

Tips for Actors (Tips II: More Ideas for Actors)
(Smith & Krause - Paperback Book)
by Jon Jory.

Will & Grace: Let The Music Out!
(BMG Heritage - new on CD)
Compilation of pop tracks but also includes newly recorded duets with Megan Mullally and Carly Simon ("The Right Thing to Do") and Eric McCormack and Barry Manilow ("Living with Grace").

Will In The World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare
(W.W. Norton & Company - Hardcover/Audio Book)
By Stephen Greenblatt. New biography of William Shakespeare.

September 7, 2004

Alexander's Ragtime Band
(Fox - new on DVD)
Alice Faye, Tyrone Power, Ethel Merman (singing Berlin songs).

American Film Musical Themes and Forms
(McFarland & Co. - Paperback Book)
By Michael Dunne. Examines the subjects, themes, and contemporary relevance of Hollywood musicals through their long popularity, placing each show in historical and political context and analyzing it in detail. A chapter is devoted to how Golddiggers of 1933 (1933) and Stand Up and Cheer (1934) deal with the economic crises of the Depressions. Another addresses race issues by examining the prevalence of blackface minstrelsy in the 1930s and 1940s, looking at productions like Swing Time (1936) and Dixie (1943). The work also explores dance as a signifier of character, the geography of musicals (such as New York or "the South"), fantasy settings, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and the musical biopic (mentioning biographies of such figures as Ziegfeld, Cohan, Rogers and Hart, Cole Porter, and Jerome Kern). A later chapter discusses intertextuality in such shows as Singin' in the Rain (1952), which refers to many earlier musicals; Kiss Me Kate (1953) which refers to Taming of the Shrew; and All That Jazz (1970) which refers to Fellini's 8 ½. The work concludes with an examination of the continuing popularity of the musical with such hits as Moulin Rouge (2001) and Chicago (2002) and the rise of Bollywood.

Coffee House
(LML - new on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
Susan Egan solo CD. Christopher McGovern, musical director and producer. To include a duet with Terrence Mann, a cut Alan Menken-David Zippel song ("I Can't Believe my Heart") from the animated film Hercules, Christopher McGovern's "Across 9th Avenue," two Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich songs ("Taylor" and the previously unrecorded "Oh How I Loved You"), "Where in the World Is My Prince?" from Miss Spectacular, plus a Kate Bush number ("Wuthering Heights"). In store date.

A Long Gay Book
(Northwestern Press - Hardcover Book)
By Frank Galati, Gertrude Stein. Frank Galati's dramatic adaptation of Gertrude Stein's texts. Vignettes (each culminating in a song with music by Stephen Flaherty) encapsulate the joy and passion of Stein's life and work, and the depth and complexity of a lesbian romance. Galati sheds new light on Stein's views on language, communication, and ideas by emphasizing how her art evolved from her fascination with the repetition of human behavior - as Stein sings to the audience "Loving repeating is one way of being." World premiere was at Northwestern in 2002-2003 season. Title changed to Loving Repeating.

Finian's Rainbow
(Rhino Handmade - new on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
1968 film soundtrack of Burton Lane/Yip Harburg musical. Fred Astaire, Tommy Steele, Petula Clark, Keenan Wynn. An individually numbered limited edition of 2500 Copies. Three previously unreleased tracks.

Ghost City
(Methuen - Paperback Book)
Play by Gary Owen. Played at 59E59 Theaters in June 2004.

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates - The Complete First Season
(Acorn - new on 3 DVDs)
Patricia Routledge BBC series. Includes interview with Routledge.

How I Paid for College : A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater
(Broadway/Doubleday - Hardcover/Paperback/Audio Book/Kindle Edition)
By Marc Acito (newspaper columnist). "A farcical coming-of-age story, as if Catcher in the Rye were performed by the kids from Fame."

Judgment at Nuremberg
(MGM Home Video - new on DVD)
1961 award-winning film with screenplay by Abby Mann (who wrote the original teleplay and later stage adaptation). Spencer Tracy, Maximillian Schell, Burt Lancaster, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland and Montgomery Clift. Extras: "Tribute To Stanley Kramer," and "In Coversation With Maximilian Schell & Abbey Mann."

Keeping Up Appearances - The Full Bouquet: Series 1-5
(WHV/BBC - 8 DVDs)
Patricia Routledge U.K. TV series.

Lucky Stiff
(JAY Records - new on CD)
York Theatre Company "Musicals in MUFTI" production of Ahrens & Flaherty musical. Janet Metz, Erick Devine, Malcolm Gets, Paul Kandel, Mary Testa, Janet Metz, Rosena M.Hill, Mary Testa, and Stuart Zagnit.

The Magic of Joel Grey
(DRG - new on CD)
Twofer of Grey's late '60s Columbia albums Only The Beginning (showtunes) and Black Sheep Boy (then-contemporary pop songs).

Music in my Heart
(Columbia Tristar - new on DVD)
1940 film with Rita Hayworth, Tony Martin, Alan Mowbray, Edith Fellows, Eric Blore. Directed by Joseph Santley. Black and white. Full frame.

One Day at the New Amsterdam Theatre
(Disney Editions - Hardcover Book)
By photographer Gino Domenico.

Pacific Overtures
(JAY - new on CD)
English National Opera / Original London Cast. Remastered highlights recording. Includes lyrics.

Topdog Diaries
(Image Entertainment - new on DVD)
Inside look at the creative process of a playwright, as Suzan-Lori Parks spends two years struggling to produce her 2002 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Topdog/Underdog. Behind-the-scenes footage of rehearsals and close-up coverage of the play in performance featuring actors Don Cheadle and Jeffrey Wright. One hour.

Tribute to the Phantom of the Opera
(Brentwood - new on CD)
London Theatre Orchestra, London Westend Singers.

The Viewpoints Book : A Practical Guide to Viewpoints and Composition
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book)
By Anne Bogart and Tina Landau.

Words with Music: Creating the Broadway Musical Libretto
(Applause Books - Hardcover and Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
Updated and revised version of 1972 issue by Lehman Engel. Howard Kissel extends the reach of Engel's subjects by bringing them up to date with commentary on such shows as A Chorus Line, Nine, Sunday in the Park with George, Rent, Working and Falsettos.

August 31, 2004

Come Back, Little Sheba
(Paramount Home Video - new on DVD)
1952 film based on William Inge's play. Shirley Booth, Burt Lancaster, Terry Moore. Black and white; full frame; Dolby digital monaural.

The Country Girl
(Paramount Home Video - new on DVD)
1954 film adaptation of Clifford Odets' play. Added songs by Harold Arlen-Ira Gershwin. Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, William Holden. Black and white; full frame; Dolby digital monaural.

Desire Under the Elms
(Paramount Home Video - new on DVD)
1958 film based on Eugene O'Neill's play. Anthony Perkins, Burl Ives, Sophia Loren. Black and white; Anamorphic 16x9, Widescreen; Dolby digital monaural.

Greater Tuna
(Pacific Media - new on DVD)
Live performance with Off Broadway cast.

In His Eyes
(Rainbo Records - new on CD)
Ellen Greene and Christian Klikovits album. Includes Jane Siberry's "Love Is Everything," Queen's "You Take My Breath Away" and "Too Much Love Will Kill You," Tom Waits' "Rainbow Sleeves," Peter Allen's "Pretty Pretty" and "Continental American," Sarah McLachlan's "I Love You" and "I Do What I Have to Do," Nikka Costa's "Nothing," Paula Cole's "Throwing Stones," Tori Amos' "Winter," and "When Love Is Gone," her musical director and husband, Christian Klikovits. Recorded June 15. Signed and unsigned copies available at EllenGreene.com

Jesus Christ Superstar Special Edition
(Universal Home Video - on DVD)
1973 film with Ted Neeley, Carol Anderson, Yvonne Elliman, Barry Dennen, Bob Bingham, Larry Marshall Directed by Norman Jewison. Bonuses: audio commentary by Norman Jewison and Ted Neeley; production notes; filmographies; trailer.

Kismet
(Vocalion - new import CD)
Reissue of 1964 London Records' "Phase 4" studio cast recording, remastered, with Robert Merrill, Adele Leigh, Kenneth McKellar, Mantovani and His Orchestra, and The Sammes Chorus. Also at Amazon.co.uk.

If I Were a Bell - The Songs of Frank Loesser
(Andreasong - new on CD)
Andrea Marcovicci album, recorded live April 18-19 at the Oak Room. 24 tracks.

Life Has Been Good to Me
(new on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
Randal Keith solo album of songs from the stage.

Lion King II - Simba's Pride (Special Edition)
(Buena Vista - on 2 DVDs)
1998 direct-to-video release of sequel to The Lion King. Bonuses: featurettes: "One by One" (Animated Short); "Proud of SIMBA'S PRIDE" (Making Of); "Lots About Lions" (Music Videos); Games: "Find Out Why," "Rafiki's Challenge," "Pride Land"; "Disney's Song Selection."

Mary Martin and Ethel Merman - The Ford 50th Anniversary Show
(VAI - new on CD)
CD release of Martin/Merman vocals from 1953 television show. 17 minutes.

Polly Bergen/My Heart Sings
(Collectables - new on CD)
Includes bonus single tracks.

Riding High
(Paramount - new on DVD)
Director Frank Capra's 1950 remake of his 1934 film Broadway Bill, with Bing Crosby singing songs by Burke and Van Heusen.

Rubber: Fun, Fashion, Fetish
(Thames & Hudson - Paperback Book)
By Janet Bloor, whose costume and fabric effects company, Euroco Costumes, has made stage costumes for Harvey Fierstein, Hugh Jackman, Frogs and more.

Sing The Songs From Wicked (Karaoke)
(Pocket Songs - new on CD)
15 instrumental background tracks from Stephen Schwartz's musical recorded in the original keys and arrangements. Lyric book included.

Tammy Grimes/Unmistakable
(Collectables - on CD)
Twofer of the early '60s Tammy Grimes recordings.

Tom Sawyer (and Huckleberry Finn bonus)
(Varese Sarabande - new on CD)
Soundtrack for Oscar-nominate film with Sherman brothers score. First time on CD. Charley Pride, Roberta Flack, Celeste Holm and Johnny Whitaker. Bonus: soundtrack for 1974 sequel Huckleberry Finn with Jeff East, Paul Winfield and Harvey Korman. Includes "Freedom" performed by Roberta Flack.

August 24, 2004

Blues Over Broadway
(LmgKidSource Music - new on CD)
Martha Lorin solo album. Broadway classics with new arrangements by Russ Kassoff.

Good Times
(MGM - new on on DVD)
1967 film with Sonny and Cher, George Sanders.

Jerry Herman: Poet of the Showtune
(Yale Univ. Press - Hardcover Book/Kindle Edition)
Biography by Stephen Citron. Uses extensive open-ended interviews with Jerry Herman as well as with scores of his theatrical colleagues, collaborators, and close friends.

Nigel Hawthorne on Stage
(University of Hertfordshire Press - Hardcover Book)
By Kathleen Riley, Thelma Holt. Authorized biography studying the late Sir Nigel Hawthorne's 50-year career in the theatre.

Roller Boogie
(MGM - new on DVD)
1979 disco music film with Linda Blair, Beverly Garland, Jim Bray, Jimmy Van Patten, Kimberly Beck, Mark Goddard, Roger Perry, Sean McClory. Directed by Mark Lester.

Slow
(Shanachie - new on CD)
Ann Hampton Callaway pop-inspired solo CD. Accompanied by Ted Rosenthal, Jay Leonhart, Victor Lewis, Rodney Jones, Romero Lubambo, Randy Brecker, Robin Eubanks. Includes "Tonight You're All Mine," written by Callaway and Carole King; duet with Liz Callaway on "Moondance," and "I've Dreamed of You," Ann's first recording of the song shw co-wrote for Barbra Streisand to sing to James Brolin on their wedding day.

Smile
(MGM - new on DVD)
1975 beauty pageant film. Later adapted into a musical by Howard Ashman and Marvin Hamlisch. Barbara Feldon, Bruce Dern, Geoffrey Lewis, Michael Kidd.

Stone Cold Dead Serious: and Other Plays
(Faber & Faber - Paperback Book)
Plays by Adam Rapp. Includes Nocturne.

We Will Rock You
(Capitol - on CD/at iTunes)
U.S. release of 2002 OLC live recording. Nigel Planer, Tony Vincent, Sharon D Clarke. and Clive Carter.

August 17, 2004

Caroline, or Change
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
Tony Kushner's 2004 Tony nominated play.

Connie and Carla
(Universal Home Video - new on DVD)
2004 film with Nia Vardalos, Toni Collette, David Duchovny, Debbie Reynolds.

Hairspray and Thoroughly Modern Millie
(Pocket Songs - new on CD)
Karaoke. 16 hits from 2 Broadway shows. Includes full lyric book.

The Three Musketeers
(Walt Disney Home Video - new on DVD)
Musical animated film, a project proposed by Walt Disney 75 years ago. "Classic Disney characters and a classic story unite for a colorful and witty new comic adventure" (Gerry Putzer, New York Daily News) in the musical, full-length movie based on the timeless tale "The Three Musketeers." Six rousing songs, featuring comical spins on classical music by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and others. Bonuses: Games "Build Your Own Opera" and "The Many Hats of Mickey", "The Making of The Three Musketeers" 'tongue-in-cheek documentary', deleted scenes, audio commentary by Disney characters. Widescreen.

August 10, 2004

An Actor Prepares...to Work in New York City: How to Master the Business of the Business
(Limelight Editions - Paperback Book)
New book by Craig Woe (An Actor Prepares... To Live in New York City: How to Live Like a Star Before You Become One). Covers subjects like headshots, acting classes, agents, casting directors, auditions, interviews, unions, etc.

The Bad Seed
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
1956 film based on hit Broadway play. Patricia McCormack, Nancy Kelly, Eileen Heckart, Evelyn Varden, Henry Jones. Director, Mervyn LeRoy. Black and white; monaural; no special features.

Greek Plays
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book)
By Ellen McLaughlin, Tony Kushner (Introduction).

Lyrics on Several Occasions
(Limelight - Paperback Book)
Reprint of 1959 edition by Ira Gershwin. "A Selection of Stage & Screen Lyrics written for sundry situations; and now arranged in arbitrary categories to which have been added many informative annotations and disquisitions on their why and wherefore, their whom-for, their how, and matters associative." Released July, 2004.

Tonight's the Night
(TTN - new on CD)
U.K. release of 2004 London Cast Recording of musical based on Rod Stewart's music. Hannah Waddingham, Tim Howar, Dianne Pilkington and Jeff Edwards. Recorded live at the Victoria Palace Theatre.

Through the Screen Door: What Happened to the Broadway Musical When It Went to Hollywood
(Scarecrow Press - Paperback Book)
By Thomas S. Hischak. Musicals range from The Desert Song (1927) to Chicago (2002). Plus film musicals that became Broadway shows, like Lili (1953) and Never Gonna Dance (2003). One chapter looks at British musicals that were popular in New York and were later filmed with Hollywood connections. Also included is a Directory that gives credits, names, and songs for both the stage and screen version for all the musicals discussed. Appendices offer statistical data on musicals, and there is an extensive Bibliography.

Under Thirty : Plays for a New Generation
(Random House Vintage - Paperback Book)
by Nina Shengold and Eric Lane. Unique theater anthology gathers a variety of plays featuring principal casts under thirty years old. Contributing playwrights include Sam Shepard, David Auburn, Warren Leight, Kenneth Lonergan, Lynda Barry, Douglas Carter Beane, and Mark O'Donnell, Kia Corthron and Christopher Shinn.

Weird & Wonderful
(Dress Circle - new on CD)
16 West End performers present comic songs by Alexander S. Bermange. Liner notes by Tim Rice. Rosemary Ashe, Valda Aviks, John Barr, Stefan Bednarczyk, Marilyn Cutts, Richard Dempsey, David Firth, Hal Fowler, Anna Francolini, Rachel Izen, David Kernan, Felix Martin, Jessica Martin, Lizzy Renihan, Liza Sadovy, Myra Sands, and musical director Michael Haslam. 19 tracks. Also at Amazon UK

August 3, 2004

Assassins
(PS Classics - new on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
Original Broadway cast recording. 2004 production of John Weidman/Stephen Sondheim musical with Becky Ann Baker, James Barbour, Mario Cantone, Michael Cerveris, Mary Catherine Garrison, Alexander Gemignani, Neil Patrick Harris, Marc Kudisch, Jeffrey Kuhn and Denis O'Hare. Recorded June 7.

The Best Of Abbott & Costello, Volume 3
(Universal - new on 2 DVDs)
Digipak. Mexican Hayride, Abbott And Costello Meet, Frankenstein, ...Meet The Killer, Boris Karloff, ...In The Foreign Legion, ... Meet The Invisible Man, Comin' Round The Mountain, Lost In Alaska, ...Go To Mars .

Deanna Durbin Sweetheart Pack
(Universal - new on 2 DVDs)
Digipak. Three Smart Girls, 100 Men And A Girl, First Love, It Started With Eve, Can't Help Singing, Lady On A Train.

If a Man Answers
(Universal - new on DVD)
1962 Bobby Darin/Sandra Dee film. Stefanie Powers, Caesar Romero.

I'm Not Rappaport
(Universal - new on DVD)
1996 film of the play. With Ossie Davis and Walter Matthau.

Johnny Guitar
(new on CD)
Original Off Broadway cast recording of Marty Silvestri/Joel Higgins score. Steve Blanchard, Christopher Carl, Judy McLane, Ann Crumb and Robert Evan. Web sale date at www.JohnnyGuitarTheMusical.com.

Man With a Load of Mischief
(Original Cast Records - new on CD)
Studio cast recording of John Clifton/Ben Tarver musical. 20 minutes more material than the LP. Diane Sutherland and Stephen Bogardus of the York Theatre production, and Alex Santoriello.

Mary Martin and Ethel Merman - The Ford 50th Anniversary Show
(VAI - new on DVD)
27 minute video of June 15, 1953 television show with Martin and Merman singing duets and solos. Black and white.

Some Like It Hot
(Varese Sarabande - new on CD)
Soundtrack reissue.

Stage and Spectacle - Three Films by Jean Renoir
(Criterion - new on 3 DVDs)
Includes: The Golden Coach (1953) French Cancan (1955), Elena and her Men (1956). Bonuses: introductions by Jean Renoir, video introductions by Martin Scorcese and Peter Bogdanovich, "Jean Renoir - Hollywood and Beyond," part two of the BBC documentary by David Thompson, three-part interview with Renoir conducted by Jacques Rivette, exclusive interview with set designer Max Douy, new essay by film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum.

That Funny Feeling
(Universal - new on DVD)
1965 Bobby Darin/Sandra Dee film. Donald O'Connor.

July 27, 2004

An Actor's Business: How to Market Yourself As an Actor No Matter Where You Live
(Sentient Publications - Paperback Book)
By Andrew Reilly. How to market yourself as an actor, with thorough and concise information about the movie-making process, drama school, community theatre, acting on television and in commercials, unions, and agents. Describes 25 regions all over the United States, and devotes a whole chapter each to Hollywood and New York as well.

Avenue Q Piano/Vocal Selections
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx Broadway score.

Composing Ourselves: The Little Theatre Movement and the American Audience (Theater in the Americas)
(Southern Illinois Univ. Press - Hardcover Book)
By Dorothy Chansky, assistant professor in the Department of Theatre, Speech, and Dance at the College of William and Mary (composer of The Brooklyn Bridge).

Evergreen
(Bygone - new on CD)
1998 California cast recording of Rodgers & Hart musical. Ron Boussom, Stephanie Copeland, Danielle Vernengo, Glenn Edward, Mark Perkins and Jeff Teague.

The First Rose of Summer
(42nd Street Moon - new on CD)
24 rare, early theatre songs by Jerome Kern, 1912-1928. The cast includes performers from the Moon's past productions, with five selections by cast members of its 2004 American premiere of The Cabaret Girl.

Jerome Robbins : His Life, His Theater, His Dance
(Simon & Schuster - Hardcover Book)
By Deborah Jowitt.

La Strada
(Bayview Records - new on CD)
1967 studio cast recording of Lionel Bart's score, from the Broadway show (adapted from the Fellini film) that opened and closed on December 14, 1969. Madeline Bell and the Michael Sammes Singers, and an orchestra of 25 conducted by Ken Moule, who also did the arrangements.

The Little Prince
(Universal Classics/Decca Broadway - new on CD)
Soundtrack for 1974 film with Oscar-nominated Lerner & Loewe score. Voices of Richard Kiley, Bob Fosse, Gene Wilder, Donna McKechnie, Steve Warner (the little prince).

Merman Sings Merman/Ethel's Ridin' High
(Universal Classics/Decca - new on CD)
Merman twofer.

Pennies From Heaven
(Warner Home Video/BBC - new on 3 DVDs)
Dennis Potter mini-series with Bob Hoskins, Cheryl Campbell, Ken Colley, Gemma Craven. Full screen, audio commentary.

Pennies From Heaven
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
1981 film with Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Christopher Walken, Jessica Harper, John McMartin. Extras include 20th anniversary cast and crew panel held at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences moderated by Peter Rainer (who provided the audio commentary track for this release), with Steve Martin, Jessica Harper, Editor Richard Marks, Costume Designer Bob Mackie, and studio production executive David Chasman.

Pure Imagination/Ain't It Funny
(Edsel Records/U.K. - new on CD)
Twofer of Anthony Newley '70s albums. Also available at Amazon.co.uk.

Songs from Capeman
(Rhino Records - on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
Reissue of 1997 recording with Marc Anthony and Ruben Blades, with 3 additional tracks: "Shoplifting Clothes" (previously unreleased), "Born in Puerto Rico" (demo w/José Feliciano), "Can I Forgive Him" (original Demo).

July 20, 2004

The Goodbye Girl
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
2004 TV remake of Neil Simon's play/film. Jeff Daniels, Patricia Heaton, Alan Cumming, Hallie Kate Eisenberg.

How to Run a Theater: A Witty, Practical and Fun Guide to Arts Management
(Watson-Guptill Pub. - Hardcover and Paperback book)
By Jim Volz. Provides information on improving an organization by building audiences, bolstering fundraising, and tightening finances. Also covered are tips for solidifying relationships with boards, volunteers, communities, and colleagues. Topics from managing one's own life, working with a board of trustees, and managing a team to negotiating, fundraising, marketing, and financial management. Volz is a nationally known theater producer, author, educator, advocate, and columnist. He is a professor at California State University and president of Consultants for the Arts.

Linda Eder - Broadway My Way
(Cherry Lane Music - Paperback Book)
Songbook. 13 songs.

The Lion in Winter
(Lion's Gate - new on DVD)
Emmy-nominated 2004 Showtime presentation with Glenn Close and Patrick Stewart.

Titanic
(Kino - new on DVD)
Rarely seen 1943 German version of the story of the Titanic, banned by Hitler (who had Herman Silpin, its director, arrested by the Gestapo). Black and white, subtitled. Newsreel footage, promotional film trailer, original theatrical trailer, text/photo galleries: stills/photos.

July 13, 2004

The Art of Auditioning
(Allworth Press - Paperback Book)
By Rob Decina.

Broadway Jeeves: The Diary of a Theatrical Adventure
(New Millennium Press - Paperback Book/Audiobook)
Backstage diary by Martin Jarvis, who played the title role in Broadway's By Jeeves. U.S. release date.

Buicks
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Play by Julian Sheppard. Recently produced Off Broadway with Norbert Leo Butz.

The City & the Theatre: a 250 Year Journey from Bowling Green to Times Square
(Watson-Guptill Pub - Paperback Book)
By Mary C. Henderson. History of New York playhouses.

Debbie Does Dallas
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Libretto for musical play by Erica Schmidt. Produced Off Broadway at Jane Street Theater in 2002 with Sherie Rene Scott.

Goodnight Children Everywhere and other Plays
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book)
Plays by Richard Nelson. Goodnight Children Everywhere was produced in 1999 at Playwrights Horizons.

The Legend of Leigh Bowery
(Artisan - new on DVD)
Film documentary examines the life of designer/performance artist Leigh Bowery (played by Boy George in Taboo). Leigh Bowery, Boy George, Michael Clark, Cerith Wyn Evans, Bella Freud, Damien Hirst, Rifat Ozbek, Norman Rosenthal.

Listen Up!
(Dress Circle - new on CD)
Words and music of British theatre composer and lyricst Jason Carr are sung by an all-star cast: Michael Ball, John Barr, William Dazeley, Maria Friedman, David Ganly, Claire Moore, Liza Pulman & Philip Quast. 20 tracks. Available at Amazon.co.uk

The Music Went 'Round and Around: The Story of Musicarnival
(Kent State University Press - Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
By John E. Vacha. Volume #1 in Cleveland Showtime Series. Story of John L. Price Jr. and Musicarnival, the Warrensville Heights, Ohio, summer theatre.

The Songwriter Goes to War The Story of Irving Berlin's World War II All-Army Production on ""This Is the Army
(Limelight Editions - Hardcover Book)
By Alan Anderson, whose first assignment after induction into the service was to be Production Stage Manager and First Sergeant of the This Is the Army Detachment. Foreword by Mary Ellin Barrett.

A Tuna Christmas
(new on DVD)
TV movie version of play by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard. 1994 OBC, including Joe Sears and Jaston Williams.

The Wizardry of Oz: The Artistry And Magic of The 1939 MGM Classic - Revised and Expanded
(Applause Books - Hardcover Book)
By Jay Scarfone, William Stillman. Updated version of 1999 book.

July 6, 2004

The Belle of Amherst
(Kino Video - new on DVD)
1976 TV version of Julie Harris' Tony winning performance.

The Brave Little Toaster
(Percepto Records - new on CD)
Soundtrack of animated film with music composed and conducted by David Newman; songs by Van Dyke Parks.

A Fine and Private Place
(Clearsong Records - new on CD)
Original cast recording of Erik Haagensen/Richard Isen musical (based on Peter S. Beagle's novel). Gabriel Barre, Evalyn Baron, Maureen Silliman, Brian Sutherland, Charles Goff.

Hazel Flagg
(Sepia - new on CD/on mp3)
1953 OBC. Music by Jule Styne. Helen Gallaghe, Thomas Mitchell, Benay Venuta, John Howard, Jack Whiting. 10 Bonus track by Eddie Fisher ("How Do You Speak To An Angel?"), Sunny Gale ("I Feel Like I'm Gonna Live Forever"), Dinah Shore ("Salomee"), Guy Lombardo ("I Feel Like I'm Gonna Live Forever"), and Benay Venuta. Available at Amazon UK.

Kim Criswell: Something To Dance About /The Music Of Irving Berlin
(JAY - new on CD)
Kim Criswell sings "The Hostess With The Mostest' On The Ball," "Washington Sqaure Dance" (with complete dance music and company), "The Best Thing For You," "Something To Dance About" (with complete dance music and company) and "You're Just In Love" (duet with Matt Bogart) from Call Me Madam using the original Don Walker orchestrations and the National Symphony Orchestra. Will be available at Goodspeed in May during Criswell's Call Me Madam run.

The Little Prince
(rdkRecords - on CD)
Grammy Award (Best Children's Recording) winning recording of Antoine de Saint-Exupery story with Richard Burton, Jonathan Winters, John Carradine, Jim Backus, Claudine Longet, Mark Conrad, Billy Simpson. Reissued in celebration of the April 7, 2004 underwater discovery of the remains of the lost airplane of Antoine de Saint-Exupery found in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Marseille and to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the 1974 recording of Richard Burton narrating The Little Prince.

Lovers and Other Strangers
(Fox Home - new on DVD)
Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna's 1970 screen version (with David Zelag Goodman) of their play, with the Oscar-winning song "For All We Know." Inspired the TV series "Love, American Style." Directed by David Suskind. Bea Arthur, Bonnie Bedelia, Michael Brandon, Richard Castellano, Bob Dishy, Harry Guardino, Marian Hailey, Anne Jackson, Diane Keaton, Cloris Leachman, Anne Meara, Gig Young. Full-screen format.

Make a Wish
(Sepia - new on CD/on mp3)
OBC recording of 1951 musical. Music/lyrics by Hugh Martin. Nanette Fabray, Melville Cooper, Helen Gallagher, Stephen Douglass, Harold Lang. Bonus tracks include Fran Warren ("When Does This Feeling Go Away?"), 5 extra tracks by Stepehen Douglass. Available at Amazon UK.

Mel Torme: Standing Room Only
(Image Entertainment - new on DVD)
Evening of big band tunes.

My Foolish Heart
(Sepia - new import CD)
Mindy Carson. 27 tracks.

The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band
(Buena Vista/Disney - new on DVD)
1968 film with Walter Brennan, Buddy Ebsen, John Davidson, Leslie Ann Warren, Janet Blair, Kurt Russell, Richard Deacon, Wally Cox. Sherman Brothers songs. Full-screen format. Includes 12½-minute retrospective featurette with Lesley Ann Warren, John Davidson, and songwriter Richard Sherman and the threee provide (recorded separately) a commentary track.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
(Fox Home - new on DVD)
Oscar willing 1969 film with Maggie Smith, Robert Stephens, Celia Johnson, Pamela Franklin. Based on the play by Jay Allen, adapated from Muriel Spark novel. Includes commentary by director Ronald Neame and Pamela Franklin, theatrical trailer(s), still gallery, widescreen.

June 29, 2004

Ankles Aweigh
(Decca Broadway - new on CD)
1955 OBC recording with Betty and Jane Kean, Mark Dawson, Lew Parker, Gabriel Dell. Sammy Fain and Dan Shapiro score.

archie and mehitabel/The Carnival of Animals
(DRG - new on CD)
CD debut of CD debut for Columbia's Carol Channing-Eddie Bracken archie and mehitabel: a back-alley opera and spoken-word performance by David Wayne titled "echoes of archy." Twofer with Columbia's Noel Coward narrated "Carnival of Animals."

Blazing Saddles: 30th Anniversary Special Edition
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
1974 Mel Brooks film with Cleavon Little, Harvey Korman, Gene Wilder, Mel Brooks. Additional scenes, scene-specific commentary by Mel Brooks, "Back in the Saddle" cast/crew reunion documentary, Intimate Portrait: Madeline Kahn featurette, "Black Bart" - 1975 TV pilot inspired by the movie starring Lou Gossett Jr. and Steve Landesberg.

Caroline, Or Change
(Hollywood Records - new on CD)
2004 Broadway cast recording. Recorded April 26.

Dracula: Dead and Loving It
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
1995 Mel Brooks film. Starring Mel Brooks, Harvey Korman, Leslie Nielsen, Peter MacNicol, Steven Weber and Amy Yasbeck. Cameo by Anne Bancroft. Extras: commentary with Mel Brooks, writers Rudy DeLuca and Steve Haberman and actors Steven Weber and Amy Yasbeck, theatrical trailer.

Fancy Pants
(Paramount - new on DVD)
Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Bruce Cabot, Jack Kirkland.

Hedwig And The Angry Inch - Piano/vocal Selections
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Songbook.

Here Comes The Groom/Just For You
(Paramount - new on DVD)
"Here Comes ...": Bing Crosby, Jane Wyman, Alexis Smith, Ethel Barrymore, Franchot Tone, Natalie Wood, Robert Arthur. Includes Oscar-winning "In The Cool, Cool, Cool of the Everning." "Just for You": Bing Crosby, Jane Wyman.

Matt & Ben
(Overlook Press - Paperback Book)
Off Broadway play by Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers.

Michael Feinstein - Only One Life
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Songbook from Feinstein's recording of Jimmy Webb songs.

Speaking Shakespeare
(Palgrave Macmillan - Paperback Book)
Paperback version of Patsy Rodenburg's (director of voice at London's National Theater) guide for actors tackling the Bard which explores the mechanics of Shakespeare's writing. Includes systematic analysis of 17 speeches from some of the more famous plays.

tick ... tick ... BOOM!
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Piano/vocal selections from Jonathan Larson Off Broadway musical.

The World of Suzie Wong
(Paramount - new on DVD)
William Holden and Nancy Kwan.

June 22, 2004

Broadway & Hollywood Legends: The Songwriters - Charles Strouse/Arthur Schwartz
(Wellspring - new on DVD)
Single release of last in series (available as a set).

It's De Lovely - The Authentic Cole Porter Collection
(RCA - new on CD)
Compilation album. Includes some early '30s recordings sung by Porter and released by RCA Victor, and mostly tracks from other CDs.

John Barrowman Swings Cole Porter
(First Night Records/U.K. - new on CD)
Arrangements by Larry Blank. Available at Amazon.co.uk

The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story
(Home Vision - new on DVD)
1996 documentary. Full frame. Color/b&w.

The Stendhal Syndrome Two Plays: Full Frontal Nudity and Prelude & Liebestod
(Grove Press - Paperback Book)
By Terrence McNally. The Stendhal Syndrome plays Off Broadway 2003-2004 season.

Zagat 2004 New York City Theater - Summer Edition
(Zagat Survey, L.L.C. - Paperback Book)
Reviewing Broadway, Off Broadway, restaurants, nightlife, etc.

June 15, 2004

The Best Women's Stage Monologues of 2003 (Best Women's Stage Monologues)
(Smith & Kraus - Paperback Book)

20 Best Of Cole Porter
(Madacy - new on CD)
101 Strings Orchestra. Digipak.

The Best Men's Stage Monologues of 2003 (Best Men's Stage Monologues)
(Smith & Kraus - Paperback Book)
D. L. Lepidus, editor.

The Best Stage Scenes of 2003 (Best Stage Scenes)
(Smith & Kraus - Paperback Book)
D. L. Lepidus, editor.

De-Lovely
(Sony - new on CD)
Soundtrack to 2004 Cole Porter biopic with Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, Jonathan Price, John Barrowman, Caroline O'Connor, Natalie Cole, Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morisette, Robbie Williams, Diana Krall.

Finian's Rainbow
(Rhino Handmade - new on CD)
1968 film soundtrack of Burton Lane/Yip Harburg musical. Fred Astaire, Tommy Steele, Petula Clark, Keenan Wynn. An individually numbered limited edition of 2500 Copies. Three previously unreleased tracks. Available at RhinoHandmade.com.

Love Happy
(Lion's Gate - new on DVD)
1950 film with Groucho, Harpo and Chico Marx, Vera-Ellen, Ilona Massey, Marion Hutton, Melville Cooper, Raymond Burr [and Marilyn Monroe in a tiny bit that brought her a lot of attention]. Black and white.

Marcel Pagnol's FANNY trilogy
(Kino Video - new on 4 DVDs)
1931 Marius, 1932 Fanny and 1936 Cesar - a boxed set with a bonus documentary disc containing additional material.

Moulin Rouge
(MGM Home Video - new on DVD)
1952 film about Toulouse-Lautrec. Jose Ferrer, Katherine Kath, Muriel Smith, Claude Nollier, Suzanne Flon, Zsa Zsa Gabor. Directed by John Huston. Full frame, color, mono. Includes trailer.

Prick Up Your Ears
(MGM - new on DVD)
1987 film biography of Joe Orton. Gary Oldman, Alfred Molina, Vanessa Redgrave.

Rita (Collector's Edition)
(Image Entertainment - new on 2 DVDs)
Documentary aired on TCM about Rita Hayworth. Narrated by Kim Basinger. Those interviewed include Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, Ann Miller; Tab Hunter, Anthony Franciosa, Juanita Moore, Eli Wallach and Marc Platt, Vincent Sherman, George Sidney and Delbert Mann. Rare outtakes, color camera tests and behind-the-scenes footage, excerpts are narrated by Hayworth, home movies, over 300 (many rare or never-before-seen) photos. Bonus disc: on DVD for the first time Trouble in Texas (1937) with Tex Ritter.

Song of Norway
(Decca Broadway - new on CD)
George Forrest/Robert Wright musical. Mastered from the source material. Corrected version should not have a sticker.

Ultra Lounge: Cocktails With Cole Porter
(Capitol - new on CD)
Selections of Cole Porter music performed by Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Count Basie, Sammy Davis Jr., Kay Starr, Steve Lawrence, Julie London, Peggy Lee, Louis Armstrong, Keely Smith, Nancy Wilson, Judy Garland, Louis Prima, Liza Minnelli, Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughn.

The Very Best Of Cole Porter
(Hip-O - new on CD)
Digitally remastered compilation. Also includes an essay by author Will Friedwald. Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Carmen McRae, Eartha Kitt, Dean Martin, Shirley Horn, Helen Merrill, Anita O'Day with Billy May & His Orchestra, Jeri Southern, Aaron Neville.

The Wedding Banquet
(MGM Home Video - new on DVD)
1993 film recently made into a stage musical. Directed by Ang Lee. Chung-Wei Chou, Dion Birney, Jeanne Kuo Chang, May Chin, Paul Chen, Winston Chao, Yun Chung. Color, mono. Includes featurette with Ang Lee and James Schamus and trailer.

Wicked Piano/vocal selections
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Stephen Schwartz Broadway show score. Available at MusicDispatch.com.

Wicked Vocal Selections (vocal Line With Piano Accompaniment Format)
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Stephen Schwartz Broadway show score. Available at MusicDispatch.com

The Wild Party
(MGM Home Video - new on DVD)
1975 film based on Joseph Moncure March poem (also the basis for two stage musicals). Perry King, Raquel Welch, David Dukes, James Coco, Royal Dano, Tiffany Bolling. Directed by James Ivory. Widescreen anamorphic, B&W, color, mono. Includes featurette with James Ivory and trailer.

June 8, 2004

On Broadway Men Still Wear Hats: Fascinating Lives Led on the Borders of Broadway
(Smith & Kraus - Paperback Book)
By Robert Simonson.

The Dame Edna Experience: The Complete Series #1
(Warner Home Video - new on 2 DVDs)
First six episodes of Dame Edna's BBC talk show. Features guest appearances by some of 1987's most celebrated stars, including Sean Connery, Charlton Heston, and Zsa Zsa Gabor. Extras: featurette "An Audience with Dame Edna Everage," Dame Edna Everage fielding questions from an audience of celebrities, 1991 Interview with Barry Humphries, the creator of Dame Edna, music clip Dame Edna sings her theme song "Niceness" in a 1976 BBC archive broadcast.

Extravaganza King: Robert Barnet and Boston Musical Theater
(Northeastern Univ. Press - Hardcover Book)
By Anne Alison Barnet. The tale of Robert Barnet (1853–1933), a prosperous Boston sugar merchant, and the enormously popular musical theatricals he wrote and produced for the First Corps of Cadets, a volunteer militia of young upper-class Boston businessmen who sought money to build an armory as protection against feared immigrant uprisings.

Fiddler on the Roof
(PS Classics - new on CD)
2004 Broadway revival cast recording, featuring Alfred Molina and Randy Graff. New song "Topsy Turvy" (which replaced "The Rumor") to be included, as well as "Chavaleh," "To Life" dance music, and sequences in which Tevye's inner thoughts are revealed.

Fine and Dandy: The Life and Work of Kay Swift
(Yale Univ Press - Hardcover Book)
By Vicki Ohl. First full-scale biography of Kay Swift, George Gershwin's assistant, musical adviser, and intimate friend. Swift was an accomplished musician, a pianist, and composer whose Fine and Dandy (1930) was the first complete Broadway musical written by a woman. This book describes Swift's work for musical theater, the ballet, Radio City Music Hall's Rockettes, and commercial shows, as well as how Swift served as director of light music for the 1939 World's Fair, eloped with a cowboy from the rodeo at the fair, and abandoned her native New York for Oregon, later fashioning her experiences into an autobiographical novel, Who Could Ask for Anything More? Source material includes Swift's unpublished memoirs and extensive interviews with her family members and friends.

Golf: The Musical
(Eric Krebs - new on CD)
The Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording starring Joel Blum, Trisha Rapier, Christopher Sutton and Sal Viviano. Music & Lyrics by Michael Roberts. Liner Notes feature an introduction by PGA Golf Pro Peter Jacobsen.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch
(GRID - new on CD)
Original Cleveland Public Theatre Cast Recording starring Dan Folino, Mark Gamiere, Alison Hernan, Steve Mehlman and Miss Melvis. Music & Lyrics by Stephen Trask.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch
(Rose Tinted - new on CD)
Original UK Atrocity Tour Cast Recording starring Matthew Tapscott, Mel Farmery and Steve Lockwood. Music & Lyrics by Stephen Trask.

If We Only Have Love
(DRG - new on CD)
Karen Akers.

I Sing!
(JAY - new on 2 CDs)
Studio recording of 2001 Off Broadway musical with music by Eli Bolin and lyrics by Benjamin Salka and Sam Forman. Features the 2002 York Theatre Concert cast: Matt Bogart, Lauren Kennedy, Leslie Kritzer, Chad Kimball, Danny Gurwin.

It Happened on Broadway: An Oral History of the Great White Way
(University of Wisconsin Press - Paperback Book)
Paperback version of Myrna and Harvey Frommer's book. From the living memories of the people who created the magic of Broadway theater, It Happened on Broadway illustrates the history of Broadway, its triumphs and failures, its constant variety, and enduring glories.

The Journey To Golda's Balcony
(Goldavision - new on DVD)
Behind the scenes look at Tolvah Feldshuh's preparation for stage production. Never before seen interviews with former Heads of State, Commanders in the field, the Ambassador to the U.S., interwoven with scenes from the hit play. Narrated by Alec Baldwin.

The Last Sunday in June and Other Plays : Including If Memory Serves and The Twilight of the Golds
(Grove Press - Paperback Book)
Plays by Jonathan Tolins. The Last Sunday in June produced Off Broadway in 2003 at Rattlestick Theatre. Also included, If Memory Serves and The Twilight of the Golds.

Living on Stage - Acting from the Inside Out: A Practical Process
(Watson-Guptill Pub - Paperback Book)
By Walt Witcover.

Misadventure: Monologues and Short Pieces
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Donald Margulies.

No Strings
(DRG - CD)
Re-issue of Capitol Broadway cast recording. Diahann Carroll, Richard Kiley.

One More Kiss
(Palgrave Macmillan - Paperback Book)
Paperback version of Ethan Mordden's 6/03 book.

Polish Joke and Other Plays
(Grove Press - Paperback Book)
By David Ives, Richard Philcox (Translator), Junot Diaz (Introduction), Jean-Paul Sartre. Polish Joke produced Off Broadway in 2003 at Manhattan Theatre Club with Nancy Bell, Walter Bobbie, Malcolm Gets, Nancy Opel, Richard Ziman. Also includes Don Juan in Chicago, Ancient History, The Red Address.

Seats: Chicago
(Applause Books - Paperback Book)
By Jode Susan Millman, author of Seats New York: 150 Seating Plans to New York Metro Area Theatres, Concert Halls & Sports Stadiums. Comprehensive guide to every major entertainment and sports venue in the Chicago/Milwaukee metropolitan area. Full seating plan, colored-coded by price, is provided for each venue, along with all ticket ordering information. Insider tips for discount tickets.

Summer Stock!: An American Theatrical Phenomenon
(Palgrave Macmillan - Hardcover Book)
By Martha Schmoyer LoMonaco. History of the Straw Hat Circuit and a look at how American leisure was shaped in the early twentieth century by a group of savvy theater entrepreneurs.

Wonderful Town - Vocal Score
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Bernstein/Comden/Green musical currently on Broadway.

June 8, 2004

Ace of Clubs
(Bayview - new on CD)
OLC recording of musical play by Noel Coward. Second in Bayview's "Classic Series." Pat Kirkwood, Graham Payn, Sylvia Cecil.

Andrew Lloyd Webber Broadway Favorites
(Universal Home Video - DVD set)
Boxed repackaging of Universal's previous Cats, Joseph..., Jesus Christ Superstar, and The Royal Albert Hall Celebration. May have been cancelled

The Bachelor and The Bobby-Soxer
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
1947 film. Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, Shirley Temple, Rudy Vallee. Extra bonus features: June 13, 1949 LUX Radio theatre Radio Production starring Grant and Temple "Little Tinker" Classic Tex Avery M-G-M cartoon Cary Grant Trailer Gallery Theatrical Trailer.

The Backstage Actors' Handbook
(Watson-Guptill Pub - Paperback Book)
"The How-to and Who-to-contact Reference for Actors, Singers, and Dancers. Compiled by the editors of Backstage and Backstage West. Sherry Eaker (Editor), Tomm Carroll.

Cary Grant Signature Collection
(Warner Home Video - new on 5 DVDs)
The Bachelor and The Bobby-Soxer, Destination Tokyo, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, My Favorite Wife, Night and Day. Extra bonus features.

The Company
(Columbia Tristar - new on DVD)
2003 Robert Altman film about ballet. Neve Campbell, Joffrey Ballet company members, James Franco, Malcolm McDowell. Bonuses: commentary by Altman and actress Campbell, trailer(s), "The Passion of Dance" featurette, "The Making of The Company" featurette, isolated dance sequences from the film, extended dance sequence. Widescreen anamorphic format

The Crucible
(Fox - new on DVD)
1996 film version of Arthur Miller's play with Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder. Bonuses: audio commentary by Nicholas Hytner, Arthur Miller; featurettes: original EPK, "A Conversation with Daniel Day-Lewis and Arthur Miller," trailers. Widescreen.

Destination Tokyo
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
1943 film. Cary Grant, John Garfield, Alan Hale. Extra bonus features: Warner Bros. WWII short: "Gem of the Ocean" Cary Grant Trailer Gallery Theatrical Trailer.

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
(Little Brown & Company - Hardcover Book)
New book by David Sedaris. 27 essays.

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim [ABRIDGED]
(Time Warner Audio Major - Audio CD)
Audito book version of new David Sedaris collection.

The Happiest Millionaire - Restored Roadshow Edition
(Disney Home Video - new on DVD)
1967 musical film with Sherman Bros. score. Fred MacMurray, Greer Garson, Tommy Steele, Geraldine Page, Lesley Anne Warren, John Davidson.

Inventing Van Gogh
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Play by Steven Dietz. Produced regionally.

Little Murders
(Fox - new on DVD)
1971 film based on Jules Fieffer's play.Marcia Rodd, Elliott Gould, Alan Arkin, and Donald Sutherland. Bonuses: audio commentary by Jules Feiffer, Elliott Gould; theatrical trailer, TV spots. Widescreen.

Marc Anthony - The Hits
(Music Video Distribution - new on DVD)
Performances by Marc Anthony (The Capeman). 40 minutes.

The Michael Flatley Collection - 10th Anniversary Edition
(UMVD - new on DVD)
Lord of the Dance, Feet of Flames, Michael Flately: Gold.

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
1948 film. Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, Melvyn Douglas, Regindald Denny. Extra bonus features: Two Radio Productions: October 10, 1949 LUX Radio Theatre Broadcast starring Grant and Irene Dunne June 9, 1950 Screen Directors Playhouse Broadcast starring Grant and (his then-wife) Betsy Drake "The House of Tomorrow" Classic M-G-M Tex Avery Cartoon Cary Grant Trailer Gallery Theatrical Trailer.

My Favorite Wife
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
1940 film. Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, Gail Patrick, Randolph Scott. Extra bonus features: Vintage M-G-M Robert Benchley short subject "Home Movies" December 7, 1949 Screen Director's Playhouse Radio Production starring Grant and Dunne Theatrical Trailer.

Night and Day
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
1946 Cole Porter bio-pic. Cary Grant, Alexis Smith, Monty Woolley, Jane Wyman, Eve Arden. Contains more than 20 of Porter's songs. Extra bonus features: Vintage Warner Bros. Shorts: "Desi Arnaz and His Orchestra" and "Musical Movieland" Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in "The Big Snooze" a classic Looney Tunes cartoon Cole Porter Trailer Gallery.

The Snake Pit
(Fox - new on DVD)
1948 Oscar winning film. Olivia de Havilland, Leo Genn, Mark Stevens, Celeste Holm [and Carousel's Jan Clayton in a small role]. Extras: production stills, trailer, commentary.

Technical Theater for Nontechnical People
(Allworth Press - Paperback Book)
Second Edition. By Drew Campbell. User's guide to developing the technical skills and practical know-how that are crucial to working successfully on any staged event. From scenery to lighting to sound to props, readers are walked through every aspect of the backstage environment and shown how to run stage performances.

Tony Awards Songbook
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Features a song to represent the "Best Musical Award" from every year the award has been presented (1949-2003), plus feature articles and photos and an introduction by Audra McDonald. Also available at MusicDispatch.com

The Wind Cries Mary
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Play by Philip Kan Gotanda. Produced regionally.

May 25, 2004

The Art of Crime: The Plays and Film of Harold Pinter and David Mamet (Studies in Modern Drama)
(Routledge - Hardcover Book)
By Leslie Kane.

Barbara Cook's Broadway
(DRG - new on 2 CDs)
Live recording of Cook's 2004 show at the Vivian Beaumont. Hugh Fordin to produce.

Bare
(Sh-K-Boom - new on CD)
Bare 11-song cast recording available for $2.50 with free shipping; also being sent with any purchase at Sh-K-Boom. Music by Damon Intrabartolo and lyrics by Jon Hartmere, Jr.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Six
(Fox Home Entertainment - new on 6 DVDs)
21 episodes. Includes the musical episode "Once More With Feeling." Bonuses: Six commentaries, including one from writer/director Joss Whedon on "Once More, with Feeling," behind-the-scenes featurettes, Easter eggs, music videos: "I've got a Theory/Bunnies/We're Together," "I'll Never Tell," "Walk Through the Fire," Academy of Television Arts and Sciences panel discussion, outtakes, interactive game trailer, full-screen format.

Edith Piaf: A Passionate Life
(Kultur Video - new on DVD)
Documentary. Includes four complete bonus audio tracks.

Fine and Dandy
(PS Classics Inc. - new on CD)
Carolee Carmello, Gavin Creel, Andrea Burns, Mark Linn-Baker, Mario Cantone, Deborah Tranelli, Anne Kaufman Schneider, Jennifer Laura Thompson. Vintage restoration of Kay Swift/Paul James musical by PS Classics' non-profit arm. New charts by Russell Warner. Aaron Gandy conducting. To include seven published songs plus six additional unpublished songs.

Musical Comedy on the West End Stage, 1890-1939
(Palgrave Macmillan - Hardcover Book)
By Len Platt. "First full historical treatment of a music theatre that was once at the centre of London's West End. From the late Victorian period to the early 1920s, musical comedy was the single most popular form of 'legitimate' theatre entertainment. This lively account establishes musical comedy as one of the first industrial cultures and offers fascinating insights into how it functioned ideologically as a celebrated embracing of the modern condition."

Smiles of a Summer Night - Special Edition
(Image Entertainment - new on DVD)
1955 Swedish film upon which A Little Night Music was based. Includes video introduction to the film by director Ingmar Bergman; new video conversation with historian Peter Cowie and writer J"rn Donner (producer, Fanny and Alexander); Swedish theatrical trailer; printed booklet including a new illustrated essay by John Simon and an essay by Pauline Kael. Mono; full frame; black and white.

Street Scene
(Alpha Video - new on DVD)
1931 film with Sylvia Syndey.

Taboo
(DRG - new on CD)
Original Broadway cast recording of Boy George score.

You Were Never Lovelier
(Columbia Tristar - new on DVD)
1942 Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth film.

May 18, 2004

Alice In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass
(Must Close Saturday - new on CD)
Original 1947 Broadway cast with Eva le Gallienne and Bambi Linn as Alice. Issued to celebrate the centenary of the British composer Richard Addinsell. Available at Amazon.co.uk.

Around the World in 80 Days - Special Edition
(Warner Home Video - new on 2 DVDs)
1956 film. With the complete and uncut 182 minute widescreen version. David Niven, Cantinflas, Shirley MacLaine and many cameos. Bonuses: introductions by Robert Osborne, feature-length commentary by Brian Sibley of BBC Radio, Georges Melies' "A Trip to the Moon (1902)," outtakes, stills gallery, 1956 original and 1983 reissue theatrical trailers, "Around the World of Mike Todd (1968)," narrated by Orson Welles, with Elizabeth Taylor, Gypsy Rose Lee, Ethel Merman, Lowell Thomas and others, Playhouse 90 1957: "Around the World in 90 Minutes" (excerpts) gala hosted by Elizabeth Taylor, Academy Awards® ceremony highlights, newsreels: the Los Angeles premiere and the opening in Spain. DVD-ROM link to Michael Todd's Around the World in 80 Days Almanac.

Belle
(Must Close Saturday - new on CD)
The 1961 original cast recording of the musical about the murderous Dr Crippen by Monty Norman, starring George Benson, Rose Hill and Virginia Vernon. Available at Amazon.co.uk.

Broadway & Hollywood Legends: The Songwriters Collection Set
(Wellspring - 4 DVDs)
Includes complete series: Burton Lane/Mitchell Parish, "Yip" Harburg And Sheldon Harnick, Kander & Ebb/Alan Jay Lerner and previously unreleased Arthur Schwartz and Charles Strouse.

Cyrano De Bergerac
(Image Entertainment - new on DVD)
1950 Stanley Kramer film with Joe Ferrer (Academy Award winner). Mastered from Original 35mm Nitrate Fine Grain.

Divorce Me, Darling!
(Must Close Saturday - new on CD)
Sandy Wilson s sequel to The Boy Friend. Original 1965 London cast recording with Joan Heal, Patricia Michael, Philip Gilbert and Anna Sharkey. Available at Amazon.co.uk.

The Gene Krupa Story
(Columbia Tristar - new on DVD)
1959 bio-pic of jazz drummer Gene Krupa. Sal Mineo, Susan Kohner, James Darren, Susan Oliver.

Joan of Arc
(Image Entertainment - new on DVD)
1948 Academy Award winning film. Ingrid Bergman, Jose Ferrer (film debut).

One Over the Eight
(Must Close Saturday - new on CD)
The original 1961 London cast recording of the Peter Cook-Kenneth Williams revue. Issued in the Revues Revived series, co-starring Sheila Hancock. Available at Amazon.co.uk.

Selected Plays of Arthur Laurents
(Watson-Guptill Pubns - Hardcover Book)
Home of the Brave, The Enclave, Jolson Sings Again, My Good Name, 2 Lives, Closing Bell and Attacks On The Heart.

A Star is Born
(Sony/Legacy - new on CD)
Remastered, expanded, soundtrack from Judy Garland film. Liner notes by John Fricke. Includes different version of "It's a New World" and bonus tracks of the brief, cut "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street" (from "Born in a Trunk") and Garland's complete recording of the "Cocoanut Shampoo Commercial" without dialogue over the top.

Step into the Limelight
(Must Close Saturday - new on CD)
The 1960s British musical based on incidents from Nicholas Nickleby with members of the original cast in recently discovered demo recordings. Available at Amazon.co.uk.

String Fever
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Play by Jacquelyn Reingold. Produced in 2003 at Ensemble Studio Theatre with Evan Handler, Cynthia Nixon.

Two Days
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Play of one acts (incorporating Last Tuesday and July 7, 1994) by Donald Margulies (Dinner With Friends, Collected Stories). Produced at Long Wharf Stage in April, 2003, directed by Lisa Peterson.

Vivian Ellis And Lionel Bart Sing Their Songs
(Must Close Saturday - new on CD)
Two 1960 LPs on one CD: Ellis's You've Never Had it So Good and Bart's Bart for Bart's Sake. Amazon.co.uk.

West Side Story
(Sony - on CD)
1961 film soundtrack, remastered with "Intermission Music" track.

May 11, 2004

Billie
(MGM - new on DVD)
1965 film with songs. Written by Ronald Alexander, based on his play Time Out for Ginger. Patty Duke, Jim Backus, Jane Greer, Warren Berlinger, Billy de Wolfe, Dick Sargent, Susan Seaforth Hayes, Ted Bessell, Richard Deacon. Widescreen trailer included. Fullscreen film (credits are widescreen).

Broadway Musical Stars Paper Dolls
(Dover Publications - Paperback Book)
"Paper doll fans and Broadway devotees will delight in dressing seven great actresses--Ethel Merman, Carol Channing, Pearl Bailey, Gwen Verdon, Angela Lansbury, Jule Andrews and Mary Martin - in costumes from 31 Broadway productions. 7 dolls; 31 costumes."

Down to Earth
(Columbia Tristar - new on DVD)
1947 film. Rita Hayworth, Larry Parks, Marc Platt, Adele Jergens, Edward Everett Horton, George Macready, James Gleason, Jean Willes, Kathleen O'Malley, Roland Culver, William Frawley.

The Drama is Coming Now
(Yale Univ Pr - Hardcover Book)
By Richard Gilman, Bert Cardullo. Collection (1960s to the 1990s) of writings of drama critic, emeritus professor in the Yale School of Drama, Richard Gilman.

Fine and Dandy
(PS Classics Inc. - new on CD)
Carolee Carmello, Gavin Creel, Andrea Burns, Mark Linn-Baker, Mario Cantone, Deborah Tranelli, Anne Kaufman Schneider, Jennifer Laura Thompson. Vintage restoration of Kay Swift/Paul James musical by PS Classics' non-profit arm. New charts by Russell Warner. Aaron Gandy conducting. To include seven published songs plus six additional unpublished songs. Available now at PSClassic.org. Store date is May 25.

Homebody/Kabul: Final Revised Version
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book)
Play by Tony Kushner. Original version produced in 2001 at New York Theatre Workshop.

I Could Go On Singing
(MGM Home Video - new on DVD)
1963 Judy Garland film. Extras: trailer. Widescreen.

I.D.
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book)
Antony Sher's (Stanley) play, in which he performed in London in 2003, about the assassination of African Prime Minister Hendrick Verwoerd.

Got to Be Happy
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book)
Play by Simon Burt. Produced in 2003 at Bush Theatre in London.

Laura Nyro Lyric: Lyrics and Reminiscences
(Cherry Lane Music - Paperback Book and CD-ROM)
By Laura Nyro. assembles for the first time ever in print the complete lyrics of more than 100 songs from this late folksinger and poet. The book contains several pages of Laura's handwritten lyrics, along with words to some of her songs that were never recorded. Also includes many of Nyro's drawings and paintings, plus extensive interviews with musicians and friends who worked with her. Bonus CD: an interview with Laura recorded shortly before her death in which she discusses her creative process, inspirations, and approach to songwriting in general; also tracks from Laura's original audition tape.

Man of La Mancha
(MGM Home Video - new on DVD)
1973 film with Peter O'Toole, Sophia Loren, James Coco. Extras: trailer, "Overture" with photo montage. Widescreen.

Peggy Lee & Friends: Swing Era
(MVD - new on DVD)
"Soundies" from Peggy Lee's golden years, plus additional material starring June Christy plus several soundies featuring different all-women orchestras from the Swing era, headed by Ina Ray Hutton, Lorraine Page and Rita Rio.

Peggy Lee - Singing at Her Best
(Koch - new on DVD)
Peggy Lee performs a selection of favorites in her signature style, including "What Kind of Fool Am I," "I'm a Woman," and many more.

Sammy Davis Jr.: Singing at His Best
(Koch - new on DVD)

Scattergood
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Play by Anto Howard. Produced Off Broadway in 2003 at Samuel Beckett Theatre (Drama Desk Nomination) with T.R. Knight, Brian Murray, Tari Signor.

Shakespeare's Violated Bodies : Stage and Screen Performance
(Cambridge University Press - Hardcover Book)
Author Pascale Aebischer looks at the violation of bodies in Shakespeare's tragedies, especially as revealed (or concealed) in performance on stage and screen, focusing on post-1980 Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal National Theatre productions but also film adaptations and landmark productions from the nineteenth century onwards.

Stage, Page, Scandals, and Vandals: William E. Burton and Nineteenth-Century American Theatre (Theater in the Americas)
(Southern Ill Univ Press - Hardcover Book)
By David L. Rinear, Robert A. Shanke (editor). Explores William E. Burton's diary, letters, published reviews, and various reminiscences to reveal the personal and professional lives of the mid-nineteenth-century actor/manager and his role in American literary history.

Two's Company - Complete Season 1
(Acorn Media - new on DVD)
Six episodes of 1970s British comedy series with Elaine Stritch as "Dorothy McNab, a brash writer living in London" with Donal Sinden as her butler. Bonuses: Elaine Stritch and Donald Sinden biographies, cast filmographies. Full-screen format.

The Ultimate Scene Study Series for Teens: Fifty-Five Short Scenes
(Smith & Kraus - Paperback Book)
By Debbie Lamedman.

Whelan Plays: 1: The Accrington Pals, the Herbal Bed, the School of Night
(Methuen Pub - Paperback Book)
By Peter Whalen.

May 4, 2004

Bounce
(Nonesuch - new on CD)
Cast recording of Sondheim musical. Richard Kind, Howard McGillen, Michele Pawk, Gavin Creel, Jane Powell, Herndon Lackey. Recorded November 10 in Washington, D.C. To include a bonus track of "A Little House for Mama."

Bossa Nova
(Telarc - new on CD)John Pizzarelli. Five songs by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Brazilian adaptations of standards (including Gershwin's "Fascinating Rhythm") plus a couple of Pizzarelli originals.

A Day at the Races
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
1938 Marx Brothers film.

Desk Set
(Fox - new on DVD)
1957 film. Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Gig Young, Dina Merrill, Harry Ellerbe, Joan Blondell, Katharine Hepburn, Neva Patterson, Nicholas Joy, Sue Randall. Directed by Walter Lang. Widescreen, publicity stills, trailer, Commentary by Merrill and Neva Patterson: Designers Inspired For New Creation By Film "Desk Set".

Hot Notes
(LML - new on CD)
Tami Tappan Damiano solo CD.

Love! Valour! Compassion!
(New Line - new on DVD)
1997 film based on Terrence McNally play. Jason Alexander, Stephen Spinella, Stephen Bogardus, Randy Becker, John Benjamin Hickey, Justin Kirk, John Glover. Remastered in anamorphic widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1. Trailers.

The Merchant of Venice
(Image Entertainment - new on DVD)
Trevor Nunn's 1999 RNT production of Shakespeare play. Henry Goodman (Olivier Award winner).

Music Theatre: History and Development in North America
(Mosaic Press - New Paperback Book)
By Peter H. Riddle, Ph.D.

A Night at the Opera
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
1935 Marx Brothers film.

The Marx Brothers Collection
(Warner Home Video - new on 5 DVDs)
Includes A Night at the Opera (1935), A Day at the Races (1937), Room Service (1938), At the Circus (1939), Go West (1940), The Big Store (1941) and A Night in Casablanca (1946). Many extras.

A Night in Casablanca
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
1946 Marx Brothers film.

Noises Off!
(Buena Vista Home Video - new on DVD)
1992 film version of Michael Frayn's farce with Michael Caine, Julie Hagerty, Carol Burnett, John Ritter, Christopher Reeve, Denholm Elliott, Marilu Henner, Nicolette Sheridan, and Mark Linn-Baker.

Shattered Love : A Memoir
(Regan Books - Paperback Book)
Autobiography by Richard Chamberlin; paperback release.

Strange Weather
(PS Classics - new on CD)
Jack Donahue solo album, selections ranging from Johnny Mercer and Harry Warren to Kenny Rankin and Suzanne Vega, with jazz-infused arrangements by Grammy winner Peter Eldridge.

Torch Song Trilogy
(New Line - new on DVD)
1988 film based on Harvey Fierstein play. With Anne Bancroft, Matthew Broderick, Harvey Fierstein. Remastered in anamorphic widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1 plus DTS tracks. Extras include audio commentary with Fierstein and trailers.

The Triplets of Belleville
(Columbia Tristar - new on DVD)
2003 animated film with jazz music of Benoit Charest. Bonuses: trailer(s), behind-the-scenes featurettes with scene commentaries: Opening Sequence, Restaurant Performance, Tuning the Wheel, making-of featurette, "The Cartoon According to Director Sylvain Chomet" featurette, music video of the Academy Award nominated "Belleville Rendez-vous" Song. Widescreen.

April 27, 2004

Carol Burnett
(Collectors Choice/Sony Music Special Products - new on CD)
1971 album with bonus songs "Love's the Only Game In Town," "You're My Reason" and "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)." Also available at Collectors Choice.

Mamma Mia! 5th Anniversary Edition
(Universal - on CD)
Import. Re-release of London cast recording with bonus tracks: re-recorded version of the title track, and new versions of "Dancing Queen" and "Waterloo."

My Place in the World
(new on CD)
Neva Small.

Safe Return
(ps classics - new on CD)
Jane Olivor live recording.

Safe Return
(ps classics - new on DVD)
Jane Olivor live performance

Sketches of Broadway
(Telarc - new on CD)
Janis Siegel (Manhattan Transfer) solo album.

Summer Holiday
(TCM Movies/Rhino Handmade - new on CD)
Soundtrack for 1948 MGM musical film adaptation of Ah, Wilderness with Harry Warren and Ralph Blane score. Complete, integrated score as originally intended by the film's creators for the very first time, supplemented by rare demo recordings featuring the vocals of lyricist Ralph Blane. Walter Huston, Selena Royale, Mickey Rooney, Gloria DeHaven, Frank Morgan, Agnes Moorehead, Jackie "Butch" Jenkins. Individually numbered limited edition of 2500 Copies. 22 tracks. Available at RhinoHandmade.com

Vivian Blaine Sings Selections From Pal Joey/Annie Get Your Gun
(Universal/Decca Classics - new on CD)
Reissue of Vivian Blaine's 1963 Mercury album.

April 20, 2004

Call Me Madam
(Fox Home Video - new on DVD)
Remastered 1953 Crouse & Lindsay musical film with Ethel Merman, Donald O'Connor, Vera-Ellan, George Sanders, Billy De Wolf. Directed by Walter Lang. Audio commentary by Miles Krueger, trailer.

Give My Regards To Broad Street
(Fox Home Video - new on DVD)
1984 Paul McCartney musical flop. Paul McCartney, Bryan Brown, Ringo Starr, Barbara Bach, Linda McCartney, Tracy Ullman, Ralph Richardson.

His Dark Materials
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book)
Two-part dramtization by Nicholas Wright from the trilogy by Philip Pullman. Produced at the National Theatre.

Ella Enchanted
(Hollywood Records - new on CD)
Soundtrack for 2004 film. Anne Hathaway, Jesse McCartney, Kari Kimmel, Kelly Clarkson, Jump 5, Raven, Kaci, Bryan Adams, Darren Hayes, Stimulator, Beau Sisters, and Sean Devel. Released April 6.

How's Your Romance? - Andrea Marcovicci Sings Cole Porter
(Andreasong - new on CD)
16 track solo album.

The Last of Sheila
(Warner Bros - new on DVD)
1973 film mystery written by written by Stephen Sondheim and actor Anthony Perkins. Stars James Coburn, James Mason, Dyan Cannon, Richard Benjamin. Directed by Herbert Ross. Includes commentary from stars Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon and Raquel Welch, theatrical trailer subtitles in English, French and Spanish.

Lee Hall Plays: 2: Mr. Puntila, Mother Courage, a Servant to Two Masters, the Good Hope
(Methuen Pub - Paperback Book)
By Lee Hall.

Lucille Lortel: The Queen of Off Broadway
(Limelight Editions - Hardcover Book)
Biography by Alexis Greene. Released in March.

Maria Friedman - Live
(new on CD)
Solo show recorded in concert at London's Ambassadors Theatre, in April 2002.

Reefer Madness (Restored Edition)
(Fox Home - new on DVD)
1938 film includes both all-new color version and the restored original black-and-white version, commentary by Mike Nelson of TV's Mystery Science Theater 3000, color design commentary by Legend Films, short film: "Grandpa's Marijuana Handbook" by Evan Keliher, trailer. Full-screen format.

Roxie Hart
(Fox Home Video - new on DVD)
Remastered transfer of 1942 film which was the basis for Chicago. Ginger Rogers, Adolphe Menjou, George Montgomery, Lynne Overman, Nigel Bruce, Phil Silvers, Sara Allgood, William Frawley. Full screen, black and white. No extras listed.

Something Wonderful
(EMI/Blue Note - new on CD)
1960 Nancy Wilson album.

Star! - Special Edition
(Fox - new on DVD)
Julie Andrews, Richard Crenna, David Massey, Beryl Reid. Includes a remastered anamorphic widescreen transfer, Dolby digital 5.1 remix, audio commentary by robert Wise, the "Star! The Sound of a Legend" original 1968 featurette, two trailers and three TV spots.

Sweeney Todd - Deluxe Edition
(Warner Bros - new on DVD)
Televised version of Sondheim/Wheeler musical. George Hearn, Angela Lansbury, Cris Groenendaal, Edmund Lyndeck, Ken Jennings, Betsy Joslyn. Taped before a live audience at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles in 1982. Full-frame with Dolby® 5.1 audio.

Terry Johnson Plays: 3: The Graduate, the London Cuckolds, Cleo, Camping, Emanuelle and Dick
(Methuen Pub - Paperback Book)
By Terry Johnson.

Things Are Swingin'
(EMI/Blue Note - on CD)
Re-issue of 1958 Peggy Lee album with bonus track: a single "Fever," accompanied only by bass, drums and finger snap.

Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story
(Original Cast Records - new on CD)
Original New York cast recording of musical by by Stephen Dolginoff, presented at last summer's Midtown International Theatre Festival. Directed by Martin Charnin. Features Christopher Totten and Matthew S. Morris and revised lyrics (from concept CD). Piano acompaniment. Available now at www.thrillmethemusical.com

April 13, 2004

Connie and Carla
(Sony/Epic/Soundtrax - new on CD)
Soundtrack CD. Nia Vardalos and Toni Collette.

Devotion
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book)
Play by Leo Butler.

Duck
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book)
Play by Stella Feehily. Produced in 2003 at Royal Court Theatre in the U.K.

Eating Raoul
(Columbia Tristar - new on DVD)
1982 film that inspired the Off Broadway musical. Paul Bartel, Mary Woronov, Ed Begley, Robert Beltran, Hamilton Camp, Buck Henry Widscreen.

Ever After: Last Years of Musical Theatre & Beyond
(Applause Books - Hardcover Book)
By Barry Singer. Explains how the storied Broadway tradition in many cases went so very wrong. Behind the scenes look at A Chorus Line's final bow, the creation of Rent, the real people behind Disney's uber-musicals, and an afternoon with Andrew Lloyd Webber. Also celebrates the promise of the next generation of young musical theater artists, especially Adam Guettel, Michael John LaChiusa, Ricky Ian Gordon and Jason Robert Brown, addressing not only their work to date, but their future projects. Anecdotal and analytical, featuring personality profiles of important creative figures, from Jule Styne to Stephen Sondheim to Jonathan Larson, while critically evaluating all of the many musicals produced during the past 25 years.

Flu Season
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book)
Play by Will Eno. Produced in 2003 at the Gate in London.

Hitchcock Blonde
(Methuen Publishing Ltd. - Paperback Book)
Play by Terry Johnson. Produced in 2003 at Royal Court in London.

Mamma Mia! 5th Anniversary Edition
(Universal - on CD)
U.K. re-release of London cast recording with bonus tracks: re-recorded version of the title track, and new versions of "Dancing Queen" and "Waterloo." Available at Amazon.com 4/19.

Ghosts of 42nd Street
(William Morrow - Hardcover Book)
By Anthony Bianco. Story of this legendary strip, told through the people involved in its founding and its current renaissance - from the bosses of the world's top media companies to premier property developers to the city's powerful political interests to the small-business proprietors, drug dealers, pimps, pornographers, and slumlords who have all called it home. At the heart of this fast-paced urban adventure is 42nd Street itself and its ten theaters

Sesame Street - What's the Name of That Song?
(Sony - new on DVD)
Stars all the Muppet favorites as well as a roster of visiting guests that includes Queen Latifah, The Dixie Chicks, Nathan Lane, Conan O'Brien, Vanessa Williams and Diana Krall. Includes a special book, containing the lyrics. Released 4/6/04.

Stop the World
(Theatre Communications Group - Hardcover Book)
U.S. published release of Garth Bardsley's biography of Anthony Newley.

Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story
(Original Cast Records - new on CD)
Original New York cast recording of musical by by Stephen Dolginoff, presented at last summer's Midtown International Theatre Festival. Directed by Martin Charnin. Features Christopher Totten and Matthew S. Morris and revised lyrics (from concept CD). Piano acompaniment. Available now at www.thrillmethemusical.com and soon in stores.

April 6, 2004

Barry Manilow 2 Nights Live
(BMG/Heritage - new on 2 CDs)
Includes title song from Harmony and its "Every Single Day."

Clooney Tunes/Bongo/Piccolo
(DRG - new on CD)
Tracks by Rosemary Clooney, Dinah Shore and Victor Borge.

Destry Rides Again
(JAY/TER - on CD)
Re-release of 1982 OLC recording. Alfred Molina, Jill Gascoine.

Fever: Music of Peggy Lee
(Capitol - new on DVD)
Peggy Lee documentary.

For Me and My Gal
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
New transfer of 1942 Busby Berkeley film with Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, George Murphy. Extras expected.

Home on the Range
(Disney - new on CD)
Soundtrack for 2004 film with score by Alan Menken and song lyrics by Glenn Slater. k.d. lang, Randy Quaid, Bonnie Raitt, Tim McGraw, The Beu Sisters. Released March 30.

Little Fish
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Musical by Michael John LaChiusa. Produced Off Broadway in 2003 at Second Stage Theatre with Lea DeLaria, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Marcy Harriell, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Ken Marks, Hugh Panaro, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Eric Jordan Young.

Rock Hudson & Doris Day Romance Collection
(Universal Home Video - on 4 DVDs)
Pillow Talk, And Lover, Come Back, Send Me No Flowers boxed set, plus a CD: "The Doris Day Romance Music Collection," a compilation of Columbia tracks.

Same Time, Next Year
(Universal Home Video - new on DVD)
1979 film adaptation of Bernard Slade play (adapted by Robert Mulligan) with Ellen Burstyn and Alan Alda. Widescreen.

A Year With Frog and Toad
(PS Classics - on CD)
Original cast recording, repackaged for wide release. 32-page color booklet with essays, production photos and complete lyrics.

The Greatest Show on Earth
(Paramount - new on DVD)
1952 film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde, Charlton Heston, Dorothy Lamour, Gloria Grahame. Full-screen and Dolby digital mono.

Half a Sixpence
(Paramount - new on DVD)
1967 film with Tommy Steele, Cyril Richards, Julia Foster. David Heneker/John Taylor score. Widescreen.

In the Good Old Summertime
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
New transfer of 1949 film with Judy Garland, Van Johnson. Extras expected.

Judy Garland: The Signature Collection
(Warner Home Video - new on 7 DVDs)
Boxed set containing DVDs of For Me and My Gal, Love Finds Andy Hardy, Ziegfeld Girl, and In the Good Old Summertime (released individually the same day, but not Meet Me in St. Louis), plus The Wizard of Oz, The Harvey Girls and A Star Is Born.

The Little Prince
(Paramount - new on DVD)
1974 musical film based on children's fantasy by Antoine de Saint-Exupèry. Directed by Stanley Donen. Lerner and Lowe score (Oscar nominated). With Richard Kiley, Steven Warner, Bob Fosse, Gene Wilder, Donna McKechnie. Widescreen.

Love Finds Andy Hardy
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
New transfer of 1938 film with Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney. Extras expected.

Meet Me in St. Louis
(Warner Home Video - new on 2 DVDs)
Ultra-Resolution treatment of 1945 Judy Garland film. Many extras expected.

Stage Directing: A Practical Guide
(Crowood Press - Paperback Book)
By Chris Baldwin. Detailed advice on every aspect of the process, including how a carefully orchestrated performance can be made to appear fresh and spontaneous, roles and responsibilities of the director, choosing the play, finding a producer, planning the project, preparing the text, anticipating audience reaction, developing the play, assessing progress in rehearsals, he influence of the director on audience opinion and response, the influence of the director on the actors and the technical team, surviving the first night, preparing for long runs and tours. U.K. published; U.S. release.

The Thing About Men
(DRG - new on CD)
Off Broadway cast recording. Jimmy Roberts/Joe DiPietro musical with Ron Bohmer, Leah Hocking, Marc Kudisch, Daniel Reichard, Jennifer Simard.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
(Koch - new on DVD)
1964 film with Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo. Music by Michel Legrand. Remastered. English Additional Release Material: Jacques Demy featurette.

Western Adventures/Davy Crockett
(DRG - new on CD)
Songs by Gene Autry and Crockett's story told by Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen.

When We Were Very Young
(DRG - new on CD)
features kid songs by Gene Kelly, including "The King Who Couldn't Dance" from Anchors Aweigh.

Ziegfeld Girl
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
New transfer of 1941 film with Judy Garland, James Stewart. Extras expected.

March 30, 2004

Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God
(Playwrights Canada Press - Paperback Book)
Play by Djanet Sears. Produced in Toronto.

Business and Legal Forms for Theater
(Allworth Press - Paperback Book)
By entertainment lawyer and producer Charles Grippo. Comprehensive, ready-to-use collection of 44 model business and legal forms. Accompanying CD-ROM includes all forms, checklists, and contracts in both Mac and PC formats.

Come Fly with Me
(Warner/Reprise - new on CD/DVD)
Michael Buble album. Digipak. DVD includes concert and interview footage.

Barbra: The Concert - Live At The MGM Grand
(Sony/Columbia Music Video - new on DVD)
Previously unreleased video of Barbra Streisand concert appearances December 31, 1993 through January 1, 1994.

Dionne Warwick - Very Dionne
(Rhino Handmade - new on CD)
1970 Dionne Warwick album. Individually numbered limited edition of 5000 copies. Available at RhinoHandmade.com

Dionne Warwick - The Windows Of The World / Valley Of The Dolls
(Rhino Handmade - new on CD)
Expanded and remastered versions of Warwick's 1960s albums, with three bonus tracks previously unreleased in the U.S. Individually numbered limited edition of 5000 Copies. Available at RhinoHandmade.com

Gielgud: A Life in Letters
(Arcade Publishing - Hardcover Book)
By John Gielgud, Richard Mangan. 200 selections from Gielgud's letters.

Kate: The Life of Katharine Hepburn, Updated and Expanded Edition
(W.W. Norton & Company - Paperback Book)

Inside the Royal Shakespeare Company: Creativity and the Institution
(Routledge - Hardcover Book)
By Colin Chambers. "Tracks the heady conflicts between creativity and commerce that shaped the institution."

Liliom
(Kino - new on DVD)
1934 Fritz Lang version with Charles Boyer and Madeleine Ozeray. In French. English subtitles. Black and white.

Making It on Broadway: Actors' Tales of Climbing to the Top
(Allworth Press - Paperback Book)
By David Wienir, Jodie Langel, Jason Alexander (Foreword). "In their own words, Jason Alexander, Antonio Banderas, and Brooke Shields and more than 150 of Broadway's biggest perf From first stepping foot in New York City with only a suitcase and a dream, to stepping up to the podium and accepting a Tony Award, the actors in this book discuss all aspects of their lives, careers, and ever-changing industry." More information is available at www.allworth.com/broadway.

The Prisoner of Second Avenue
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
1975 Neil Simon film with Jack Lemmon, Anne Bancroft, Gene Saks. Extras: "Dinah!" segment featuring Anne Bancroft, gag reel, vintage featurette on the making of the film, widescreen anamorphic format.

Shakespeare's Songbook
(W.W. Norton & Company - Hardcover Book)
By Ross W. Duffin and Stephen Orgel.

The Sunshine Boys
(Warner Home Video - new on DVD)
1975 Neil Simon film with Walter Matthau and George Burns. Extras: commentary by actor Richard Benjamin, theatrical trailer(s), vintage featurette "The Lion Roars Again," Jack Benny and Walter Mathau makeup test, Phil Silvers screen test. Widescreen anamorphic format.

March 23, 2004

16-Bar Theatre Audition Book Series
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Includes: four-volume series is edited by composer/producer/music directo Michael Dansicker. Each volume has a completely different song list of 100 songs. Songs range from musical theatre classics from the 1920s-1970s to songs from movie musicals to contemporary Broadway and Off-Broadway hits, with even the occasional pop song. Four separate books:
16-Bar Theatre Audition Book: Belter (Mezzo-Soprano)
16-Bar Theatre Audition Book Series - Soprano
16-Bar Theatre Audition Book: Tenor
16-Bar Theatre Audition Book: Baritone/Bass

Boy George's Taboo
(First Night/Red Int - on CD)
U.S. release of original London cast recording. Boy George, Matt Lucas, Mark McGee and Paul Baker.

But Darling, I'm Your Auntie Mame: The Amazing History of the World's Favorite Madcap Aunt
(Kensington Pub Corp - Paperback Book)
Reprint of Richard Tyler Jordan book with introduction by Jerry Herman. The senior publicist at Walt Disney Studios takes readers through the birthing process of the film, the stage musical, and film musical with reminiscences from those who lived them. 304 pages; 40 photos.

Flahooley
(DRG - on CD)
Reissue of Capitol recording of 1951 original Broadway cast, including Barbara Cook. Fain/Harburg score.

Improv for Actors
(Allworth Press - Paperback Book)
Marymount Manhattan College and master class instructor and actor Dan Diggles brings his tested methods to the page to show how actors can take risks and gain spontaneity in all genres of scripted theater.

Plays by Richard Maxwell - Volume One
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book)
Nine early works, including Boxing 2000, Caveman, House (1999 OBIE Award winner), Showy Lady Slipper and others.

The Point
(BMG - new on DVD)
1971 film with songs by Harry Nilsson (later became a London musical).

Ponzi : The Incredible True Story of the King of Financial Cons
(Broadway Books - Paperback Book)
Donald Dunn's book about one of America's most notorious and colorful financial con artists and the mad money-hungry era in which he thrived. Based on exclusive interviews with people who knew Charles Ponzi, lent him their money, and exposed him. Dunn is the author of The Making of No, No, Nanette and an ATC poster.

The Porter Project
(Kriztal Records - new on CD)
Contemporary adaptations of Cole Porter tunes. Billy Paul Williams, Nicole Henry, Lauren Carter, and Charlotte McKinnon

The Retreat from Moscow : A Play About a Family
(Anchor - Paperback Book)
Play by William Nicholson produced on Broadway in 2003 with Eileen Atkins, John Lithgow, Ben Chaplin.

The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
(Showtime - new on DVD)
2003 Showtime adaptation of Tennesee Williams play. Helen Mirren, Olivier Martinez, Anne Bancroft, and Brian Dennehy.

The Rosemary Clooney Show
(Concord/Feinery - new on CD)
Songs from the soundtrack of the star's '50s TV series.

The Singing Detective
(Paramount - new on DVD)
2003 Keith Gordon film update of the British classic with Robert Downey, Jr., Robin Wright Penn and Mel Gibson. Widescreen. Bonuses include commentary by Gordon and the theatrical trailer.

Wonderful Town - Vocal Selections
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Songbook.

A Year With Frog and Toad
(PS Classics - on CD)
Original cast recording, repackaged for wide release. 32-page color booklet with essays, production photos and complete lyrics. Online pre-sale March 23 at

Zagat 2004 New York City Theater - Spring Edition
(Zagat Survey, L.L.C. - Paperback Book)
Reviewing Broadway, Off Broadway, restaurants, nightlife, etc.

March 16, 2004

16-Bar Theatre Audition Book Series - Soprano
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
100 songs, including "How Are Things in Glocca Morra"; "I Could Have Danced All Night"; "Lover, Come Back to Me"; "Make Someone Happy"; "Till There Was You"; "Where or When."

Broadway Musicals of 1953
(Bayview Records - new on CD)
May 12, 2003 concert presentation created by Scott Siegel. Davis Gaines, Andrea Burns, Julia Murney, Ed Staudenmayer, Scoot Coulter, Debbie Gravitte.

Leaving Home
(PS Classics - new on CD)
Rebecca Luker solo album. New recording with a mix of folk, pop, and theatre songs. To include "Wick" (duet with Alison Fraser), "Cherish the Child" which was cut from Lizzie Borden, previously unrecorded Amanda McBroom song "Ophelia" from Will's Women. Produced by Christopher McGovern.

March 9, 2004

Baby, Baby, Baby
(Collectables/Sony Music Special Mktg - new on CD)
Compilation of Mindy Carson singles. Bonus tracks.

Blue Swing
(Collectables/Sony Music Special Mktg - new on CD)
Eileen (Anything Goes) Rodgers' Columbia "Blue Swing" album with bonus tracks.

The Complete Lyrics of P.G. Wodehouse
(Scarecrow Press - Hardcover Book)
By P. G. Wodehouse, Barry Day (Editor).

I Can't Be New
(Koch - new on CD)
Philadelphian musician, vocalist, pianist, guitarist, lyricist and songwriter. Album is comprised of all original music, composed and performed in the style of Gershwin, Porter, Strayhorn and others.

Live at the Americana
(DRG - new on CD)
Liberty album of Julie London's 1964 shows at the Americana Hotel.

Myra Breckinridge
(Fox Home Entertainment - new on DVD)
1970 film with Mae West, Raquel Welch, Rex Reed, Farah Fawcett, Jim Backus, Andy Devine. Commentary by Raquel Welch, AMC Backstory, widescreen.

Producing Musicals: A Practical Guide
(Crowood Press - Paperback Book)
By John Gardyne. Available for Order at Amazon.co.uk.

When It Comes Down to It 1968-1977
(Raven - new on CD)
Liza Minnelli compilation.

Wonderful Town
(DRG - new on CD)
2003 Broadway cast recording. Bernstein/Comden/Green score. Donna Murphy, Jennifer Westfeldt, Gregg Edelman, Nancy Anderson, Randy Danson, Peter Benson, Michael McGrath, David Margulies, Raymond Jaramillo McLeod, Stanley Wayne Mathis, Timothy Shew.

World in My Arms
(Collectables/Sony Music Special Mktg - new on CD)
Anita Ellis' 1960 Elektra album, featuring her performance of "Put the Blame on Mame," which she dubbed for Rita Hayworth in the film Gilda.

March 2, 2004

All in Good Time: A Memoir
(Random House - Hardcover Book)
By Jonathan Schwartz, son of the composer Arthur Schwartz and creator of radio's The American Songbook.

The American Musical: History & Development
(Mosaic Press - Paperback Book)
By Peter H. Riddle. Detailed exploration of the evolution and development of music theatre in North America tracing the development of music theatre from its 18th century European roots through its growing pains in 19th century America, side by side with such popular forms of entertainment as the minstrel show, burlesque and the revue.

Boop-Oop-A-Dooin'
(Original Cast Records - new on CD)
"The Songs of Sammy Timberg from Betty Boop, Popeye, Superman and Other Musical Classics." Songs performed by Shannon Cullem (the great-grand-daughter of Sammy Timberg), Richard Halpern and Mora's Modern Rhythmists. Features 2 archival recordings, one of which has Sammy Timberg singing and playing piano.

Extraordinary Actors: Essays on Popular Performers
(University of Exeter Press - Hardcover Book)
By Jane Milling and Martin Banham. U.K. publication. Part One examines 17th and 18th-century performers, as they built a sense of the excitement and possibility of theatre with audiences in Britain and Europe, Part Two explores 19th-century popular performers who became cultural icons and developed popular performance that contributed to the regeneration of national identity. Part Three looks at 20th-century performers whose acting continued to reach popular audiences in remarkable ways, across national boundaries, as the acting industry underwent transformation in the face of technological change.

Gay's the Word
(Bayview - new on CD)
Newly remastered OLC recording of 1950 Ivor Novello/Alan Melville score. Cicely Courtneidge, Lizbeth Webb, Thorley Walters. Bonus Tracks which include performances by Frank Sinatra, Denis Martin and the George Melanchrino Orchestra. Also, features for the first time original show artwork, plus show notes and story synopsis by noted British theatre historian Rexton S. Bunnett. Special introductory offer of $9.95 at Bayview.com

Genesis of an American Playwright
(Baylor University Press - Hardcover Book)
By Horton Foote, Marion Castleberry. Award winning American playwright, Horton Foote, reflects upon his journey from his childhood in Wharton, Texas, through his early experiences as an actor in the theater, to his mature vocation as a playwright. All along the way, Foote carefully identifies the people and influences that shaped his character and nurtured his art.

Glossary of Shakespeare's Language
(Peter Collin Publishing - Paperback Book)

The Grove Companion to Samuel Beckett : A Reader's Guide to His Works, Life, and Thought
(Grove Press - Paperback Book)
By C. J. Ackerly and S. E. Gontarski. Comprehensive reference to the concepts, characters, and biographical details mentioned by, or related to Samuel Beckett.

Happiness Indeed: An Actor's Life
(Oberon Books - Hardcover Book)
Posthumously published autobiography of Denis Quilley.

Leaving Home
(PS Classics - new on CD)
Rebecca Luker solo album. New recording with a mix of folk, pop, and theatre songs. To include "Wick" (duet with Alison Fraser), "Cherish the Child" which was cut from Lizzie Borden, previously unrecorded Amanda McBroom song "Ophelia" from Will's Women. Produced by Christopher McGovern. Available this week at PSClassics.com and March 16 at Amazon and CD Universe

Musical of Musicals
(JAY Records - new on CD)
Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart musical that tells the same tale through different musical languages. 2004 York Theatre production cast.

When I Fall in Love
(Universal International - new import CD)
Sacha Distel album which includes duets with Liza Minnelli and Dionne Warwick..

Wicked (Musical Tie-in Edition): The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
(Regan Books - Paperback Book)
Special edition of Gregory Maguire's novel that was the basis for the Broadway musical Wicked. New cover art, and 16-page color insert with photos from the production.

February 24, 2004

Camp
(MGM - new on DVD)
2003 film about stage camp.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Special Edition
(Varese Sarabande - on CD)
Reissue of expanded soundtrack. Dick Van Dyke, Lionel Jeffries, and Sally Ann Howes. Previously on Rykodisc.

David Cassidy: Live In Concert
(Image - new on DVD)
Recorded live at the Clyde Auditorium, David Cassidy performs his greatest hits. Bonuses: behind the scenes footage.

dog eared
(Low Heat Records - new on CD)
Michael Cerveris with Norman Blake, Ken Stringfellow, Laura Cantrell, Anders Parker, Kevin March, and Steve Shelley.

The Five Pennies
(Universal Classics/Decca Broadway - new on CD)
CD release of Dot Records soundtrack album of 1959 film with Louis Armstrong and Danny Kaye.

Gay's the Word
(Bayview - new on CD)
Newly remastered OLC recording of 1950 Ivor Novello/Alan Melville score. Cicely Courtneidge, Lizbeth Webb, Thorley Walters. Bonus Tracks which include performances by Frank Sinatra, Denis Martin and the George Melanchrino Orchestra. Also, features for the first time original show artwork, plus show notes and story synopsis by noted British theatre historian Rexton S. Bunnett. Special introductory offer of $9.95 at Bayview.com

Julie Wilson in London (With Friends)
(Sepia - new on CD)
Import complilation. Songs from Kiss Me, Kae, Bet Your Life plus bonus tracks recorded when Wilson lived in London in the early 1950s, including the studio cast of Guys and Dolls. Order at World Records.

Let's Love
(Rhino Handmade - new on CD)
Peggy Lee. An individually numbered limited edition of 3000 Copies. 16 tracks, 4 previously unreleased. Available at RhinoHandmade.com

Somebody Loves Me
(Sepia - new on CD)
27 tracks from Betty Hutton, many first time on CD. Order at World Records.

Richard III - Criterion Collection
(Image - new on 2 DVDs)
1955 film with Laurence Olivier (who also directed), Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud and Claire Bloom. Restored full-length version featuring audio commentary by Russell Lees and John Wilders, a 1966 BBC interview with Olivier hosted by theater critic Kenneth Tynan, a gallery of on-set and production stills and posters, a 12-minute television preview for the film and the original theatrical trailer.

The Scarlet Pimpernel
(Image - new on DVD)
1982 film with Anthony Andrews, Jane Seymour, Ian McKellan.

Sherry!
(Angel - new on 2 CDs)
Studio cast recording of musicalized "The Man Who Came to Dinner" (Laurence Rosenthal/James Lipton). Cast includes Nathan Lane, Bernadette Peters, Carol Burnett, Tommy Tune, Mike Myers, Tom Wopat, Lillias White, Keith David, James Lipton, Phyllis Newman. Extras include cast interviews and clips from Bravo Profiles: Sherry! "making of" show.

The Songs of Charles Strouse
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Songbook. 49 songs written by Charles Strouse arranged for piano, and voice with guitar chord frames. Also available at www.musicdispatch.com.

Wish You Were Here/Paint Your Wagon
(Sepia - new on on CD)
Original London casts. Shani Wallis, Bruce Trent, Sally Ann Howes and Bobby Howes plus. Bonus: selections from Guys and Dolls with Lizbeth Webb and Jerry Wayne. Import available for Order at World Records.

Wuthering Heights: The Ballet
(First Night - new on 2 CDs)
U.K. release of Claude-Michel Schonberg score performed by U.K. Northern Ballet in 2002. To be released in the U.S. later this month by Original Cast Records.

February 17, 2004

Broadway & Hollywood: The Songwriters - Burton Lane / Mitchell Parish
(Wellspring - new on DVD)
Third in the series.

That Championship Season
(MGM - new on DVD)
1982 film, written by Jason Miller based on his play, with Bruce Dern, Stacy Keach, Robert Mitchum, Martin Sheen, Paul Sorvino. Widescreen, trailer.

Enchanted April
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Play by Matthew Barber, based on Elizabeth von Arnim novel. Produced on Broadway in 2003 at the Belasco Theater (Tony nominated), with Elizabeth Ashley, Jayne Atkinson, Michael Cumpsty, Michael Hayden, Molly Ringwald.

The Violet Hour
(Faber & Faber - Paperback Book)
Play by Richard Greenberg. Produced at Manhattan Theatre Club in 2003 at the Biltmore Theatre with Robert Sean Leonard, Scott Foley, Robin Miles, Dagmara Dominczyk.

February 10, 2004

Action Against Sol Schumann
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Play by Jeffrey Sweet.

Broadway Musicals of 1939
(Bayview - new on CD)
March 2003 Town Hall concert created by Scott Siegel. Amanda McBroom, Bryan Batt, Darius De Haas, Annie Golden, Marie Danvers, Rob Gallagher and Steve Ross. Mainstream store release.

The Collected Plays of Edward Albee
(Overlook Press - Hardcover Book)
The Zoo Story, The Death of Bessie Smith, The Sandbox, The American Dream, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Ballad of Sad Café, Tiny Alice, and Malcom. New introduction by Edward Albee. First of a three-volume collection.

Dirty Story
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Play by John Patrick Shanley. Produced in 2003 by LAByrinth Theater Company at the Harold Clurman Theater with David Deblinger, Florencia Lozano, Chris McGarry and Michael Puzzo.

Fire Down Below
(Columbia Tristar - new on DVD)
1957 film with Rita Hayworth, Robert Mitchum, Jack Lemmon (featuring dance routine by Rita and Jeri Southern singing the title song).

Frank Sinatra Show: Welcome Home Elvis
(Music Video Distribution - new on DVD)
1960 show with Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, performing separately and together, with appearances by Nancy Sinatra, Peter Lawford and Sammy Davis, Jr.

Imitation of Life 2-Pack
(Universal - new on DVD)
1934 original film starring Claudette Colbert and the 1959 Lana Turner remake.

Lion King 1 1/2
(Buena Vista/Disney - new on 2 DVDs)
Straight to DVD release of musical Lion King "prequel." Voices of Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane. Original music by Martin Erskine, Don Harper, Hans Zimmer. Limited Edition collectible package; letterboxed widescreen. Bonuses: deleted scenes, "Find the Hidden Mickeys" game, "Timon & Pumbaa's Virtual Safari 1.5," "The Making of THE LION KING 1 1/2," "Timon: Beyond the Legend" featurette, audio outtakes - Nathan Lane, "Who Wants to Be King of the Jungle?" and "Name that Character" games.

Plays and Playwrights 2004
(New York Theatre Experience - Paperback Book)
Annual anthology. Martin Denton (editor). Introduction by Kirk Wood Bromley. Sugarbaby by Frank Cwiklik; WTC View by Brian Sloan, United States: Work and Progress by Christy Meyer, Jon Schumacher and Ellen Shanman; The Shady Maids of Haiti by John Jahnke; Cats Can See The Devil by Tom X. Chao; Survivor: Vietnam! by Rob Reese; Feed The Hole by Michael Stock; Auntie Mayhem by David Pumo; The Monster Tales by Mary Jett Parsley; Sun, Stand Thou Still by Steven Gridley. Order in advance from nytheatre.com.

Rain
(Albany - new on 2 CDs)
Studio recording of 2003 Lincoln Center production. Lynn Owen, Catherine Kelly and Marc Embree. Music and Lyrics by Richard Owen. based on Somerset Maugham's Rain.

Sarah, Plain and Tall
(Showbiz Records - new on CD)
Lawrence O'Keefe/Nell Benjamin score. Becca Ayers, Kenneth Boys, Herndon Lackey, Kate Wetherhead, Debra Wiseman, John Lloyd Young. Available at www.sarahplainandtall.net.

February 3, 2004

Anything Goes
(JAY - new on CD)
Studio cast (Music Theatre Hour series) recording with 7 to 8 more tracks than the Musical Collection version. Louise Gold, Gregg Edelman, Matt Zimmerman, Katrina Murphy, Paul Manuel, Tara Hugo and others.

Beyond Stanislavsky: The Psycho-Physical Approach in Actor Training
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book)
by Bella Merlin.

The Boy From Oz - Piano/vocal Selections
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Deluxe songbook features full-page, full-color photos from the Broadway production, and 15 songs.

Contemporary Theatre Ballads
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
25 songs from recent New York and London musicals, including The Full Monty, Aida, Beauty and the Beast, Hairspray, The Lion King, Jekyll & Hyde, The Producers and Side Show. Also includes some Off-Broadway standouts such as The Last Five Years, Songs for a New World, The Wild Party and Andrew Lloyd Webber's London shows Beautiful Game and Whistle Down the Wind.

Du Barry was a Lady/Meet the People
(Rhino Handmade - new on CD)
First complete recording of 1943 soundtrack from Cole Porter musical film with Gene Kelly, Dick Haymes, Red Skelton, Jo Stafford, Tommy Dorsey; and 1944 soundtrack from Yip Harburg-produced film with Lucille Ball, Dick Powell, Virginia O'Brien, Bert Lahr, Spike Jones, Kay Medford, and more (vocal arrangements by the inimitable Kay Thompson). Various composers. Individually numbered limited edition of 2500 Copies. Bonus selections include Tommy Dorsey outtake "Melody In A" and Roger Eden choral routine "The Royal Tasters." Available at RhinoHandmade.com.

The Fever
(Grove Press - Paperback Book)
By Wallace Shawn. OBIE award winning play, soon to be made into a film (with Vanessa Redgrave).

Gaslight
(Warner Home Video - on DVD)
1944 Oscar winning film with Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, Angela Lansbury (film debut). Bonuses: original 1940 British version of Gaslight (full-length feature) starring Diana Wynyard, all-new making of documentary "Reflections on Gaslight," Oscars® for Movie Stars (archival newsreel), 1944 theatrical trailer.

Goodbye, Mr. Chips
(Warner Home Video - on DVD)
1939 Oscar winning film with Robert Donat and Greer Garson. Bonuses unknown at this time.

Grand Hotel
(Warner Home Video - on DVD)
1932 MGM film with Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore and Wallace Beery. Bonuses: "Checking Out: Grand Hotel" (new "making-of" documentary), newsreel footage, "Just a Word of Warning" (1932 theatre announcement), "Nothing Ever Happens" (newly-discovered 1933 Vitaphone Short, a spoof on Grand Hotel), theatrical trailers.

The Great Ziegfeld
(Warner Home Video - on DVD)
1936 film with William Powell, Myrna Loy, Luise Rainer, Frank Morgan, Fanny Brice, Ray Bolger. Newly remastered in the original theatrical aspect ratio and including trailers and still galleries, "Ziegfeld on Film" and "New York Hails The Great Ziegfeld" featurettes.

I Am My Own Wife
(Faber & Faber - Paperback Book)
Play by Doug Wright. Produced Off Broadway and on Broadway in 2003 with Jefferson Mays.

Journey to the West: A Play
(Northwestern Univ Press - Paperback Book)
By Mary Zimmerman.

Keeping Up Appearances - Hyacinth Springs Eternal
(BBCA/Warner - new on 4 DVDs)
Boxed set, complete final three seasons, Vol. 5-8. Patricia Routledge in U.K. series. Extras: Outtakes & bloopers, "The Memoirs of Hyancinth Bucket," Pebble Mill interview with Patrica Routledge and Clive Swift.

The King and I/Golden City
(Sepia/U.K. - new on CD)
Original London casts. Golden City: Eleanor Summerfield, Norman Lawrence, Julia Shelley, Muriel Brunskill. Bonus tracks.

Love From Judy
(Sepia/U.K. - new on CD)
Original London Cast, plus bonus tracks by the show's performers.

Mario Lanza: An American Tragedy (Great Voices, 7)
(Baskerville Publishers - Hardcover Book)
By Armando Cesari.

Mrs. Miniver
(Warner Home Video - on DVD)
1942 Oscar winning film. Greer Garson in title role, plus Walter Pidgeon, Teresa Wright, Dame May Whitty, Richard Ney, Reginald Owen and Henry Travers. Bonuses include: Greer Garson Academy Awards® footage, photo gallery (33 stills), two vintage MGM wartime shorts, "Mr. Blabbermouth For the Common Defense" theatrical trailer.

My Fair Lady - Special Edition
(Warner Home Video - 2 DVDs)
1964 film with Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison. Remastered anamorphic widescreen transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track. Bonuses: audio commentary by art director Gene Allen, singer Marni Nixon and the restoration team of Robert A. Harris and James C. Katz, the "More Loverly Than Ever: The Making of My Fair Lady - Then and Now" documentary, "The Fairest Fair Lady" featurette, "1963 Production kickoff dinner" footage, audio of George Cukor directing Baroness Bina Rothschild, Hepburn's alternate vocals for " Wouldn't It Be Loverly" and "Show Me," promo gallery including posters, lobby cards, a Rex Harrison radio interview and LA premiere footage, "Show Me" galleries, still galleries with production photos, documents, architectural drawings, costume designs and awards listings, Rex Harrison's Golden Globe acceptance speech, additional comments from Martin Scorsese and Andrew Lloyd Webber and theatrical trailers.

My G-String Mother: At Home and Backstage With Gypsy Rose Lee
(Frog Ltd - Paperback Book)
By Erik Lee Preminger. Reprint of out-of-print "Gypsy and Me: At Home and on the Road With Gypsy Rose Lee" with redesigned photo spread and a new afterword from the author.

Of Mice and Men
(Albany - new on 2 CDs)
Houston Grand Opera Recording of the Carlisle Floyd Opera starring Gordon Hawkins, Anthony Dean Griffey and Joseph Evans. Music and Lyrics by Carlisle Floyd.

Only You
(Sony - new on CD)
Harry Connick, Jr. '50s and '60s songs.

The Past As Present in the Drama of August Wilson
(University of Michigan Press - Hardcover Book)
By Harry Justin Elam.

Patricia Routledge: Three Portraits
(BBCA/Warner - new on DVD)
Alan Bennett's A Woman of No Importance, A Lady of Letters, and Miss Fozzard Finds Her Feet with Patricia Routledge.

Seven Black Plays : The Theodore Ward Prize for African American Playwriting
(Northwester Univ Press - Paperback Book)
By Chuck Smith (Editor). Seven plays, which span the history of the Theodore Ward Prize for outstanding individual accomplishments of African American playwrights.

Theatre World #57 - Special Tony® Honor Edition
(Applause Books - Hardcover and Paperback Editions)
John Willis (Editor), Tom Lynch (Contributor), Ben Hodges (Contributor). Covers 2000-2001 Broadway, Off Broadway, and Off Off Broadway seasons. Also includes Longest Runs listing and an expanded Awards and Regionals section.

Three Little Words/Yolanda and the Thief
(Rhino Handmade - new on CD)
1950 soundtrack of Harry Ruby/Bert Kalmar film musical with Fred Astaire, Red Skelton, Gloria De Haven, Anita Ellis, Arlene Dahl; and 1945 audio debut of soundtrack of Harry Warren/Arthur Freed musical film with Fred Astaire and Trudy Erwin. Individually numbered limited edition of 2500 copies. Now available at RhinoHandmade.com.

The Young Tony Bennett
(Sepia/U.K. - new on CD)
Includes several early '50s hits not issued on CD.

January 27, 2004

Alice in Wonderland (Masterpiece Edition)
(Walt Disney Home Video - on 2 DVDs)
1951 animated film. Bonuses: virtual Wonderland party activities, never before heard cut song "I'm Odd," set-top game, "Thru the Mirror" animated short with Mickey Mouse, "Operation Wonderland" featurette, Sing along songs.

Anything Goes
(Universal Classics/Decca Broadway - new on CD)
CD release of 1956 album of "Songs from the Paramount Picture" with Bing Crosby, Mitzi Gaynor, Donald O'Connor. Bonuses: three Crosby recorded from the earlier film: "Sailor, Beware" (not by Porter), "My Heart and I" and "Moonburn."

Awake and Singing: Six Great American Jewish Plays
(Applause Books - Paperback Book)
New edition. By Ellen Schiff.

Betty Rules
(new on CD)
Off Broadway original cast recording.

Goldrich And Heisler Songbook Volume 1
(Paperback Book)
32-song volume of Zina Goldrich & Marcy Heisler compositions, including "Taylor (The Latte Boy)." Available now at www.goldrichandheisler.com.

Keystone : The Life and Clowns of Mack Sennett
(Faber & Faber - Hardcover Book)
By Simon Louvish. Through film scripts, telegrams, even liquor bills, Sennett's world is skillfully re-created, offering a rare and humorous glance into the infancy and innocence of moving pictures.

Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker
(new on DVD)
Region 2 DVD. Released December 22.

One From the Heart
(American Zoetrope/Fantoma Films - new on 2 DVDs)
1982 Francis Ford Coppola film with Tom Waits score. Newly remastered in anamorphic widescreen, extras are set to include an audio commentary by Coppola, the featurettes "The Dream Studio" (30 minutes) and "Tom Waits and the Music of One From the Heart" (12 minutes), unreleased demo recordings and alternate music takes, deleted and alternate scenes, rehearsal footage, storyboards, still galleries and additional footage.

One From the Heart
(Sony - new on CD)
Reissue of 1982 Tom Waits soundtrack with bonus tracks (previously unissued "Candy Apple Red" and "Once Upon a Town/Empty Pockets" both sung by Waits). With Tom Waits and Crystal Gayle.

MTV's Wuthering Heights
(Paramount Home Video - new on DVD)
2003 MTV telefilm updated adaptation. Includes a few songs by Jim Steinman.

Sylvia Syms: The Columbia Years
(Collectables - new on CD)
Album and single tracks including Goldilocks' cut "Guess Who?," Destry Rides Again's "I Say Hello," Here's Love's "Love, Come Take Me Again," and Sweet Charity's cut "Poor Everybody Else," reused in Seesaw.

Theatre Centre: Plays for Young People : Celebrating 50 Years of Theatre Centre
(Aurora Metro Press - Paperback Book)
By Rosamunde Hutt (Editor).

The Very Best of Peter Allen: The Boy From Down Under
(Universal/A&M - new on CD)
Compilation of tracks from the singer/songwriter's recordings.

January 20, 2004

Animal Tracks
(Harbinger - new on CD)
Jamie DeRoy and Friends. Vocalists include Don Stephenson, Judy Barnett, Michael Holland, Emily Skinner, Paige Price, Kerry Butler, Marian Seldes, Jimmy Smagula. Available at CDBaby.com

Convenience
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Musical play by Gregg Coffin. Produced regionally. [show review]

The George Gershwin Reader (Readers on American Musicians)
(Oxford University Press - Hardcover Book)
Collection of writings by and about Gershwin, including more than eighty pieces from such notables as Paul Whiteman, Robert Benchley, Alexander Woollcott, Brooks Atkinson, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Alec Wilder, Leonard Bernstein, Arnold Schoenberg, correspondence between Gershwin and DuBose Hayward, interviews with the original Porgy and Bess - Todd Duncan and Anne Brown, and excerpts from Gershwin's own letters.

Grammy Nominees 2004
(BMG Heritage - new on CD)
21 Grammy nominee trakcs. Includes Heather Headley's "I Wish I Wasn't."

Teacher's Pet
(Disney - new on CD)
Soundtrack from animated musical comedy based on ABC/Disney children's cartoon. Voices: Nathan Lane, Kelsey Grammer, David Ogden Stiers, Jerry Stiller, Paul Reubens, Megan Mullally, Wallace Shawn, Estelle Harris (not sure how many are featured in the soundtrack). Release January 13.

January 13, 2004

Annie
(Columbia Tristar - on DVD)
1982 film. 4:3 full screen transfer, Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround tracks. To include the "My Hollywood Adventure with Aileen Quinn" featurette, "It's the Hard Knock Life" by the pop group Play, "The Age of Annie" trivia game, sing-along and act-alongs and theatrical trailers.

Broadway & Hollywood: The Songwriters: "Yip" Harburg And Sheldon Harnick
(Wellspring - new on DVD)
Previously released as "A Visit With ..." videos. Bonuses expected.

An Evening with Marlene Dietrich
(Music Video Dist. - new on DVD)
Filmed at the New London Theatre in 1972, with upgraded sound and added footage for five songs not on the 1973 VHS release.

Gypsy - Broadway Revival Edition
(Hal Leonard - Paperback Book)
Vocal selections songbook. 11 songs, a history of the past stage and screen incarnations the show, listing opening dates and locations as well as principal cast members, directors and choreographers.

It Should Happen to You
(Columbia Tristar - new on DVD)
Judy Holliday film. Mono with no extras.

Mojo Mickybo: Three Plays
(Nick Hern Press - Paperback Book)
Three plays by Owen McCafferty.

New Faces of 1952
(Critics Choice Video - new on DVD)
Cinemascope 1954 adaptation with Eartha Kitt, Robert Clary, Ronny Graham. Currently available at ccvideo.com.

On Richard Rodgers' Piano
(new on CD)
John Bucchino. 12 track solo CD of Rodgers' songs which Bucchino recorded on the Rodgers' own Steinway. Currently available at CDBaby.com

Peter Howard's Broadway
(Original Cast Records - new on CD)
Dance arranger Howard's one-man show, featuring an inside view of his career, which ranges from Say, Darling! through Carnival, Hello, Dolly, 1776, and Chicago, among others.

Stage Management: The Essential Handbook
(Nick Hern Books - Paperback Book)
By Gail Pallin. Handbook aimed at students, graduates, and all aspirants to stage managership, whether amateur or professional, whether the production is on a large or small scale. "A valuable book ... long overdue" -- Alan Ayckbourn.

January 6, 2004

Actions: The Actor's Thesaurus
(Nick Hern Books - Paperback Book)
A thesaurus of action-words to revitalize performance, with a foreword by Terry Johnson. "Finding the right action is an essential part of the process of preparation for the actor. Using this thesaurus of active verbs, the actor can refine the action-word until s/he hits exactly the right one to help make the action come alive. The method of ‘actioning' is widely used in rehearsal rooms, but has never before been set down in a systematic and comprehensive way."

Boys and Girls
(Dramatist's Play Service - Paperback Book)
Play by Tom Donaghy. Produced in 2002 at Duke on 42nd Street, Playwrights Horizons and featured Robert Sella, Malcolm Gets, Carrie Preston and Nadia Dajan.

The Darling Diva
(Collectors' Choice Music - new on CD)
12 performances by Marilyn Maxwell from 1944 Bing Crosby's Kraft Music Hall radio show, with Best Foot Foward's "Wish I May, Wish I Might" among these. Currently available at ccmusic.com.

Enchanted Evenings (The Broadway Musical from "Show Boat" to Sondheim)
(Oxford University - Paperback Book)
By Geoffrey Block. Behind-the-scenes tour of some of the best loved, most admired, and most enduring musicals of Broadway's Golden Era (including Show Boat, Anything Goes, Porgy and Bess, Kiss Me, Kate, Guys and Dolls, My Fair Lady, and West Side Story

Evening with Al Jolson
(Collectors' Choice Music - new on CD)
From Jolson's late-'40s comeback tour. Backed by Lou Bring's Orchestra and Chorus. 20 songs. Currently available at ccmusic.com.

Making Americans : Jews and the Broadway Musical
(Harvard Univ. Press - Hardcover Book)
By Andrea Most. Examines two interwoven narratives crucial to an understanding of twentieth-century American culture: the stories of Jewish acculturation and of the development of the American musical.

The Odyssey : A Play
(Northwestern Univ Press - Paperback Book)
By Mary Zimmerman.

Our Town
(PBS - new on DVD/VHS)
2003 PBS version of stage play with Paul Newman, Ben Fox, Frank Converse, Jayne Atkinson, Jeffrey DeMunn, Jane Curtain, Stephen Spinella, Mia Dillon.

Roots and Branches: Creating Multi-Generational Theater
(Heinemann - Paperback Book)
By Arthur Strimling.

Sweetheart of the Silver Screen
(Collectors' Choice Music - new on CD)
Betty Grable collection. Currently available at ccmusic.com

Unsuitable Girls
(Theatre Communications Group - Paperback Book)
by Dolly Dhingra.

-- Sound Advice Staff

Additional information provided by
Max O. Preeo