Jun 11
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I had dismissed the English National Opera recording of Pacific Overtures years ago as being Not For Me. But a combination of my growing appreciation for opera voices and a remastered edition (alas, of only the highlights) that balances the sound more like a Broadway album has me reconsidering that opinion.
And speaking of recordings...
The latest in York's string of some 35 original cast CDs has come out, and it is a doozy. It is also the latest in a string of some 13 or 14 CDs on the JAY Records label, all produced by our friend John Yap.
Theater maven extraordinaire Peter Filichia wrote about the CD in his blog "Filichia on Friday," which is on the Kritzerland website, http://www.kritzerland.com/filichia.htm (Many thanks to Peter, and to Bruce Kimmel for keeping Peter's voice out there.) Here's a taste of what he wrote:
Truman Capote invented the “non-fiction novel” with In Cold Blood. Stephen Cole and David Krane could be said to have invented the “non-fiction fictional musical” in The Road to Qatar, whose original cast album has just been released. For while Stephen and David were actually commissioned to write a new musical for the Emir of Qatar, "Michael" and "Jeffrey" are the ones doing it in this 2011 musical.
Cole’s such a musical theater authority that it’s worth joining Facebook to see his many perceptive comments about Forgotten Musicals. Here he gets in good puns about Babes in Oil-land and Dubai Bye Birdie. But there’s conflict in the show, because Michael and Jeffrey are, after all, New York Jews in a land that sees red instead of rolling out the red carpet for members of the tribe. Still, in this other desert city “if you play the palace, you really do” and “if they say you’re hot, you can bet it’s true.”
It’s a rare composer who can provide sharp and hummable melodies to a rash of comedy songs, but Krane does just that, down to musicalizing an Arabian movie star who plays Gypsy on his iPod. Finally the CD has a lovely song that was cut – in which Michael and Jeffrey meet and find that they have so much in common, it’s a phenomenon. Any musical theater enthusiast will relate to this one.
The Road to Qatar original cast album is available on Amazon or in the York Theatre lobby.
Judy Kaye followed Patti LuPone at Mrs. Lovett in John Doyle's production of Sweeney Todd on Broadway. This recording, from The Musicality of Sondheim, uses the more familiar Jonathan Tunick orchestrations rather than those from the Doyle production, but it gives you a nice flavor of how Kaye was in the role.
