What cast recordings are you currently listening to?

I started listening to Bright Star again, now that it's touring the US. The music is really something, and that 11 o'clock number "At Last" is really spectacular. With some campaigning by Steve Martin, I think the show can have a good run in London in a small-ish theatre. If not, I would love it if Southwark Playhouse readapts it in a few years and gives us its own treatment of it.

I'm also listening to the two generic sounding but ear warm pre-released songs from The Greatest Showman, composed by Dear Evan Hanse's Pasek and Paul. The songs style is very, them. And by them, I mean it sounds like someone else's song that's been repurposed for this medium. I think I've come to terms with them not having a particular style, but being very good at doing pop pastiche, if that's even a thing. "The Great Show" is sung Hugh Jackman and Zac Effron, and it's pretty hard to tell them apart due to the overproduction of the track, which sounds like a "We Will Rock You" replica. "This Is Me", the misfits and outcasts song mandatory in every other musical, is a song that I'm sure sounds like something else, "This is Me" is sung by the ever talented Keala Settle (Waitress, Les Mis), who is such a fierce belter she even managed to belt her way through Madame Thenardier in Les Mis.

I just can't stop listening Parade right now! Love Bertie Carvel in it. Especially when he sounds like Trunchbull!

I've been thoroughly enjoying Anthony Rapp in Star Trek over recent weeks, so have had a few plays of his & Adam Pascal's Feinstein's/54 Below live album 'Acoustically Speaking'. It won't change your life, but it's a solid set of good music, well-sung, with flashes of passion and a warm atmosphere. There's a few numbers from Rent ('What You Own' stands out), a few old show tunes ('Joanna', 'But Not For Me'), a decent 'Origin of Love', a quite touching 'Happiness' from 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown' (nice to hear it in a grown-up voice), and a few popular populars - Squeeze (Tempted - sung better than Paul Carrack), REM, Jeff Buckley.

I respectfully disagree!!! I love the song 'I had a Vision'. I also love to see Bright Star in London, love the cast recording.

I hope to catch this in San Francisco, in just over a months time.


I am on the train home after catching a couple of shows up town (Labour of Love & Lady From The Sea) and so listening to Young Frankenstein.

I can tell you the cast recording I’ve been listening to all day... and absolutely loving!

🦇🔥🦇🔥🦇🔥

...guess who just dropped below Steve Davis and Steve Guttenberg on my list of fave Steves! 😂

Oh, well below! (but thankfully above Steve Wright; unbearable radio dj). x

Below a serial killer, but above a DJ. Oh well, I’ll take it.

Apologies if it reads as disrespectful to those poor girls. It was meant more as a comment on my distain of Steve Wright “in the afternoon”.

I love finding people that love Wonderland! I think the score is brilliant! Kate Shindle as the Mad Hatter on the recording is INSANE!

Currently in love with Hadestown and The Bridges of Madison County!

Had a few plays this week of Heatwave - Patti Lupone Sings Irving Berlin. Orchestral arrangements, big overture, expressive Doin What Comes Naturally (one way or another, I keep coming back to Annie Get Your Gun, lately). A bit brash at times, but a decent listien.

I've been digging around Paul Williams' music quite a bit since Bugsy last year. His songs for the Carpenters alone put him in the top rank of songwriters - Rainy Days and Mondays, We've Only Just Begun, Ordinary Fool... So I also found myself listening to Happy Days - A New Musical - which, astonishingly, turns out not to be his finest work. Mostly identikit 50s  early rock & do-wop, with a few snatches of neat construction, and the odd song that takes flight, only to be interrupted by clunky dialogue.