Slews of Discs From Original Cast Records

Listening to the 20th Anniversary Edition of Late Nite Comic from Original Cast Records, I thought about all of the releases from Bruce Yeko's label that arrived late in 2007 and the host of discs that have already been released in 2008, like "Late Nite." I've been remiss in talking about a number of the 2007 discs, so I figure let's use March to do some mop up.

I'm going to start with "Lorna Luft: Songs My Mother Taught Me." This disc, a tribute to Luft's mother and some of the songs most closely identified with that legend, begins a little embarrassingly with Luft recounting how she avoided following in her mother's footsteps and her ultimate success once she stopped avoiding "the ghost." The first track after this, though, you'll find "Songs" turns into a truly joyful disc – with Luft delivering tunes like "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "The Man That Got Away." Luft's vocals do bring to mind Judy Garland's interpretations of these songs. At the same time, though, they are unique; Luft never falls into the trap of impersonation or forcing stylistic similarities. One grand track is the "Mother Daughter Medley" – where technology allows Luft and Garland to share "You're Nearer", "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" and "Through the Years" as a duet.

Now one of the things that Yeko and Original Cast excel at is giving composers and producers an outlet for recording and releasing their shows. The discs from late 2007 are a perfect example of how wide-ranging the company's titles are. There's the Minnesota-set musical Guys on Ice, the recording of the fringe hit The Winter's Tale Project, off-Broadway's Sessions, and Rob Roy from, appropriately enough, Scotland.

One of the dangers of such a wide range of shows is that not all of the shows are exactly as satisfying as one might hope. Generally, though, you'll find at least several songs that are hidden gems in anything you order from Original Cast Records.

For instance, with David Warrack's Rob Roy, the piece opens promisingly with "Bagpipe Prelude" and "We Are Connected," two tunes with distinct Scots flavor, but then, moves into "The Ballad of the Highlanders" – a song with definite roots in musical comedy traditions of the Golden Age, and then, a tortured "Les Miz"-like soliloquy "Tell Me Why" (delivered unsteadily by George Masswohl as Rob Roy MacGregor himself. Give the recording (and the show) time though, and you'll find a terrific ballad ("One Thousand Years From Now") – where Masswohl comes into his own vocally. Equally impressive is a song late in the show "'Tis Here'" – sung delicately by Mark Harapiak, playing Rob Roy's best friend, Alexander Stewart. This is a fascinating glimpse at a musical, which both demonstrates promise and shows that it has some ways to go.

Now with Sessions, Albert Tapper provides a toe-tapping pop-infused score that may never go down as one of the greats of musical theater, but proved popular enough to result in an extended-run for the show when it played off-Broadway last year. A look at therapy, Sessions has a few lovely tunes that stand out, including "Wendy", where one patient tries to work up the courage to call a woman he knew in college (a heartfelt delivery from Scott Richard Foster). Trisha Rapier passionately belts out an up-tempo ballad, "Feels Like Home," but it's hard to imagine the lyrics in the context described in the liner notes that accompany the disc. (The song is being sung by a woman with "a past checkered with abuse.") A third standout is "If I Could Be Like Pete," a jazzy soft-shoe that's marred by the heavy-rhyming with Pete, but which Foster and Amy Bodnar deliver with aplomb. Perhaps most amusing in Sesssions: the show's penultimate number, "The Sun Shines In," a touchy-feely variation on "Let the Sun Shine In" from Hair.

This OCR, I imagine, will certainly attract the attention of producers at regional theaters and community theaters looking for something alternative in their musical programming, and I'm betting that there's enough here to enjoy that Sessions will end up on many a season schedule in the coming years.

A more forward-looking musical is Chris Wynters' and Bridget Ryan's The Winter's Tale Project which really sounds as if it plays more like a rock opera/concept album than strict musical. This one grabs you by the throat (ear?) from its opening moments with a rockin' party where you're introduced to the characters of Shakespeare's play. From this very contemporary rock 'n' roll opening, Wynters' score moves to the jazz universe as the first strains of Leontes' jealousy are felt. When Leontes finally puts his wife Hermione on trial, accusing her of having had an affair with his best friend Polixenes, Wynter's delivers a marvelous extended sequence that propels the piece to its first act conclusion, which includes some pretty amazing riffs on Shakespeare's most infamous stage direction.

As the piece moves to its second, and lighter half, Wynters' score doesn't miss a pulsating beat, and yet, modulates into a more laid-back musical vernacular. Throughout, you'll find yourself chuckling over Wynters' lyrics. Leontes describes Hermione as "A slut in an overpriced gown" and early on in Act II, Folrizel and Perdita worry about their love with "Your father's a king, my father's a shepherd." You will want to track this one down from Original Cast Records.

I'll close with the disc that started the column off, the new 20th Anniversary Recording of Late Nite Comic, which has been previously available on disc, but not with Larry Hochman's superb orchestrations. Now, in addition to Hochman's work for Brian Gari's score, you also can find some of Broadway's best delivering the tunes for this show about the off-beat romance between a piano bar singer who wants to be a standup comic and an aspiring ballerina.

Thanks to Hochman's work, Gari's pop-infused score has never sounded better. Yes, there may be times when the lyrics leave something to be desired, but this is a show that does have a certain sparkle, particularly when it's being delivered by the likes of Liz Callaway, Howard McGillin, Brian D'Arcy James and Chip Zien (who's particularly forceful and charming on the show's opening number "Stand Up").

The particularly cool thing about this release from Original Cast Records is that all of the profits from the endeavor go to benefit the Actors Fund, so you can pat yourself on the back even as you add a second recording of this famed show to your CD shelf…..remember, "Late Nite" only made it through four performances back in 1987.

With all that being said, I still haven't touched on many of the other discs that were released and distributed by Original Cast Records last year…Topsy Turvy Loves, Berlin, Madame, and Blackbeard, to name a few. Also, the company's already got a slew of new titles out in 2008: Amelia's Journey, a musical journey through the lives of Amelia Earhart and George Putnam and Vamp, a gothic rock opera written and composed by Jake Perrine.

QUICK LINK: www.originalcastrecords.com