Theatermania Guide to Musical Theater Recordings

by Michael Portantiere, Jerry Herman, Michael Portaniere

Book Overview

The first ever-comprehensive guide to musical theatre recordings, this book covers the entire history of musical theatre. From Jerome Kern and the Gershwins to Bernstein and Sondheim, here are capsule... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0823084353
• ISBN13: 9780823084357
• Release Date: December 2004
• Publisher: Backstage Books
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

'NEARLY' INDESPENSABLE AND A LOT OF FUN . . . . . .

Temptation arises to call this volume "indispensable," but in reality "The Theatermania Guide to Musical Theater Recordings" is no more indispensable than the near-500 show recordings in my library. Do I really "need" any of them? No, but I sure as heck get a lot of enjoyment from them. As I do from the book. No, it's not complete. In addition to recordings mentioned in another review, other omissions include such rarities as AMEN CORNER (1983); ANGEL (1979); ARABIAN NIGHTS (1964); Oscar Strauss' THE CHOCOLATE SOLDIER (1958 Studio Recording); DESERT SONG (1950-something Columbia recording with Nelson Eddy & Dorretta Morrow); Julius Monk's 1960 revue DRESSED TO THE NINES; EARL OF RUSTIN (1971); Rodgers & Hart's EVER GREEN (1998 Studio Cast); Al Carmine's THE FAGGOT (1973); THE FIG LEAVES ARE FALLING (1960); GONE WITH THE WIND or SCARLETT (1972); THE GOOD COMPANIONS (1974); THE GOOD OLD, BAD OLD DAYS (1972); HEARTBEATS (1994 Pasadena Playhouse); I LOVE YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT (1994 Studio); IN CIRCLES (1959 - Al Carmines' music/Gertrude Stein's poetry); IT AIN'T NOTHING BUT THE BLUES (1999); JOY (1970); and A JOYFUL NOISE (1966). Then there are two recordings of THE MERRY WIDOW (1964 Lincoln Center) & (1962 Studio Cast/Columbia); MOLL FLANDERS (1993); PEACE (another Al Carmines work/1968); PICKWICK (1963); PROM QUEENS UNCHAINED (1991); Marc Blitzstein's REGINA (1949), SCRAMBLED FEET (1979); SHERLOCK HOLMES (1989); THIRTEEN DAUGHTERS (1961 Honolulu Cast); A THURBER CARNIVAL (1960); TO BROADWAY WITH LOVE (1964); TOMFOOLERY (1980); TOM JONES (1964); VALMOUTH (1958); VANITY FAIR (2001); VERY WARM FOR MAY (1939); and - get this - THE YEARLING (1965). Reasons? Some of these shows never played in New York and some of the recordings are quite rare and probably not available to the reviewers. At any rate, the book is "nearly" indispensable to me for several reasons: (1) It has turned me on to some excellent recordings like HONK! (available from the Music Theater of Wichita's web site); Cole Porter's NYMPH ERRANT; AVENUE Q, the New York production of STARTING HERE, STARTING NOW, & the Pearl Bailey/Cab Calloway HELLO, DOLLY! (available from Archiv Music's web site - as are the long-deleted original Broadway cast recordings of SILK STOCKINGS and WILDCAT); and a few more I've put on my wish list. (2) Often a review supports my opinion, such as my minority review of the 1974 CANDIDE revival. (3) Sometimes a review is in contradiction to my impression of the recording, and it's interesting to see where and why we differ. (4) It's good reading. COCO: "Hepburn's singing makes Lauren Bacall sound like Joan Sutherland; she ends up in a statistical dead heat for the title of least vocally qualified star in Broadway musical history." (David Barbour) OH! CALCUTTA!: "Given that numerous scores by Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, and Jerome Kern remain unrecorded, the existence of this album - and its reissue on CD - is outrageous. . . . Only one of the selec

An indispensible resource for any musical theatre lover

"The TheaterMania Guide to Musical Theater Recordings" is a truly comprehensive compilation of Broadway cast recordings and movie soundtracks, from the well-known to the super-obscure (many of the listings are as yet unavailable on CD). The reviews come from a wide variety of well-known sources (including Peter Filichia, Matthew Murray, and "Forbidden Broadway" creator Gerard Alessandrini) and yet all manage to be informative and frequently quite witty. The face that so many people were involved with the book does lead to some head-scratchers, though, particularly with regard to recent recordings ("Phantom of the Opera" and "Les Miserables" are given low marks, while Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King" are heavily praised--opinions, I know, but unusual ones) and the star ratings that sometimes don't seem to match up with the reviews themselves (why do some reviews identify nothing overtly wrong with a recording, yet only give it 2 stars?). Still, whether you're searching for the best recording of "Show Boat" from the myriad available or an album of that obscure flop show from 1953, this "Guide" is a must-have.

Definitely the book I was looking for!

As a person who loves Broadway musicals, yet lives on the West Coast, oftimes the soundtracks to certain shows are my only option. I've also discovered that I tend to be more lenient when listening to a show I've seen than to one I have not. I wouldn't qualify as a aficionado, but I have seen my share of shows, and own a few dozen CD's. This book is exactly what I wanted: a guide of theater (and theater-based) recordings, that separates wheat from chaff. Alphabetical by title, each show's iteration is given a review. Recordings by various casts (Broadway, London, etc.) are synopsized and critiqued. The reviewers know their audience: the book is written for us, not for them, if you catch my meaning. The reviews themselves are short, concise...I almost wanted a little more, but I'm going to make that a compliment and not a criticism; they cover a LOT of ground here. It looks like they got everything up to 2001. One of the more valuable functions this book performs, is comparing the innumerable variations on certain shows (like "Oklahoma!" or "My Fair Lady"), enabling a fan to pick the one best suited for their interests. More importantly, the subsequent film versions of Broadway shows (and occasionally the antecedent film version) are also covered. It's interesting to see how certain shows improve upon themselves, while others clearly lose that "something" that characterizes the singular Broadway experience. Even more valuable is the curiosity factor: I've found easily a dozen discs I now need to have. The writing is engaging enough that you'll want to seek out either completely different versions of your favorite shows (including some you did not know that were newly remastered or expanded) or simply new shows you've always wanted to hear, but never got around to them. Soundtracks to films without accompanying Broadway musicals are not covered, nor should they be in this book; it's title is the "guide to musical theater recordings", not "film soundtracks". There are a few idiosyncrasies. Some shows that I'm pretty sure have film versions (like "On The Town") do not mention the film soundtrack. Perhaps it's unavailable. The movie soundtrack for "Fame" is not reviewed, but the musical is. The soundtrack for "Footloose" is covered, though, as are both "Beauty and the Beast" and "Lion King", both non-musical film predecessors. This is a micro-quibble, at best. The bottom line is that this is a well-written, comprehensive, entertaining book of reviews about a specific genre. I honestly don't think they could have done it any better.