Talkin' Broadway Sound Advice Recap Week of 9/15/20 (updated 9/18/20)

Receive the weekly recap by email each Tuesday: Sign up on the front page, right below the menu (at the bottom of the page on mobile screens).

Please note that scheduling changes due to the coronavirus pandemic are being made as soon as we are aware of them. But there may be further changes in release dates in the future, as things play out.

See the complete list of Upcoming/Recent releases.

Earlier recaps:

2020: September 8, 1, August 25, 18, 11, 4 | July 28, 21, 14, 7 | June 30, 23, 16, 9, 2 | May 26, 19, 12, 5 | April 28, 21, 14, 7 | March 31, 24, 17, 10, 3 | February 25, 18, 11, 4 | January 28, 21, 14, 7

2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015


CD now available:

Nick Cordero: Live Your Life
(Broadway Records - new on CD/on mp3/at iTunes)
Live at Feinstein's/54 Below in 2019. Nick Cordero's cabaret performance, directed and music directed by Michael J Moritz Jr. Guest performers include Kathryn Gallagher, Drew Gehling, Sara Chase, and Zach Braff. "All Night Long," "Higher Ground," "Oh my God, this crowd!," "Oye Como Va," "Get the Gringa!," "If I Ain't Got You," "What a Wonderful World," "Politik," I had to get to New York..., "Hot Toxic Love," This job changed my life..., "Tain't Nobody's Biz-Ness If I Do," Then came Waitress..., "You Matter to Me," An opportunity of a lifetime..., "One of the Great Ones," They taught me about doing good by others...," "The Men That Drive Me Places," I am sure you are aware that my wife Amanda and I are expecting our first child..., "The Mother," I've lived a blessed life..., "Break It Down Again," I love you guys..., "Live Your Life." Also at BroadwayRecords.com.


DIGITAL MUSIC Now Available:

Einstein's Dreams
(Broadway Records - new digital album on mp3/at iTunes)
Joanne Sydney Lessner (book and lyrics) and Joshua Rosenblum (music and lyrics). Cast includes Zal Owen as Einstein, Alexandra Silber, Brennan Caldwell, Talia Cosentino, Stacia Fernandez, Lisa Helmi Johanson, Michael McCoy, Tess Primack, and Vishal Vaidya. Music director is Milton Granger, and the orchestra includes Bruce Doctor, Kiku Enomoto, Jonathan Levine, Eleanor Norton, and Saadi Zain. Released 9/10/20.

She Is Risen Volume I
(Hedonist Records - new digital album on mp3/at iTunes)
Songs from Jesus Christ Superstar, by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Cynthia Erivo, Shoshana Bean, Morgan James, Debbie Gravitte, Bryonha Marie Parham, Ann Harada, Tamika Lawrence, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Bridget Everett, Eden Espinosa, Marva Hicks, youth choir from A Broader Way.


Books Now Available:

All the Sonnets of Shakespeare
(Cambridge Univ Press - Hardcover Book/Kindle Edition)
Paul Edmondson and Stanley Wells, editors. Assembles all of Shakespeare's sonnets in their probable order of composition. The introduction debunks long-established biographical myths about Shakespeare's sonnets and proposes new insights about how and why he wrote them. Explanatory notes and modern English paraphrases of every poem and dramatic extract illuminate the meaning of these witnesses to Shakespeare's inner life and professional expertise. 208 pages.

Broadway Musical Christmas Carols
(Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
By Scott Miller (New Line Theatre). 25 well-loved Christmas carols refashioned for the hard-core fan of Broadway musicals, in new vocal arrangements with all-new lyrics related to musical theatre – funny, serious, smartass, cynical, reverent, poignant songs that will make you laugh, that will make you think, that will remind you why you love musicals so much. 62 pages.

But He Doesn't Know the Territory: The Story behind Meredith Willson's The Music Man - "Broadway edition"
(Univ of Minnesota Press - Paperback Book)
New reprint of Meredith Willson's 1959 memoir. Reflections on the ups and downs, surprises and disappointments, and finally successes of making one of America's most popular musicals. New foreword by foreword by Michael Feinstein. 208 pages. [Appears to be shipping ahead of 9/22/20 release date.]

The Complete Book of 2010s Broadway Musicals
(Rowman & Littlefield - Hardcover Book/Kindle Edition)
New volume in Dan Dietz' series of books (which previously covered the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s). Includes detailed information about every musical that opened on Broadway from 2010 through the end of 2019. Discusses the decade's major successes, notorious failures, and musicals that closed during their pre-Broadway tryouts, and also highlights revivals and personal-appearance revues. Plot summaries; cast members; names of all important personnel, including writers, composers, directors, choreographers, producers, and musical directors; opening and closing dates; number of performances; critical commentary; musical numbers and the performers who introduced the songs; production data, including information about tryouts; source material; Tony awards and nominations; information about London and other foreign productions. 656 pages. Released 9/10/20.

God, Sex, and Musical Theatre: Meditations for Unlocking the Powerful Self
(birch bench press - Paperback Book)
By Broadway director Kristin Hanggi (Rock of Ages). Poetry, thoughts, and musings on communing with the unseen, expressions of love, and the nuances of desire. 148 pages. [Appears to be shipping ahead of 9/29/20 release date.]

Homeland Elegies: A Novel
(Little, Brown and Company - Hardcover Book/Paperback/Kindle Edition/Audible Audiobook/Audiobook on CD)
Novel by Ayad Akhtar (Disgraced). Audio versions narrated by the author. 368 pages.

Humana Festival 2019: The Complete Plays
(Limelight Editions - Kindle Edition)
All five scripts from the 43rd annual cycle of world premieres: Everybody Black by Dave Harris; The Thin Place by Lucas Hnath; The Corpse Washer, adapted for the stage by Ismail Khalidi and Naomi Wallace, from the novel of the same name by Sinan Antoon; How to Defend Yourself by Liliana Padilla; and We've Come to Believe, a collaboratively-written play by Kara Lee Corthron, Emily Feldman, and Matthew Paul Olmos. Paperback version released 5/15/20.

Paula Scher: Twenty-Five Years at the Public, A Love Story
(Princeton Architectural Press - Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
Illustrated book by graphic designer Paul Sher, who turned her first major project as a partner at Pentagram into a formative twenty-five-year relationship with the Public Theater in New York. Chronicles over two decades of brand and identity development and an evolving creative process in a unique "autobiography of graphic design."


Recordings RECENTLY MADE AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER:

1969: The Second Man
(DK Records - new album on mp3)
Concept album of score by Jacob Brandt (the musical played Next Door at NYTW in 2018). "Prologue," "Million Headed Witness," "Take Off," "Zero Gravity," "Moon Facts And Fictions," "Stuff Up Here," "When You Were Gone," "The Call," "Used Cadillacs," "Gonna Be First/Landing," "Communion," "It Should've Been Me," "Epilogue (Walking)." Brandt on vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, ukulele, synth; Paris Ellsworth on violin; Robin Buyer on bass; Seth Eliser on drums; Jonah Scott on lead electric guitar on "Zero Gravity" & "The Call;" and Mateus Falci on synth on "Moon Facts and Fictions." Produced by Jacob Brandt and Robin Buyer. Engineered and recorded by Robin Buyer at Virtue and Vice Studios and Pulse Music. Mixed by Robin Buyer and mastered by Ryan Schwabe, with additional engineering by Mateus Falci.

Genevieve: Songs From "Can-Can" and More
(Sepia Records - new on CD)
French singer who toured with Can-Can, Silk Stockings, Irma la Douce, and The Genevieve Show. Songs on CD for first time. "I Love Paris," "Hi Lili Hi Lo," "Pigalle," "Allez-Vous En," "Java," "Hearts of Paris," "C'est Magnifique," "Autumn Leaves," "Mademoiselle de Paris," "Let It Be Me," "I Like You Like That," "Domino," "Never Give Anything Away," "Live and Let Live," "Can-Can," "Coin de Rue," "Mon P'tit Voyou," "Un Coup de Printemps," "Un Jour Tu Verras," "On M'a Vole Tout Ca," "La Nuit Va Commencer," "L'ame Des Poetes," "Rien Ne Pourra Changer," "Complainte de La Butte," "Le Trottoir aux Chansons," "Chanson Pour L'auvergnat," "I'm Never Gonna Kiss You with Johnny Tillotson," "Cherie, Cherie." Also at SepiaRecords.com.

Like Blue & Like Young
(Sepia Records - new on CD)
Andre Previn & David Rose and his Orchestra. Twofer album remastered in stereo sound with the addition of David Rose's "One Love" and "Holiday in Strings" as bonus tracks, also in stereo. Also at SepiaRecords.com.


Books/Plays RECENTLY MADE AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER:

American Theatre Ensembles Volume 1: Post-1970: Theatre X, Mabou Mines, Goat Island, Lookingglass Theatre, Elevator Repair Service, and SITI Company
(Methuen Drama - Hardcover Book)
By Mike Vanden Heuvel. First volume in series, covering the years 1970-1995. Overview of ensemble-based creation within the general historical and cultural contexts of the period, followed by a detailed study of the evolution of ensemble-based work. Contributors examine matters such as influence, funding, production and legacies, as well as the forms of collective devising and creation, while presenting close readings of the companies' most prominent works. 264 pages. American Theatre Ensembles Volume 2: Post-1995 to be released 2/11/21.

American Theatre Ensembles Volume 2: Post-1995: Rude Mechs, The Builders Association, Pig Iron, Radiohole, The Civilians, and 600 Highwaymen
(Methuen Drama - Hardcover Book)

By Mike Vanden Heuvel. Second volume in series, covering the years 1996-2018. Overview of ensemble-based creation within the general historical and cultural contexts of the period, followed by a detailed study of the evolution of ensemble-based work. Contributors examine matters such as influence, funding, production and legacies, as well as the forms of collective devising and creation, while presenting close readings of the companies' most prominent works. Volume 1, American Theatre Ensembles: Post 1970, covering the years 1970-1995, released earlier. 288 pages.

The Best New Ten-Minute Plays, 2020
(Applause - Paperback Book/Kindle Edition)
By Lawrence Harbison. Part of Applause Acting Series. Thirty new ten-minute plays. 256 pages.

Dance Adventures: True Stories About Dancing Abroad
(Mtm Coaching and Consulting - new Hardcover Book/Paperback/Kindle Edition)
Megan Tayler Morrison, editor. Foreword by Tanja "La Alemana" Kensinger. Stories from renowned performers, dance educators, and other avid dance adventurers ... about epic dance adventures across North America, Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa highlight various dance traditions, as well as unique aspects of each country's geography, history, demographics and educational systems. 306 pages.

Drama Menu at a Distance: 80 Socially Distanced or Online Theatre Games
(Nick Hern Books - Paperback Book)
By Glyn Trefor-Jones. Exercises to energise, excite and inspire ... alongside some firm favourites, redesigned to be played within the necessary constraints. Kindle Edition released 9/10/20. 112 pages.

Lucy Prebble Plays 1: The Sugar Syndrome; Enron; The Effect; A Very Expensive Poison
(Methuen Drama - Paperback Book)
384 pages.

Peggy: The Life of Margaret Ramsay, Play Agent
(Salamander Street Ltd. - Kindle Edition)
Kindle edition of 1998 book about Peggy Ramsay, the influential British play agent (Joe Orton, Eugene Ionesco, John Mortimer, Robert Bolt, Christopher Hampton, Edward Bond, Caryl Churchill, Howard Brenton, David Hare, Willy Russell and Alan Ayckbourn). The author was granted complete freedom of access to all the records and correspondence accumulated over the forty years of her agency's existence, including hundreds of impassioned letters between Peggy and her authors. Released in 1997 and 1998 in hardcover and paperback.

Sweet Mystery: The Musical Works of Rida Johnson Young
(Oxford Univ Press - Hardcover Book)
By Ellen M. Peck. Part of Broadway Legacies series. Study of the musical theater works of Rida Johnson Young (ca. 1869-1926), one of the most prolific female playwrights of her time, as well as a lyricist and librettist in the musical theater. She wrote more than thirty full-length plays, operettas, and musical comedies, 500 songs, and four novels, including Naughty Marietta, Lady Luxury, The Red Petticoat, and When Love is Young. 192 pages. Using archival materials such as original typescripts, correspondence, and reviews, the book contextualizes her work in the early twentieth century professional theater and provides a window into the standard practices of writing and production of the era. Illustrated. 192 pages.

Three Sisters
(Nick Hern Books - Paperback Book)
Cordelia Lynn's version, from a literal translation by Helen Rappaport, first performed at the Almeida Theatre, London, in April 2019, in a production directed by Rebecca Frecknall. Kindle Edition released earlier. 96 pages.


OTHER NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Added to October 2:

Jaime Lozano & The Familia: Songs By an Immigrant
(Broadway Records - new on mp3)
Collaboration of musical theatre, jazz, Mexican folklore, Tex-Mex, and Latin musicians and performers, with songs and stories about the immigrant experience. Liner notes by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Secondhand Lions
(Broadway Records - new digital album)
World premiere recording of new score by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner (First Date). Book by Rupert Holmes. The musical premiered at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre. Cast includes Gregg Edelman, James Naughton, Jason Danieley, Kevin Earley, Jenny Powers, and more. Also features a song cut from the show, performed by Stephanie J. Block. Album produced by Zachary and Weiner, Michael Croiter and Dominick Amendum.





Compiled by Talkin' Broadway Staff.

Corrections and questions may be directed to SoundAdvice@talkinbroadway.com