My top pick is:

MUSICALS:  DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES – Original Cast Recording – Nonesuch Records

In 2005 I first saw the Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas musical The Light in the Piazza. Guettel’s music and lyrics for this show are, I believe, the most romantic since West Side Story.

Romance takes a darker turn in their new musical which is based on the same 1958 television movie that inspired the 1962 film starring Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick.

This musical finds Kelli O’Hara in the Remick role and Brian d’Arcy James in the Lemmon role as two people who fall not just in love, but into a downward spiral courtesy of the copious amounts of alcohol they consume.

I haven’t seen this musical, but one listen to this album makes me want to book a ticket to New York to see it on Broadway (it opens in late January at Studio 54). Just to hear new music from Guettel is reason enough to see any show and more than reason enough to make this recording my Top Pick.

Here are my other choices for New In Music This Week: December 15^th

CLASSICAL:  MENDELSSOHN: LIEDER OHNE WORTE – Igor Levit – Sony Classical

Pianist Levit offers up selections from Mendelssohn’s 8 book Songs Without Words in this solo recording. Levit was inspired to record these pieces (along with Charles-Valentin Alkan’s Prélude Op. 31: no 8 “La chanson de la folle au bord de la mer”) as a response to the October 7^th attacks in Israel.

The choices he made reflect his realization that the best way to raise his voice was through his musicianship. The recording, which is beautiful, is to raise money for two organizations battling Anti-Semitism.

As he says in the press release announcing this release, “It is my artistic reaction, as a person, as a musician, as a Jew, to what I have felt in the last few weeks and months. Or to put it more precisely, it is one of many reactions that came to mind.”

CLASSICAL:  SINTA QUARTET PLAYS BEETHOVEN – Sinta Quartet – Bright Shiny Things

If you like your Beethoven in the non-traditional style, this album is for you. Actually, this album is for anyone who enjoys Beethoven at all.

Sinta Quartet is a saxophone quartet. They perform three of Beethoven’s string quartets on this imaginative and ear-opening recording:  String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 95; String Quartet No. 15 in A Minor, Op. 132and String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131.

Their performances give a richness and depth that is uniquely satisfying by virtue of this being all woodwind instruments instead of string instruments.

Give it a try. I’d bet money you’ll be impressed!

JAZZ:  OWL SONG – Ambrose Akinmusire – Nonesuch Records

The title of trumpeter/composer Akinmusire’s album indicates that this is going to be a quiet record. After all, owls don’t make loud noises. I bet, however, they wish they made music as beautiful as this album.

Akinmusire is joined by guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Herlin Riley on this album which is rightly finding its place on many Best of 2023 albums. The 8 tracks totaling 42 minutes make up an album that is exactly what we need at the end of a chaotic year. Owl Song is the music we need most right now that gives us time and space to do the things we need most: think, feel, relax.

JAZZ:  A WORLD OF PIANO! – Phineas Newborn, Jr. – Craft Recordings

This album was recorded in late 1961 and released in 1962. It is a masterclass in jazz piano of the era. Newborn isn’t as well-known as some of his contemporaries, but he should be and this album makes the case for it.

There are eight tracks on the album including Charlie Parker’s Cheryl; Billy Strayhorn’s Lush Life; Clifford Brown’s Daahoud and Sonny Rollins’ Oleo.

Newborn is joined by Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums for the first four tracks. The last four tracks find him playing with Louis Hayes on drums and Sam jones on bass.

This is a 180-gram vinyl release and hi-res digital.

MUSICALS:  DIARY OF A WIMPY KID THE MUSICAL – Cast Album – Ghostlight Records

For a musical that hasn’t been widely seen (it premiered in 2016 at The Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis), this show has some high-profile fans participating in this recording.  They include Norbert Leo Butz, Kevin Del Aguila, Sutton Foster and Jessie Mueller.

The musical has a book by Del Aguila and music and lyrics by Michael Mahler and Alan Schmuckler. The musical is, of course, based on Jeff Kinney’s books.

I enjoyed this album and look forward to the time when we all might get a chance to see it performed.

MUSICALS:  GODSPELL EL MUSICAL – Spanish Cast Recording – Concord Theatricals Recordings

I’ve always found it fascinating to hear musicals in other languages. One of my favorites is the Spanish-language version of A Chorus Line which was directed by Antonio Banderas.  This recording is also affiliated with Banders who produced the 2022 show in Malaga, Spain.

Godspell was composed by Stephen Schwartz who also wrote the lyrics. The book was written by John-Michael Tebelak. Roser Batalla did the Spanish lyric and book translations.

Godspell opened on Broadway in June, 1976 and ran for 527 performances. This Spanish production ran from November 3, 2022 to January 8, 2023.

This recording is only available digitally in al territories. CDs are available in Spain only right now. Those wanting a CD can pre-order it. 

That’s all for New In Music This Week: December 15^th.

Enjoy your weekend.

Enjoy the music.

Happy Holidays!

Main Photo: Art from the album cover of Days of Wine and Roses (Courtesy Nonesuch Records)

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One year later Time Stands Stills opened at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Friedman Theatre. Later that same year it moved to Broadway where the play received two tony Award nominations including one for Best Play. The production starred Eric Bogosian, Brian d’Arcy James, Laura Linney (the other Tony nominee) and Alicia Silverstone. Daniel Sullivan directed.

The Broadway cast is reuniting for this week’s edition of Spotlight on Plays from Broadway’s Best Shows under Sullivan’s direction. The reading begins streaming December 3rd and will remain available through December 7th.

The play depicts the relationship between a couple who are both journalists: James (d’Arcy James) is a reporter and Sarah (Linney) a photographer. Not long after James left Sarah back in war-torn Iraq, she is badly injured in an attack. Back home in New York they try to re-acclimate themselves into domestic life while recovering not just from the physical cost of war, but the psychological one as well.

That recovery gets complicated when Sarah’s mentor and former editor Richard (Bogosian) re-enters her life with his hot new girlfriend, Mandy (Silverstone). How dissimilar are James and Sarah’s lives post-war than those of her mentor and his girlfriend? Will that alter their perceptions of life upon their return just as they struggle to overcome their recent experiences.

Charles Isherwood, in his New York Times review of the play, summed up the challenges the characters face in Time Stands Still.

“Sarah and James have spent much of their lives bearing witness to horrific violence, but Mr. Margulies’s quietly powerful drama illustrates just how much pain and trauma are involved in the everyday business of two people creating a life together, one that accommodates the mistakes of the past, the reality of the present and the changes that the future may bring.”

Tickets to watch this reading are $5 and are available through Today Tix. The premiere is at 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST on December 3rd and allows for repeated viewing through December 7th. A portion of the proceeds will go to The Actors Fund.

Photo: Playwright Donald Margulies (Courtesy Geffen Playhouse)

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New York’s Public Theater has given birth to some of theater’s finest accomplishments. From the Pulitzer Prize-winning That Championship Season to Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls to Caroline, Or Change and a couple musicals you might have heard of: A Chorus Line and Hamilton. They will be celebrating their history and looking passionately towards the future on Monday, June 1st with their online gala event We Are One Public.

No pun intended, but the public is invited to join The Public for this event. We Are One Public begins at 8 PM EDT/5 PM PDT on their website. Hosting is Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon directs and the music director is another Tony Award-winner, Ted Sperling.

If you want to see a list that defines an embarrassment of riches, the participants for Monday’s fundraiser will serve as just that:

Todd Almond, Antonio Banderas, Laura Benanti, Kim Blanck, Ally Bonino, Danielle Brooks, Troy Anthony Burton, Michael Cerveris,  Glenn Close, Jenn Colella, Elvis Costello, Daniel Craig, Claire Danes, Carla Duren, Danaya Esperanza, Jane Fonda, Nanya-Akuki Goodrich, Holly Gould, Danai Gurira, Anne Hathaway, Stephanie Hsu, David Henry Hwang, Oscar Isaac, Brian d’Arcy James, Nikki M. James, Alicia Keys, John Leguizamo, John Lithgow, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Audra McDonald, Grace McLean, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Margaret Odette, Kelli O’Hara, Sandra Oh, Mia Pak, Suzan-Lori Parks, David Hyde Pierce, Phylicia Rashad, Jay O. Sanders, Liev Schreiber, Deandre Sevon, Martin Sheen, Phillipa Soo, Meryl Streep, Trudie Styler & Sting, Will Swenson, Shaina Taub, Kuhoo Verma, Ada Westfall, Kate Wetherhead and more.

During We Are One Public, there will be two special honors awarded. The first is to benefactors Audrey & Zygi Wilf whose philanthropy has greatly benefited The Public Theatre. The second is to actor Sam Waterston.

The actor, who will be the artistic honoree, has appeared in over a dozen productions at The Public Theater. His work there began in 1963 and usually finds him performing the works of William Shakespeare – most often during The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park season. His most recent appearance was as Prospero in the 2015 production of The Tempest.

Obviously donations are encouraged before, during and after this event. There is also an on-line auction that is already open for bidding. Amongst the items available are a virtual conversation with Queen Latifah and director Lee Daniels; a decade of premium Shakespeare in the Park seats; a signed sketch of the set of Hamilton by David Korins and a Zoom chat with ballet dancers Ethan Stiefel and Gillian Murphy. There are many more items available.

We Are One Public is scheduled to run 90 minutes. There is a virtual dance party immediately following the event.

Photo from Cymbeline courtesy of the New York Public Library.

Photo of The Public Theatre Courtesy of The Public Theater

Update: This post has been updated to include the postponement of the event.

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The cast of Smash will reunite on Wednesday, May 20th for Bombshell in Concert. They will participate in conversations and interviews before, during and after the 2015 event at the Minskoff Theatre is screened for the first time.

The cast members participating in Bombshell in Concert are: Christian Borle (Tom Levitt), Jaime Cepero (Ellis Boyd), Will Chase (Michael Swift), Brian d’Arcy James (Frank Houston), Jack Davenport (Derek Wills), Ann Harada (Linda), Megan Hilty (Ivy Lynn), Raza Jaffrey (Dev Sundaram), Jeremy Jordan (Jimmy Collins), Katharine McPhee (Karen Cartwright), Andy Mientus (Kyle Bishop), Debra Messing (Julia Houston), Leslie Odom, Jr. (Sam Strickland), Krysta Rodriguez (Ana Vargas) and Wesley Taylor (Bobby).

When I interviewed Hilty in 2015, she was effusive in her praise of the songs in Smash.

“I would love to sing Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman songs for the rest of my life. That’s what I do in my shows. I’m so glad it will have a life after Smash. What that would be, I’d have to be a part of it.”

Introducing this concert is this year’s Oscar winner for Best Actress, Renée Zellweger. Julia Klausner of Difficult People will host a reunion during intermission with the cast members.

The 2015 concert was a fundraiser for The Actors Fund as is this one-night only event. You can catch Bombshell in Concert on People.com, PeopleTV and on People’s Facebook Page and Twitter Feed. The program stars at 8 PM EDT/5 PM PDT.

The Actors Fund, as you may already know, has set up a Covid-19 fund. So far they have distributed in excess of $10 million to over 8500 people. This already represents five times the amount they normally provide in a year.

Keep in mind that Broadway shows usually offer Actors Fund performances during their runs. With Broadway closed for the foreseeable future, events like Bombshell in Concert become that much more important.

It doesn’t cost anything to watch the event on Wednesday. Of course, donations are encouraged and more importantly, appreciated.

Update: This post originally indicated this was a live-streaming “new” concert. Rather, it is the 2015 Actors Fund Benefit concert with new interviews, introductions and conversations added to it. We regret the error.

Artwork courtesy of The Actors Fund.

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