I am so excited - Tuesday, February 3, 2009 is the official drop date for the "all-star complete recording of Rodgers and Hammerstein's short-lived 1947 Broadway musical, Allegro, featuring Audra McDonald, Nathan Gunn and Patrick Wilson."
Nathan Gunn and Audra McDonald at the Allegro recording
photo by Carol Rosegg
To quote a Playbill story published on 12/8/2008, "Allegro tells the story of an earnest country doctor, Joseph Taylor, following his life from cradle to adulthood, and his journey — both literal and moral — from small town to big city, and back again. The score is unconventional: fragments of song move in and out of the action like passing thoughts; melodies flit by in one scene only to take hold and blossom in the next. Major songs are given to minor characters, while the central character has comparatively little solo work. A chorus provides spoken commentary and sings aloud inner thoughts. Original director/choreographer Agnes de Mille's extended ballet sequences are reflected in intriguing orchestral pieces.
The new recording of Allegro features Patrick Wilson (The Full Monty, Oklahoma!) as Joe Taylor, Jr.; Nathan Gunn (Camelot) and Audra McDonald (Ragtime, Carousel, Master Class) as Joe's parents; Marni Nixon (My Fair Lady, Nine) as Joe's Grandma; Judy Kuhn (Les Misérables, She Loves Me, Chess) as Beulah; Liz Callaway (Baby, Cats, Miss Saigon) as Emily; Laura Benanti (Gypsy, Into the Woods, Nine) as Jennie; and Norbert Leo Butz (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Wicked, Is He Dead?) as Joe's best friend, Charlie."
I cannot wait to hear this! It's like finding a hidden treasure - a score that I have never heard, but that was written between Carousel and South Pacific smack dab in R & H's heyday. It's available at Amazon - Allegro CD. Here's hoping it's as wonderful as I think it will be.
No comments:
Post a Comment