From the moment the original London production of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart, and Richard Stilgoe’s Phantom of the Opera opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre on October 9, 1986, it was clear that the sweepingly romantic musical was a juggernaut. Directed by Harold Prince, the production combined innovative stagecraft with proudly old-fashioned musical melodrama, and forty years on, it’s still packing houses at Her – now His! – Majesty’s Theatre. The original cast recording featuring Michael Crawford as the Phantom, Sarah Brightman as Christine Daaé, and Steve Barton as Raoul, along with…
Release Round-Up: Week of January 23
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. The Power Station, The Power Station DLX (Parlophone/Rhino) 4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Rhino is expanding the self-titled debut from The Power Station into a 4CD box set. The Power Station DLX includes the remastered album (featuring the hits “Some Like It Hot” and a cover of T. Rex’s “Get It On (Bang a Gong)”) alongside three discs of bonus material, including unreleased “raw instrumental” versions,…
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Music of the Night: Andrew Lloyd Webber Celebrates His 70th Birthday with a New Box Set
Since September 25, 1979, there hasn’t been a day when an Andrew Lloyd Webber melody hasn’t been heard on Broadway. That was the opening night of Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Evita. Before it ended its run in June 1983, Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats had opened, launching a record-breaking run through September 2000. But on January 26, 1988, the show opened which would eclipse them all: Phantom of the Opera. It today celebrates 30 years (marked with a special gala earlier this week) and is comfortably the longest-running show in Broadway history,…
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And All That Jazz: Liza Minnelli, Petula Clark, Michael Crawford Featured On “Elaine Paige Presents The Musicals”
Elaine Paige is lending her name to a new 3-CD collection of musical theatre favorites. Elaine Paige Presents The Musicals is due on November 25 from Union Square Music, with 58 tracks and over three hours of music. Elaine Paige Presents the Musicals is licensed from various labels, making for a cross-section of recordings. You’ll find familiar names from the worlds of theatre, movies and pop, including Michael Ball (“Love Changes Everything” from Aspects of Love, “Falling Slowly” from Once, “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” from Les Miserables, “Let It Be Me”…
