For almost every Broadway musical, a cast recording is made featuring the original cast. What can be so great about an original cast recording is that it can preserve the vocal performances by the cast who did the show(s) originally. Especially for new musicals, they can also preserve the scores for future generations to discover.
Time Out New York recently did an article on their favorite Original Broadway Cast Recordings of the 21st Century...
https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/best-original-broadway-cast-recordings-of-the-21st-century
This inspired me to give you all my list of some of my all time favorite Original Broadway Cast Recordings. Like Time Out New York’s list, I won’t be counting revivals (though I might just do a separate list on that someday). Though unlike Time Out New York, I’ll only be listing 5-10 (I'll do some updating later) instead of 25.
Let me tell you that this was hard. I’ve got so many Original Cast Recordings on my iPhone, that I knew I had to narrow them down to a list of recordings by original Broadway casts that I feel most glad to own.
And they are...
1776
As playwright Peter Stone would put it “When writing a musical, you only have 55 minutes to tell the story because the rest is all singing and dancing.” However, the 40 minutes of singing there is in 1776 still elevates the story very well. Not only did Sherman Edwards write a score that’s quick to listen to on the Original Broadway Cast recording, but also provided lots of historical context into his lyrics.
Favorite Tracks: ‘Piddle, Twiddle, & Resolve’, ‘But, Mr. Adams’, ‘He Plays the Violin’, ‘Momma Look Sharp’, ‘Is Anybody There?’
An American in Paris
As the old saying goes “Everything old is new again!” That couldn’t be more true for An American in Paris. The lush Tony-Winning orchestrations by Christopher Austin, Don Sebesky, & Bill Elliott bring new life into the songs of George & Ira Gershwin.
Favorite Tracks: ‘I Got Rhythm’, ‘’S Wonderful’, ‘Fidgety Feet’, ‘I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise’, ‘They Can’t Take That Away From Me’
A Chorus Line
Favorite Tracks: ‘I Hope I Get It’, ‘At the Ballet’, ‘The Music and the Mirror’, ‘What I Did For Love’, ‘One (Reprise)’
Hamilton
The first of several musicals you’ll find on this list that just so happen to be mostly (if not, completely) sung-through with almost no lines of spoken dialogue. What I find great about cast recordings of those kind of shows is that it almost feels like I’m hearing the entire show play in my ears. And the Grammy Award-Winning cast recording of Hamilton is no exception. It perfectly captures the brilliance of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s genius score that infuses American history with Hip-Hop.
Favorite Tracks: ‘Alexander Hamilton’, ‘The Story of Tonight’, ‘The Schuyler Sisters’, ‘Burn’, ‘Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story’
Jersey Boys
Favorite Tracks: ‘Cry for Me’, ‘December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)’ ‘My Eyes Adored You’, ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’, ‘Who Loves You’
The Lion King
Favorite Tracks: ‘Circle of Life’, ‘Shadowland’, ‘Endless Night’, ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’, ‘He Lives in You (Reprise)’
Next to Normal
Favorite Tracks: ‘I Miss the Mountains’, ‘Superboy and the Invisible Girl’, ‘Better Than Before’, ‘Maybe (Next to Normal)’, ‘Light’
Ragtime
This Original Broadway Cast Recording perfectly preserves what is in my opinion one of the best scores ever written for a musical. Also getting to hear some of the dialogue by book writer Terrence McNally shows how well-crafted Ragtime is as a musical where the book, music, and lyrics all function as one single unit.
Favorite Tracks: ‘Prologue: Ragtime’, ‘New Music’, ‘Till We Reach That Day’, ‘Back to Before’, ‘Epilogue’
Rent
Favorite Tracks: ‘One Song Glory’, ‘Out Tonight’, ‘I’ll Cover You (Reprise)’, ‘What You Own’, ‘Finale B’
Sweeney Todd
In my opinion, the Original Broadway Cast Recording of what is my all time favorite Stephen Sondheim musical makes for the ultimate listening experience. Sondheim truly knew how to build up tension in his music, and his lyrics showed why he is the Shakespeare of musical theatre.
Favorite Tracks: ‘The Ballad of Sweeney Todd’, ‘My Friends’, ‘God, That’s Good!’, ‘Not While I’m Around’, ‘Final Sequence’
So what are some of your favorite Original Broadway Cast Recordings of all time?
Time Out New York recently did an article on their favorite Original Broadway Cast Recordings of the 21st Century...
https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/best-original-broadway-cast-recordings-of-the-21st-century
This inspired me to give you all my list of some of my all time favorite Original Broadway Cast Recordings. Like Time Out New York’s list, I won’t be counting revivals (though I might just do a separate list on that someday). Though unlike Time Out New York, I’ll only be listing 5-10 (I'll do some updating later) instead of 25.
Let me tell you that this was hard. I’ve got so many Original Cast Recordings on my iPhone, that I knew I had to narrow them down to a list of recordings by original Broadway casts that I feel most glad to own.
And they are...
1776
As playwright Peter Stone would put it “When writing a musical, you only have 55 minutes to tell the story because the rest is all singing and dancing.” However, the 40 minutes of singing there is in 1776 still elevates the story very well. Not only did Sherman Edwards write a score that’s quick to listen to on the Original Broadway Cast recording, but also provided lots of historical context into his lyrics.
Favorite Tracks: ‘Piddle, Twiddle, & Resolve’, ‘But, Mr. Adams’, ‘He Plays the Violin’, ‘Momma Look Sharp’, ‘Is Anybody There?’
An American in Paris
As the old saying goes “Everything old is new again!” That couldn’t be more true for An American in Paris. The lush Tony-Winning orchestrations by Christopher Austin, Don Sebesky, & Bill Elliott bring new life into the songs of George & Ira Gershwin.
Favorite Tracks: ‘I Got Rhythm’, ‘’S Wonderful’, ‘Fidgety Feet’, ‘I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise’, ‘They Can’t Take That Away From Me’
A Chorus Line
Favorite Tracks: ‘I Hope I Get It’, ‘At the Ballet’, ‘The Music and the Mirror’, ‘What I Did For Love’, ‘One (Reprise)’
Hamilton
The first of several musicals you’ll find on this list that just so happen to be mostly (if not, completely) sung-through with almost no lines of spoken dialogue. What I find great about cast recordings of those kind of shows is that it almost feels like I’m hearing the entire show play in my ears. And the Grammy Award-Winning cast recording of Hamilton is no exception. It perfectly captures the brilliance of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s genius score that infuses American history with Hip-Hop.
Favorite Tracks: ‘Alexander Hamilton’, ‘The Story of Tonight’, ‘The Schuyler Sisters’, ‘Burn’, ‘Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story’
Jersey Boys
Favorite Tracks: ‘Cry for Me’, ‘December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)’ ‘My Eyes Adored You’, ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’, ‘Who Loves You’
The Lion King
Favorite Tracks: ‘Circle of Life’, ‘Shadowland’, ‘Endless Night’, ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’, ‘He Lives in You (Reprise)’
Next to Normal
Favorite Tracks: ‘I Miss the Mountains’, ‘Superboy and the Invisible Girl’, ‘Better Than Before’, ‘Maybe (Next to Normal)’, ‘Light’
Ragtime
This Original Broadway Cast Recording perfectly preserves what is in my opinion one of the best scores ever written for a musical. Also getting to hear some of the dialogue by book writer Terrence McNally shows how well-crafted Ragtime is as a musical where the book, music, and lyrics all function as one single unit.
Favorite Tracks: ‘Prologue: Ragtime’, ‘New Music’, ‘Till We Reach That Day’, ‘Back to Before’, ‘Epilogue’
Rent
Favorite Tracks: ‘One Song Glory’, ‘Out Tonight’, ‘I’ll Cover You (Reprise)’, ‘What You Own’, ‘Finale B’
Sweeney Todd
In my opinion, the Original Broadway Cast Recording of what is my all time favorite Stephen Sondheim musical makes for the ultimate listening experience. Sondheim truly knew how to build up tension in his music, and his lyrics showed why he is the Shakespeare of musical theatre.
Favorite Tracks: ‘The Ballad of Sweeney Todd’, ‘My Friends’, ‘God, That’s Good!’, ‘Not While I’m Around’, ‘Final Sequence’
So what are some of your favorite Original Broadway Cast Recordings of all time?