My Musical Theater Voyage of Discovery; The Letter I

IN THE HEIGHTS. Ok. Um. It won the Tony. I haven’t seen it. Josh gave me this cd and told me it was great. I put it in my Ipod and never played it. For me, the test of a good cast album is: do I NOT hit the skip button at any time and does the progression of songs tell me the story, even if I don’t know it. I hit play on In The Heights and three minutes into the first track I was shakin my hips and boppin my head. Second track, smiling. Third track, dancing. By the time I got to the final track, I was crying. I would say this is a top of the line cast album and everyone who loves musical theater should buy it.

[ For the Record: IT’S A BIRD IT’S A PLANE IT’S SUPERMAN! is a fun show and one I like but don’t listen to from start to finish, so I cut it down to fit my likes. IRMA LA DOUCE: ditto. IF LOVE WERE ALL is a show Pat and I saw, loved, bought the cd to, play, sing along, dance along, and play again two days later. That sort of says it all I REMEMBER MAMA is lovely, if a bit boring – but it’s Sally Ann Howes on the recording and I love her – and true love lasts forever. I HAD A BALL had some songs that had to be cut…big group numbers that hurt my ears. Never, at any time, would I cut a Richard Kiley song or anything sung by the great Karen Morrow.]