Theater Update: Broadway cast albums

Monica Bellucci as Callas and Eugene O'Neill onscreen

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story January 25, 2023 Dear Theater Fans, Judging from the comments on Jesse Green's recent piece on Broadway cast albums, Times readers have very strong opinions about what constitutes a good cast album. "Jukebox musicals are an insult to the originality and creativeness of true Broadway musicals," wrote one reader. (Jesse, our chief theater critic, has some thoughts on this.) Here's another, who spoke of "Girl From the North Country": "The interpretations of the Dylan songs did a subtle weave through the story. I'm still returning to the soundtrack every few days." Most of the 15 musicals that opened on Broadway last year — including "Funny Girl," "MJ" and "Kimberly Akimbo" — made cast albums that are available for streaming. Among the 10 that he reviewed for his piece, Jesse wrote, "some improve on the shows they preserve merely by jettisoning most or mercifully all of the book. In other cases, you can actually hear what the authors had in mind, which you can't always do amid overexcitable stagings." At my home right now, the cast albums for "& Juliet" and "A Strange Loop" have been in regular rotation (as well as "Hamilton," "Six" and "Into the Woods"). When you need a musical theater fix, where do you go to get it (TikTok? YouTube? Spotify?) and what cast albums — new or old — do you keep finding yourself coming back to? Please reach out to me at theaterfeedback@nytimes.com with your responses, and I'll share some of them here next week. (Make sure to include your name and where you're writing from.) Until then, take a moment to listen to the infectious title song from "Some Like It Hot." It's pure joy! Update: Last week I wrote about Stephen Adly Guirgis's "Between Riverside and Crazy" and the show's livestream option, which will be available from Jan. 31 to Feb. 12. I inadvertently failed to include a direct link to the site. So, here it is and here's more information about the simulcast. But if you prefer to see it in person, you just got a bit more time: The play has been extended and will now run through Feb. 19. Another Broadway extension worth noting: "The Collaboration," the Warhol-Basquiat play, has added another week of performances, and will now close Feb. 11. Have a wonderful week, Nicole Herrington Theater Editor (@nikkih04) Jenny Anderson CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK How Do You Measure a Season on Broadway? In Cast Albums. From "A Strange Loop" to "Funny Girl," most Broadway musicals of 2022 were recorded, offering listeners a chance to love or hate them again. By Jesse Green Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Like this email? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up here. NEWS AND FEATURES Sara Krulwich/The New York Times 'Room' Will Be Staged on Broadway, Starring Adrienne Warren Emma Donoghue adapted the show from her best-selling 2010 novel; she also wrote the screenplay for the 2015 film. By Michael Paulson Celeste Sloman for The New York Times Monica Bellucci Tries on the Dress, and Life, of Maria Callas The film star embodies one of opera's greatest divas in the solo show "Maria Callas: Letters & Memoirs," coming to the Beacon Theater. By Elisabeth Vincentelli Patrick Redmond Filming Eugene O'Neill When the Elements (and Investors) Don't Cooperate Starring Jessica Lange and Ed Harris, Jonathan Kent's adaptation of "Long Day's Journey Into Night" started production, only to lose key financing. By Roslyn Sulcas FROM OUR CRITICS Michael Kushner Photography CRITIC'S PICK 'The Appointment' Review: A Chorus Line at the Abortion Clinic After its original New York outing in 2019, the trippy musical returns in the post-Roe era with an updated script and sharpened fangs. By Laura Collins-Hughes Richard Termine CRITIC'S PICK 'The Immortal Jellyfish Girl' Review: A 26th-Century Love Story Featuring a lobster telephone and a robot boy with wings, this puppet romance set in a future post-ecological collapse succeeds on its own weird terms. By Elisabeth Vincentelli Sara Krulwich/The New York Times 'Small Talk' Review: The Art of Meaningless Banter In his brisk, low-maintenance Off Broadway show, the workhorse comic Colin Quinn extols the virtues of idle chitchat. By Jason Zinoman John Cafaro 'Sugar Daddy' Review: The Grief Comes Out in Laughs In his show about mourning his boyfriend, the comedian Sam Morrison confronts overwhelming loss with punch lines and panache. By Naveen Kumar Whitney Browne Review: In 'Field of Mars,' a March Toward Oblivion Presented by Richard Maxwell's New York City Players as part of this year's Under the Radar Festival, the two-act play tries to measure humanity's progress. By Juan A. Ramírez Carol Rosegg Review: 'Not About Me' Remembers Decades Shrouded by AIDS Eduardo Machado's autofictional play follows the playwright's alter ego as he navigates gay life in the 1980s and '90s. By Elisabeth Vincentelli Christophe Raynaud de Lage Review: A Far-From-Revolutionary 'Danton's Death' A passé take on Georg Büchner's 1835 play about the French Revolution leans into the worst instincts of the Comédie-Française, our critic writes. By Laura Cappelle Thomas Aurin Review: 'Drama' Contains Many Things. But Drama Isn't One. The choreographer Constanza Macras's new work at the Volksbühne is a chaotic revue featuring dance, slapstick, spoken dialogue, pop music and heavy-handed monologues. By A.J. Goldmann Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Theater Update from The New York Times. To stop receiving Theater Update, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018