BWW CD Reviews: Stage Door Records' TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES (Original Cast Recording) is Atmospheric and Moody

Novels have long served as an inspiration for musicals. Some are huge successes, think THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and LES MISERABLES, but others never really get off the ground for whatever reason. Stephen Edwards' TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES, a musical adaption of Thomas Hardy's 1891 novel, is one such musical that never found its proper footing. Prior to opening on the West End, the UK tour was met with positive reviews, but poor critical reception at London's Savoy Theatre saw the musical shutter faster than anyone anticipated. Yet, TESS still has life thanks to TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES (Original Cast Recording).

Stage Door Records has released a mash-up of the six-song pre-West End EP featuring the Original London Cast and highlights from the unreleased 1998 Studio Cast recording. The two recordings complement each other well, giving listeners a way to experience (or even re-experience) this failed musical. In listening to the work as presented on the desk, I am taken by the richly atmospheric ambience of Stephen Edwards' moody score. The melodic intonations, especially on pieces like "Sorrow," are just as haunting and evocative as those found on recordings like Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman's THE SECRET GARDEN or Paul Gordon and John Caird's JANE EYRE.

Many London critics nit-picked the lyrics crafted by Justin Fleming and Stephen Edwards for being too simplistic, often noting their unsophisticated rhyme schemes. While, I don't discredit those critiques, I also don't find the lyrics to be so ridiculously tiresome and banal that they profoundly hurt the integrity of the musical. In fact, the novel, which is rife with heavy themes that criticize the sexual double standards of Victorian England and examines industrialization's destruction of the peasantry, is not known for using sophisticated and elevated language itself. Instead, it is a novel full of sensational plot devices and vivid imagery, which is evoked by the both the music and lyrics presented on this album.

Yet, it is important to note that none of the tracks stand out as particularly memorable in my first handful of times listening to this album. I don't dislike what I hear on the recording, but I'm not magnetically drawn to the material either. I imagine some years down the road, a brave theatrical company will purchase the rights to TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES. If chance shall allow, I'll be a patron for the production. Until then, songs like "Birds of the North Star" and "River of Regret" will dance in my head from time to time much like "Sirens" and "Farewell Good Angel" from JANE EYRE once did. Then, after seeing TESS on stage, I'll find this album much more satisfying and that will perfectly mirror my experiences with JANE EYRE.

Stage Door Records released TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES (Original Cast Recording) on September 29, 2014. It can be purchased from Stage Door Records' online store, Footlight Records' online store, and Amazon UK. It can be pre-ordered from Amazon US, and is expected to be available there on October 7, 2014.

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