The 2013 GRAMMY Nominees for Best Musical Theater Album Are...

[bjh2114]

No surprises!

Follies
Danny Burstein, Jan Maxwell, Elaine Paige, Bernadette Peters & Ron Raines,
principal soloists; Philip Chaffin & Tommy Krasker, producers (Stephen Sondheim, composer/lyricist) (New Broadway Cast With Danny Burstein, Jan Maxwell, Elaine Paige, Bernadette Peters, Ron Raines & Others)
[PS Classics]

The Gershwins' Porgy And Bess
David Alan Grier, Norm Lewis & Audra McDonald, principal soloists; Tommy
Krasker, producer (George Gershwin, composer; Ira Gershwin, Dorothy Heyward & DuBose Heyward, lyricists) (New Broadway Cast With Audra McDonald, Norm Lewis, David Alan Grier & Others)
[PS Classics]

Newsies
Jeremy Jordan & Kara Lindsay, principal soloists; Frank Filipetti, Michael
Kosarin, Alan Menken & Chris Montan, producers (Alan Menken, composer; Jack Feldman, lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast With Jeremy Jordan, Kara Lindsay & Others)
[Ghostlight Records/ Razor & Tie]

Nice Work If You Can Get It
Matthew Broderick & Kelli O'Hara, principal soloists; David Chase, Bill Elliott
& Robert Sher, producers (George Gershwin, composer; Ira Gershwin, lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast With Matthew Broderick, Kelli O'Hara & Others)
[Shout! Factory]

Once: A New Musical
Steve Kazee & Cristin Milioti, principal soloists; Steven Epstein & Martin Lowe,
producers (Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova, composers/lyricists) (Original Broadway Cast With Steve Kazee, Cristin Milioti & Others)
[Masterworks]


Also, as a side note, "Let Me Be Your Star" was nominated for Best Song Written for Visual Media. It's got some pretty serious competition though.

[jdrye222]

I know it's always a tiny pool, but, I'm really glad PORGY AND BESS was included... That album sounds pretty astonishing, given the size of the cast and orchestra.... Parts of it, in my opinion, rival the Houston Grand Opera recording (I'm not speaking about the orchestrations, but about the overall feeling and musicianship that can be heard).

On the other side of it, I can't believe NEWSIES was nominated. ugh. Boring album start to finish, and it sounds really tinny.

[jacobsnchz14]

Were the cas albums for BONNIE & CLYDE and MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG eligible for this year?

[PianoMann]

Follies and Porgy and Bess would both be deserving winners; PS Classics did a phenomenal job with both recordings! Very happy they're getting due recognition.

[CurtainPullDowner]

I'm pretty sure B&C was eligible (I knew some fanatics would bring that up, no offense) not sure if MERRILY made the time cut.

The 5 choices made are appropriate with NEWSIES being the bottom of the group.

Doesn't the TONY winner usually take this?
Unless there's a famous rocker's score that season?

[Paul W. Thompson]

Statistically, the reigning Best Musical Tony winner wins this Grammy Award almost exactly half the time.

If you look at the Grammy winners that were not the Tony champ for Best Musical, the Tony category that correlates the closest with those shows is Best Actress (WICKED is but one example).

[TheGirlUpstairs]

Does that 50% number include Best Revival recordings?

[Paul W. Thompson]

No, it doesn't. If you think that there are a lot of revivals on the Grammy winners list, think about how many of those starred a Tony winning Best Actress. There's a stronger correlation with Actress than with Revival, at least for the Grammy history in its entirety.

I wrote a three-part series of articles about the Grammys for BroadwayWorld almost five years ago now, but I think they still hold up. Here are the links, in case someone is interested:

http://chicago.broadwayworld.com/article/Best-Musical-Tony-vs-Grammy-Part-1-20080224

http://chicago.broadwayworld.com/article/Best-Musical-Tony-vs-Grammy-Part-2-20080225

http://chicago.broadwayworld.com/article/Best-Musical-Tony-vs-Grammy-Part-3-20080225

[HeyMrMusic]

By the way, the Grammys didn't deem Newsies an original score (or 51% original). Alan Menken is nominated as a producer, not a composer.

[TheatreKid3]

Menken isn't listed any differently than the other composers for the other nominees? All of the listings are consistent across the board. He was nominated as a composer.

[bjh2114]

Menken isn't listed any differently than the other composers for the other nominees?

That's because none of the other nominees are new scores. The composers are listed in parentheses because the scores are not original, and thus they are not eligible for the award. Follies and Porgy are revivals, Nice Work is a compilation of Gershwin songs (how about that... two Gershwin shows nominated), and Once was an original score when it was nominated for the movie back in 2006, but it is no longer considered an original score at the Grammy. If Newsies had been deemed a new score, Alan Menken and Jack Feldman would not appear in the parentheses.

[After Eight]

Anything but Once. That's all I'm hoping for.

[jacobsnchz14]

Quick question... Do the lead vocalists get an award, as well, if they win? I thought I heard that somewhere but I'm not sure...

[bdn223]

I think so, they may not get the award, but they get the credit.
For example if the Academy Awards finally give a comedic actress an award Kristen Chenowith would possibly get her EGOT, having fan a Tony for You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, an Emmy for Pushing Diasies, and a Grammy for Wicked.

Although I think if Wicked ever makes it to the Big Screen, and they give Kristen the role of Madame Morrible, since she is too old for Galinda, and the movie is a success she may indeed also get her Oscar.

[jv92]

Well, we ALL know what's gonna win, undeservedly so...

FOLLIES was gorgeously produced. I hope it wins. But I doubt it.

[givesmevoice]

Quick question... Do the lead vocalists get an award, as well, if they win? I thought I heard that somewhere but I'm not sure...

Only as of 2012, when the category was restructured.
"Award to the principle vocalist(s) and the album producer(s) of 51% or more playing time of the album. The lyricist(s) and composer(s) of a new score are eligible for an Award if they have written and/or composed a new score which comprises 51% or more playing time of the album."

So Kristin Chenoweth was not awarded a Grammy and is not listed as a Grammy winner for Wicked. This new structure is similar to the Classical Music categories, which is how Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald won Grammy Awards (two each) for Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny a few years ago.

So if Follies wins, Bernadette Peters will finally have one of those two Grammys her bio claims she's won.

[bjh2114]

Whether or not you like the Once score, you cannot deny that the album is gorgeously produced. I actually think Newsies and Follies are the weakest of the 5 as far as album quality goes. I expect this to go to Once or possibly Porgy and Bess.

[Paul W. Thompson]

Yes, MERRILY was eligible this year.

It appears that NARAS didn't list any of the eligible composers and lyricists of 51% new material. But surely ONCE and NEWSIES satisfy this requirement, and their writers will be so honored if they win.

[bjh2114]

Why would the Once composers be eligible? The score hasn't changed from when it was eligible for the movie.

[Paul W. Thompson]

I stand corrected. Of these five, NEWSIES is the only score with 51% new material, at least according to the Tonys.

[eperkins]

Why would the Once composers be eligible? The score hasn't changed from when it was eligible for the movie."

Show:
1. The North Strand
2. Leave
3. Falling Slowly
4. The Moon
5. Ej Pada Pada Rosicka
6. If You Want Me
7. Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy
8. Say It To Me Now
9. Abandoned In Bandon
10. Gold
11. Sleeping
12. When Your Mind's Made Up
13. The Hill
14. It Cannot Be About That
15. Gold (A Cappella)
16. Falling Slowly (Reprise)

Film:
1. Falling Slowly
2. If You Want Me
3. Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy
4. When Your Mind's Made Up
5. Lies
6. Gold
7. The Hill
8. Fallen From The Sky
9. Leave
10. Trying To Pull Myself Away
11. All The Way Down
12. Once
13. Say It To Me Now

[bdn223]

yes but the added songs to once were taken from other albums of Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova, so none of it is new.

[bjh2114]

Exactly... the only songs new to the show (other than reprises and interludes such as The North Strand and It Cannot Be About That, which don't count as new songs) are The Moon, Ej Pada Pada Rosicka, and Abandoned in Bandon. 3 new songs does not equal a new score.

[theatreguy]

If Follies wins it will be the 5th in this category to feature Bernadette Peters. Has anyone else been on that many Grammy-winning cast recordings?

[jacobsnchz14]

Really hope the FOLLIES recording wins! I have all of the nominated recordings and that one is by far my favorite! It sunds so amazing!

[jdrye222]

I am rooting for PORGY AND BESS, even though I'm a major ONCE fan. The ONCE album is great, but it sounds just like the album for the movie, which sounds just like Glen's other albums with his band anyway....

I would love to see PS Classics take this for PORGY. I think they did a phenomenal job and that album sounds amazing, and is also really comprehensive in including so much of the brilliant underscoring that is in that show.