BWW CD Reviews: Masterworks Broadway's ON THE TOWN (Original London Cast Recording) is a Helluva Recording

ON THE TOWN, the classic American romantic musical comedy, is poised to have the best year ever. A splashy, big budget Broadway revival is set to begin previews on September 20, 2014 at the Lyric Theatre, and Masterworks Broadway has just released the remastered ON THE TOWN (Original London Cast Recording). This noteworthy album proudly features Elliott Gould as Ozzie, Don McKay as Gabey, Franklin Kiser as Chip, Gillian Lewis as Claire de Lune, and Carol Arthur as Hildy. With zesty spunk, lively pizzazz, and indefatigable energy, this recording is sure to have you hoofing for days on end.

When it first premiered on Broadway, ON THE TOWN ran for a whopping 462 performances across 58 weeks. Unfortunately, when it finally crossed the pond in 1963, it only managed to enjoy a paltry run of 63 performances. Some speculate that the drastic changes made in British popular music during the time negatively affected musicals of the era. The week that ON THE TOWN opened in London saw The Beatles topping the Top 40 charts with "From Me To You," which is distinctly different from Leonard Bernstein's ballet sequences that range from the lushly romantic to the pulsating chaotic, cheerful ditties about New York City and love in the city, and stirringly emotional ballads.

Regardless of the production's success in London, this cast recording is a sterling capture of ON THE TOWN's beloved score. Under Lawrence Leonard's baton, the music on this album is just as thrilling as it ever was, mirroring the manic frenzy of attempting to drink in all New York City has to offer in a mere 24 hours' time. Lawrence Leonard captures the dizzying urgency of Leonard Bernstein's rich score, making the listeners' toes tap and hearts race with the music.

Vocally, the cast is top notch. The principal cast sounds youthful and alive, also capturing the urgency of Leonard Bernstein's score. The dulcet, sleepy opening "I Feel Like I'm Not Out of Bed Yet" is interrupted by the rollicking "New York, New York," kicking the album in high gear. Standouts on the album include Gillian Lewis and Elliott Gould's charming duet on "Carried Away," Carol Arthur's sassy and bold rendition of the delicious, double-entendre filled "I Can Cook Too," Don McKay's beautiful rendition of the uplifting ballad "Lucky to Be Me," and the sumptuously performed "Some Other Time."

As if the thrilling performances weren't enough, for diehard musical theatre aficionados ON THE TOWN (Original London Cast Recording) is worth owning because, to date, it is the only theatrical cast of ON THE TOWN to ever be fully recorded. Those with keen eyes and ears will notice that "Do-Do-Re-Do" and "I Understand" are missing from the track listing, but these songs were recorded. They simply didn't fit on the original LP pressing of the original London cast recording and both were excised in keeping with the 1960 studio cast album.

Masterworks Broadway's remastered rerelease of ON THE TOWN (Original London Cast Recording) comes at the perfect time. It whets our appetite for the 2014 Broadway revival in addition to gifting a new generation of Broadway Babies with a sterling recording of a fantastic, cherished, but mostly forgotten score. Put on those tap shoes and rediscover why ON THE TOWN is one helluva score!

ON THE TOWN (Original London Cast Recording) was released exclusively for purchase on August 19, 2014 via Masterworks Broadway's online store in a limited quantity of Manufacture-On-Demand CDs as well as digital download. As of September 16, the CD will be available through Arkiv Music's online store in addition to being released to other digital service providers for streaming and downloading.

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