GLORY DAYS Returns; Original Cast Celebrates Album Release in Glory Day Concert, 11/23

Ghostlight Records has proclaimed November 24, 2009 - the official release date of the Glory Days Original Broadway Cast Recording - ‘Glory Day' in honor of the show's history-making run at Broadway's Circle in the Square Theatre last season. The Glory Days CD is now available for pre-order at http://sh-k-boom.com/glory_days_broadway.shtml and will also be available for digital download on iTunes on Glory Day.

Glory Days is an original musical with music and lyrics by Nick Blaemire, and a book by James Gardiner, about four best friends who reunite a year after high school graduation, only to find how much they have grown apart. As they attempt to understand each other's differences, they soon realize that the Glory Days of high school are over, and that another story has begun. The musical premiered at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia in 2008, before moving to Broadway later that year, opening at Broadway's Circle in the Square Theatre. It has since received a full production in Japan and received interest from regional theaters and schools around the country.

Composer/Lyricist Nick Blaemire and Librettist James Gardiner, who received attention for seeing their show quickly whisked to Broadway when they were both just 23, have a sense of humor about their open and shut Broadway experience: "We're pretty sure you didn't see it, but we're so happy that now you can hear it," Blaemire says of the cast album release.

Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight President Kurt Deutsch says of the album: "One might wonder why we would put out a cast recording of a show that opened and closed in one day. We know from our many years of work trying to support and move musical theatre forward, that just because it may not have worked on Broadway doesn't mean it won't work in colleges, regional theatres, high schools, or pretty much anywhere there are young actors who are looking for fresh, new Musical Theatre Works. It was very important to the writers that their work be preserved to allow the show to have a future life and when they came to us for support, we were happy to help facilitate getting the piece out into the world."

The creators, original cast and band will countdown to the album's midnight release with an 11:30pm concert at Joe's Pub (425 Lafayette St, NYC) on Monday, November 23, 2009. The Glory Days Record Release Reunion concert will feature Blaemire and Gardiner, plus performers who have appeared in incarnations of Glory Days over the years, and will include songs from the show, including some with new arrangements, as well as cut songs, numbers from a new original musical Blaemire is writing, and a closing number that the creative team arranged for the Tony Awards (but never got to use).

The lineup includes the original Broadway cast - Steven Booth (AVENUE Q), Andrew Call (AMERICAN IDIOT), Jesse JP Johnson (GREASE), and Adam Halpin (RENT) - plus, Alex Brightman (WICKED), Jeremy Woodard (ROCK OF AGES), Ryan Watkinson (HAIR), Ato Blankson-Wood (HAIR), Brian Spitulnik (CHICAGO), Brian Mazzaferri (www.ifightdragons.com), Joel Bauer (THE BOYS UPSTAIRS), Charlie Brady (SOUTH PACIFIC) and more surprise Broadway guests.

Glory Days arranger/orchestrator Jesse Vargas will musical direct the evening and lead the band that also includes original musicians Matt Hinkley (Guitar), Steve Gilewski (Bass) and Jay Mack (Drums).

A video preview of the concert is viewable at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVzJppvX_i4
Many of the same performers will gather again on Monday, November 30, 2009 for a similar event at Virginia's Signature Theatre, where the show had its original sold-out and critically-acclaimed run. Attendees of that concert will have a chance to have their copy of the album signed after the concert by the cast and creators. Call Signature at (703) 820-9771 for more information.

Pre-order the Glory Days CD for $14.99: http://sh-k-boom.com/glory_days_broadway.shtml
To purchase tickets at Joes Pub visit: http://www.joespub.com/component/option,com_shows/task,view/Itemid,40/id,4905

Founded 10 years ago by Kurt Deutsch and Sherie Rene Scott, Sh-K-Boom and its imprint Ghostlight Records has become the leading independent force in musical theatre recording-shining a light towards its future while continuing to honor its past. The label is renowned for its efforts to encourage and support the music of the most innovative new voices on Broadway, to help bridge the gap between pop/rock and musicals, and to preserve the scores of important works. Ghostlight Records received a 2009 Grammy Award for their double-CD release of In the Heights (already a Tony Award Winner for Best Musical and Best Score) and saw the new cast recording of Broadway's Hair debut at #1 on the Broadway Billboard Chart. In addition to In the Heights and Hair, Ghostlight's recent releases of the OCRs for Tony winners Next to Normal, Passing Strange, and the single release featuring the winner of MTV's Legally Blonde The Musical competition, have brought the label acclaim for their innovative marketing techniques and their efforts to reach the next generation of Broadway music fans via iTunes, music videos and more. Coverage has ranged from Rolling Stone to USA TODAY to The New York Times, from Blender Magazine to Playbill to Billboard, from AP Radio to NY-1 TV, and much more. Also featured amongst the label's over 75 titles are the popular cast albums of Legally Blonde, The Last Five Years, Hair, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, [title of show] and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and solo albums from major Broadway artists like Patti LuPone, Sutton Foster, Kelli O'Hara, Christine Ebersole, Alice Ripley and Adam Pascal.