Photo Coverage: Kerry Butler Records 'Faith, Trust & Pixie Dust'

By: Peter James Zielinski Mar. 01, 2008

Kerry Butler, star of Broadway's Xanadu, recorded the first several tracks of her upcoming solo debut CD entitled, "Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust" due out on PS Classics on May 13th. BroadwayWorld was there to capture the excitement for our readers!

Under the supervision of music director and album producer Michael Kosarin, with new orchestrations by Broadway's best, including Tony Award-winner Michael Starobin (Assassins, Spelling Bee) and Larry Hochman (Monty Python's Spamalot), Kerry and crew laid down tracks for both well-known and never-before-heard Disney tunes.

"I've wanted to do an album for a long time," Butler admits, "and with the success of XANADU, the timing seemed right. I knew I wanted to keep the album personal and intimate, and in thinking of songs that made me smile, or had a theme of hope or optimism that I felt was so important, I kept coming back to songs that were Disney-related. I love so many of the Disney themes – when I'm sad or stressed, I know I need a dose of Disney! The challenge for me was to see if I could rediscover the Disney catalog in a very personal way, because for me, Disney World isn't about the rides, it's about the message."

Butler and music director Kosarin spent months exploring the Disney catalog, sifting through seventy years of material – from wartime standards to newer pop songs – making sure the material remained provocative, unexpected and eclectic even as the "message" stayed on track. The songs chosen for the first recording date – which include the classic "Baby Mine," the Jonatha Brooke pop hit "I'll Try" (from Return to Neverland), and "This Only Happens in the Movies", a song cut from a proposed sequel to Roger Rabbit and receiving its first recording here – are an exciting mix, but all reveal an intimate, acoustic sensibility tied to Butler's approach and philosophy.

Photos by Peter James Zielinski

Kerry Butler

Michael Kosarin

Kerry Butler and Michael Kosarin listen to playback

Kerry Butler

Kerry Butler and Michael Starobin

PS Classics Philip Chaffin and Tommy Krasker flank Kerry Butler

Kerry Butler and Michael Kosarin

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Photo Coverage: Kerry Butler Records 'Faith, Trust & Pixie Dust'

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