What Does It Take to Make an Original Broadway Cast Recording?

The making of an original Broadway cast recording is no small feat.

In fact, the fast-paced process is nearly non-stop from the moment a new musical is frozen and opens on the Main Stem. But oftentimes, that labor and intensity go unnoticed once the album is released into the world.

BroadwayWorld spoke to several individuals and executives who played integral roles in the making of two original Broadway cast recordings of musicals that opened during the 2023-2024 season, Lempicka and The Great Gatsby. These creatives shed light on the behind-the-scenes processes and layers of work that most people don’t see.

Both produced by Sony Masterworks Broadway, the Lempicka and Gatsby albums in particular were the topic of discussion after their respective release dates were pushed. 

The Lempicka cast album delays were well-documented on social media. The album’s release date was initially announced as May 29, per BroadwayWorld’s previous reporting. It was then twice delayed to June 12 and pushed further to June 18, with announcements being shared via the show’s Instagram and X accounts. But then, the album was released on June 14, four days ahead of the third announced date, “by popular demand,” according to a post from Sony Masterworks Broadway’s X account.

The initial release from Sony Masterworks Broadway stated that the Gatsby cast recording was to be released on June 21 with the physical CD to follow on August 2. That announcement came on April 24. But the album’s release was delayed to June 28, though three songs were made available for streaming along with the delivery of that news, per BroadwayWorld’s previous reporting.

Masterworks Broadway was also behind several other cast recordings from the 2023-24 season, including Stereophonic, The Outsiders, and Merrily We Roll Along. It’s also worth noting that Masterworks is a business partner with Seaview Productions and Greg Noble, who were lead producers of Lempicka and Stereophonic.

Scott Farthing, the EVP of Masterworks and Masterworks Broadway, had a hand in the creation of all five recordings. While reasons weren't given for the delays of these albums, Farthing did speak to the intricacies of the process, including the intensity of the timelines - and what happens when they're missed.

“The majority of the time, we assign release dates in advance of recording the album," Farthing explained. "Cast album production timelines are so tight that we are walking an incredibly fine line to make the last possible delivery date of the final album master to meet said release dates. If we miss delivery by a day or sometimes even a few hours, we must push the release date. In the rare circumstances when we can make final delivery earlier than planned, we then move up the digital release date of an album.”

Speaking specifically of making the Lempicka and Gatsby albums, Farthing noted a significant similarity in that the orchestrations were recorded first before the vocalists entered the picture. But each album had unique aspects as well.

Gatsby’s recording included additional musicians to further flesh out the “wall of sound,” as Farthing described it, which meant having more to mix. Lempicka’s complex orchestrations presented a different challenge in having so many layers to keep track of.

“The thing that is crazy is that not only am I expecting them to make an album, but I'm expecting them to make an album in a very, very short period of time,” Farthing said. “These processes are so quick that it's almost miraculous that they happen at all.”

That time crunch — typically a few weeks from start to finish — is felt by everyone involved. Having two days to record the Gatsby album was “a real luxury,” the show’s lyricist Nathan Tysen said. Tysen also served as an associate producer on the album. During the recording sessions, his job was to be the “keeper of the album script,” which meant making sure lines weren’t omitted and that correct lyrics were sung.

Carson Kreitzer, who was behind the book, lyrics, and original concept of Lempicka, served in a similar capacity on that album. She ensured proper context was provided through all the cuts and changes that had to be made to the score to fit into the allotted 79 minutes.

While not an industry standard, many albums aim to have about 78 or 79 minutes of music, regardless of the length of their show. That’s because, as Farthing explained, that is “roughly the max amount of time on a CD.”

“I try to still honor the Broadway fans who really want a collectible,” Farthing explained. “So I've made a commitment to always at least making sure that these new albums, at least when they first come out, that there's a CD available.”

For many shows, the time constraints mean cutting their scores down to create special versions for the album - another step in the monumental task of creating a cast recording. That process involves making cuts and handing them over to the transcribers, who then re-edit to create the album score. 

As Lempicka’s composer, co-writer, and album producer Matt Gould said, “How do we make a 90-minute score still make dramaturgical sense in 75 minutes? We get that album score together and then, along with Sony, we begin to arrange.”

But the work doesn’t stop there. In addition to recording the orchestrations and vocals, the process involves comping, mixing, editing, and much more back and forth between creatives to achieve the albums that eventually are released into the world.

“It's certainly about making sure that every detail of the songs can be heard – the exquisite orchestrations, the ensemble vocal arrangements, the guts and the grit of the lead vocals, and every single word of poetry in the lyrics – but it's also about creating a sense of space, of scale,” Remy Kurs, music supervisor and arranger of Lempicka and the cast album’s producer, said.

And that work takes time. Billy Jay Stein, the co-producer and mixing engineer on the Gatsby album, said he pulled “several all-nighters” during the process. For that album, 23 songs were recorded in less than two days. Stein said he had over 400 tracks to go through on some songs.

Not to mention the fact that albums are usually recorded in the weeks immediately following a show’s opening, which follows an intensive rehearsal and tech process plus preview performances.

“The music team didn't stop working after opening,” Gould said of the Lempicka team. “They just kept going and the actors kept going.”

“I think in a perfect world, the album's ready to go on opening night,” he continued. “But you can't do that with a new show because the show's changing up until the last minute.”

Despite the time crunch involved, the payoff isn't as immediate. Cast albums are made for several reasons, including preservation and marketing. But they come at a massive cost, which isn’t always earned back right away.

“Recouping the recording cost of a cast album is a long-tail proposition as opposed to an out-of-the-box pop smash,” Farthing explained. “Meaning, we do not expect cast albums to sell and stream in pop-level numbers upon initial release, but to grow and sustain over a much longer length of time.”

Given the delays and the behind-the-scenes intricacies, it’s important to shed light on the cast album process. And there is so much more even beyond what this 1,000-word story reveals. 

Hopefully, Stein said, fans will appreciate the “immense time and energy dedicated to the behind-the-scenes work of making a cast recording. He highlighted the raft of driving forces behind cast albums, including recording engineers, music staff, music assistants, assistant engineers, synth and MainBrain/Ableton computer programmers, media and marketing folks, label representatives, recording studio staff, music coordinators, and music contractors. 

“They are the backbone supporting the musicians and singers, ensuring everything comes together seamlessly,” he concluded.

Kreitzer echoed that sentiment. “It's not a one-take wonder,” she said. “I think that's probably the biggest thing that the general public, the fans don't realize is the decision-making process when you're doing take after take. Remy's listening and choosing all the best bits to then weave together the best possible sequence, that then becomes a whole song.”

But Gould perhaps hit the nail on the head.

“If you want something new, if you want something beautiful, if you want something moving, that takes time,” he said. 

Speaking specifically of Lempicka, given its premature closing, he added, “We made it. We put it out into the world. That is a miracle. And I know there is someone out there who that will save because it saved me. I know that this will help someone and that is deeply meaningful.”