Recording Review

Kiss Me, Kate. Music and lyrics by Cole Porter. Book by Sam and Bella Spewack. Liner notes by Sheryl Flatow. 2000. New Broadway Cast recording, DRG 12988.

The Music Man. Book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson. Uncredited liner notes. 2000. New Broadway Cast recording, Q Records 92915-2.

Bells Are Ringing. Music by Jule Styne. Book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Liner notes by Betty Comden and Tina Landau. 2001. New Broadway Cast recording, Fynsworth Alley 302 062 115 2.

42nd Street. Music by Harry Warren. Lyrics by Al Dubin. Book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble. Liner notes by Dan O'Leary. 2001. New Broadway Cast recording, Q Records 92953-2. 

With the plethora of revivals on Broadway in recent years, new cast recordings of classic musicals are appearing with great regularity. These discs allow listeners to hear well-known songs performed by leading Broadway voices of this turn of the century. In addition, the recordings offer new orchestrations and in many cases the inclusion of deleted or previously unrecorded musical material. They certainly deserve to live alongside their older siblings in the collections of libraries and musical theater fans. This review will survey recordings of four revivals that opened on Broadway from 1999 to 2001: Kiss Me, Kate, The Music Man, Bells Are Ringing, and 42nd Street. All four discs are noteworthy not only for their music but also for their stunning performances.