Preview: "Broadway in a Box"

by Ken

I was looking at this box, Broadway in a Box, that I got for some agreeably modest price as an Amazon special -- 25 cast recordings of Broadway musicals, mostly Original Broadway Cast recordings, but with seven revivals mixed in, four from Broadway and three from the Music Theater of Lincoln Center. I only had two on CD, and one of those wasn't an original-label reissue, so I figured what the heck.

So I was looking at the box, which contains an interesting selection. Not necessarily the 25 I would have chosen from the RCA and Coiumbia musical-theater vaults (all now in the Sony fold, of course, making for quite a musical-theater vaultload), but all of at least some interest. And I was trying to see whether any "themes" popped out at me. And after a while I realized I could identify two five-peaters among the contributors and one six-peater. All three are represented at least once in the following six numbers, a pretty grand assortment, I think.

"The Lonely Goatherd"


"Ol' Man River"


"It's the little things you do together"


"Some Enchanted Evening"


"Everything's coming up roses"


"Officer Krupke"



OF COURSE YOU'LL NEED TO KNOW THE
25 RECORDINGS INCLUDED IN THE SET --

All are OBC recordings except the Broadway revivals indicated by the date and the Music Theater of Lincoln Center recordings, indicated as MTLC.

Annie
Anything Goes (1987 revival)
Cabaret
Camelot
Carousel (MTLC, 1965)
Chicago
A Chorus Line
Company
Fiddler on the Roof
Guys and Dolls (1992 revival)
Gypsy
Hair
Hello, Dollyl!
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Into the Woods
The King and I (MTLC, 1964)
Man of La Mancha (2002 revival)
My Fair Lady
Oklahoma! (1979 revival)
Oliver!
Show Boat (MTLC, 1966)
The Sound of Music
South Pacific
Sweeney Todd (highlights)
West Side Story

(That's 25, right?)


ALL WILL OF COURSE BE IDENTIFIED SUNDAY

And I have it in mind to focus on one of the five-peaters, with perhaps some bonuses here and there.

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