Sony Masterworks Broadway's revival cast 'Evita' will be released on June 26th. The recording has grown into a two CD set, after an initial announcement said it was just to be a single album.
This will make it the first complete English language version since the Original Broadway Cast Recording with Pattie LuPone back in 1979. The Original 1978 London Cast Recording was released as an abridged single album,
The 2012 album is being co-produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, and Nigel Wright.
I get the feeling if they didn't have Ricky this could have flopped on Broadway. Will be interesting to see how the grosses are during his holidays (I'm assuming they are published)
MASTERWORKS BROADWAY RELEASES THE NEW BROADWAY CAST RECORDING OF
THE COMPLETE RECORDING AVAILABLE JUNE 26, 2012
Album Features Grammy Award-Winning Superstar Ricky Martin, Olivier Award Winner Elena Roger and Tony Award Winner Michael Cerveris
MASTERWORKS BROADWAY is pleased to announce the release of the complete New Broadway Cast Recording of Evita, the first complete English language stage recording of the show since the original 1979 Broadway cast album. The two-CD set, produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Nigel Wright, with Tim Rice as Executive Producer, will be released on June 26, 2012. Visit MasterworksBroadway.com for more information as it develops. Scott Sanders, Co-Producer of the Broadway production, says: “The all new Broadway production of EVITA is already a huge hit. There is a genuine hunger from our audience members – expressed at the theatre merchandise stands, on the show’s website and through its social media outlets – for us to deliver a complete recording of this beloved show and its score. We’re proud and excited to partner with Masterworks Broadway to release an historic two-CD event recording of Evita.” Producers Hal Luftig and Scott Sanders present the first new production of the seven-time Tony Award-winning Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber musical EVITA, since it debuted on Broadway over 30 years ago. The production stars Grammy-winning international pop icon Ricky Martin as Che, Olivier Award-winning Argentinean actress Elena Roger making her Broadway debut as Eva Perón—a role that earned her critical acclaim in the 2006 production in London‘s West End—and Tony Award-winner Michael Cerveris as Juan Perón. The cast also features Max von Essen as Magaldi and Rachel Potter as the Mistress. Directed by Tony and Olivier Award-winner Michael Grandage and choreographed by Tony Award-winner Rob Ashford, EVITA opened April 5, 2012 at The Marquis Theatre to rave reviews.
The creative team includes Tony Award-winning Scenic and Costume Designer Christopher Oram (Red), Tony Award-winning Lighting Designer Neil Austin (Red), Olivier Award-winning Sound Designer Mick Potter (Woman In White), Wig and Hair Designer Richard Mawbey (Frost/Nixon), Projection Designer Zachary Borovay (Rock of Ages), and Music Supervisor/Director Kristen Blodgette (The Phantom of the Opera), Orchestrations are by Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Cullen (Sunset Boulevard), and dance arrangements are by David Chase (Billy Elliot).
EVITA tells Eva Peron’s passionate and tragic story through Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most dazzling and beloved score, including “Don‘t Cry for Me Argentina,” “Another Suitcase in Another Hall” and “High Flying Adored,” together with “You Must Love Me,” the Oscar-winning hit from the film EVITA.
After researching the life of Eva Perón for many years, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber released EVITA in 1976 as a concept album with Julie Covington as Evita and it became a world-wide hit. Soon after, the production debuted on stage in London's West End starring Elaine Paige and directed by Hal Prince. The production transferred to Broadway and opened in 1979 starring Patti LuPone, who went on to win one of the seven 1980 Tony Awards the show earned. A major 1996 film of the musical was made starring Madonna as Evita and Antonio Banderas as Che. Michael Grandage‘s production of EVITA, which opened in 2006, took London by storm and garnered critical acclaim for the show and its leading lady, Elena Roger.
Masterworks Broadway is a label of Sony Masterworks
I was just looking on Amazon on Thursday for a the original cast recording if it exists or ever existed? with Julie Covington and Colm Wilkinson, Paul Jones and Barbara Dickinson?
My mum always said that 'Julie Covington' singing 'Don't cry For Me Argentina' is/was exquisite. although I would of been very young and would of never seen her on stage, shame she never reprised the role in the West End or Broadway?
Yeap, if you get a chance read Tim Rice's autobiography, she didn't feel comfortable with the success and undeserving, however she did perform Evita in a concert in Australia.
I am glad to hear this. I think that the orchestrations for the revival are good. However, I didn't understand why they did a shortened album for this production in London. I figured that since the London revival was pretty big over there, that they wouldn't have gone with an abridged cast album.
In any event, ever since the show's box office opened, they were playing songs from the London revival album outside the box office for all to hear. Due to Roger being the only person who was in both casts of the show, they were only playing songs that she sang. Considering that the London cast album is abridged, it felt like they were only playing the same four songs on loop over and over again.
Julie Covington never went to Australia to perform Evita. Promotional materials exist for her appearance there, but she pulled out at the last minute. It's a real shame she never did the role on stage; I love the concept album.
And the revival was big enough artistically in terms of it being the first major revival of the show and earning by far the best reviews Tim Rice and Lloyd Webber have ever received to have warranted a full recording in London, even if it didn't do fantastically commercially. Tim Rice wanted a full recording, and I suspect ALW did too, but unfortunately the head of RUG's music sales division had the stupid idea to make it highlights-only because he wanted the recording to be sold in supermarkets and supposedly supermarkets only stock single CDs. That was his excuse anyway. It's ridiculous, they even packaged the 2006 album to LOOK like a double recording. Even the way the tracklisting is arranged on the back is very misleading.
The Marquis also plays Lorna Want's 'Another Suitcase' in addition to Elena's songs for some reason; I guess they figure they can do that because the Mistress is not a big part and isn't being played by anyone famous.
Julie Covington rarely appeared live on stage as she suffered from incredible nerves, these nerves even effected her later studio recording career. Listening to her Eva is really listening to it as it should be heard, it wont ever be bettered.
I think Julie Covington's vocals on the concept album are fantastic. Her Don't Cry For Me, Argentina is way the best I've heard (and that's coming from someone who is a big Lupone fan!). She's one of the few who sings the song as if she actually understands the lyric - she acts it with her voice and gets right inside it with an emotional "ache" in her delivery. And it's so beautifully understated - far too many who sing it go so far over the top with their vocals that they kill the emotion.
I saw her as Sarah Brown in Guys And Dolls at the National and she was fantastic - as others have said, such a shame that she never played Eva on stage.
I would also say that the concept album is the best overall recording - such awesome orchestrations and, of course, it has a lot of stuff that was cut by the time the show got to the stage. Colm is great too as Che - but for me the best Che is Mandy on the OBC.
Just watched the performance Broadwayworld have posted of The View performance, wow its bad. Elena sounds awful in the small bit she does, and Ricky sings it like a pop song with no real bite or emotion. Also reminded me how bad the staging is in that production.
The one thing I will say for the Broadway recording is that although I don't like Lupone and find her 'singing' questionable (and hate Patinkin too so it really is a no go) she does have the hardness that the role needs, and Elena really lacks
We really are poles apart in our tastes, princeton lol. I love Lupone's voice and Mandy Patinkin is my favourite male singer of all time. The most stunning night I've spent in the theatre ever was at his solo concert at the Almeida back in the mid-90s. Just his voice and his immense stage presence and Paul Ford at the piano and it was spinetingling each single second of the show. He is such a consummate actor, I honestly do not think any singer gets to the heart of a lyric better than he does and his voice is just plain beautiful.
And the Mandy & Patti show on Broadway was one of the absolute highlights of my year in 2011! Mandy's Oh What A Circus was breathtaking.
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Posted: 4/28/12 at 12:05am