ENCORE!
The Very Best From The Musicals
Louise Gold starred on Volume Two Track 1 as Reno
Sweeney from Anything Goes and was featured on Volume Three Track 9 as Maria a Kit Kat Club Girl in Cabaret, Showtime
recording
Catalogue
number: SHOW BX 002
Cast
Thomas Allen (as Frank Butler from Annie Get Your Gun)
P. P. Arnold
Graham Bickley (as Gaston Lachailles from Gigi, The Phantom from The Phantom Of The Opera and others)
Jessica Boevers
(as Patricia Bingham from The Good
News)
Wayne Bryan
(as Bobby Randall from The Good News)
Clare Burt (as
Rizzo from Grease)
The A Chorus Line company
Brian Cox (as
Professor Harold Hill from The Music
Man)
Kim Criswell (as Gladys from The Pajama Game, Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard and others)
Tim Flavin (as Brad Majors from The Rocky Horror Show)
Hal Fowler (as Adam Pontipee from Seven Brides For Seven Brothers)
Ethan Freeman (as Don Quixote from Man Of La Mancha and others)
Sarah French (as Annie from Annie)
Louise Gold (as
James Graeme
David Green (as Benny Southstreet from Guys And Dolls)
Lindsay Hamilton (as Gigi from Gigi)
Richard Harris
(as King Arthur from Camelot)
Helen Hobson
Kim Huber (as
Valerie Masterson (as Anna Leonowens from The King And I, Annie Oakley from Annie Get Your Gun, and, Marsinah from Kismet)
Christina Matthews (as Jane from Salad Days)
Donald Maxwell
(as Hajj from Kismet)
Liza Minnelli (as Angel from The Rink)
Claire Moore (as Rosie A Kit Kat Club Girl from Cabaret, and, Christine from The Phantom Of The Opera)
Ann Morrison
(as Babe O’Day from The Good News)
Katrina Murphy
Tinuke Olafimihan (as Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady)
Shezwae Powell (as Hattie from Kiss Me Kate)
Jonathan Pryce (as M.C from Cabaret)
David Rendall
(as The Caliph from Kismet)
Howard Samuels (as Frank ‘n’ Furter from The Rocky Horror Show)
Don Stephenson (as Nicely-Nicely Johnson from Guys And Dolls)
Leslie Uggams
Richard Van Allan (as Joe from Showboat, and, The Wazir of Police from Kismet)
Issy Van Randwyck (as Nancy from Oliver, Mary Magdalene from Jesus Christ Superstar, and others)
Production Team
Conductors - Gerry Allison, Craig Barna,
Produced by - John Yap
Sleeve notes - Rexton S Bunnet
Track Listing
Volume One Show
BX 002a
1. Another Opening Another Show (from Kiss Me Kate) - Shezwae Powell and
Chorus with the NSO conducted by John Owen Edwards
2. Why, God, Why? (from Miss Saigon) - Graham Bickley with
the NSO Conducted by Martin Yates
3. Getting To Know You (from The King And I) - Valerie Masterson,
Children and Chorus, with the NSO conducted by John Owen Edwards
4. How To Handle A Woman (from Camelot) - Richard Harris, with
orchestra conducted by Gerry Allison
5. Aquarius
(from Hair) - PP Arnold and Chorus, with the NSO
Ensemble conducted by Martin Yates
6. Singin’ In The Rain (from Singin’ In The Rain) -
7. Wouldn’t It Be Loverly? (from My Fair Lady) - Tinuke Olafimihan
and Chorus, with the NSO conducted by John Owen Edwards
8. Guys And Dolls (from Guys And Dolls) - Don Stephenson and
David Green with the NSO conducted by John Owen Edwards
9. On My Own
(from Les Miserables) - Kim Criswell with the NSO
conducted by Martin Yates
10. Hernando’s Hideaway (from The Pajama Game) - Kim Criswell and
Company, with the NSO conducted by John Owen Edwards
11. The Night They Invented
12. Anthem
(from Chess) - Ethan Freeman with the NSO conducted
by Martin Yates
Volume Two Show
BX 002b
1. Blow Gabriel Blow (from Anything Goes) - Louise Gold and Company
with the NSO conducted by John Owen Edwards
2. As If We Never Said Goodbye (from Sunset Boulevard) - Kim Criswell
with the NSO conducted by Martin Yates
3. Bui-Doi (from
Miss Saigon) - Ethan Freeman with the NSO conducted
by Martin Yates
4. They Say It’s Wonderful (from Annie Get Your Gun) - Valerie Masterson
and Thomas Allen with the NSO conducted by John Owen Edwards
5. Sweet Transvestite (from The Rocky Horror Show) - Howard Samuels,
Tim Flavin, and Chorus with the NSO conducted by Martin Yates
6. I Sit In The Sun (from Salad Days) - Christina Matthews
with orchestra conducted by Neil Rhoden
7. There Are Worse Things I Could Do (from Grease) - Clare
Burt with the NSO Ensemble conducted by Martin Yates
8. I Don’t Know How To Love Him (from Jesus Christ
Superstar) - Issy Van Randwyck with the NSO conducted by Martin
Yates
9. Ol’
10. The Apple Doesn’t Fall (from The Rink)- Liza Minnelli and Chita
Rivera, with orchestra conducted by
11. As Long As He Needs Me (from Oliver) - Issy Van Randwyck
12. One Day More (from Les Miserables) - James Graeme, Graham
Bickley, Katrina Murphy, Kim Criswell, Helen Hobson
and Chorus, with the NSO conducted by Martin Yates
Volume Three Show BX 002c
1. Seventy-Six Trombones (from The Music Man) - Brian
Cox and Chorus, with the NSO conducted by Martin Yates
2. I Dreamed A Dream (from Les Miserables) - Issy
Van Randwyck with the NSO conducted by Martin Yates
3. Bless Your Beautiful Hide (from Seven Brides For Seven Brothers)
- Hal Fowler with the NSO conducted by Martin Yates
4. Tomorrow (from Annie) - Sarah French, with the NSO
conducted by Martin Yates
5. Lucky In Love (from Good News) - Kim Huber,
6. Send In The Clowns (from A Little Night Music) - Sian
Phillips, with the NSO conducted by John Owen Edwards
7. I Am What I Am (from La Cage Aux Folles) - Leslie
Uggams with orchestra conducted by Janet Glazener
8. The Phantom Of The Opera (from The Phantom Of The Opera)
- Graham Bickley and Claire Moore, with the NSO conducted
by Martin Yates
9. Two Ladies (from Cabaret) - Jonathan
Pryce, Claire Moore, and, Louise Gold, with the NSO
conducted by John Owen Edwards
10. The Impossible Dream (from Man Of La Mancha) - Ethan
Freeman with the NSO conducted by Martin Yates
11. And This Is My Beloved (from Kismet) - Donald
Maxwell, Valerie Masterson, David Rendall, and, Richard
Van Allan, with The Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by John Owen
Edwards
12. One (from
A Chorus Line) - The A Chorus Line Company with the NSO
conducted by Martin Yates
Louise
Gold’s
recordings come from her recordings, of Blow Gabriel Blow and Two
Ladies with the NSO conducted by John Owen Edwards of: Anything Goes - Website Recommended Album , and Cabaret,
the latter singing with Jonathan Pryce and Claire Moore. In
addition she has also recorded a very different version of Blow Gabriel
Blow on the Noel/Cole: Let’s Do It cast album.
James
Graeme (as Jim Graeme), Louise Gold and Claire Moore had
previously sung together in A Time To
Start Living and Kids At Heart
Clare
Burt, Howard
Katrina
Murphy also
features on JAY/TER recoding of Anything
Goes - Website
Recommended Album.
Thomas
Allen, Graham
Bickley, Ethan Freeman,
Thomas
Allen, Graham
Bickley, Ethan Freeman, Valerie Masterson, Katrina Murphy,
Tinuke Olafimihan, Sian Phillips and David Rendall also
feature on Great Duets From The Musicals
Which also features the NSO conducted by John Owen-Edwards and Martin
Yates and for which Rexton S Bunnet also did the sleeve notes.
Indeed Valerie Masterson and Thomas Allen’s recording of They
Say It’s Wonderful can also be found on this album.
Thomas
Allen, Graham Bickley, Clare
Burt, Louise Gold, Katrina Murphy, Shezwae Powell,
and, Issy Van Randwyck, along with the NSO conducted by John
Owen Edwards and Martin Yates also feature on Cole Porter - Night And Day on which
this album’s recordings of Blow Gabriel Blow from Anything
Goes and Another Op’n Another Show from Kiss Me
Kate can also be found.
Graham
Bickley, Clare Burt, Kim
Criswell, James Graeme,
Kim
Criswell, Tim
Flavin, Ethan Freeman, David Green, Valerie Masterson,
Katrina Murphy, Tinuke Olafimihan with the NSO conducted
by John Owen Edwards are also featured on On
The Town, for which Rexton S Bunnet also did the sleeve notes.
Katrina
Murphy, Lindsay
Hamilton and the NSO ensemble conducted by Martin Yates also
feature on Stop The World I Want
To Get Off, for which Rexton S Bunnet also did the sleeve notes
Martin
Yates’s credits
include writing the music for a musical called The Soap Opera
John
Owen Edwards’s
musical direction credits include Metropolitan Mikado and a concert of
highlights from Ratepayers' Iolanthe
& Metropolitan Mikado
Graham
Bickley was also
in The Pirates of Penzance Stage
Production and with the cast of
that show in The
Pirates Of Penzance (Gala Performance), The Pirates Of Penzance
(Gala Preview), and, The
Pirates Of Penzance (Benefit Preview). He has since appeared in Mexican Hayride.
Graham
Bickley and
Kim
Criswell
appeared in Let ‘Em Eat Cake and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Ethan
Freeman appeared
in One Touch Of Venus (2000 production)
Christina
Matthews was in
the film Billy The Kid
And The Green Baize Vampire
Schezwae
Powell was also
in Kids At Heart, she went on to appear in Follies
Issy
Van Randwyck has
appeared in: Love Life, By
Jupiter, Kiss Me Kate, and, Hot ‘n’ Spicy 2. She went on to appear in Regents Park
70th Anniversary Gala, Dress
Circle Grand Reopening, and, Shopping
With The Stars 2008.
Tim Flavin, and, James Graeme
(as Jim Graeme) had appeared
in Broadway To Brighton.
James Graeme (as Jim Graeme) has
appeared in Chicago & Company.
Sleeve note
writer Rexton S Bunnet was also the researcher for Ned Sherrin’s Review Of Revue
Claire
Moore may have appeared in Comedy Tonight and Will-Aid
Thomas
Allen, Kim Criswell, Tim
Flavin, Ethan Freeman, Sarah French,
Tim Flavin, and, Jonathan Pryce appeared on
television on A Week In The West End.
Clare Burt, Kim Criswell, Ethan Freeman, Richard
Harris, and, Tinuke Olafimihan along with The National Symphony
Orchestra and the conducting talents of John Owen Edwards, Martin
Yates, and, Gerry Allison can also be heard on The Greatest Musicals of
the 20th Century as can the versions of Wouldn’t It Be
Loverly, and, How To Handle A Woman on this album.
Hal Fowler appeared in Calamity
Jane.
Clare Burt has gone on to appear in A Love
Letter To Dan.
Thomas Allen was a guest on the TV programme The Ghost
Of Faffner Hall.
Howard
Leslie Uggams, and, Liza Minnelli were
Guest Stars on The Muppet Show.
Graham Bickley, Kim Criswell, Ethan Freeman,
Louise Gold, James Graeme, Richard Harris,
Helen Hobson, Valerie Masterson, Donald
Maxwell, Claire Moore, Tinuke Olafimihan, and, Jonathan Pryce along with the National Symphony Orchestra, and, The Philharmonia Orchestra, and the
conducting talents of Gerry Allison,
John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates can also be heard on The Great Musicals -
Wonderful Tales; as can the same version of Two Ladies as on this
album.
Thomas Allen, Graham Bickley, Kim Criswell,
Clare Burt, Louise Gold, Richard Harris, Valerie Masterson, Claire
Moore, Tinuke Olafimihan, and, Jonathan Pryce’s recording credits
include Centre Stage Showtime!; This
also features The National Symphony
Orchestra; along with the maestros Gerry
Allison, John Owen Edwards, and,
Martin Yates. This includes the same
recordings of Getting To Know You, Wouldn’t It Be Loverly, and, How
To Handle A Woman.
Thomas Allen, Graham Bickley, Ethan Freeman, Lindsay Hamilton, Katrina
Murphy, and, Don Stephenson’s
recording credits include The
Great Musicals – Dashing Heroes, Blushing Maidens; This also features The National Symphony Orchestra; with
maestros Gerry Allison,
Clare Burt, Kim Criswell, James Graeme, Valerie Masterson, and, Issy
Van Randwyck’s recording credits include The
Great Musicals – Laughter And Tears; This also features The National Symphony Orchestra; with
maestros Craig Barna, John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates. This includes the same
recording of There Are Worse Things I Could Do.
Thomas Allen, Graham Bickley, Claire Burt, Kim Criswell, Tim Flavin,
Hal Fowler, James Graeme,
Kim Criswell, James Graeme, Richard Harris, and, Katrina Murphy’s recording credits
include The Best Of The Musicals,
this also features the National Symphony
Orchestra / NSO Ensemble, with
maestros Gerry Allison, Craig Barna, John Owen Edwards, and, Martin
Yates. That album also includes the same recording of How To Handle A Woman.
Clare Burt, Christina Matthews, Shezwae Powell, Claire Moore, and, Helen Hobson may have taken part in Thing A Thon.
Sian
Phillips went on to take part in Shopping With The Stars 2009.
Kim Criswell, Ethan Freeman, Sarah French, Louise Gold, James Graeme,
Valerie Masterson, Claire Moore, Tinuke Olafimihan, Jonathan
Pryce, Leslie Uggams, and, Issy Van Randwyck can also be heard on 100 Hits Musicals; accompanied by The National Symphony Orchestra, with
maestros Craig Barna, Janet Glazener, John Owen Edwards, and, Martin
Yates. This album contains the same recordings of: Getting To Know You, I Am
What I Am, The Impossible Dream, and, Two Ladies.
Thomas Allen, Clare Burt, Louise Gold, Richard Harris, Valerie
Masterson, Claire Moore, Tinuke Olafimihan, Sian Phillips, Jonathan
Pryce, David Rendall, and, Leslie Uggams can also be heard on Let’s Go On With The Show – Hit Songs From
The West End & Broadway, accompanied by The National Symphony Orchestra, with maestros Gerry Allison, Janet
Glazener, and, John Owen Edwards.
This album contains the same recordings of Send In The Clowns, and, I Am
What I Am.
Graham Bickley, Wayne Bryan, Clare Burt, Kim Criswell, David Green,
Claire Moore, Ann Morrison, Katrina Murphy,
Tinuke Olafimihan, and, Don Stephenson’s recording credits
include The Great Musicals - From
Broadway to Hollywood; This also involved The National Symphony Orchestra, with maestros Craig Barna, John Owen
Edwards, and, Martin Yates.
Review
by Emma Shane, 22
February 2002
This is quite a compilation 3 CD set. It is a lovely mixture of recordings, mostly from JAY/TER studio cast albums, although there are a few from original cast recordings.
Volume One is quite pleasant to here, the highlight of it being Kim Criswell’s wonderfully sexy rendition of a song closely identified with Carol Haney and Shirley McClaine, Hernando’s Hideway from The Pajamia Game.
Volume Two is by far the best album
in the set. It gets off to a rousing start with what I consider to be one of
the very best show recordings ever made. It consists of the magnificent Louise
Gold, and company, singing a truly stunning rendition of Blow Gabriel
Blow, very well accompanied by the NSO conducted by John
Owen-Edwards, from The Musicals Collection studio cast recording
of Anything Goes. The
performers and orchestra sound like they are thoroughly enjoying themselves. John
Owen-Edwards brings a wonderfully jazzy feel to the piece, while Louise
Gold brings to it both all that vocal power she so wonderfully commands, and
yet makes it very much her own. It is sheer joy from start to finish. But then, there is just nothing quite like
the glorious Gold singing a Cole Porter song, especially a song
written for the mighty Merman.
That recording
of Blow Gabriel Blow is so good, it must have been difficult to
find any track that could possibly follow the opening track, however, John
Yap has indeed managed to follow it, with another wonderfully powerful lady
of song, namely Kim Criswell singing a very good rendition of As
If We Never Said Goodbye from Sunset Boulevard. Criswell
is surely one of the few belters in the business who can possibly follow Gold!
Volume Two
also includes Valerie Masterson and Thomas Allen singing an
enjoyable They Say It’s Wonderful from Annie Get Your Gun,
a score which is nearly always a pleasure to listen to (although my personal
favourite version of it is the EMI Classics one). The CD also
includes a poignant rendition of Kander And Ebb’s The Apple
Doesn’t All Very Far From The Tree, sung by Liza Minnelli and Chita
Rivera, from the original cast recording of The Rink. The
song made all the more poignant by the circumstances surrounding the
-actress-who-sang-the-part-of-Angel’s performance of it.
One of the
high spots of Volume Three is I Am What I Am from La
Cage Aux Follies excellently sung by Leslie Uggams, which rather
goes to show that when this song is taken outside of its original context (sung
by a cross-dressing male character), it sounds best sung by good strong,
individual, female singer (performers such as: Jessica Martin, Louise
Gold, and, Louise Plowright immediately spring to mind, as the sort
of people who could really do something worthwhile with it).
Another track worth mentioning in Volume Three, is Two Ladies from Cabaret, sung by Jonathan Pryce as the MC with some excellent accent work from Claire Moore and Louise Gold as the ‘two ladies’, if I did not know it was her, I don’t think I would even have recognised Louise Gold, the accent was so rather unlike any of her usual repertoire of voices. It took me quite a while to work out which one of them she is, but listening very carefully, I think she is the one who sings the first lines, such as: “I do the cooking” and “I’m left”, while Claire sings the second lines, such as: “And I make the beds”, and, “I’m right”.
All in all this is a great CD set to have, as it gives a real taster of both some good old show tunes given a new lease of life by some great current performers. I’d that in general this is worth having for its variety and the quality of the performances; and it is particularly worth having for Louise Gold’s stunning recording of Blow Gabriel Blow.
