Centre Stage Showtime/Showstoppers

– The Musicals Come Alive

Louise Gold sang on Track 1 as Maria a Kit Kat Club Girl in Cabaret.

Catalogue number: (JAY Records) SHOW CDP001

 This CD was produced as a promotional CD to promote the Showtime label.

Cast

 Credited

Irfan Ahmad

John Barrowman (as The Phantom from The Phantom Of The Opera, and Danny from Grease)

Gillian Bevan (as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz)

Susan Bullock

English National Opera Chorus

Maria Friedman (as Grizabella from Cats)

Lesley Garrett (as Yum Yum from The Mikado)

Richard Harris (as King Arthur from Camelot)

Kings College School Wimbledon (as Fagin’s Gang from Oliver)

The Leicester Haymarket Company Of West Side Story

Shona Lindsay (as Sandra from Grease)

Valerie Masterson (as Anna Leia Owens from The King And I)

Claire Moore (as Christine from The Phantom Of The Opera)

Tinuke Olafimihan (as Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady)

Jonathan Pryce (as MC from Cabaret)

Jean Rigby

Clive Rowe

Royal Shakespeare Company (as The Company from The Wizard Of Oz)

Richard Stone

 

 Un-Credited (Includes)

Clare Burt (as Frenchie a Kit Kat Club Girl from Cabaret)

Jacqueline Dankworth (as Fritzie a Kit Kat Club Girl from Cabaret)

Louise Gold (as Maria a Kit Kat Club girl from Cabaret)

Claire Moore (as Rosie a Kit Kat Club girl from Cabaret)

Caroline O’Connor (as Texas a Kit Kat Club girl from Cabaret)

Gay Soper (as Lulu a Kit Kat Club girl from Cabaret)

 

Production Team

 Produced for records by – John Yap, except Track 8 which was produced by Norman Newell

Orchestras –  English National Opera Orchestra, The Munich Symphony Orchestra, and, The National Symphony Orchestra

Conductors Gerry Allison, John Owen Edwards, Peter Robinson, and, Martin Yates

 

 

 

Track Listing

1. Wilkommen (from Cabaret) – Jonathan Pryce and Company (Clare Burt, Jacqueline Dankworth, Louise Gold, Claire Moore, Caroline O’Connor, and, Gay Soper), with The National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards

2. Over The Rainbow (from The Wizard Of Oz) – Royal Shakespeare Company: Gillian Bevan, with Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards

3. All I Ask Of You (from The Phantom Of The Opera)- John Barrowman, and, Claire Moore, with The Munich Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards

4. Getting To Know You (from The King And I) – Valerie Masterson and Company, with The National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards

5. Summer Nights (from Grease) – John Barrowman, and, Shona Lindsay, with orchestra conducted by Martin Yates

6. Wouldn’t It Be Loverly (from My Fair Lady) – Tinuke Olafimihan  & Company, with The National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards

7. Quintet (Tonight) (from West Side Story) – Members of the Original Leicester Haymarket Theatre Production, with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards

8. How To Handle A Woman (from Camelot) – Original 1982 London Cast: Richard Harris, with orchestra conducted by Gerry Allison

9. Consider Yourself (from Oliver!) – Irfan Ahmad, and, Richard Stone with boys from King’s College School Wimbledon, with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards

10. Three Little Maids (from The Mikado) – ENO: Lesley Garrett, Jean Rigby, and, Susan Bullock, with The English National Opera Orchestra And Chorus conducted by Peter Robinson

11. Memory (from Cats) – Maria Friedman, with The Munich Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards

12. Superstar (from Jesus Christ Superstar) – Clive Rowe & Company, with The National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Martin Yates.

 

 

 

The Sleeve notes also seem to suggest that Bob Hoskins, Liza Minnelli, and, Willard White are somewhere on this album, but it is not apparent where?

The number Wilkommen comes from the JAY/TER studio cast recording of Cabaret, which also features Maria Friedman.

John Barrowman appeared in Anything Goes (Stage Show).

John Barrowman, and, Maria Friedman appeared in Chicago & Company.

John Barrowman, Maria Friedman, Shona Lindsay, Valerie Masterson, Caroline O’Connor, Tinuke Olafinihan, and, Jonathan Pryce’s recording credits include The History Of The Musical; which also features The National Symphony Orchestra, along with maestros John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates.

John Barrowman, Clare Burt, Shona Lindsay, Caroline O’Connor, and, Tinuke Olafimihan’s recording credits include Simply Musicals; which also features The National Symphony Orchestra along with maestros John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates. This includes the same recordings of Summer Nights, and, Quintet (Tonight).

Gillian Bevan appeared in The Boys From Syracuse, and, may have appeared in Comedy Tonight.

Gillian Bevan, Maria Friedman, Louise Gold, and, Claire Moore appeared in Kids At Heart.

Gillian Bevan, Clive Rowe, and, Gay Soper appeared in the Regents Park 70th Anniversary Gala.

The English National Opera Chorus, and, Richard Harris took part in The Royal Variety Performance (1982).

Maria Friedman, and, Claire Moore may have appeared in Will-Aid.

Maria Friedman, Louise Gold, and, Claire Moore appeared in A Time To Start Living.

Maria Friedman appeared in Sondheim At The Barbican.

Jacqueline Dankworth, Louise Gold, and, Maria Friedman appeared in Merrily We Roll Along (Stage Production) and its associated recording Merrily We Roll Along (Recording).

Clare Burt, Louise Gold, Richard Harris, Valerie Masterson, Claire Moore, Tinuke Olafimihan, and, Jonathan Pryce’s recording credits include Encore! The Very Best From The Musicals. This also features The National Symphony Orchestra; along with 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.

Clare Burt, Richard Harris, and, Tinuke Olafimihan’s recording credits include The Greatest Musicals Of The 20th Century; which also features The National Symphony Orchestra along with maestros Gerry Allison, John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates. This includes the same recordings of Wouldn’t It Be Loverly, and, How To Handle A Woman.

Richard Harris, Valerie Masterson, Caroline O’Connor, Tinuke Olafimihan, Jonathan Pryce, and, The Royal Shakespeare Company’s recording credits include Great Musicals - Wonderful Tales; which also features The National Symphony Orchestra along with maestros Gerry Allison, John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates.

Richard Harris, and, Valerie Masterson’s recording credits include Great Musicals - Glamour And Majesty; which also features The National Symphony Orchestra along with maestros Gerry Allison, John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates.

Valerie Masterson, and, Tinuke Olafimihan’s recording credits include On The Town, which also featured Te National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards.

Valerie Masterson’s recording credits include The Best Of Broadway Musicals, which also features The National Symphony Orchestra, along with maestros John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates.

Valerie Masterson, and, Tinuke Olafimihan’s recording credits include Great Duets From The Musicals, which also features The National Symphony Orchestra; along with maestros John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates.

Jonathan Pryce appeared on television in A Week In The West End.

Clare Burt’s recording credits include Cole Porter Night And Day, which also features The National Symphony Orchestra, along with maestros John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates.

Clare Burt appeared in A Love Letter To Dan.

Gay Soper appeared in a concert of highlights from the Ratepayer’s Iolanthe & Metropolitan Mikado, which was conducted by John Owen Edwards.

Louise Gold, and, Gay Soper appeared in Martin Yates’s musical The Soap Opera.

Gay Soper appeared at Dress Circle Grand Reopening.

The National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Martin Yates can also be heard on Stop The World I Want To Get Off.

The National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards can also be heard on Anything Goes (Recording).

John Owen Edwards had also conducted The Metropolitan Mikado.

Caroline O’Connor’s recording credits include The Great Musicals – Dashing Heroes, Blushing Maidens; this also involved The National Symphony Orchestra; with maestros Gerry Allison, John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates.

Clare Burt, Jacqueline Dankworth, and, Valerie Masterson’s recording credits include The Great Musicals – Laughter And Tears; this also involved The National Symphony Orchestra; with maestros John Owen Edwards, and, Martin Yates.

 

Review

by Emma Shane, 21 September 2007

An interesting choice of material to promote JAY/TER’s Showtime label. I’m not altogether sure how successful some of it is at promoting albums?  While All I Ask Of You and Superstar are probably ok if you happen to like those songs, these performances do not sell those two songs that well. Three Little Maids From School is another that is fine if that’s the way you like your G&S, actually it’s pretty enjoyable, Lesley Garrett after all is good at selling operatic numbers to the masses, but it’s still “grand opera in Milan”; whereas I prefer Shirley Henderson’s “low burlesque on the banks of the Thames” version. Wouldn’t It Be Loverly from My Fair Lady is a classic number, and virtually singer-proof. All the same after one has heard the likes of Julie Andrews and Liz Robertson it has to be said that Tinuke Olafimihan’s cockney accent pales in comparison. It’s recognisably cockney, but it’s just not thick enough for the character she is portraying, I’m sure it would be fine for Mrs Lovett or possibly even Nancy in Oliver. It’s just not quite broad enough for Eliza Doolittle, because My Fair Lady hinges so much on the fact that Eliza is a poor flower-girl who doesn’t talk genteel enough to work in a shop. Similarly while Gillian Bevan and The Royal Shakespeare Company do a brave job with Over The Rainbow, ultimately this song is just too much Judy Garland’s for Ms Bevan to quite make it her own. She doesn’t do it badly, but the song is too much of a film classic. Tonight from West Side Story has its own difficulties. John Owen Edwards certainly conducts it magnificently (as one would expect) and the company, whoever-they-are do it well, it is unfortunate for them that I can rarely get a certain Sesame Street parody out of my mind whenever I hear this song. Getting To Know You, Summer Nights, and, How To Handle A Woman are all nice versions of those songs, good background music. While the classic Consider Yourself is performed as a real rouser. Willkommen is also fine background music. Although they are not credited on this CD’s sleeve notes, it does just happen to have the added depth of an incredible chorus line-up. Continuing with the German theme there is also the surprising delights of The Munich Symphony Orchestra accompanying Maria Friedman singing Memory. The first time I heard this track I didn’t know who was singing it. I thought it a reasonably good version, but perhaps not quite as moving as Kim Criswell’s? However on hearing it a second time, this time knowing who was singing I could really pick out Friedman’s own distinctive mannerisms in the song, and could understand her performance of it much better knowing it was her. It’s actually very moving too. The difference is that Kim Criswell is a very upfront performer, as soon as you hear her sing a number you know almost at once if you like the way she’s done it. By contrast Maria Friendman, like Louise Gold, is subtler. With both these two ladies sometimes one will hear them sing something and know at once you like it, but sometimes you have to get used to the way they are doing a number, in their own distinct style before you can decide whether you actually like what they have done to it. It is perhaps why both of them respond so well to Jason Carr’s accompaniments, because his work as an arranger is in a similar subtle vain. Anyway, Maria Friedman’s performance of Memory is one of those pieces where, if you quite like Maria’s singing then you really have to get to hear this (it is on some other more widely available albums somewhere). If you don’t particularly care for her singing then it probably won’t be your cup of tea. Overall this is a curious compilation album. I don’t know that it would encourage me to buy more JAY/TER or Showtime recordings, although it might make me take a closer look at Maria Friedman’s JAY/TER credits, and whatever that recording of Oliver is. Is it worth trying to track down a copy of this promotional album? Well if you’re a completist perhaps. But otherwise, well there are plenty of other musical theatre compilation albums around. And everything on this album can be found on at least one other more widely available album, in some cases probably several.

 

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Links about Centre Stage Showtime! / Showstoppers!

 

 

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