# I need a new musical to listen to **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 13, 2004, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636 "2004-08-13T02:11:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThatGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e5b9ba/32.png) [@ThatGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThatGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636/1 "2004-08-13T02:11:34Z")
While the popular shows from “Oklahoma!” to “RENT” are wonderfull and all, i find my favorites tend to be lesser known and even obscure shows. So give me a soundtrack i can oder online (preferably amazon) that could fill my needs…i don’t care if it was ever on broadway, off broadway, what country it’s from, or if it was only perfromed in someone’s basement, as long as there is a cast recording in english let me know about it. As far as tastes, i’m happy as long as it has some sort of emotional depth and compelling characters. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636/2 "2004-08-13T02:18:11Z")
If you haven’t already, check out [Chess](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000002GLR/qid=1092363314/sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/102-2081262-8897723) (the UK cast, though the American cast isn’t bad). ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636/3 "2004-08-13T02:41:50Z")
Oh my God I could go on for hours about musicals, but based on your description I’d suggest _The Last 5 Years_, by Jason Robert Brown. It’s a two-person show about a doomed marriage, and the guy moves forward in time, while the girl moves backwards. And the only time they ever sing together is that one moment when their timelines cross. It’s the kind of musical that makes you wish you’d written it. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636/4 "2004-08-13T02:43:56Z")
And that would be a preposition I’ve ended my sentence with. And again. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![the\_Lady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@the\_Lady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Lady)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636/5 "2004-08-13T02:51:41Z")
I’ve always liked _The Secret Garden_\* - there are some beautiful songs in it. ---
**Author:** ![the\_Lady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@the\_Lady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Lady)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636/6 "2004-08-13T02:53:19Z")
and seeing as how I’ve screwed up the coding, I will now also second the _Chess_ suggestion while apologizing for my inability to preview. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636/7 "2004-08-13T02:55:10Z")
Wicked. ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636/8 "2004-08-13T05:02:31Z")
Here are some I’ve always liked, at least the soundtracks: _Pippin_, _Company_, _A Chorus Line_, _Man of La Mancha_, _A Little Night Music._ ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636/9 "2004-08-13T08:12:59Z")
I’ve recently fallen in love with _Merrily We Roll Along_, and someone recently recommended _Tick, Tick, Boom_ to me. It’s by the same guy who wrote _RENT_. I haven’t heard it yet. I also like _Avenue Q_ and _Songs for a New World_. Let us know which of these suggestions you end up liking, so that we can try to find things that are similar. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636/10 "2004-08-13T08:14:35Z")
[Into the Woods](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000002WAB/qid=1092383625/sr=8-2/ref=pd_ka_2/102-8927024-6942514?v=glance&s=music&n=507846) I’ve linked to the original cast recording. There’s a cast recording of the revival, which isn’t nearly as good a performance, and a London cast recording, which is a good performance, but a poor recording. [Sweeny Todd](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000002W4L/qid=1092384457/sr=8-7/ref=pd_ka_7/102-8927024-6942514?v=glance&s=music&n=507846) There are three versions of _Sweeny Todd_ available. I’ve linked to the original cast recording, which is quite good. The DVD of the play is a 1982 performance, in which Len Cariou was replaced by George Hearn, who is much better in the role. Unfortunately, there is no cast recording available of this version. The most recent version is of _Sweeny Todd_ in concert, with Patti Lupone in the part played by Angela Landsbury on Broadway. Lupone equals Landsbury in every way, and you still have Hearn. Strangely, there is no cd available of this version, which is a concert and not a fully staged play. It’s only available on DVD. I have the DVD’s for both, and I’ve watched them each a dozen times. They have yet to disappoint. ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636/11 "2004-08-13T08:24:19Z")
I have the original of _Into the Woods_, and the only reason I wish I’d gotten the revival recording is that they added a new song called “Our Little World,” which is a pretty good song. But **Number Six** seems to be the resident ITW soundtrack expert around here anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636/12 "2004-08-13T09:45:29Z")
Chess is excellent. My local community theatre is doing “[Barnum](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000067AS2/qid=1092390278/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/103-8052625-5137453?v=glance&s=music&n=507846)” and while doing some volunteer work down there I heard some of the music. It’s…interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636/13 "2004-08-13T10:22:38Z")
[Hedwig and the Angry Inch](http://www.finelinefeatures.com/sites/hedwig/) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636/14 "2004-08-13T13:12:41Z")
Another _Chess_ vote. And if you can find Tim Rice & Stephen Oliver’s _Blondel_–which was released on CD for about 12 1/2 seconds–GET IT! It is fantastic! ALW’s _By Jeeves_ is lesser known, and I love it! Newer recommended shows include _Boy from Oz_ and _Wicked_. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636/15 "2004-08-13T14:43:02Z")
Everyone’s mentioning relatively recent musicals, but here’s a (largely) unsung classic old-school production: **The Pajama Game** , by Adler & Ross, the duo behind _Damn Yankees!_ Both the Original Cast soundtrack and the movie-version DVD are worth getting (both for the music, but the latter so you can also follow the terrific story)–It’s one of the few films Broadway superstar John Raitt made, and he is phenomenal in both. ---
**Author:** ![Taran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Taran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taran)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636/16 "2004-08-13T15:23:14Z")
I came in here eager to recommend _Chess_. Apparently it’s not as obscure as I’d realized. Still absolutely worth a try. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636/17 "2004-08-13T15:42:50Z")
There’s tons of new musicals out there. _Titanic_ (Best Musical of 1997, no relation to the movie) is operatic, romantic, tragic, and has one of the best love songs of the 90’s (‘Still’.) The brand-new recording of Sondheim’s _Assassins_ just came out a week ago and it’s fantastic. More new ones I’ve liked: _Amour, Hedwig, Randy Newman’s Faust, Bat Boy, Ragtime, Zanna, Don’t!_ Tons more out there. I’d check out [Footlight Records](http://www.footlight.com/) in New York–ships as well as Amazon and specializes in cast recordings. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636/18 "2004-08-13T15:47:12Z")
[The Grass Harp](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000JMKR/qid=1092411988/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/102-8778293-2388939?v=glance&s=music) ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636/19 "2004-08-13T16:02:28Z")
If you haven’t heard _Robert and Elizabeth,_ go find it. You’re gonna melt right into your socks. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636/20 "2004-08-13T16:13:25Z")
Another vote for **The Pajama Game** Adler and Ross are often overlooked, and are better remembered for **Damn Yankees** , though Pajama Game is a marginally better score, and rarely revived, due to inflation.\* **A Class Act** , a biography of Edward Kleban, lyricist of **A Chorus Line**. Kleban was a first-class songwriter, too. The 1960s revival of **Anything Goes** , starring Hal Linden – they interpolated additional Cole Porter songs, all to the good. \*7 1/2 cents doesn’t mean a helluva lot. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-new-musical-to-listen-to/259636.md?page=2)