The past month offered a wide range of new theater music, from original concept albums to premiere releases of rare recordings. Among the concept albums is Scarlet, a post-apocalyptic science fiction parable about climate change with a baroque-pop score featuring music and lyrics by Jess Newman and Richard Lindenfelzer. The studio cast includes Maggie McKenna as Scarlet with Sheridan Adams, Blake Appelqvist, Melanie Bird, Jayme-Lee Hanekom, Alessandra Merlo, Sam Richardson, and Liam Wigney. Dean Gild produced the five-track EP.
The Musical Theatre Project and Harbinger Records have offered the first release in any format of the Smithsonian’s 1981 concert production of the 1924 operetta Rose-Marie, under the music direction of James R. Morris. Ron Raines and Debra Vanderlinde headline the cast that includes Adriana Amelias, Mark Basile, Joseph E. Di Genova, Richard M. Hailey III, Gary Holcombe, William McClary, Dona D. Vaughn, Laura Waterbury, and the Catholic University A Capella Choir. This is the only complete recording of the show, which has book and lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II, and music by Rudolf Friml and Herbert Stothart.
Broadway Records released the new Broadway cast recording of Caroline, or Change, by Jeanine Tesori (music) and Tony Kushner (book, lyrics). The cast of this 2021 revival includes Sharon D Clarke as Caroline with Gabriel Amoroso, Alexander Bello, John Cariani, Joy Hermalyn, Arica Jackson, Tamika Lawrence, Caissie Levy, Adam Makké, Kevin S. McAllister, Harper Miles, NKenge, Nya, Richard Alexander Phillips, Jayden Theophile, Nasia Thomas, Jaden Myles Waldman, Samantha Williams, Stuart Zagnit, and Chip Zien. Joseph Joubert conducts.
Stephen Oremus and Harry Connick Jr. produced the Sony Masterworks recording of the Annie Live! NBC-TV broadcast, by Charles Strouse (music), Martin Charnin (lyrics), and Thomas Meehan (book). The cast includes Celina Smith as Annie with Tituss Burgess, Harry Connick Jr., Ben Davis, Taraji P. Henson, Megan Hilty, Jeff Kready, McKenzie Kurtz, Andrea McArdle, Anastacia McCleskey, Nicole Scherzinger, Celina Smith, Alan Toy, and Jacob Keith Watson. Oremus also provided music direction, and Connick provided additional lyrics for “Maybe.”
Another notable concept recording released in January was Past Demons, by Ryan Scott Oliver (music, lyrics), based on the tales of horror and mystery by Shirley Jackson. The studio cast features Jessie Hooker-Bailey, Ethan Carlson, Miranda Luze, Nicole DeLuca, Eleri Ward, Daniel Yearwood, and Eric Ulloa. Joshua Zecher-Ross and Ryan Scott Oliver co-produced the five-track EP.