Original cast recordings from the 2004 broadway season.(The Broadway and Cabaret Scene)(Avenue Q)(Wicked)(Caroline, or Change)(Make Believe)(Collage)(A Lot of Livin')(Sound Recording Review)

The 2004 Broadway musical season ended with a bit of a surprise. The little show that could clobbered the presumed champion. With a humorous campaign aimed at Tony Award voters, Avenue Q snatched the Tony Award for best score (not to mention Best Musical) from Wicked, the huge Broadway hit with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Pippin, Godspell, Pocohontas). Both recordings are now available, as is a 2-CD set of Caroline, or Change, the other contender in the musical score sweepstakes.

Avenue Q, Music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx (Victor 82876-55923)

Avenue Q is a musical with modern sensibilities and contemporary values. There's a certain shock value when you hear some of these lyrics for the first time. There's even a "parental advisory" sticker on the cover for explicit content. But it's all very clever. After the cast members harmonize on the "Avenue Q Theme" they segue into "It Sucks To Be Me," a dark comic number in which the residents of Avenue Q debate whose life is worse. With songs like "Everyone's A Little Bit Racist," the show makes us look inside ourselves and our own prejudices as the television comedy series All in the Family did two decades ago. My favorite title is "You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want When You're Makin' Love."

It's hard for me to judge how well this cast recording can stand on its own. Having seen the show, I can visualize the action on stage and the characters, especially the puppets. Yes, some of the actors play puppets such as Kate Monster and Trekkie Monster--no they're not related. The more human characters have names like Princeton (a fresh-faced kid just out of college), and Rod, a Republican investment banker with a secret.

The recording is a clean and crisp rendering of what you hear in the (one of Broadway's smallest) theatre. On balance, I recommend Avenue Q to anyone who has seen the show or might be interested in attending when they are in New York or Las Vegas (the only place other than Broadway Avenue Q will play.)

Wicked, Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Decca B0001682)

More of a traditional Broadway score, Wicked features the music and lyrics of Stephen Schwartz, well-known for his Broadway and film scores. The opening number, "No One Mourns the Wicked," introduces you to the lovely soprano voice of Kristen Chenoweth. We get our first real glimpse of Idina Menzel's (who won the Tony Award for outstanding actress in a musical) overwhelming power in the pop ballad "The Wizard and I." Kristin returns in "Popular," a comical tribute to herself. Idina triumphs with "Defying Gravity" a literally soaring ballad. There are other excellent performers as well. Norbert Leo Butz high-steps through "Dancing Through Life" and Joel Grey sings "A Sentimental Man."