This year some of the best scores of Broadway and Off Broadway, are being given CD’s to be remembered by. We are so thrilled at what has be been announced, so far. See if these new releases make your playlist.

Broadway’s Telly Leung (Aladdin, Wicked) released a set of dance remixes of “New York State of Mind” in celebration of next month’s World Pride in New York and the 50^th Anniversary of Stonewall.  The tracks are co-released by Yellow Sound Label / Dauman Music.  The three remixes are:

• New York State of Mind (Twisted Dee & Diego Fernandez World Pride Mix)
• New York State of Mind (Twisted Dee & Diego Fernandez World Pride Radio Edit)
• New York State of Mind (DRWM Radio Mix)

“I love dance music, and I wanted to do something special for World Pride in New York this June,” said Leung.  “As a native New Yorker, this Billy Joel classic has always been an anthem to me – and I wanted to re-imagine it as an anthem for ALL New Yorkers during Pride, a time where we celebrate the diversity and inclusiveness that’s synonymous with New York. Let’s dance!”

The dance remixes can be found on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and wherever you buy music.

National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene has announced a cast recording of its acclaimed Yiddish-language production of Fiddler on the Roof. Joel Grey directs the new staging, which is currently running at the Museum of Jewish Heritage through December 30, 2018, in advance of a transfer to off-Broadway’s Stage 42 set to begin on February 11, 2019. A release date will be announced soon for the album, which will also feature bonus tracks cut from the 1964 Broadway production.

“Having been a part of cast albums as an actor since 1966, I’ve had the privilege of preserving these stories and it was never less than a memorable experience,” said Grey. “Fiddler, however, is my first cast album as the director. Needless to say, I’m a longtime fan of the original production and it was a joy to create this new version in Yiddish. With this superb company of actors, perhaps we might be creating an event for the ages.”

The cast set to appear on the album will include Emmy-nominated stage veteran Jackie Hoffman as Yente, with Steven Skybell as Tevye, Jennifer Babiak as Golde, Rachel Zatcoff as Tzeitel, Lynne Mason as Hodl, Rosie Jo Neddy as Khave, Ben Liebert as Motl, Drew Seigla as Pertshik, Cameron Johnson as Fyedke, Bruce Sabath as Leyzer-Wolf, Lisa Fishman as Bobe Tsaytl and Jodi Snyder as Frume-Sore.

Based on the “Tevye the Dairyman” vignettes by Sholem Aleichem, the Yiddish-language Fiddler features the original book of Joseph Stein translated by Shraga Friedman, with the celebrated music of Jerry Bock. Iconic Fiddler lyricist Sheldon Harnick and original producer/director Harold Prince consulted with National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene on the production’s development.

Broadway Records released an original off-Broadway cast recording of The Hello Girls currently available for preorder at BroadwayRecords.com and Amazon.com.

From New York to Paris, from ragtime to jazz — an ensemble of actor-musicians chronicles the story of America’s first women soldiers, The Hello Girls. These intrepid heroines served as bilingual telephone operators on the front lines, helping turn the tide of World War I. They then returned home to fight a decades-long battle for equality and recognition, paving the way for future generations.

Nominated for three Drama Desk Awards and four Outer Critics Circle Awards, The Hello Girls has music and lyrics by Peter Mills, and a book by Mills and Cara Reichel, with direction by Cara Reichel, choreography by Christine O’Grady, and music direction by Ben Moss. Orchestrations are by Peter Mills and Ben Moss, with additional drum arrangements by Elena Bonomo. Produced by Prospect Theater Company, the musical ran from November 13-December 22, 2018 at 59E59 Theaters.

The cast featured Ellie Fishman (Finding Neverland), Arlo Hill (The Most Happy Fella at Encores!), Chanel Karimkhani (The Goree All Girl String Bandat New York Musical Festival), Andrew Mayer (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812), Matthew McGloin (CasablancaBox at HERE Arts), Ben Moss (Spring Awakening), Lili Thomas (Disney Millennium Symphonies with the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall), Skyler Volpe (West Side Story at Barrington Stage), Cathryn Wake (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812), and Scott Wakefield (Hands on a Hardbody). Elena Bonomo (Waitress) was the percussionist.

Ghostlight Records has announced that the viral Broadway hit Be More Chill now has the rare distinction of holding two spots on the Billboard “Top Broadway Album” chart. The show’s Original Broadway Cast Recording – which was released for digital download and streaming hit #2 in its debut week, while the show’s Original Cast Recording from 2015 occupies the #15 spot.  

Be More Chill‘s new cast recording completes a remarkable full-circle journey for the musical, as the original recording from Ghostlight – which has now been streamed over 300 million times to date – helped propel the show from Two River Theater to Broadway. Be More Chill was nominated for a 2019 Tony Award for “Best Original Score.” CD and vinyl releases for the Broadway album are planned for later this year. The Broadway album is produced by Kurt Deutsch, Joe Iconis, and Charlie Rosen, and co-produced by Ian Kagey and Emily Marshall. To download or stream it, please visit ghostlightrecords.lnk.to/bemorechillbroadway

A series of video trailers, featuring exclusive recording studio footage, is available on YouTube HERE. 

Be More Chill, currently playing at the Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th Street, NYC), is now nominated for “Best Musical” by the Drama Desk, Drama League, and Off-Broadway Alliance Awards. The show features music and lyrics by Joe Iconis and a book by Joe Tracz, based on the cult sensation novel by Ned Vizzini. Stephen Brackett directs and Chase Brock choreographs.

Be More Chill is collaborating with Topsify on a special contest offering a trip to New York to see the show on Broadway. One Grand Prize Winner and a friend will receive roundtrip airfare for two and two nights hotel stay; two tickets to see Be More Chill on Wednesday, June 19; a VIP Backstage Tour, including a meet and greet with the cast; and a Be More Chill merch bundle. For details, terms and conditions, click HERE.

Be More Chill arrived on Broadway with the entire cast of its summer 2018 off-Broadway run intact, all of whom are all featured on the album: Will Roland as Jeremy; George Salazar as Michael; Stephanie Hsu as Christine; Gerard Canonico as Rich; Katlyn Carlson as Chloe; Tiffany Mann as Jenna; Lauren Marcus as Brooke; Britton Smith as Jake; Jason SweetTooth Williams as Mr. Heere – Mr. Reyes – Scary Stockboy; and Jason Tam as The Squip.

What if popularity came in a pill? Would you take it, no questions asked? In Be More Chill, achieving that elusive “perfect life” is now possible thanks to some mysterious new technology-but it comes at a cost that’s not as easy to swallow. What could possibly go wrong? Blending the contemporary with retro sci-fi, this thrillingly exciting, comically subversive, and deeply felt new musical takes on the competing voices in all of our heads. And ultimately proves, there’s never been a better time in history to be yourself-especially if you’re a loser…geek…or whatever.

The work of Joe Iconis is also represented on Ghostlight Records with Be More Chill (Original Cast Recording), Two-Player Game (George Salazar and Joe Iconis), The Joe Iconis Rock & Roll Jamboree, and Things To Ruin (Original Cast Recording).

“BE MORE CHILL – ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING” TRACK LIST

1. Jeremy’s Theme (Instrumental)  

2. More Than Survive  

3. I Love Play Rehearsal  

4. More Than Survive (Reprise)  

5. The Squip Song  

6. Two-Player Game  

7. The Squip Enters  

8. Be More Chill Pt. 1  

9. Do You Wanna Ride?   

10. Be More Chill Pt. 2  

11. Sync Up  

12. A Guy That I’d Kinda Be Into  

13. The Squip Stalks (Instrumental)  

14. Upgrade  

15. Loser Geek Whatever  

16. Halloween   

17. Do You Wanna Hang?  

18. Michael in the Bathroom  

19. A Guy That I’d Kinda Be Into (Reprise)  

20. The Smartphone Hour (Rich Set a Fire)  

21. The Pants Song  

22. The Pitiful Children  

23. The Play  

24. Voices in My Head

Ghostlight and Warner Records have announced that Beetlejuice – Original Broadway Cast Recording is available for digital pre-order. The album will be released for digital download and streaming onFriday, June 7. The CD release is planned for this summer. Customers who pre-order the digital album will immediately receive a download of the first single, “Say My Name.” The show has been nominated for eight 2019 Tony Awards, including “Best Musical” and “Best Original Score.” The album is produced by Matt Stine, Alex Timbers, Eddie Perfect, and Kurt Deutsch. To pre-order the album, please visit ghostlightrecords.lnk.to/beetlejuice

Beetlejuice is directed by two-time Tony Award nominee Alex Timbers (Peter and the Starcatcher), with original music and lyrics by Tony Award nominee Eddie Perfect (King Kong), a book by Tony Award nominee Scott Brown (“Castle Rock”) & Emmy Award and Tony Award nominee Anthony King (“Broad City”), music supervision, orchestrations and incidental music by Kris Kukul (Joan of Arc: Into the Fire), and choreography by Connor Gallagher (The Robber Bridegroom).

Beetlejuice stars Tony Award nominee Alex Brightman (School of Rock) in the title role, Theater World Award winner Sophia Anne Caruso(Lazarus) as Lydia, Tony Award nominee Kerry Butler (Mean Girls) as Barbara, Tony Award nominee Rob McClure (Honeymoon In Vegas) as Adam, Obie Award winner Adam Dannheisser (Rock of Ages) as Charles, and three-time Drama Desk Award nominee Leslie Kritzer (The Robber Bridegroom) as Delia, with Jill Abramovitz (Fiddler on the Roof) as Maxine Dean, Kelvin Moon Loh (SpongBob SquarePants) as Otho, Danny Rutigliano (Holiday Inn) as Maxie Dean, and Dana Steingold (25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) as the Girl Scout, in a cast of 25 that includes Tessa Alves, Gilbert L. Bailey II, Will Blum, Johnny Brantley III, Ryan Breslin, Natalie Charle Ellis, Brooke Engen, Abe Goldfarb, Eric Anthony Johnson, Elliott Mattox, Mateo Melendez, Sean Montgomery, Ramone Owens, Presley Ryan,and Kim Sava.

It’s showtime, folks! The ghost-with-the-most makes his Broadway debut in this edgy and irreverent musical comedy based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved film. Beetlejuice tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and Beetlejuice, a demon with a thing for stripes. When Lydia calls on Beetlejuice to scare away anyone with a pulse, this double-crossing specter unleashes a (Nether)world of pandemonium, and the biggest sandworm Broadway has ever seen.

Yellow Sound Label and Broadway Records announced today that the Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording of Renascence is now available digitally and at BroadwayRecords.com, and in stores on Friday, May 31. Renascence won the 2019 Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Musical and was originally produced Off-Broadway by Transport Group. Renascence  has music by Carmel Dean (musical director for If/Then, American Idiot), lyrics from the poems of Pulitzer Prize Winner Edna St. Vincent Millay, and a book by Tony nominee Dick Scanlan (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Everyday Rapture). Orchestrations are by Tony winner Michael Starobin (Assasins, Next to Normal). The album was produced by Michael Croiter (Matilda, Heathers), Carmel Dean and Dick Scanlan.

The original cast recording of Renascence  features the acclaimed performances of cast members Mikaela Bennett (The Golden Apple), Hannah Corneau (currently Elphaba in Wicked), Jason Gotay (Bring It On), Danny Harris Kornfeld (Rent), Katie Thompson (Giant) and Donald Webber Jr. (currently Burr in Hamilton, San Francisco).

A world-premiere musical produced Off-Broadway by Transport Group, Renascence is the story of Edna St. Vincent Millay, who lived 100 years ago — 100 years ahead of her time. At 19, she wrote a staggeringly profound poem that rocked the literary world and transformed this girl from rural Maine into a central figure of 1920s Greenwich Village, independent from social norms and unconventional in her role as the female power broker in relationships with men. “Vincent” captivated everyone in her orbit (male and female) and was hero-worshipped by young women for her unabashed intellect and frank sensuality.

By setting Millay’s poems to soaring music, Dean has made Millay all new for the 21^st century.  Says Tony Award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori, “Carmel’s score is glorious. If only Vincent could hear it. At least we can.”

Ghostlight Records has announced that Cole Porter’s musical comedy Kiss Me, Kate – 2019 Broadway Cast Recording, will be released for digital download and streaming on Friday, June 7. The CD release is planned for later this year. The show – based on the current hit production from the Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director/CEO) – is directed by Scott Ellis, choreographed by Warren Carlyle,with music direction by Paul Gemignani. Kiss Me, Kate features a book by Sam and Bella Spewack, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The production has been nominated for four 2019 Tony Awards, including “Best Revival of a Musical.” Kiss Me, Kate marks the 24^th cast album recording for Roundabout Theatre Company since launching the musical theatre program with She Loves Me in 1993. The album is produced by Kurt Deutsch and Lawrence Manchester. To pre-order or pre-save the album, please visit ghostlightrecords.lnk.to/kissmekate 

Kiss Me, Kate stars Tony Award winner Kelli O’Hara as “Kate/Lilli Vanessi,” Tony Award nominee Will Chase as “Petruchio/Fred Graham,” Corbin Bleu as “Lucentio/Bill Calhoun,” Terence Archie as “Harrison Howell,” Mel Johnson Jr. as “Harry Trevor/Baptista,” James T. Lane as “Paul,” Stephanie Styles as “Lois Lane/Bianca,” Adrienne Walker as “Hattie,” Lance Coadie Williams as “Gangster (Second Man)” and John Pankow as “Gangster (First Man).” 

In the constellation of musical comedy masterpieces, Kiss Me, Kate shines as perhaps Broadway’s most sparkling achievement. This is the winner of the first-ever Tony Award for Best Musical, alive with onstage romance, backstage passion, comedy high and low, a dash of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, and a stylish, sexy, sophisticated songbook that includes “Too Darn Hot,” “So in Love” and “Always True to You in My Fashion.” Once again, Roundabout catapults you to musical comedy heaven, with a brand-new Kiss Me, Kate. 

Major support for this album generously provided by Susan and Ed Forst, Leni and Peter May, Katheryn Patterson and Tom Kempner, and Diane and Tom Tuft.

Additional support provided by The Howard Gilman Foundation, Harry E. Gould Jr., Abby F. Kohnstamm, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, Nancy and Jay Nichols, and The Cole Porter Estate.

Following its hugely successfully, critically acclaimed digital and CD album release, 

Available now to stream and download, The Music of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was written, composed, performed and recorded by GRAMMY and Ivor Novello Award-winner Imogen Heap. Presented as four contemporary musical suites, each showcasing one of the play’s theatrical acts, the unique new album format from Imogen Heap chronologically features the music heard in the stage production, further reworked to transport listeners on a sonic journey through the world of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

“This album is like nothing I’ve ever attempted before,” says Imogen Heap of The Music of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.  “It’s four suites containing music from each of the four acts of the play.  With over 100 moments of music in the play, the challenge was how to weave them together, and I think it has manifested into a really enjoyable listen, with memories for those who’ve seen the play, musical accompaniment to those with the script of the play or simply just to enjoy the music as a stand-alone album. It is crafted to be listened to in its entirety, taking the listener through different worlds within each suite. I don’t know another album like it. I hope others enjoy listening to it as much as I’ve enjoyed making it.”

This limited edition, 2-LP deluxe vinyl set on Friday, June 21 from Sony Music Masterworks – PREORDER THE VINYL NOW.  Newly pressed on 180-gram vinyl for maximum audio fidelity, the set arrives within a gatefold jacket featuring gold foil artwork and embossed lettering.  Also included in the deluxe vinyl edition is an 8-page, large-format booklet containing production shots and commentary from Imogen Heap and key members of the production’s creative team. 

Available now to stream and download, The Music of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was written, composed, performed and recorded by GRAMMY and Ivor Novello Award-winner Imogen Heap. Presented as four contemporary musical suites, each showcasing one of the play’s theatrical acts, the unique new album format from Imogen Heap chronologically features the music heard in the stage production, further reworked to transport listeners on a sonic journey through the world of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

“This album is like nothing I’ve ever attempted before,” says Imogen Heap of The Music of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.  “It’s four suites containing music from each of the four acts of the play.  With over 100 moments of music in the play, the challenge was how to weave them together, and I think it has manifested into a really enjoyable listen, with memories for those who’ve seen the play, musical accompaniment to those with the script of the play or simply just to enjoy the music as a stand-alone album. It is crafted to be listened to in its entirety, taking the listener through different worlds within each suite. I don’t know another album like it. I hope others enjoy listening to it as much as I’ve enjoyed making it.”