Album recorded with a rooster of West End Stars

Chicago (All That Jazz) has turned out to be as big a hit as musicals such as The Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables, with productions all over the world. That the world of murderous women can be made to appear sexy and fun is a testament to the genius of John Kander (composer) and Fred Ebb (lyricist), the elder statesmen of the Broadway musical. The Phantom of the Opera (All I Ask of You, Music of the Night) is still one of the most popular musicals in the world. Its old fashioned story yet innovative staging gives audiences a real look at the sumptuous world of gothic romance. Andrew Lloyd Webber, the composer of The Phantom of the Opera, is the producer of another hit musical with a difference: Bombay Dreams (Shakalaka Baby). This show, inspired by the Indian film industry known somewhat charmingly as Bollywood, has proved that once again that Lloyd Webber has his finger on the pulse by giving audiences something sufficiently different in order to attract them in large numbers. The Asian sounding score is by the acclaimed Indian film composer A R Rahman and is as different from any other musical as it is possible to be. It is expected that Cats will hold the record for being the longest running show in the West End for a long time to come and it is only right that Memory should be on this recording as it is not only a great song but one of the most recorded songs of all times. It is wonderful to be able to contrast Memory with another hit from that score, Macavity, here in a performance that reminds us of the true meaning of the word show-stopper. Jesus Christ Superstar (Heaven on their Minds) is really the father of the modern West End musical. Not only did it catapult the two young writers, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, to immediate musical stardom, but it is also this show that inspired Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg to become full time musical composers. They were not alone in their inspiration but their musical Les Misérables (The Prayer, One Day More) is the show that has been seen by more people than any other and the sound of their music is every bit as epic as the original Victor Hugo novel. Immediately after Jesus Christ Superstar Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber confirmed their status by giving us Evita (Don't Cry for Me, Argentina). The powerful story of the wife of the Argentina's president must have seemed an unlikely story for a musical. The public, however, adored it every bit as much as the Argentine people had previously adored Eva Peron. Thoroughly Modern Millie is one of those shows, along with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins, that you cannot believe has not been on stage before as we all seem to know them so well. The latter two shows have uplifting songs written by the Sherman brothers (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious) whilst the roaring 20s score for Thoroughly Modern Millie was by the veteran writers Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Kahn. All three musicals were of course well loved hit films and it is great that they have at last made it onto the stage. Although many people are concerned that the long running musicals that have sustained the West End for so long are now gracefully retiring (temporarily, I'm sure) it's good to know that the London musical is going through another change much the same as it did when Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice wrote Jesus Christ Superstar. The current trend of films becoming stage shows or pop stars' back catalogues becoming the source for a musical score seems set to continue and, as long as the shows are good and the public like them, there is no reason why this should appear as anything other than positive. The musical We Will Rock You is an example of this with new life being given to existing music. Forever linked with the memory of Freddie Mercury, Radio Ga Ga and We are the Champions were both showstoppers in their own field before they moved over to become showstoppers in the West End. It is a testament not only to the writers but also to the musical theatre performers who give so much of themselves night after night to ensure that you the audience experience and enjoy the real magic that is the Best of the West End.

Track Listing

• Carmen Cusack - All That Jazz (from Chicago)
• David Shannon - All I Ask of You (from the Phantom of the Opera)
• David Shannon - Shakalaka Baby (from Bombay Dreams)
• Carmen Cusack - Macavity (from Cats)
• Jacqui Scott - Thoroughly Modern Millie (from Thoroughly Modern Millie)
• Issy Van Randwyck - I Dreamed a Dream (from Les Miserables)
• Deborah Myers - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (from Mary Poppins)
• James Graeme - Bui Doi (from Miss Saigon)
• Hayley Wareham - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)
• Jacqui Scott - Don't Cry for Me Argentina (from Evita)
• Deborah Myers - Send In the Clowns (from a Little Night Music)
• Issy Van Randwyck - As Long As He Needs Me (from Oliver!)
• Ian McLarnon - Night of a Thousand Stars (from Evita)
• Jacinta Whyte - Memory (from Cats)
• Sally Ann Triplett - Maybe This Time (from Cabaret)
• David Shannon - Heaven On Their Minds (from Jesus Christ Superstar)
• Katrina Murphy - I Know Him So Well (from Chess)
• Carmen Cusack - The Circle of Life (from the Lion King)

Additional Details

Label: JAY Records

Genre: Musical/Broadway

Run Time: 69 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 01/01/03

UPC: 605288801327