12 Cast Recordings That Will Change Your Life

In June 1996, RENT won the Tony Award for Best Musical. Since I had been accepted and enrolled in a performing arts school at this point for 2 years, my lovely, Catholic grandparents (who hadn’t been to New York to see a musical, let alone RENT) thought it a good idea to buy me a Broadway cast recording for my birthday. They figured, if this RENT musical won the Tony for best musical, this is probably the best show to get Marcus. So there I was, 4 days after my birthday…my 11th birthday…struggling to remove the shrink wrap from the two disc set. I finally got it open, inserted the CD marked Disc 1 into my dad’s stereo, plugged in the headphones and placed them on my virgin ears. I pressed play and listened. This was to be the first time I was to meet Mark, Roger, Maureen, Benny, Tom and Angel…and ultimately my first brush with sex, drugs, homosexuality, drag queens and AIDS. I was afraid, I was heartbroken…I was fascinated. I sat for hours and listened to the entire 2 disc set of what turned out to be one of the most enlightening and liberating moments of my entire life. I finally knew who I was…I had a taste of what love meant. What it means to love and lose when its completely out of your power and what life consequences result from crippling addiction. I am one of the lucky few who lived in Orange County, CA where touring shows would pass through frequently, but for all of us musical theater kids spread across America without this luxury, all we have are our cast recordings. They shape our lives, teach us how to feel, how to love and how to cope with life in absence of parents or family role models. So in no specific order, I bring to you 12 cast recordings that have changed my life forever and will surely change yours (if they haven’t already).

1. RENT (Original Cast Recording)

Nothing against recent casts or the movie (since 80% of the originals were in the movie) but this was the 2-disc set my grandparents got me and it’s the most comprehensive. They took out a considerable amount of dialogue and transitional orchestrations that I love in the original that have enough merit for me to demand you listen to the original first. As I explained in my opening paragraph, RENT will open your mind to the underside of the American dream. This musical drove industry and cultural transformations in all aspects and birthed a new breed of musical theater for a broader audience of artists and musicians. One of my favorites for life! You can check out the album here.

2. Les Miserables (Royal Albert Hall Edition)

The reason I chose the Royal Albert Hall edition of Les Miserables is because of the incredible star talent of the entire cast. Colm Wilkinson, Lea Salonga, Michael Ball, Judy Kuhn and more lite up the stage in the most spectacular performance of Les Mis on the planet. I stumbled across it one evening on PBS as I was flipping through channels. I was 13 years old and was enthralled by the veracity, the orchestrations and all the feels. It taught me what true camaraderie was, what fighting for what you believe in meant and the pain of losing your friends. It gave me the confidence to persevere in the face of darkness and never give up on my values and principles. Caring for those in need above yourself is what makes us human. Ultimately,

“To love another person is to see the face of God.”

You can grab the Royal Albert Hall cast recording here.

3. Songs For A New World (Jason Robert Brown)

For those of you that have heard this cast album, there are few words to describe the impact this music can have on your life. I was introduced to this musical when I was 15 years old and have continued to let the songs resonate with me as I progress through my life. The tracks don’t follow any typical order, they are meant to use the musical review format to give the listener the opportunity to piece together their personal “New World” for themselves. Audra McDonald also does a fantastic version of the song “Stars and Moon” which to this day remains my favorite song of all time. I guarantee this album will take you on a roller coaster of life that will only make you stronger. Check it out for yourself here.

4. The Color Purple (Original Cast Recording)

I was still in acting school in NYC at the time and I got 2 tickets for the student rush for my boyfriend at the time and I. It was a preview, so they were still working out some kinks in the show, but we didn’t care, we got front row center seats for $25 each. Little did we know that we would be ugly crying 4 feet away from the entire cast by the end of the show. It was an experience I will never forget and was truly, spiritually life changing. Besides the fact the show is executive produced by Oprah Winfrey, the music and lyrics are written by Brenda Russell; who has written music for Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Earth, Wind & Fire, Joni Mitchell, Donna Summer, Flo Rida and Sting to name a few. I personally think the musical was snubbed of 90% of the Tony Awards it was nominated for that year, but LaChanze (who plays Celie) deserved her best actress win, so I’m happy. The musical is quite possibly one of the best pieces of gospel musical theater you will ever hear, and arguably some of the best music written for the stage. The voices and the intentions behind them echo the struggles of millions across the ages, and their message will stick with you for a lifetime. This is such a gift I can give to you if you haven’t heard this yet.

5. Aida (Original Cast Recording, Elton John & Tim Rice)

I used to ware this baby out! When Heather Headley hit the Broadway scene with this new musical, her powerful voice reverberated throughout the entire country (and won her a Best Actress Tony). This was a big deal, Elton John and Tim Rice had written music for ‘The Lion King’ which at that time was the highest grossing Disney film of all time and it was time for a crack at Broadway. The integration of rock melodies from Elton and the powerful theater ballads from Rice make for some spectacularly written music. The mixture of African-influenced orchestrations and hymns create a cast album that lives on through generations..and Headley’s final note in ‘Dance of the Robe’ will be admired in musical lecture halls and drama club dorm rooms for centuries to come. Grab Aida here.

6. The Light in the Piazza (Original Cast Recording)

It was the summer before I was moving to New York for acting school and my grandmother and mom took me on a trip to NYC to tour the school. This was my second time in the city since visiting in high school, so I was a “pro” and showed them around. The thing my 65 year old grandma wanted to do more than anything was see a Broadway show. She had seen the tours come through our hometown, but since this was her first time to New York, she wanted to see the real thing. I had wanted to see ‘The Light in the Piazza’ since it was nominated in the that year’s Tony Awards and the music had already enthralled me and I knew she’d love it. We grabbed our tickets from TKTS and were able to see the full original Broadway cast with Kelli O’Hara, Victoria Clark and Mathew Morrison. I could see the joy in my grandma’s eyes as some of the most beautiful classically written musical theater music filled the Lincoln Center theater. We shared tears of happiness and tears of sadness, and experienced an exciting story to tell to her girlfriends back home in her senior hula class. My grandmother has since passed away and I know for a fact this musical was written especially for us and for all of you. Enjoy!

7. Wicked (Original Cast Recording)

This one goes without saying, but through all the hype the music in Wicked is still some of the most genuine and artistically masterful pieces of music we have. Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth sung our entire generation into a feeding frenzy of feels birthed out of a wicked witch we were born and raised to hate. Those of us that felt like outsiders had someone to relate to, someone who for decades was given a bad rap is now being exonerated for the sins that she “technically” didn’t mean to commit or so it was written. Stephen Schwartz creates a score that touches every tormented soul and teaches us to follow our heart, follow our mind and stand up to adversity. Who knew our Idina would go from lesbian rebel to green witch to ice princess? Check out the album here, lol.

8. West Side Story (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Where do I start with this one. West Side Story was the first professional job I ever did. I was a Shark in the Asia/European Tour of WSS as well as the 50th Anniversary World Tour of the show and had the opportunity to listen to the music of this brilliant show once even twice a day. You’d think after over 500 shows and two years on the road I’d get tired of listening to West Side Story, but the truth is I never got tired of it. The classical melodies written by Leonard Bernstein are so masterfully composed that they remain timeless and relevant to all generations and all ages. I cry every time…the tragedy and betrayal is sharp but musically beautiful. This is definitely an oldie, but a goodie and if you haven’t listened to it top to bottom, now’s your chance!

9. Hair (The New Broadway Cast Recording)

The first time I experienced this musical was when I was already out of acting school, hacking it in New York. I heard that HAIR was one of the shows that the Public was doing at ‘Shakespeare in the Park’ this summer…and an old high school friend was playing a major role in it. I had never heard the music before and went in with low expectations considering the show was so old (silly me). So we grabbed our blankets, pillows, snacks and headed to Central Park at 4AM to wait in line for 6 hours for free tickets. We were in our early 20's, and loved every minute of the process of getting tickets…and this was the only way to get them. We luckily got AWESOME seats for our early arrival and arrived that night ready. The show literally blew my mind. At that point, my perception of our political system rotated around strict conformity and I was never exposed to civil disobedience against Uncle Sam. This musical made me question the conservative politics my parents drilled into me and realize that my first amendment rights not only give me the freedom of speech but freedom of thought. I can celebrate and fight for who I am and not be ashamed of my uniqueness. Open your mind and take a listen!

10. Last Five Years (Original Cast Recording)

Damn. This one is a tough one. If you’re ready to cry for a good 10 minutes straight, this one is for you. Another Jason Robert brown masterpiece that hasn’t really been given its hey day. I will admit, the movie starring Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick is absolutely fantastic, it didn’t get a wide release and this show has YET to have a Broadway run. But that doesn’t mean shit, because this show is genius. I do wish someone told me this before I listened to it so I will tell you this now and I promise you won’t feel cheated: The show follows a relationship between a young couple, but Kathy starts the show at the end of their relationship and Jamie starts at the beginning. The entirety of the show tracks this progression and they meet at the middle and in turn progress down the path opposite of where they started. I hope I explained that well enough, if not, you’ll get it after listening to the first 4 songs. Regardless, this cast album is one of my favorites and truly taught me the true foundations of partnership and how a simple choice can alter your life forever. I suggest you listen to either the original (Norbert Leo Butz & Sherie Rene Scott) or the movie soundtrack (both are of equal value) and definitely watch the movie with a box of tissues cause it’s a walk to fucking remember style, friends. Grab it here.

11. Spring Awakening (Original Broadway Cast)

When Spring Awakening hit the Broadway scene, I didn’t know if Duncan Sheik could write a piece of music capable of a Broadway hit and sure enough, Spring Awakening hit Broadway like an atomic bomb and plunged stars Lea Michelle, Jonathan Groff and John Gallagher, Jr. into stardom. Not only was the show well written, but the music captivated a whole new generation of young people looking for music to sooth their angst and sexual frustrations as RENT did for the Gen X and Y generations in the 90's. We saw images of young people our age singing of thoughts that sung in our heads and revealed feelings we hid deep within our battered souls. I sometimes put on headphones on a rainy day and bask in the orchestral somber tones of Spring Awakening. Truly an art!

12. Company (New Broadway Cast)

I saved this one for last because this is my favorite Sondheim musical. Many will argue with me, but the reason I chose this to end our list is because the music has a lasting effect on my soul. Unlike other Sondheim musicals that are wrapped in fantasy, this musical is about an ordinary man, struggling with the natural progression of life and how to fit into the rotation of the earth around him. Stripping down Sondheim and the magnificent worlds he paints with his music, we find Company. A poignant, harmony-filled album that touches my heart and I only hope will touch yours. Grab the album here.

There are far too many cast albums that I love to make this list complete, but this is a good start. I hope I have inspired and opened your mind to the world these composers create for us. I would love to know what your favorites are in the comments below!

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