ON THE RECORD: The Encores! Cast Album of Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along by Steven Suskin

This week's column discusses the cast album of the New York City Center Encores! production of Merrily We Roll Along, featuring Colin Donnell, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Lin-Manuel Miranda and…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:01am on July 15, 2012☆⚑

THE DVD SHELF: "The Sting," "The Artist" and Chaplin's "The Gold Rush" by Steven Suskin

Watching Paul Newman and Robert Redford in "The Sting," Jean Dujardin in Michel Hazanavicius' "The Artist," and Charles Chaplin's "The Gold Rush," glori…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on July 1, 2012☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: Gershwin's Sweet Little Devil and John Pizzarelli's "Double Exposure" by Steven Suskin

This week's column discusses the new studio cast album of the early Gershwin musical Sweet Little Devil and a new CD from John Pizzarelli, "Double Exposure."

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on June 10, 2012☆⚑

THE BOOK SHELF: Gerald Schoenfeld's "Mr. Broadway," Plus Two Books on Irving Berlin by Steven Suskin

This month's column looks at "Mr. Broadway," Gerald Schoenfeld's memoir about life as a Shubert, plus two books about Irving Berlin: "The Irving Berlin Reader" an…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on June 3, 2012☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: Lysistrata Jones and the Collected Songs of Victor Herbert by Steven Suskin

This week's column discusses last season's Broadway musical Lysistrata Jones and a four-CD set of songs by composer Victor Herbert.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on May 27, 2012☆⚑

THE DVD SHELF: "Being John Malkovich," Julie Andrews as "Victor Victoria," and the Vintage "Dearest Enemy" by Steven Suskin

This month we watch John Malkovich in "Being John Malkovich," Julie Andrews and Robert Preston in "Victor Victoria," a TV version of Rodgers & Hart's "Deares…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on May 20, 2012☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: Leslie Uggams Goes Uptown Downtown, Nick Jonas Sings How to Succeed by Steven Suskin

This week's column discusses the cast recording of Leslie Uggams' one-woman show Uptown Downtown, plus Nick Jonas singing five songs from the current revival of How to Succeed in Bus…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on May 13, 2012☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: Newsies, Bonnie & Clyde and One Man, Two Guvnors by Steven Suskin

This week's column discusses the original cast recordings of Disney's Newsies, Frank Wildhorn and Don Black's Bonnie & Clyde, and the incidental score to the uproarious One M…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on April 29, 2012☆⚑

THE DVD SHELF: "Brief Encounter," "Vanya on 42nd Street," "A Night to Remember," Fred Astaire, "Car 54" by Steven Suskin

This month we watch a new set of films from Noel Coward and David Lean, including "Brief Encounter"; the Titanic tale, "A Night to Remember"; Louis Malle's "Vany…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:01am on April 22, 2012☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: Julie and Carol and Liza, Live; Plus a Re-Listen to Maury Yeston's Titanic by Steven Suskin

A fresh listen to the Titanic Broadway cast album on a grim anniversary and three live recordings — two with "Julie and Carol" and one with Liza Minnelli — make up this…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on April 15, 2012☆⚑

THE BOOK SHELF: Plays By Jez Butterworth, Enda Walsh, Eugene O'Neill, Plus a Guide to Spring Awakening by Steven Suskin

In this month's stack of books is a memoir about Cary Grant, a slew of new plays (and one very old one) and a slim tome that decodes the lyrics of the Tony-winning Spring Awakening, plus…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on April 8, 2012☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: Broadway's Irish Folk-Pop Musical Once by Steven Suskin

This week's column discusses the original cast recording of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova's Once, the new Dublin-set Broadway musical.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on March 25, 2012☆⚑

THE DVD SHELF: "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," "The Descendants," "Anatomy of a Murder," "I Claudius" and M by Steven Suskin

This month's selection of new releases includes Daniel Craig in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," James Stewart in Otto Preminger's "Anatomy of a Murder" and Der…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on March 18, 2012☆⚑

THE BOOK SHELF: Memoirs from The Jets, The Sharks, The Trapp Children and Frank Langella by Steven Suskin

This month's column looks at two classic movie musicals from the viewpoint of surviving cast members— "Our Story: Jets & Sharks, Then and Now" and "The Sound of …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on March 11, 2012☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: A Christmas Story, Plus Mini-Albums of Shuffle Along and Blackbirds of 1928 by Steven Suskin

This week's column discusses the initial cast recording of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul's A Christmas Story, plus four-song selections from the 1920s musicals Shuffle Along and Blackbi…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:01am on February 26, 2012☆⚑

THE DVD SHELF: "Anonymous," "Shakespeare in Love," "A Star Is Born," "Nothing Sacred," "Tall Story" by Steven Suskin

This month's column looks at Shakespeare on screen in "Anonymous" and "Shakespeare in Love"; newly-mastered releases of David O. Selznick's "A Star Is Born&q…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:01am on February 12, 2012☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: A Thurber Carnival and "David Merrick Presents Hits From His Broadway Hits" by Steven Suskin

This week's column discusses the original Broadway cast album of the 1960 revue A Thurber Carnival and a special item from the 1964 RCA catalog, "David Merrick Presents Hits from Hi…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on February 5, 2012☆⚑

THE DVD SHELF: "To Kill a Mockingbird," "Rebecca," "Notorious," "Annie Hall," "Manhattan" and More by Steven Suskin

This month's column discusses the 50th anniversary Blu-ray of "To Kill a Mockingbird"; new releases of Hitchcock's "Rebecca," "Spellbound" and "Not…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on January 29, 2012☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: Donna Murphy in The People in the Picture and the 1960 West End Cast of Johnny the Priest by Steven Suskin

This week's column discusses the original Broadway cast album of People in the Picture, starring Donna Murphy, and the long-forgotten 1960 West End musical Johnny the Priest.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on January 22, 2012☆⚑

THE BOOK SHELF: "Broadway Musical MVPs," Funny Girl, "Sex, Drugs, Rock 'n' Roll & Musicals," Wicked and More by Steven Suskin

Paging through a stack of recent theatre-related books, scripts and sheet music, including the latest from Peter Filichia, a travel tome celebrating Shakespeare's Italy, a Wicked memoir,…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on January 15, 2012☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: Georgia Stitt's "My Lifelong Love," Jason Graae's Perfect Hermany and the West End's Marigold by Steven Suskin

Listening to "My Lifelong Love," a collection of songs by Georgia Stitt; Perfect Hermany, Jason Graae's one-man salute to Jerry Herman; and the CD debut of the 1959 West End ca…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:13pm on January 9, 2012☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: Georgia Stitt's "My Lifetime Love," Jason Graae's Perfect Hermany and the West End's Marigold by Steven Suskin

Listening to "My Lifetime Love," a collection of songs by Georgia Stitt; Perfect Hermany, Jason Graae's one-man salute to Jerry Herman; and the CD debut of the 1959 West End ca…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on January 8, 2012☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: Elf, Songs From a Stage Door Canteen Concert, Linda Lavin's "Possibilities" by Steven Suskin

Listening to the original Broadway cast recording of Elf; Stage Door Canteen from Lyrics & Lyricists; and "Possibilities," a solo album from Linda Lavin.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on January 1, 2012☆⚑

THE DVD SHELF: Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris," Jean Renoir's "Rules of the Game," Plus "Design for Living" and "The Help" by Steven Suskin

Screening Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris"; Jean Renoir's classic "The Rules of the Game"; Ernst Lubitsch and Ben Hecht's overhaul of Noel Coward's Desig…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on December 25, 2011☆⚑

THE BOOK SHELF: Memoirs by Hal Holbrook and Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Stanley Green's "Show by Show," Plays by Enda Walsh and More Mormon by Steven Suskin

Paging through "Harold: The Boy Who Became Mark Twain" by Hal Holbrook; "Luck and Circumstance" by Michael Lindsay-Hogg; the new edition of Stanley Green's "Musi…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on December 18, 2011☆⚑