ON THE RECORD: The New Cast Recording of Follies, Plus Hugh Martin's "Hidden Treasures" by Steven Suskin

This week's column discusses the cast album of the current Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's Follies, plus a special recording from the archives of the late Hu…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:01am on December 11, 2011☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: Holiday Gift List of 2011 — Kate Baldwin, Death Takes a Holiday, Book of Mormon and More by Steven Suskin

The holiday season has arrived yet again, bringing with it this column's annual list of recommended CDs from the past year.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on December 4, 2011☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: Melissa Errico's "Legrand Affair," Michael Feinstein's "Sinatra Project," Plus "Carols for a Cure" by Steven Suskin

Listening to "Legrand Affair," Melissa Errico's salute to composer Michel Legrand; Michael Feinstein's "The Sinatra Project, Vol. II: The Good Life"; and the 2011…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on November 27, 2011☆⚑

THE BOOK SHELF: Stephen Sondheim's "Look, I Made a Hat — Collected Lyrics (1981-2011)" by Steven Suskin

Paging through "Look, I Made a Hat," the second volume of Stephen Sondheim's collected and annotated lyrics. Here's everything from Sunday in the Park With George to Sondhe…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on November 16, 2011☆⚑

THE DVD SHELF: "West Side Story," With Commentary by Stephen Sondheim, Plus "Top Banana," Alfred Drake, John Raitt by Steven Suskin

Screening the 50th Anniversary Blu-ray of "West Side Story"; "Top Banana" with Phil Silvers; the Blu-ray of "Blue Velvet"; a set of Jean Harlow films; and Alfre…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on November 13, 2011☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: Hats Off! A Survey of Follies Recordings, Part Two — London and Paper Mill and More by Steven Suskin

In preparation for the new Broadway cast album of Follies, here's part two of an overview of the four recordings that already exist. This week, the Cameron Mackintosh London production a…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:01am on November 6, 2011☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: Hats Off! A Survey of Follies Recordings, Part One by Steven Suskin

In preparation for the cast album of the new Broadway production of Follies, here's part one of an overview of the four cast recordings that already exist. This week, the original 1971 c…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on October 30, 2011☆⚑

THE DVD SHELF: "The Bad Seed," Hit British Miniseries, Gene Wilder's "Willy Wonka," Buster Keaton, Zero Mostel and More by Steven Suskin

Screening the iconic thriller "The Bad Seed"; two celebrated British miniseries; a deluxe gift box of "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory"; "The World of Sholom…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on October 23, 2011☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: Maury Yeston's Death Takes a Holiday and the London Album of Styne, Comden and Green's Do Re Mi by Steven Suskin

Listening to the original cast album of Maury Yeston's new Death Takes a Holiday, plus the first CD appearance of the London cast album of Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green's…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on October 16, 2011☆⚑

THE DVD SHELF: "Ben-Hur," "The Lion King," "Pulp Fiction," Plus "Glee" and "Modern Family" by Steven Suskin

Screening the 50th anniversary edition of the award-laden "Ben-Hur"; new Blu-ray remasterings of Disney's "The Lion King" and Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Ficti…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on October 9, 2011☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: Rodgers & Hart's By Jupiter and "Irene Dunne Sings Kern and Other Rarities" by Steven Suskin

Listening to the new reissue of the 1967 revival cast album of Rodgers & Hart's By Jupiter, plus a CD full of old-time star Irene Dunne singing songs by Jerome Kern.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on October 2, 2011☆⚑

THE BOOK SHELF: Peter Neufeld's "For the Good of the Show," John Fricke's "Judy," Plus Good People and 13 by Steven Suskin

Paging through "For the Good of the Show," a memoir by general manager Peter Neufeld; "Judy: A Legendary Film Career" a coffee table book; and the scripts for Good People…

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

ON THE RECORD: A Minister's Wife, Plus Reissues of Ernest in Love, The Mad Show and More by Steven Suskin

Listening to cast recording of A Minister's Wife plus Masterworks Broadway reissues of archy and mehitabel, Say, Darling, Ernest in Love and The Mad Show.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:01am on September 18, 2011☆⚑

THE DVD SHELF: "Citizen Kane," Danny Kaye's "Inspector General" and Carrie Fisher's "Wishful Drinking" by Steven Suskin

Screening the 70th anniversary edition of Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane"; Danny Kaye in the mirthful musical "The Inspector General"; and Carrie Fisher's "Wish…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on September 11, 2011☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: Sutton Foster in Anything Goes and Historic Original Recordings of Threepenny Opera by Steven Suskin

Listening to the new Broadway cast album of Cole Porter's Anything Goes, starring Sutton Foster, and a two-disc compilation of original recordings from Kurt Weill's Germany.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on September 4, 2011☆⚑

THE BOOK SHELF: A Biography of Playwright Wendy Wasserstein, Plus Kay Swift and "The Memory of All That" by Steven Suskin

Our books column explores the unusual entanglements of two Broadway names: Wendy Wasserstein in "Wendy and the Lost Boys," and George Gershwin in "The Memory of All That"…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on August 28, 2011☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: Kate Baldwin & Sheldon Harnick's She Loves Him; Liz & Ann Hampton Callaway's Boom! by Steven Suskin

Listening to live recordings of Kate Baldwin's salute to Sheldon Harnick, She Loves Him, and the Callaway sisters' nostalgic look at music of the '60s and '70s, Boom!

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on August 21, 2011☆⚑

THE DVD SHELF: "A Connecticut Yankee," "Desert Song," "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Honeymoon in Vegas" and More by Steven Suskin

Screening 1955 TV adaptations of the vintage musicals A Connecticut Yankee and The Desert Song; early '90s comedies "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Honeymoon in Vegas&q…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on August 14, 2011☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: Menotti's Saint of Bleecker Street, "Lost Broadway and More" and Julian Slade by Steven Suskin

Listening to the first CD appearance of Gian-Carlo Menotti's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Saint of Bleecker Street; Michael Lavine's collection of obscure show tunes, "Lost Broadw…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:01am on August 7, 2011☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: Kurt Weill's Knickerbocker Holiday and the London Music Man by Steven Suskin

Listening to the first full album of the 1938 Kurt Weill musical Knickerbocker Holiday and the original 1961 London cast album of The Music Man starring Van Johnson.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on July 24, 2011☆⚑

THE DVD SHELF: Jeanne Eagels, Helen Hayes, Fred Astaire, George Burns, the Gershwins and Jean Cocteau by Steven Suskin

Screening early films with stage stars Jeanne Eagels ("The Letter") and Helen Hayes ("The Sin of Madelon Claudet"), plus Fred Astaire in "A Damsel in Distress" …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on July 17, 2011☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Catch Me If You Can by Steven Suskin

Listening to the original cast albums of the spring 2011 musicals How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Catch Me If You Can, plus some Masterworks Broadway reissues.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:01am on July 10, 2011☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Catch Me If You Can by Steven Suskin

We listen to the original cast albums of the spring 2011 musicals How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Catch Me If You Can, plus some Masterworks Broadway reissues.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on July 10, 2011☆⚑

THE BOOK SHELF: New Books About Jerry Orbach, West Side Story and Cabaret by Steven Suskin

We page through three new books centering on Broadway: "Jerry Orbach: Prince of the City"; "Something's Coming, Something Good: West Side Story and the American Imaginatio…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on July 3, 2011☆⚑

ON THE RECORD: The Gershwins' 1930 Version of Strike Up the Band and Barbara Carroll's Latest CD by Steven Suskin

We listen to the premiere studio recording of the 1930 Broadway version of the Gershwins' Strike Up the Band, plus the Barbara Carroll Trio's "How Long Has This Been Going On?&q…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00am on June 26, 2011☆⚑