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Show / Musical

The line between opera and musical is not always easy to draw. Unlike most operas, musicals usually feature spoken dialogue; its songs are set pieces rather than advances in the action. Musicals make use of popular styles; in fact, in the first half of the 20th century, musicals served partly as vehicles for popular songs. The musical grew as two streams converged: operetta with its old-world romance, and vaudeville with its zippy comedy and thoroughly popular roots. One of the composers who brought the two streams together was Jerome Kern. Irving Berlin was more associated with the revue, a song-and-dance extravaganza. As musicals like those of Rodgers and Hammerstein began to lose overall popularity to movies, television, and rock and roll, the serious and the experimental came to the fore. Andrew Lloyd Webber showed a knack for transforming unorthodox ideas into popular successes, and eventually paved the way for stage shows employing pop music.

Show/Musical Album Highlights

Sweeney Todd [Original Cast Recording]
Original Cast Recording Sweeney Todd [Original Cast Recording]
Hair
Original Broadway Cast Recording Hair
Show Boat [1988 Studio Cast]
1988 Studio Cast Show Boat [1988 Studio Cast]
Finian's Rainbow [Original 1960 Broadway Cast]
Original Broadway Cast Recording Finian's Rainbow [Original 1960 Broadway Cast]
The Threepenny Opera
1954 Off-Broadway Revival Cast The Threepenny Opera
110 in the Shade
Original Broadway Cast 110 in the Shade
Oklahoma! [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Oklahoma! [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]
Les Miserables [Showtunes Highlights]
Symphonic International Cast Complete Symphonic Recording Highlights Les Miserables [Showtunes Highlights]
Chess [Original Cast Recording]
Original Cast Recording Chess [Original Cast Recording]
Me & My Girl [Original Broadway Cast]
Original Broadway Cast Me & My Girl [Original Broadway Cast]
Show Boat [1988 Studio Cast] [Highlights]
Frederica von Stade / Jerry Hadley / John McGlinn Show Boat [1988 Studio Cast] [Highlights]
The Fantasticks [1995 Original Broadway Cast]
1995 Original Broadway Cast The Fantasticks [1995 Original Broadway Cast]
Annie [Original Broadway Cast]
Original Broadway Cast Annie [Original Broadway Cast]