ANGELS Cast Recording Features Robert Cuccioli, Laura Osnes

The Broadway-aimed new musical ANGELS, produced by Marcus Cheong and Mark Kang, will release an original studio cast recording. The inspirational songs from this original musical, featuring music by Ken Lai, and book and lyrics by Ken Lai and Marcus Cheong, are brought to life by a star-studded cast of Tony nominated and award-winning Broadway performers including two-time Tony Award-nominee Laura Osnes, Tony Award-nominee Robert Cuccioli, Tony Award-nominee Josh Young and Alan H. Green. The album will be released digitally on Wednesday, October 25, 2017. CDs will be available for purchase via CD Baby, Amazon, Alliance Entertainment, and Super D.

ANGELS tells the epic story of the ancient war between the Angels and Lucifer’s fallen minions.  This timeless tale of good versus evil, hope versus despair, angels versus demons, is told through the eyes of Sera, the Angel of Light. Though she is gifted with the power to control light, she aspires to a more heroic role. Lucifer opposes Sera, causing chaos for the Angels and the humans they protect. Sera must find the courage to rise in victory over Lucifer and fulfill her purpose.

The album was recorded at Downtown Music Studios & Smash Studios in New York; The Grove Studios in Somersby, Australia; and Ramrod Studios & 301 Studios in Sydney, Australia. This recording features new musical arrangements from David Holmes and album producer Rich Fowler.

The cast of ANGELS includes two-time Tony Award-nominee Laura Osnes as ‘Sera,’ Tony Award-nominee Robert Cuccioli as ‘Lucifer,’ Tony Award-nominee Josh Young as ‘Tyriel,’ Alan H. Green as ‘Gabriel,’ Alexandra Zorn as ‘Rebekah/Vixen,’ Stephen Cerf as ‘Michael/Dasher/Joab,’ Kevin T. Collins as ‘Stratus/Dasher/Titus/Reuben,’ Elizabeth Ann Berg as ‘Bethany,’ and Stefanie Clouse as ‘Sofiel.’ Additional vocalists on the album include Jane Leslie Anderson, Hugh Wilson, Nicky Kurta, Tim Moxey, Gabrielle Lee, Mark Friedlander, Hannah J. Peterson, James Tehero, Daniel Thornton, and Mikaela Thornton.

The band for ANGELS includes Mitch Farmer (drums / percussion), Ben Whincop (bass), Jeff Camilleri (bass) and Charmaine Ford (keys). David Holmes served as the music director, with Tauesa Tofa serving as music co-director and Jane Lesley Anderson serving as assistant music director. The assistant director was Breanna Hickson. Orchestral arrangements are by Daniel Thornton and the original vocal arrangements are by Linda Wood.

Live performances of Angels are coming soon at venues throughout the world. Visit seraangels.com for the latest news and information.

Off-Broadway Theater Review: Curvy Widow

Nancy Opel. Photo: T. Charles Erickson

Curvy Widow

Music and Lyrics by Drew Brody

Book By Bobby Goldman

Choreography by Marcos Santana

Directed by Peter Flynn

West Side Theatre

By Lauren Yarger

Say the words Nancy Opel and I smile. The extraordinarily voiced and comedic genius actress has graced the stage in many shows including Beautiful, Honeymoon in Vegas, Memphis, Gypsy, Fiddler on the Roof, Urinetown, Triumph of Love, Anything Goes, Sunday in the Park with George and Evita among others and I never have not loved watching her work.

She is starring Off-Broadway in Curvy Widow, the true story of Bobby Goldman, a construction company owner who suddenly finds herself alone when her famous writer husband, Jim -- that's James Goldman, author of Follies, "The Lion in Winter," A Family Affair), played by Ken Land, dies. Mostly unmemorable Music (except for "It's Not a Match") with witty and Lyrics by Drew Brody drive Bobby's book about her experiences at trying to date again. Getting a special shout out for storytelling, here, however, is Scenic Designer Rob Bissinger, who expertly changes locations (two apartments) and moods with a few props. A pair of slippers next to the bed speaks volumes. Costume Designer Brian C. Hemesath sets up quick changes, having Opel switch only tops to slip between situations in the fast-paced hour and 45 minutes.

The ensemble cast, which appears crowded on the small Westside Theatre stage as they play Bobby's friends, her psychiatrist and dates -- disastrous and otherwise -- are put through their paces by Director Peter Flynn and Choreographer Marcos Santana. Besides Land, they include Andrea Bianchi, Aisha de Haas, Elizabeth Ward Land, Alan Muraoka (standing out) and Chris Shyer. 

We follow post 50-year-old Bobby as she navigates the new and strange world of online dating. Curvy Widow is her "handle" on the sites. She is at once intrigued and repulsed by the fact that hundreds of men who have never seen her (she refuses to post a photo) and who know her only by her alias, might be willing to have sex with her. We experience her first date, her experimentation with a sex site and the discovery of one match that might be different from the others. All of this takes place while she is haunted by guilt over wondering whether Jim would be OK with what she is doing -- well, maybe she's really haunted more by his ghost.

Opel throws herself into the role and sings some lovely mote combinations that made me very happy. The show is somewhat uneven, however, despite previous out-of-town runs. And it's a little hard to relate to Bobby, especially when she decides to make married men a non-committal specialty. (You might have a chance to hear from the real Booby in person, however, as she occasionally does post-show talks and answers questions from the audience).

More Information:

Curvy Widow plays at The Westside Theatre, Upstairs, 407 West 43rd St., NYC Performances are Monday at 8 pm, Tuesday at 7 pm, Wednesday at 2 and 8 pm, Friday at 8 pm, Saturday at 2 and 8 pm, Sunday at 3 pm. Tickets are $79-$99: 212-239-6200; www.CurvyWidow.com.

Additional credits:

Lighting Design by Matthew Richards; Sound Design by Ryan Rumery and M. Florian Staab; Musical Direction by Andrew Sotomayor; Orchestrations, Arrangements and Music Supervision by Wayne Barker

FAMILY-FRIENDLY FACTORS:

-- God's name taken in vain

-- Language

-- Suggestive situations

Broadway Theater Review: Prince of Broadway

Prince of Broadway

New songs, Arrangements, Orchestration and Music Supervision by Jason Robert Brown

Book by David Thompson

Direction and Choreography by Susan Stroman with direction by Harold Prince

Manhattan Theatre Club

By Lauren Yarger

Hal Prince and I would have been great theater buddies. We apparently love the same musicals. 

In Prince of Broadway, theatergoers get to enjoy almost 40 tunes celebrating the career of 21-time, Tony-winner Producer/Director Harold Prince as arranged and orchestrated by Jason Robert Brown (The Bridges of Madison County; The Last Five Years) and Choreographed and Directed by a legend in her own right, Susan Stroman (The Producers, The Scottsboro Boys) with some direction by Prince himself. With almost every number, I found myself saying, "Oh, I love this song," or " I love that show" and finally, I just thought, "Thank you, Hal Prince."

The problem is that if you aren't me, or at least an aficionado of musical theater from the past 60 years, you probably won't know a lot of the songs, or what show they are from, or why those particular songs have been selected. And even if you recognize the songs and shows (or are able to follow along in the Playbill in the dark) David Thompson's uneven book, still might still leave you scratching your head.

The very capable ensemble features Tony Award winner Chuck Cooper (Caroline, or Change; Choir Boy), Drama Desk Award winner Janet Dacal (In The Heights, Good Vibrations), Bryonha Marie Parham (After Midnight, Porgy and Bess), Emily Skinner (Side Show, The Full Monty), Brandon Uranowitz (Falsettos, An American in Paris), Kaley Ann Voorhees (The Phantom of the Opera, Candide), Michael Xavier (Sunset Boulevard, Into The Woods), Tony Yazbeck (On the Town, Gypsy), and Tony-Award-winner Karen Ziemba (Contact, Curtains). There just is no rhyme or reason to why they are performing the songs which recreate moments from the Prince theater repertoire (in many cases faithfully reproduced visually by Scenic and Projection Designer Beowulf Boritt.) 

All of them speak in the voice of Prince. Some of the shows are identified; some background is given and logos from some of the shows are depicted through projections. (A critic colleague seemed to think they all had been, and perhaps they weren't visible from my seat, but I didn’t see them all.) At any rate, I jotted notes about how I thought many audience members wouldn't be able to identify numbers like "Tonight at Eight" and "Will He Like Me?" from 1963's She Loves Me or "Dressing Them Up," from 1993's The Kiss of the Spiderwoman.

There are some other selections from Follies, Parade and Merrily We Roll Along that might evade identification by the more casual theatergoer too.  "You've Got Possibilities" from the hardly known 1966 musical "It's a Bird, It's a Plane. . . It's Superman" at least is properly identified and explained.

There's no reason why "Heart" from Damn Yankees or "If I Were a Rich Man" were singled out to represent those shows (the latter causing some negative comments from colleagues – particularly Jewish reviewers – about the casting of Cooper at Tevye,) when other shows got two or three songs. 

There are some wonderful moments: Parham is sensational as Queenie in "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" from Showboat and Ziemba is a saucy, meaty Mrs. Lovett in the medley of tunes from Sweeney Todd. I immediately wanted to see them both in revivals of those shows. Skinner delivers the most moving "Send in the Clowns" from A Little Night Music I ever have heard -- and I saw Glynis Johns in the original production so that is saying something. Goosebumps. This number alone is probably worth the ticket price to this show.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY FACTORS:

-         No specific notes