Original Cast (record label)
Encyclopedia
Original Cast Records is a record label based in Georgetown, Connecticut
, that specialises in obscure theatre recordings, primarily cast albums
from little-known Broadway
, off-Broadway
, off-off-Broadway
and other stage productions, but also theatre-related film scores, cabaret, concert and solo artist recordings. It traces its origins back to 1975, when husband-and-wife theatre enthusiasts Bruce and Doris Yeko embarked on a venture "dedicated to the preserving of musicals that would not otherwise be recorded".
and then an evening performance of Subways Are For Sleeping
. After their marriage, Bruce and his wife Doris would travel from their home in Connecticut to New York (and beyond) to see four or five new musicals each week; by 1977, the couple could modestly claim that, over the previous twelve years, they had seen more musicals that anyone else in the world.
Bruce Yeko not only acquired Broadway cast albums but was, from the age of eight years, a keen collector of trading cards. He began selling them at age sixteen and then, after graduating from the University of Milwaukee and working as an accountant, he commenced full-time business as a trading card dealer at the age of 22 years. By the mid-1970s, Yeko claimed to have the largest collection of trading cards in the world, with twenty million items. His wife Doris became involved in the business, specialising in current trading cards while Bruce concentrated on the vintage ones. Their mail-order service, based in their home in Georgetown, also dealt in out-of-print recordings of stage musicals and film scores.
In 1975, the Yekos turned their attention to producing their own theatre recordings, concentrating on little-known or short-lived Broadway and off-Broadway productions that had little hope of gaining a mainstream record contract to produce an original cast album. Within only five years, it could be said of the couple that "their dedication to preserving musicals is so complete that Ben Bagley
aptly calls them 'the musical theatre experts'."
of songs from the off-Broadway musical The Robber Bridegroom
, performed by a studio cast comprising Jerry Orbach
and Virginia Vestoff
. It was released under the label 'Take Home Tunes', with a catalogue number of 761. This simple numbering system, derived from the year of release plus a digit for each sequential album, would be used for several decades to come. This first EP was soon followed by another, entitled Martin Charnin's Mini Album: 5 Great Songs from Not-So-Great Shows. This comprised excerpts from three stage musicals with lyrics by Martin Charnin
, who was then best known as the lyricist for the smash-hit Annie
. The five songs represented highlights from the scores of Mata Hari (music by Jerome Coopersmith), La Strada
(music by Lionel Bart
) and the unproduced Softly (music by Harold Arlen
), as performed by Laurie Beechman
, Robert Guillaume
, Larry Kert
and Charnin himself.
The first LP
to be produced by the Yekos was a recording of selections from the musical The Baker's Wife
by Stephen Schwartz
, which was then touring prior to a much-anticipated Broadway opening. After hearing about the show, the Yekos had travelled to Boston to see it and, impressed by its score, subsequently telephoned Schwartz to discuss a possible recording. Schwartz was enthusiastic, but his initial suggestion that a full cast album might be produced was beyond the reach of the fledgling producers. After the show closed (without making it to Broadway), the Yekos negotiated to record an LP of excerpts, with the composer himself choosing what he considered to be the best songs. The recording sessions took place in early 1977 in an apartment studio in Greenwich Village. This, however, was so small that the entire cast could not be present; consequently, Schwartz suggested that only the three principal cast members be involved. These comprised Paul Sorvino
as the titular baker, a then-unknown Patti Lupone
as his wife, and Kurt Peterson as her love interest. The completed album, comprising six solo numbers and five duets, received a Grammy nomination after its release in 1977.
At the same time, the Yekos produced and released an EP with some additional songs from the same show, performed by original cast member Paul Sorvino along with Darlene Conley
, Denise Lor
, and Portia Nelson (who were not in the touring production) and composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz and his wife, Carol. This, incidentally, also represented the last time that the Yekos would release a vinyl recording in a 7-inch format.
Soon afterwards, the Yekos produced what they described as the world's first off-off-Broadway cast album: a recording of The Second Shepherd's Play by Steve Kitsakos (1977). They went on to release numerous other recordings that, because they involved members of the original productions, can strictly be considered as original cast albums. Examples included the two-hander revue 2, the Barn Theater production of Canada, and the Theatre Illustre production of Monsieur de Pourceaugnac. These last two LPs were released under the subsidiary label of Broadway Baby, although the same catalogue numbering system was maintained. The Yekos also continued to produce studio recordings of related material, including a memorable anthology LP entitled Eighteen Interesting Songs from Unfortunate Shows, with rare songs from little-known and previously unrecorded shows by Harold Rome, Mary Rodgers
, Jule Styne
, Cole Porter
, Jerry Bock
, Sheldon Harnick
and others.
During this period, cast recordings were typically co-produced by both Bruce and Doris Yeko, and often the original composer of the show itself. Most of these early LPs were issued with sleeves designed by artist William F Krasnaborski, who either adapted original poster illustrations or came up with entirely new artwork of his own. Sleeve notes typically mentioned that the performance rights for the show in question could be obtained by contacting Doris Yeko, who had already developed a specific interest in the publishing side of musical theatre.
During 1979, the Yekos embarked upon two new but related ventures: the CY Musical Foundation, which was, in their own words, "an educational and artistic wing for preserving, developing and promoting musicals", and a publishing arm (under the direction of Doris Chu Yeko) known as Broadway/Hollywood International Music Publishers, which sought to control the performing rights to lesser-known shows and make them available to a wider audience through the publication of sheet music and libretti. That same year, the couple released their first "film soundtrack
" LP: a studio recording of songs from the film Movie Movie, written by Ralph Burns
, Buster Davis, Larry Gelbart
and Sheldon Keller
. This was released under the auspices of a subsidiary label, Filmscore Records, although the catalogue number (7910) following the previous sequence established by Take Home Tunes/Broadway Baby. This LP, however, would be both the first and last issue on the Filmscore label.
Around the same time, the Yekos also began to expand their scope by providing a commercial release for non-commercial recordings that had been produced by others. The first of these was a re-pressing of a rare demonstration record of the ill-fated 1965 musical Kelly
, with songs performed by the show's composer Mark 'Moose' Charlap
and lyricist Eddie Lawrence
. This was duly followed by the release of the original London cast recording of Flowers for Algernon
, which had been privately co-produced by its composer, Charles Strouse
and its star, Michael Crawford
, after its premature closure on the West End in 1979.
Otherwise, the bulk of the couple's output still comprised cast recordings of current but under-rated Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Many of these were recorded after the production itself had closed, although original cast members were frequently recruited to reprise their roles on the album. In some cases, where a principal original cast member declined to participate, or was otherwise unavailable, a talented replacement was found, as when Paul Sorvino stepped in for Italian opera singer Cesare Siepi
on a cast recording of Alan Jay Lerner's final show, Carmelina
(1979). In an especially notable achievement, Bruce Yeko re-united most of the original cast of the notorious 1971 musical flop Prettybelle
, including leading lady Angela Lansbury
, to complete a studio recording in 1982.
After the Yekos divorced around 1981, Bruce continued the mail-order business in Connecticut, while Doris maintained the music publishing arm, based in New Jersey (and later, in Beverley Hills). Virtually all of the label's subsequent recordings were produced by Bruce alone, although Doris did produce two recordings herself in 1982 and 1983. These were released under her own label, the Chu Yeko Musical Foundation, which used the catalogue number prefix of CYM but otherwise maintained the numerical sequence followed by Original Cast.
The next few years saw a lull in output; in 1983, following the release of an original Broadway cast recording of the short-lived musical Oh Brother (which was recorded almost a year after the show closed in November 1981), there were evidently no new releases on the Original Cast label for five years.
The following year, Bruce Yeko embraced the new era of the compact disc
by re-releasing what was his company's most popular album: the 1977 cast recording of The Baker's Wife. The re-issue included only those songs on the original LP; the additional songs from the EP were omitted because the master tapes had reportedly been mislaid. The label went on to produce CD re-issues of several other popular titles from its own back catalogue, often including bonus tracks such as previously unreleased composer's demos.
Since the early 1990s, Bruce Yeko has continued to release original cast recordings of contemporary musicals from Broadway, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, regional tours and beyond. Studio albums of previously unrecorded cult musicals from the 1950s and '60s have also been a popular mainstay of the label. They are typically made with the original orchestrations, sometimes with original cast members but more commonly with prominent current-day stars of the Broadway stage. Amongst the more notable releases in recent years have been a full recording of Martin Charnin's Mata Hari, a concert recording of songs from Kelly with Sally Mayes
, Marcia Lewis
, Jane Connell, Sandy Stewart and others (including Bruce Yeko himself on backing vocals), and a lavish 2-CD recording containing the entire score from the notorious 1966 flop Breakfast at Tiffany's
, featuring original cast member Sally Kellerman
along with Faith Prince
, John Schneider
, Hal Linden
and Patrick Cassidy
LPs
CDs (a select list of early release)
Georgetown, Connecticut
Georgetown is a village and census-designated place in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is located at the point where the towns of Wilton, Redding, Ridgefield, and Weston meet....
, that specialises in obscure theatre recordings, primarily cast albums
Cast recording
A cast recording is a recording of a musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording, as the name implies, features the voices of the show's original cast...
from little-known Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
, off-off-Broadway
Off-Off-Broadway
Off-Off-Broadway theatrical productions in New York City are those in theatres that are smaller than Broadway and Off-Broadway theatres. Off-Off-Broadway theaters are often defined as theaters that have fewer than 100 seats, though the term can be used for any show in the New York City area that...
and other stage productions, but also theatre-related film scores, cabaret, concert and solo artist recordings. It traces its origins back to 1975, when husband-and-wife theatre enthusiasts Bruce and Doris Yeko embarked on a venture "dedicated to the preserving of musicals that would not otherwise be recorded".
Bruce and Doris Yeko
Born in Milwaukee, Bruce Yeko was fascinated by theatre from an early age. As he once told a journalist: “I had a friend who was an usher at the only theater in Milwaukee – he would let me in to see all the plays and musicals”. Later, he travelled to theaters in Chicago to see shows before they came to Milwaukee, and then, inevitably, moved on to New York. Yeko made his first pilgrimage to the city in 1962, when, after asking a policeman directions to Broadway, he saw a matinee of I Can Get It for You WholesaleI Can Get It for You Wholesale
I Can Get It for You Wholesale is a musical with music and lyrics by Harold Rome and a book by Jerome Weidman based on his 1937 novel of the same title. It marked the Broadway debut of 19-year-old Barbra Streisand, who was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in...
and then an evening performance of Subways Are For Sleeping
Subways Are For Sleeping
Subways Are for Sleeping is a musical with a book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Jule Styne. The original Broadway production played in 1961-62....
. After their marriage, Bruce and his wife Doris would travel from their home in Connecticut to New York (and beyond) to see four or five new musicals each week; by 1977, the couple could modestly claim that, over the previous twelve years, they had seen more musicals that anyone else in the world.
Bruce Yeko not only acquired Broadway cast albums but was, from the age of eight years, a keen collector of trading cards. He began selling them at age sixteen and then, after graduating from the University of Milwaukee and working as an accountant, he commenced full-time business as a trading card dealer at the age of 22 years. By the mid-1970s, Yeko claimed to have the largest collection of trading cards in the world, with twenty million items. His wife Doris became involved in the business, specialising in current trading cards while Bruce concentrated on the vintage ones. Their mail-order service, based in their home in Georgetown, also dealt in out-of-print recordings of stage musicals and film scores.
In 1975, the Yekos turned their attention to producing their own theatre recordings, concentrating on little-known or short-lived Broadway and off-Broadway productions that had little hope of gaining a mainstream record contract to produce an original cast album. Within only five years, it could be said of the couple that "their dedication to preserving musicals is so complete that Ben Bagley
Ben Bagley
Ben Bagley was an American musical theatre and record producer.-Career:Born in Burlington, Vermont, Bagley moved to New York City during the early 1950s, and in 1955, at age 22, he produced his first hit, Shoestring Revue, starring Beatrice Arthur and Chita Rivera , and with songs by Charles...
aptly calls them 'the musical theatre experts'."
1976-78: Take Home Tunes and Broadway Baby
The Yekos' record label began modestly with the release an EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
of songs from the off-Broadway musical The Robber Bridegroom
The Robber Bridegroom (musical)
The Robber Bridegroom is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alfred Uhry and music by Robert Waldman. The story is based on the 1942 novella by Eudora Welty of the same name, with a Robin Hood-like hero; the adaptation placed it in a late 18th century American setting...
, performed by a studio cast comprising Jerry Orbach
Jerry Orbach
Jerome Bernard "Jerry" Orbach was an American actor and singer. He was well known for his starring role as Detective Lennie Briscoe in the Law & Order television series and as the voice of Lumière in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. As well, Orbach was a noted musical theatre star...
and Virginia Vestoff
Virginia Vestoff
Virginia Vestoff was an American actress of film, television and Broadway.Vestoff was born into a family of vaudeville performers in New York City. Both her Russian immigrant father and mother, who was the great niece of American composer Stephen Foster, died and left Virginia an orphan at the age...
. It was released under the label 'Take Home Tunes', with a catalogue number of 761. This simple numbering system, derived from the year of release plus a digit for each sequential album, would be used for several decades to come. This first EP was soon followed by another, entitled Martin Charnin's Mini Album: 5 Great Songs from Not-So-Great Shows. This comprised excerpts from three stage musicals with lyrics by Martin Charnin
Martin Charnin
Martin Charnin is an American lyricist, writer, and theatre director. Charnin's best-known work is as conceiver, director and lyricist of the hit musical Annie....
, who was then best known as the lyricist for the smash-hit Annie
Annie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
. The five songs represented highlights from the scores of Mata Hari (music by Jerome Coopersmith), La Strada
La Strada (musical)
La Strada is a musical with lyrics and music by Lionel Bart, with additional lyrics by Martin Charnin and additional music by Elliot Lawrence. It is based on the 1954 film of the same name by Federico Fellini. Bart wrote the score in 1967 and made a demonstration recording, although the musical...
(music by Lionel Bart
Lionel Bart
Lionel Bart was a writer and composer of British pop music and musicals, best known for creating the book, music and lyrics for Oliver!-Early life:...
) and the unproduced Softly (music by Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen was an American composer of popular music, having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to composing the songs for The Wizard of Oz, including the classic 1938 song, "Over the Rainbow,” Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the...
), as performed by Laurie Beechman
Laurie Beechman
Laurie Hope Beechman was an American singer. As a performer, she was known for her Broadway performances in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Cats, and Les Misérables...
, Robert Guillaume
Robert Guillaume
Robert "Bob" Guillaume is an American stage and television actor, best known for his role as Benson Du Bois on the TV-series Soap and the spin-off Benson, voicing the mandrill Rafiki in The Lion King and as Isaac Jaffe on Sports Night...
, Larry Kert
Larry Kert
Larry Kert was an American actor, singer, and dancer. He is best known for creating the role of Tony in the original Broadway version of West Side Story.-Early life:...
and Charnin himself.
The first LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
to be produced by the Yekos was a recording of selections from the musical The Baker's Wife
The Baker's Wife
The Baker's Wife is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and the book by Joseph Stein, based on the French film La Femme du Boulanger by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono...
by Stephen Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz may refer to:*Stephen Schwartz , American musical theater and film lyricist and composer*Stephen Suleyman Schwartz , journalist, political author, and historian...
, which was then touring prior to a much-anticipated Broadway opening. After hearing about the show, the Yekos had travelled to Boston to see it and, impressed by its score, subsequently telephoned Schwartz to discuss a possible recording. Schwartz was enthusiastic, but his initial suggestion that a full cast album might be produced was beyond the reach of the fledgling producers. After the show closed (without making it to Broadway), the Yekos negotiated to record an LP of excerpts, with the composer himself choosing what he considered to be the best songs. The recording sessions took place in early 1977 in an apartment studio in Greenwich Village. This, however, was so small that the entire cast could not be present; consequently, Schwartz suggested that only the three principal cast members be involved. These comprised Paul Sorvino
Paul Sorvino
Paul Anthony Sorvino is an American actor. He often portrays authority figures on both sides of the law, and is possibly best known for his roles as Paulie Cicero, a portrayal of Paul Vario in the film Goodfellas and Sgt. Phil Cerreta on the police procedural and legal drama television series Law...
as the titular baker, a then-unknown Patti Lupone
Patti LuPone
Patti Ann LuPone is an American singer and actress, known for her Tony Award-winning performances as Eva Perón in the 1979 stage musical Evita and as Madame Rose in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy, and for her Olivier Award-winning performance as Fantine in the original London cast of Les...
as his wife, and Kurt Peterson as her love interest. The completed album, comprising six solo numbers and five duets, received a Grammy nomination after its release in 1977.
At the same time, the Yekos produced and released an EP with some additional songs from the same show, performed by original cast member Paul Sorvino along with Darlene Conley
Darlene Conley
Darlene Conley was an American actress.Conley's career spanned fifty years, but she was best known for her performances in daytime television, and in particular, for her portrayal of larger-than-life fashion industrialist Sally Spectra on The Bold and the Beautiful. Conley played the role from...
, Denise Lor
Denise Lor
Denise Lor is an American popular singer and actress.She was a featured artist on Garry Moore's television show.Ms. Lor was married to and subsequently divorced from TV director and singer Jay Martin, with whom she had sons, Ron and Dennis. They had met when she was singing on The Garry Moore...
, and Portia Nelson (who were not in the touring production) and composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz and his wife, Carol. This, incidentally, also represented the last time that the Yekos would release a vinyl recording in a 7-inch format.
Soon afterwards, the Yekos produced what they described as the world's first off-off-Broadway cast album: a recording of The Second Shepherd's Play by Steve Kitsakos (1977). They went on to release numerous other recordings that, because they involved members of the original productions, can strictly be considered as original cast albums. Examples included the two-hander revue 2, the Barn Theater production of Canada, and the Theatre Illustre production of Monsieur de Pourceaugnac. These last two LPs were released under the subsidiary label of Broadway Baby, although the same catalogue numbering system was maintained. The Yekos also continued to produce studio recordings of related material, including a memorable anthology LP entitled Eighteen Interesting Songs from Unfortunate Shows, with rare songs from little-known and previously unrecorded shows by Harold Rome, Mary Rodgers
Mary Rodgers
Mary Rodgers is an American composer of musicals and an author of children's books. She is a daughter of composer Richard Rodgers and his wife, Dorothy Rodgers, as is her sister, Linda Rodgers Emory...
, Jule Styne
Jule Styne
Jule Styne was a British-born American songwriter especially famous for a series of Broadway musicals, which included several very well known and frequently revived shows.-Early life:...
, Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
, Jerry Bock
Jerry Bock
Jerrold Lewis "Jerry" Bock was an American musical theater composer. He received the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama with Sheldon Harnick for their 1959 musical Fiorello! and the Tony Award for Best Composer and Lyricist for the 1964 musical Fiddler on the Roof with...
, Sheldon Harnick
Sheldon Harnick
Sheldon Harnick is an American lyricist best known for his collaborations with composer Jerry Bock on hit musicals such as Fiddler on the Roof....
and others.
During this period, cast recordings were typically co-produced by both Bruce and Doris Yeko, and often the original composer of the show itself. Most of these early LPs were issued with sleeves designed by artist William F Krasnaborski, who either adapted original poster illustrations or came up with entirely new artwork of his own. Sleeve notes typically mentioned that the performance rights for the show in question could be obtained by contacting Doris Yeko, who had already developed a specific interest in the publishing side of musical theatre.
1978-83: Original Cast, Filmscore and CYM
In 1978, the Yekos established the Original Cast Record Company, and subsequently used both the label name 'Original Cast', and the catalogue prefix OC, in subsequent releases. The first issue to reflect this change was an original cast recording of the off-Broadway revue Piano Bar.During 1979, the Yekos embarked upon two new but related ventures: the CY Musical Foundation, which was, in their own words, "an educational and artistic wing for preserving, developing and promoting musicals", and a publishing arm (under the direction of Doris Chu Yeko) known as Broadway/Hollywood International Music Publishers, which sought to control the performing rights to lesser-known shows and make them available to a wider audience through the publication of sheet music and libretti. That same year, the couple released their first "film soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
" LP: a studio recording of songs from the film Movie Movie, written by Ralph Burns
Ralph Burns
Ralph Burns was an American songwriter, bandleader, composer, conductor, arranger and bebop pianist.-Early life:...
, Buster Davis, Larry Gelbart
Larry Gelbart
Larry Simon Gelbart was an American television writer, playwright, screenwriter and author.-Early life:...
and Sheldon Keller
Sheldon Keller
Sheldon Bernard "Shelly" Keller was an American screenwriter and composer.-Life and career:Keller was born in Chicago, Illinois and attended University of Illinois, where he began writing comedy with his fraternity brother Allan Sherman...
. This was released under the auspices of a subsidiary label, Filmscore Records, although the catalogue number (7910) following the previous sequence established by Take Home Tunes/Broadway Baby. This LP, however, would be both the first and last issue on the Filmscore label.
Around the same time, the Yekos also began to expand their scope by providing a commercial release for non-commercial recordings that had been produced by others. The first of these was a re-pressing of a rare demonstration record of the ill-fated 1965 musical Kelly
Kelly (musical)
Kelly is a musical with a book and lyrics by Eddie Lawrence and music by Mark Charlap. It was inspired by Steve Brodie, who in 1886 claimed to have jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge and survived...
, with songs performed by the show's composer Mark 'Moose' Charlap
Mark Charlap
Mark "Moose" Charlap was a Jewish-American Broadway composer. Born Morris Isaac Charlip in Philadelphia, he was best known for "Peter Pan" , for which Carolyn Leigh wrote the lyrics. The idea to do the show came from Jerome Robbins, who planned to have a few songs by Charlap and Leigh...
and lyricist Eddie Lawrence
Eddie Lawrence
Eddie Lawrence is an American monologist, actor, singer, lyricist, playwright, director and television personality, whose unique comic creation, the eternally and bizarrely optimistic Old Philosopher, has gained him a devoted, although specialized, cult following for over five decades.-Early...
. This was duly followed by the release of the original London cast recording of Flowers for Algernon
Charlie and Algernon
Charlie and Algernon is a musical with a book and lyrics by David Rogers and music by Charles Strouse. It is based on the novel Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. It received its premiere on 21 December 1978 at The Citadel Theater, in Edmonton, Canada.The title characters are a mentally retarded...
, which had been privately co-produced by its composer, Charles Strouse
Charles Strouse
Charles Strouse is an American composer and lyricist.-Life and career:Strouse was born and raised in New York City, the son of Ira and Ethel Strouse...
and its star, Michael Crawford
Michael Crawford
Michael Crawford OBE is an English actor and singer. He has garnered great critical acclaim and won numerous awards during his career, which covers radio, television, film, and stagework on both London's West End and on Broadway in New York City...
, after its premature closure on the West End in 1979.
Otherwise, the bulk of the couple's output still comprised cast recordings of current but under-rated Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Many of these were recorded after the production itself had closed, although original cast members were frequently recruited to reprise their roles on the album. In some cases, where a principal original cast member declined to participate, or was otherwise unavailable, a talented replacement was found, as when Paul Sorvino stepped in for Italian opera singer Cesare Siepi
Cesare Siepi
Cesare Siepi was an Italian opera singer, generally considered to have been one of the finest basses of the post-war period. His voice was characterised by a deep, warm timbre, and a ringing, vibrant upper register. On stage, his tall, striking presence and elegance of phrasing made him a natural...
on a cast recording of Alan Jay Lerner's final show, Carmelina
Carmelina
Carmelina is a musical with a book by Joseph Stein and Alan Jay Lerner, lyrics by Lerner, and music by Burton Lane.Based on the 1968 film Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell , it focuses on an Italian woman who has raised her teenaged daughter Gia to believe her father was an American who died heroically in...
(1979). In an especially notable achievement, Bruce Yeko re-united most of the original cast of the notorious 1971 musical flop Prettybelle
Prettybelle
Prettybelle is a musical with a book and lyrics by Bob Merrill and music by Jule Styne.Adapted from the Jean Arnold novel of the same name, its central character is a Southern woman who, long abused by her recently deceased law officer husband, turns to alcohol for comfort, becomes a nymphomaniac...
, including leading lady Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
, to complete a studio recording in 1982.
After the Yekos divorced around 1981, Bruce continued the mail-order business in Connecticut, while Doris maintained the music publishing arm, based in New Jersey (and later, in Beverley Hills). Virtually all of the label's subsequent recordings were produced by Bruce alone, although Doris did produce two recordings herself in 1982 and 1983. These were released under her own label, the Chu Yeko Musical Foundation, which used the catalogue number prefix of CYM but otherwise maintained the numerical sequence followed by Original Cast.
The next few years saw a lull in output; in 1983, following the release of an original Broadway cast recording of the short-lived musical Oh Brother (which was recorded almost a year after the show closed in November 1981), there were evidently no new releases on the Original Cast label for five years.
1988 onwards: Original Cast Records
In 1988, the drought was finally broken by the release of a studio recording of songs from Brian Gari's first musical Late Nite Comic, which had closed on Broadway in October 1987 after only four performances. This, however, also represented the last time that Original Cast would release an album in a 12-inch vinyl LP format.The following year, Bruce Yeko embraced the new era of the compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
by re-releasing what was his company's most popular album: the 1977 cast recording of The Baker's Wife. The re-issue included only those songs on the original LP; the additional songs from the EP were omitted because the master tapes had reportedly been mislaid. The label went on to produce CD re-issues of several other popular titles from its own back catalogue, often including bonus tracks such as previously unreleased composer's demos.
Since the early 1990s, Bruce Yeko has continued to release original cast recordings of contemporary musicals from Broadway, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, regional tours and beyond. Studio albums of previously unrecorded cult musicals from the 1950s and '60s have also been a popular mainstay of the label. They are typically made with the original orchestrations, sometimes with original cast members but more commonly with prominent current-day stars of the Broadway stage. Amongst the more notable releases in recent years have been a full recording of Martin Charnin's Mata Hari, a concert recording of songs from Kelly with Sally Mayes
Sally Mayes
-Biography:Born in Livingston, Texas, Mayes began her career as a rock and jazz singer in Houston. She made her Broadway debut in April 1989 as Winona Shook in Cy Coleman's Welcome to the Club. For her performance she won a Theatre World Award. This was followed by her appearance in the original...
, Marcia Lewis
Marcia Lewis
Marcia Lewis was an American character actress and singer. She has been nominated twice for the Tony Award as Best Featured Actress in a Musical and twice for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical .-Biography:Lewis was born in Melrose, Massachusetts and raised in...
, Jane Connell, Sandy Stewart and others (including Bruce Yeko himself on backing vocals), and a lavish 2-CD recording containing the entire score from the notorious 1966 flop Breakfast at Tiffany's
Breakfast at Tiffany's (musical)
Breakfast at Tiffany's is a legendary flop in Broadway musical history. The musical is based on the Truman Capote novella and 1961 film of the same name about a free spirit named Holly Golightly...
, featuring original cast member Sally Kellerman
Sally Kellerman
Sally Clare Kellerman is an American actress and singer known for her role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the film MASH , for which she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.-Early life:...
along with Faith Prince
Faith Prince
Faith Prince is an American actress and singer known primarily for her work on Broadway. Prince has won the Tony Award as Best Actress in a Musical and received three Tony nominations.-Life and career:...
, John Schneider
John Schneider
John Schneider is the name of:*John Schneider , American football player*John Schneider , Seattle Seahawks executive...
, Hal Linden
Hal Linden
Hal Linden is an American stage and television actor and television director, best known for his role in the television comedy series Barney Miller and as presenter on the ABC educational series Animals, Animals, Animals....
and Patrick Cassidy
Patrick Cassidy
Patrick Cassidy may refer to: * Patrick Cassidy , Irish classical composer of movie soundtracks* Patrick Cassidy , U.S. actor in musical theatre and television...
Select List of Releases
EPs- THT761: The Robber BridegroomThe Robber BridegroomFor other uses, see The Robber Bridegroom The Robber Bridegroom is a 1942 novella by Eudora Welty.The story, inspired by and loosely based on the Grimm fairy tale The Robber Bridegroom, is a Southern folk tale set in Mississippi. At the opening of the novella, the legendary Mike Fink meets...
(studio cast) - THT771: Martin Charnin's Mini-Album: 5 Great Songs from Not-So-Great Shows
- THT773: The Baker's Wife Mini-Album (studio cast)
LPs
- THT772: The Baker's WifeThe Baker's WifeThe Baker's Wife is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and the book by Joseph Stein, based on the French film La Femme du Boulanger by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono...
(with members of touring cast) - THT774: The Second Shepherd's Play (off-off-Broadway cast)
- THT775: Beauty & the Beast/Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs
- BBD776: Canada (original Barn Theater cast)
- THT777: 18 Interesting Songs from Unfortunate Shows
- THT788: 2: A New Musical Revue (original off-Broadway cast)
- BBD789: Monsieur de Pourceaugnac (Hartley House Theater cast)
- THT7810: Nefertiti (original Chicago cast)
- THT7811: Downriver (studio cast)
- OC7812: Piano Bar: A Musical (original off-Broadway cast)
- OC7913: Christy (original off-Broadway cast)
- FS7914: Songs from Movie MovieMovie MovieMovie Movie is a 1978 musical comedy film directed by Stanley Donen. Movie Movie consists of two short films, both starring the husband-and-wife team of George C. Scott and Trish Van Devere, with a fake movie trailer sandwiched in between them...
(studio cast) - OC7915: In TrousersIn TrousersIn Trousers is a musical, first produced in 1979, with a book, lyrics, and music by William Finn.The one-acter centers on Marvin, who has an unnamed wife and a son, Jason...
(original off-Broadway cast) - OC7916: Festival (original off-Broadway cast)
- OC7917: Duel (studio cast)
- OC7918: The Utter Glory of Morrissey HallThe Utter Glory of Morrissey HallThe Utter Glory of Morrissey Hall is a musical with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner and a book by Gesner and Nagle Jackson. The production opened and closed on May 13, 1979 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on Broadway after only seven previews and one regular performance.-Synopsis:Act IMorrissey Hall...
(OBC) - OC8019: CarmelinaCarmelinaCarmelina is a musical with a book by Joseph Stein and Alan Jay Lerner, lyrics by Lerner, and music by Burton Lane.Based on the 1968 film Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell , it focuses on an Italian woman who has raised her teenaged daughter Gia to believe her father was an American who died heroically in...
(with original cast members) - OC8020: Survival Run (film soundtrack)
- OC8021: Flowers for AlgernonCharlie and AlgernonCharlie and Algernon is a musical with a book and lyrics by David Rogers and music by Charles Strouse. It is based on the novel Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. It received its premiere on 21 December 1978 at The Citadel Theater, in Edmonton, Canada.The title characters are a mentally retarded...
(original London cast) - OC8022: Lovesong (with original cast members)
- OC8023: Fly with Me (Columbia University cast)
- OC8024: Musical Chairs (with original cast members)
- OC8025: KellyKelly (musical)Kelly is a musical with a book and lyrics by Eddie Lawrence and music by Mark Charlap. It was inspired by Steve Brodie, who in 1886 claimed to have jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge and survived...
(1964 demo sung by composer/lyricist) - OC8026: An Evening with W S GilbertW. S. GilbertSir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...
(original off-Broadway cast) - OC8027: Five after Eight (original off-off-Broadway cast)
- OC8028: King of HeartsKing of Hearts (musical)King of Hearts is a 1978 musical with a book by Joseph Stein, lyrics by Jacob Brackman, and music by Peter Link, orchestrated by Bill Brohn. It is based on the 1966 anti-war cult film of the same name....
(OBC) - OC8129: Celeste HolmCeleste HolmCeleste Holm is an American stage, film, and television actress, known for her Academy Award-winning performance in Gentleman's Agreement , as well as for her Oscar-nominated performances in Come to the Stable and All About Eve...
gives a very personal tribute to OklahomaOklahoma!Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance... - CYM8130: Ka-boom! (original off-Broadway cast)
- OC8131: So Long, 174th StreetSo Long, 174th StreetSo Long, 174th Street is a musical with a book by Joseph Stein and lyrics and music by Stan Daniels.Based on Stein's play Enter Laughing, which had been adapted from the Carl Reiner book of the same name and served as the basis for a 1967 film, it focuses on the journey of young David Kolowitz from...
(OBC) - OC8132: Bring Back BirdieBring Back BirdieBring Back Birdie is a musical with a book by Michael Stewart, lyrics by Lee Adams, and music by Charles Strouse.A sequel to Bye Bye Birdie, it focuses on a scheme for rock 'n' roller Conrad Birdie, who disappeared after being discharged from the U. S. Army twenty years ago, to make a comeback on a...
(OBC) - OC8133: The Housewives' Cantata (with original cast members)
- OC8134: One Night StandOne Night Stand (musical)One Night Stand is a musical with a book and lyrics by Herb Gardner and music by Jule Styne. Its plot centers on a songwriter who feels he's past his prime....
(OBC) - OC8135: Onward VictoriaOnward VictoriaOnward Victoria is a musical with a book and lyrics by Charlotte Anker and Irene Rosenberg, and music by Keith Herrmann.Its subject is Victoria Woodhull, the 19th-century woman who with her sister were the first women to operate a brokerage firm, at which they became millionaires; and started a...
(with original cast members) - CYM8236: 81 Proof (original LA cast)
- OC8237: Alec Wilder: Clues to a LifeAlec WilderAlec Wilder was an American composer.-Biography:...
(OBC) - OC8238: PrettybellePrettybellePrettybelle is a musical with a book and lyrics by Bob Merrill and music by Jule Styne.Adapted from the Jean Arnold novel of the same name, its central character is a Southern woman who, long abused by her recently deceased law officer husband, turns to alcohol for comfort, becomes a nymphomaniac...
(with original 1971 cast members) - OC8240: Is there life after high school?Is there life after high school?Is there life after high school? is a musical with a book by Jeffrey Kindley and music and lyrics by Craig Carnelia. It is loosely inspired by Ralph Keyes' best-selling book of the same name....
(OBC) - OC8241: A Doll's LifeA Doll's LifeA Doll's Life is a musical with a book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Larry Grossman. It is among the most notorious flops in Broadway theatre history.The musical is set at a rehearsal of Ibsen's A Doll's House in 1982....
(OBC) - OC8342: Oh Brother (OBC)
- OC8843: Songs from Late Nite ComicLate Nite ComicLate Night Comic was a short-lived stage musical written by playwright Allan Knee and composer/lyricist Brian Gari, which ran for 17 performances on Broadway in 1987.-Origins:...
(studio cast)
CDs (a select list of early release)
- THT891: The Baker's Wife (re-issue of THT772)
- OC902: Is there life after high school? (re-issue of OC8240)
- OC913: A Hard Time to be Single (original off-Broadway cast)
- OC914: Pictures in the Hall (original off-Broadway cast)
- OC915: Oh Brother (re-issue of OC8342)
- OC916: Jeff HarnarJeff HarnarJeff Harnar is an American, New York-based cabaret singer and recording artist with an unusually smooth, baritone voice and a fondness for the Broadway musical repertoire....
sings The 1959 Broadway Songbook - OC9212: One Man Band (studio cast)
- OC9214: Arthur SiegelArthur SiegelArthur Siegel was an American songwriter.Born on December 31, 1923 in Lakewood Township, New Jersey, he grew up in Asbury Park, New Jersey...
sings Arthur Siegel - OC9216: The Baker's Wife (second re-issue of THT772)
- OC9217: Eddie CantorEddie CantorEddie Cantor was an American "illustrated song" performer, comedian, dancer, singer, actor and songwriter...
: The Complete Carnegie Hall Concert - OC9218: Songs from Future Musicals (Brian Gari)