June 14 is a very good day for Broadway cast album aficionados—recordings of Lempicka, The Heart of Rock and Roll, The Wiz both dropped June 14. The Wiz and Rock and Roll were expected, but Lempicka is actually a surprise drop.
It's been a roller coaster for Lempeople (fans of the short-lived biomusical), with the original release date of June 12 getting delayed not once but twice, only for it to then release before that final postponed date of June 18.
Listen to The Wiz here. Listen to Lempicka here. Listen to Heart of Rock and Roll here.
Lempicka played its final performance at the Longacre Theatre May 19 and is currently nominated for three Tony Awards: Best Leading Actress in a Musical for Eden Espinosa, Featured Actress in a Musical for Amber Iman, and Best Scenic Design of a Musical for Riccardo Hernández and Peter Nigrin.
The musical follows the true story of Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka, a young aristocrat-turned-artist who flees with her husband from the turmoil of the Russian Revolution for exile in Paris. Once there, Tamara meets her new muse, Rafaela, and claws her way to success. The book, lyrics, and original concept are by Carson Kreitzer, with Matt Gould co-writing the book and penning the music. Tony winner Rachel Chavkin directed.
The Wiz continues its run at the Marquis Theatre. This revival cast album is the musical's first English-language cast recording since the 1975 Broadway original. The production, which toured the U.S. before coming to Broadway, is directed by Schele Williams (The Notebook). Newcomer Nichelle Lewis stars as Dorothy, joined in the cast by Wayne Brady as The Wiz (Brady departed the production June 12, but is featured on the cast album), Deborah Cox as Glinda, Melody A. Betts as Aunt Em and Evillene, Kyle Ramar Freeman (A Strange Loop) as the Lion, Phillip Johnson Richardson (Sharper) as the Tinman, and Avery Wilson (The Voice) as the Scarecrow.
The work, featuring a score by Charlie Smalls and a book by William F. Brown, premiered on Broadway in 1975, transforming L. Frank Baum's classic children's novel into an all-Black "super soul musical," as it was originally billed. The musical made the jump to the big screen in 1978 with a film adaptation starring Diana Ross, Lena Horne, Richard Pryor, Michael Jackson, and, reprising his Broadway performance as the Cowardly Lion, Ted Ross.
The Heart of Rock and Roll continues its run at the James Earl Jones Theatre. It's a new musical inspired by the songs of Huey Lewis and The News. It has a book by Jonathan A. Abrams (with a story by Tyler Mitchell and Abrams) and a score of Huey Lewis hits, including “The Heart of Rock and Roll,” “Hip to be Square,” “Power of Love,” “Do You Believe in Love?,” “If This Is It,” “Doing It All for My Baby,” “Stuck with You,” "I Want a New Drug,” “It’s Alright,” and “Heart and Soul.”
The musical follows Bobby, a Chicagoan whose failed band leads to him returning to corporate America. While working, he meets his boss, Cassandra, who has also traded in her personal life for a professional one. Together, the two realize their dreams when Bobby gets another shot at stardom and Cassandra is up for the CEO job.
The cast is led by Corey Cott and McKenzie Kurtz, with Josh Breckenridge, F. Michael Haynie, Zoe Jensen, Tamika Lawrence, Raymond J. Lee, John-Michael Lyles, Orville Mendoza, Billy Harrigan Tighe, and John Dossett.
