Center Stage Records is releasing a new deluxe edition of its 2023 studio album of Chilina Kennedy's musical Wild About You. The digital release, set for September 27, will include two new bonus tracks featuring performances from Eric McCormack, Ashley Loren, and Troy Iwata.
The album was originally released in 2023 via Broadway Records, boasting a cast that includes Jackie Burns, Kennedy Caughell, Rachel Ling Gordon, Katharine McPhee, Jessie Mueller, Paul Alexander Nolan, Lea Salonga, Alex Newell, Joaquina Kalukango, McCormack, Jenn Colella, Aisha Jackson, Noah J. Ricketts, and Jay McKenzie.
Wild About You—which was previously titled With(out) Her— features music and lyrics by Kennedy, a book by Eric Holmes, and direction by Lorin Latarro. The musical, set to a pop-folk score, follows Olivia as she puts together the pieces of her life with a limited memory after finding herself in the hospital. Through a jumbled past, she wonders which one of the loves of her life is her emergency contact, and as she gains clarity, she remembers her greatest love: her son.
Originally developed at Eclipse Theatre Company, Wild About You held an industry presentation in March 2023, and has since been seen in concert at London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Lili-Anne Brown is helming a two-week developmental workshop and industry presentation of the work in NYC this fall.
The Wild About You album is produced by Brian Spector and music supervisor, arranger, and orchestrator Daniel Edmonds. The new tracks are produced by Edmonds, Kennedy, and Spector.
“In the months since we released the original album, I’ve sat with the music and let it resonate,” says Kennedy in a statement. “We’ve been continually developing the show and as a result, the score has evolved to include some brand-new material. It becomes more and more thrilling to work on this piece because we keep diving deeper and deeper into the story with our incredible collaborators. We’re excited to release this deluxe edition of the album into the world for people who are both new to our show, and for those who have been following our journey. We hope everyone enjoys the new songs, sung by such wonderful artists.”
